The 2016 Geek Initiative Reading Challenge

Welcome to 2016, TGI community! We’ve put together a reading challenge for 2016. We’ve come up with a list for comic book and graphic novel fans and for readers of fiction and nonfiction. Are you ready for the challenge? Try one part of the list or both!

Try it out and let us know how you do. You can also print out a checklist here.

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

(For suggestions, check out our comic books section.)

An issue #1 published by a small press or indie publisher
An issue #1 published by Marvel
Ms. Marvel

An issue #1 published by DC
A comic book or graphic novel funded by Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or another crowdfunding platform
A new webcomic
A graphic novel written and illustrated by people of color
A graphic novel written and illustrated by women
A comic book or graphic novel about a woman whose religion differs from your own
Comic books or graphic novels about five different female protagonists
A comic from a villain’s perspective
A selection recommended to you by a Valkyrie (a woman who works at a comic book store)
Bonus: Crowdfund a comic book or graphic novel project
Bonus: Write a review about an indie comic book or graphic novel for The Geek Initiative

Fiction and Nonfiction

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

An author who lives in a different culture than you
An author from each inhabited continent, including your own
A work in epistolary form (letter correspondence)
An author under 20
An author over 60
An LGBTQIA+ author
An author who is a woman of color
A work examining race and gender
An author whose outspoken political perspectives differ significantly from your own
A biography of a woman in politics
An author from your own background or heritage
Reread a book you enjoyed as a child
A work taking place in a war (historical fiction, dystopian, memoir, or otherwise)
Bonus: Read a book written by a NaNoWriMo winner
Bonus: If you usually read e-books, pick up a print book. If you usually read print books, try an e-book.