Over the couple of the years, my venture into the deeper and broader parts of literature has led me to the wonders and thrills of Asian literature. The diverse colors and distinct textures combine to form a scintillating tapestry. From the staple Japanese works, my journey brought me to the works of Middle Eastern authors, South Asian authors, and eventually, authors of my native South East Asia.

To further show my love for Asian works and authors, I am signing up for the 2020 Year of the Asian Reading Challenge, one of three reading challenges I am taking part this year. You can learn more about the challenge by clicking on this link.

GUIDELINES

The aim of this challenge is to read as many books written by Asian authors as you can! These books can be backlist titles (i.e. released in 2019 or earlier), new releases, and ARCs. We welcome books of any genre, any format, and any length. Check out the levels we have made for this challenge (I drew them too!) and set your sights on a level you want to achieve.

In order for a book to count, you must start and finish it within 2020; the challenge will end on the 31st of December of this year. (This means that books started in 2019 and finished in 2020 do not count!) Likewise, any books started in 2020 and finished in 2021 do not count either.

We want this to be a relaxing and, above all else, fun challenge, so you can join in at any time in the year! The sign-up form will remain open until 2020 ends.

Follow us on Twitter (@YearOfTheAsian) for announcements, surprises, and more bookish fun. The official hashtag for this reading challenge is #YARC2020.

As this is my first time participating in this challenge, my original goal is the (cutesy) Philippine Tarsier level, equivalent to a reading target of between one to ten books. I guess I am playing the patriotic card here. Haha.

badge_tarsier

But I know I can manage to read more so I am upping the ante. I am aiming for the next animal badge, the Indian cobra, equivalent to reading 11 to 20 books. This might present a challenge, however, as this higher number will entail a lot of commitment. Total commitment is something that I can’t afford that much right now, especially with how my TBR list has grown over the years; it is getting more challenging choosing which books to read. It doesn’t help my aim that I can be such moody and slow reader. Whilst I want to have a realistic number, I also want to challenge myself. It would be great if I get to hit my target.

badge_cobra

This page will also serve as my update page for the challenge. Hoping to read as many Asian works as I can this year!

How about you fellow reader, how’s your experience with Asian authors so far? I hope you find them equally fascinating and enthralling! Here’s to setting goals for the year!