colour me read

After two years of researching, posting, and reading books from different genres, it's time for the Colour Me Read Challenge to come to a close. This is a hard post to write because this challenge has been so dear to me. Without it, I wouldn't have discovered certain genres I've come to enjoy. I've also talked to people who participated in the challenges and hearing about their reading experience was the most rewarding thing.

As fun as it was to plan and pick genres for each month, it also came with challenges. Life would often catch up with me and I'd find myself posting late or last minute. I didn't want to give it up, but I also felt like it didn't get as much time as it deserved. This happened month after month halfway through 2017 and I almost stopped the challenge altogether after December.

The more I thought about it, the more I leaned towards ending the challenge at some point in the future. While it still had participants on and off, it also lost traction without spiking new interests from other readers. I thought about pushing the challenge until the end of 2018, but I think this is the best time to close it.

Readers who still want to continue with the challenge can 'start over' by using prompts from June 2016 to May 2018 and I'll be sure to keep all the links updated for past challenges here. You can do it in order or jump in between, it's entirely up to you! The most important thing is to have fun and discover books which is all I hoped for from this challenge.

From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank each and every person who has joined, shared, or posted about the Colour Me Read Challenge. It's been a fulfilling two years and I hope you continue reading and discovering books with me as we close this chapter and move forward. ❤️

Love always,

Is it just me or is 2018 going by quickly? I had 3 books I wanted to read for April's challenge but only managed to finish one 🙈 Did you like the book(s) you picked?

This month, our genres are:

Matron Lit I was so intrigued by this genre when I first heard of it and I just knew we had to try it for one of our challenges. Books in this genre typically focus on female protagonists between their late 30s to mid 60s. I don't know about you, but I think these books could be pretty awesome. When was the last time you read a book with a protagonist in this age group?

Matron lit is a very underrated genre, so finding lists and recommendations for this was quite challenging. It's also sometimes referred to as hen lit (as opposed to chick lit 🐥) or hag lit (rude!) and I'm really looking forward to seeing the books that will be read for this.

Here's a list I found if you're looking for ideas: Popular Hen Lit Books on Goodreads. I know it's not much, but hopefully some of us have read a book that falls under this genre and can recommend it to others! 🤞🏼

Flintlock Fantasy I know what you're thinking. From Matron Lit to this? Yes, my randomness amazes me too. This genre is one I've wanted to feature for a looooong time so this month is as good an excuse as any. 😜 The term 'flintlock' comes from the fact that it's the typical level of firearms technology the setting has reached. Authors who are well known in this genre include Brian McClellan, Django Wexler, and Brent Weeks. Here's a handy list of books from Goodreads.

The more challenges we do, the more sub genres we're discovering! Do you enjoy this or would you prefer having one common and one lesser known genre per month?

In honour of Earth Day (April 22), here are our genres next month! They may seem similar, but they have some notable differences.

Climate Fiction More commonly known as cli-fi, books in this genre deals with climate change and global warming. It focuses on the effects of climate change on a particular location and explores options available to people trying to adapt/mitigate those effects.

List of Popular Cli-Fi Books on Goodreads

Dying Earth A subgenre of fantasy and science fiction, books in this genre take place in the far future in which the Earth or the universe itself is dying. As the world fades, magic and technology intertwine and sometimes challenge the laws of nature.

List of Popular Dying Earth Books on Goodreads

Does anyone else feel cheated every time February ends? Like hello, I needed those extra days to finish my current reads. Rude.

But with a new month comes a new challenge so I guess that makes up for it. ;)

For March, our genres are:

Memoir A non-fiction literary genre focusing on memoirs – collections of memories an individual writes about moments or events that took place in the author’s life.

Since started the CMR Challenge I've developed a soft spot for memoirs. This is such an underrated genre and I feel like it deserves more love and attention.

Metafiction Goodreads defines this genre as 'self-conscious fiction' and it's so on point that I'm using it. Books in this genre are known for stories that examine the elements of fiction itself.

Here's a quote from Schmoop that might help make it clearer, "...if the story you're reading is about, well, writing stories, that's metafiction. If the book you're reading acknowledges itself as a book, that's metafiction. If the author jumps into the action and says, 'Look at me! I'm the author! Watch me write!' that's metafiction."

As always, Goodreads comes through. Here's their handy lists for these genres:

Memoirs

Metafiction Books

This month's challenge celebrates Children's Literature and Romance.

I was looking into literary holidays and February seems to be the perfect month to read some kid lit. I'm a huge fan of this genre myself and I'm stoked for this month's challenge.

Have any middle grade books? Been wanting to read Harry Potter? Now's the time!

Feb 1: Harry Potter Book Night Feb 1-7: Children's Authors and Illustrator Week

February is known as the month of love and it felt wrong not to pick Romance. I have to admit, this is the most challenging genre for me because I'm so picky about my Romance. If it's too much I cringe, if it's unconvincing I roll my eyes. Sooo yeah. Wish me luck!

If you need some inspiration for your picks, here are helpful lists from Goodreads:

Best Children's Books Popular Romance Books

I'm probably going to read Beauty by Robin McKinley and continue my Anne of Green Gables journey with Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery.

Happy New Year, friends!

Did you get any books for Christmas? Have you written down your reading goals? Have you finished your first book of 2018?! (if yes, wowza!) Wherever you are in our bookish universe I hope you're as excited as I am to explore more genres. 🙌🏼

We are kicking off 2018 with two genres we've never had on the Colour Me Read Challenge and they are... (drum roll)

Experimental Fiction You've probably read a book from this genre without even knowing it. Experimental fiction is known for breaking the boundaries of traditional fiction or mainstream genres in form, technique, content or theme.

Some that come to mind are House of Leaves, The Illuminae Files, Flowers of Algernon, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., Night Film, and The Lover's Dictionary. Here's a handy list of books from Goodreads!

Satire Books from this genre are known for exposing and criticizing the foolishness and corruption of an individual/society by using humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule which intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles.

Many well-known books fall into this category and they include Animal Farm, Catch-22, Slaughterhouse-Five, 1984, The Screwtape Letters, Fight Club, and Fahrenheit 451. As always here is a list from Goodreads.

I'm not sure if I already own unread books under experimental fiction, but I do own 1984 so I will start with that for my satire pick of the month.