Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

We're halfway through the challenge! This week you get to find out what all the hype is about.
For those reading in order: June 24- June 30.

Suggestions for this week: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
To discuss the book, don't forget to add it in the A-Z folders or join the existing discussion.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?
- Where did you hear about it?
- What are your expectations for the book?

- What are you reading this week?
I read Ready Player One!

- Where did you hear about it?
Where DIDN'T I hear about it? Movie entertainment news, geek websites, entertainment websites, friends, GoodReads, EVERYWHERE!

- What are your expectations for the book?
Honestly? I had zero expectations. This book was everywhere and kept popping up in my recommendations, but I was so lukewarm about the idea of it. I wasn't like, "OMG I WOULD NEVER READ A BOOK LIKE THIS!" but it didn't really grab my attention. At all. But omg, it was so good. Way way way better than I was expecting it to be.

Andy Weir
26. I heard about this book from many people, friends etc. that have seen the recent movie made from the book. I found it a 5 star read, and plan to see the movie next!

Mansu wrote:

- I had great expectations from this book and they crashed..."

I felt the same way about Girl on the Train. My expectations were way to high and I just didn't like it all that much

- What are you reading this week?
"The Natural Way of Things" by Charlotte Wood

- Where did you hear about it?
A few people from my book club had read it, and recommended it.

- What are your expectations for the book?
I definitely was expecting more, I was very disappointed. I did not enjoy it at all, it was very disjointed.

- What are you reading this week?
Red Rising by Pierce Brown

- Where did you hear about it?
On Goodreads, of course! Also, it is the first book selected to be read at the new Sci-Fi & Fantasy book club at my local library. And, a movie is in the works!

- What are your expectations for the book?
I think it is going to be great! I'm anxious to read it so then I can read the next two books in the series! The second book in the series, Golden Son, was the 2015 Goodreads sci-fi winner.

I am reading Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.

I have heard about this book from the 2015 Goodreads award, but I chose another genre for my Week 3. I continually saw it on display at my local library the last year, and it kept showing up in my recommendations because of similar books I have read.

I have mixed expectations. The books it is compared to are ones that I enjoy, but the reviews make me refrain from getting overly excited about it.

- What are you reading this week?
I'm reading All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven


- Where did you hear about it?
It kept popping up on my feed, so many people were reading it. It also won the Goodreads Choice Awards for YA Fiction

- What are your expectations for the book?
From the blurb I am expecting it to be a romance full of teenage angst. I am not entirely sure what to expect really.

- What are you reading this week?
I fitted Attachments in this week because I really wanted to read the BOTM, but didn't know where to place it.

- Where did you hear about it?
HERE! hihi Before it got selected as the BOTM, I heard talk about it quite often and if I didn't put it in my TBR, I kept it on the back of my mind in case I needed a light read.

- What are your expectations for the book?
I'm already near half-way, but the expectations I had when starting it were a light funny not too cheesy read.

- I read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

- I heard about it on booktube.

- I expected it to be great from all the glowing reviews and it was amazing! It totally blew me away!

What are you reading this week: Never Never by Colleen Hoover

Where did you hear about it: booktube

What are your expectations for the book: that's it's as good as they say it is,and that I'll enjoy her work.

- What are you reading this week?


- Where did you hear about it?
Everywhere....

- What are your expectations for the book?
With all the hype surrounding this book I expected to be gripped from beginning to end. I wasn't!

Progress Post

- What are you reading this week?
Me Before You

- Where did you hear about it?
Literally everywhere. I have not gone a day in weeks without this book being gushed about.

- What are your expectations for the book?
I hear I'm supposed to be devastated and as I have not cried over a book since that Sirius fiasco...I doubt it. But I expect lots of emotion and hopefully something that will break the cycle of mid-level enjoyment I've been stuck in.

What are you reading this week?
After You

Where did you hear about it?

I read the first book, Me Before You and decided to follow up with the next book.

What are your expectations for the book?

Not particularly high. Some say it's not as good as the first. But I reserve judgment!

- What are you reading this week? All the Light We Cannot See

- Where did you hear about it? First from my Gram, then from almost every patron that returned it to the library where I work.

- What are your expectations for the book? Anything my Gram reads, I normally like, and historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, so as I expected, I was sucked right in.

- What are you reading this week?
Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee

- Where did you hear about it?
Where did I not hear about it?
- What are your expectations for the book?
To be honest, I wasn't expecting too much because I had heard so much about it. I'm always weary of a book that holds so much expectations, especially when it's a sequel.

- What are you reading this week? Bábovky
- Where did you hear about it? Everywhere, it is a big hit in Czechia
- What are your expectations for the book? Great.

-What are you reading this week?
- Where did you hear about it? It's been all over YouTube ever since BEA and there's a bit of controversy surrounding the book and author as well.
- What are your expectations for the book? Well I didn't really have any. I try not to judge books until I read them myself. I was hearing mixed reviews so I felt it could go either way.

Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagahira
- Where did you hear about it?
It was a finalist for the National Book Award. A couple of my friends asked if I was going to read it too. #1 book on Buzzfeed's best books of 2015.
- What are your expectations for the book?
At over 720 pages, it better be good!! As with all books I read, I expect it to have some unique features and approaches. Its hard for me to explain what I mean by that, but maybe I'll be able to give examples when I am done.

The book had the unique elements I crave. This 700-plus-page narrative follows the lives of four college friends who come to New York seeking fame and higher tax brackets. Malcolm is an architect, Willem an actor, JB a painter. The fourth, Jude, is a litigator with a secret, painful past, and the book is primarily his story. The story is told so sensitively and most readers cannot help but love Jude and Willem. Malcolm and JB have their moments too. I guess I still cannot describe adequately why I loved this book and what its elements AR.E unique Perhaps the fact that I miss Jude and Willem so much tells the tale.

For this week, I read Room by Emma Donoghue.

Where did you hear about it?
- First read about it on a list of 10 Most Disturbing Books, or something along those lines. The premise sounded interesting, so I found a copy. Then the movie came out, and with the hype of the Academy Awards, I knew I had to read it.


What are your expectations for the book?
I knew it would be a messed up story, just from what I'd heard and read about it. The movie trailer also makes it seem like a crazy psychological story. It didn't disappoint. I've had dreams about this book for 2 days now.

What are you reading this week?

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin

Where did you hear about it?

Well, everybody was talking about it.

Actually, I first heard about this series back in 2008. I was in a gaming store and they had the Game of Thrones deck building game. I mentioned to the store owner that it was a brilliant title for a game and he explained to me that it was actually based on a series of books where the title was the name of the first book. Then everyone there agreed that they were a must read and that the game was a must play as well.

Then I procrastinated on it for many, many years until fear of spoilers from the HBO series finally got me to pick the books up.

What are your expectations for the book?

Well, I was hoping to see more of the dragons, after all they are in the title. But it does seem to be a common Fantasy trope to have Dragons in the title or as a main plot point and then not show them much at all (for budgetary reasons, perhaps?). I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed in that respect.

What are you reading this week?



Where did you hear about it?
I first saw the popular title in the book store and then at Costco for a very good price. I have kicked myself ever since for not buying it wholesale. I have since purchased two copies for friends. It wasn't until Goodreads and many people's chatter about it that I finally got my copy from the library.

What are your expectations for the book?
I expected it to be quite graphic and violent since that was the word on the street. Also, that it was going to be excellent as it was cited for a possible book of the year. It definitely was graphic, although I am afraid that I have become so desensitized to such things in books and media that it didn't shock me as much as I had prepared myself for from the hype of its talk. Yes, some of the descriptions were violent but no more than crime shows we see today. The subject was more disturbing than the actual descriptions for sure. Of course, it being a Karin Slaughter book, one expects this but I did find her book Blindsighted, believe it or not, to have its violent descriptions stick with me more than this one. Maybe just because this one was so hyped of violence, I thought it was going to be even worse, but it certainly isn't for the faint of heart. This I know for sure.

- What are you reading this week? The Martian
- Where did you hear about it? Everywhere!
- What are your expectations for the book? The book must be fantastic! And then is time for the film...

- What are you reading this week?

I'm also reading All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.

- Where did you hear about it?

All over Goodreads, Entertainment Weekly, and my book club read it.

- What are your expectations for the book?

Based on what it's being compared to...I'm expecting to cry. :(

I'm reading 'The Road to Ruin: How Tony Abbott and Peta Credlin destroyed their own Government', by Niki Savva. It's bee substantially covered in the Australian media over past few months. I'm expecting some political insight and analysis into the working relationship between the former Prime Minister and his Chief of Staff, and how this was perceived by Liberal Party insiders.

- What are you reading this week?
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

- Where did you hear about it?
I first heard it mentioned at Book Group and then my other half bought it on Kindle as he had heard about it too.

- What are your expectations for the book?
I thought it would be a bit like Gone Girl which I had found very fast paced even though I couldn't stand either of the 2 lead characters and their contrived sweariness. However it wasn't particularly fast paced and I kept waiting for a killer twist ... slightly disappointing.

I guess that's the problem with books that get a lot of hype - expectations get inflated and so more often than not they will disappoint!

What are you reading this week?

I too hopped on The Martian train.

Where did you hear about it?

Booktube, Entertainment Weekly, my parents

What are your expectations for the book?

Well I thought Mark was going to be a huge jerk, but I didn't find him that bad. He just swore a lot and said a few inappropriate things, but he didn't seem like a rude guy.

I thought my expectations were pretty spot-on--I went in thinking i wouldn't like the science parts and I didn't. But the story was compelling and I'm looking forward to watching the movie.

What are you reading this week?
In a Dark, Dark Wood


Where did you hear about it?
Friends, both in and outside of book club.

What are your expectations for the book?
I don't really have any, but I am excited to be reading it. It seems like it should be pretty dark and creepy.

- What are you reading this week? Red Queen
- Where did you hear about it? I kept seeing people read about it and it was a goodread's choice winner.
- What are your expectations for the book? I am expecting it to be really good.

What are you reading this week? Maybe a little bit of a stretch for this category, but it was on a GR suggestion list: The Little Paris Bookshop
Where did you hear about it? Found it on the Huffington Post suggestion list and it was on my TBR.
What are your expectations for the book? I'm a sucker for anything to do with a bookshop and based on the description I'm going to love it.

Gave it 4 stars. As with most good books, there is much more to this story than just the basic plot line.

I read:

This wa a big thing after the police violence in America. Then it was on Goodreads, most of the websites, Book Depository as being touted as the book to be read.

I know that Ta-Nehisi Coates is a journalist. I looked forward to his view as a journalist and a black man living in America.

I am reading The Girl on A Train.. I had to judge this one for myself. And see if it was truly the mystery winner for 2015..

- What are you reading this week?
A Little Life

- Where did you hear about it?
Book Riot's All the Books podcast

- What are your expectations for the book?
That it would be really, really sad. It was. But by far my favourite read this year so far!

Erica wrote: "- What are you reading this week?
A Little Life

- Where did you hear about it?
Book Riot's All the Books podcast

- What are your expectations for the book?
That it would be reall..."

I have finally found someone who read the same book for the same clue I did. I agree with your assessment completely.

Here is a web site that shows A Little Life photos:

http://alittlelifebook.tumblr.com/

Enjoy!!

- What are you reading this week?
Between You and Me, by Lisa Hall

- Where did you hear about it?
Currently number 2 in the Amazon Best Sellers list in the UK ... only published 6 weeks ago and a lot of reviews already. Promoted as a psychological thriller with a twist you won't see coming ... so in the same way as I was caught up with Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, I've grabbed this one too!

- What are your expectations for the book?
My hope is that I won't see the twist coming!!

What are you reading this week?
Me Before You

Where did you hear about it?
Lots of places, from friends, media.

What are your expectations for the book?
That it will be a good book. I feel like it has been over hyped.

What are you reading this week?

Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell

- Where did you hear about it? On National Public Radio

- What are your expectations for the book? I expect a story about a remarkable woman, who was the helpmate of a remarkable man in the history of the Western World.

What are you reading this week?
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Where did you hear about it?
It just won the Man Booker Prize

What are your expectations for the book?
I was expecting it to be a difficult read, but I got really caught up in it. And it got better as it continued...

I read The Stranger back in January for this topic and completely forgot to add it. At the time everyone was talking about this book, it was all over goodreads, so I said why not, I'll try it. It was so good with all the plot twists that I've read a few more of his books also.

What are you reading this week? I am reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Where did you hear about it? I heard about it from friends, on tv, on the internet. But I really wanted to read it after everyone in this group said it was much better than The Girl on the Train.
What are your expectations for the book? I knew it was a thriller/mystery, so I expected that the book would leave me clues as to what happened. Definitely not what I expected.

What are you reading this week?
I am reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

Where did you hear about it?
I heard about it here on Goodreads, and especially in this group.

What are your expectations for the book?
I hope to like it very much, as those who wrote about it all liked it.

What are you reading this week?
Very easy choice for this category. I picked Go Set a Watchman

Where did you hear about it?
I think I first saw it on Facebook, but kind of assumed it was a hoax. I didn't think there would really be a sequel to a book so far after the fact. Then I saw it in the newspaper, and started reading about all the controversy about it's release.

What are your expectations for the book?
Honestly, I went into it expecting very little. I had a vague idea of one of the most controversial plot points before I started reading, so it wasn't too surprising. Also, although I really liked To Kill a Mockingbird, I don't think I'm quite as attached to it as many other people seem to be either, so I don't find this book all that shocking (yet, I'm only a third of the way through as of this post).

For this week I chose:

by Jacqueline Green

Where did I hear about it?
Okay, so I kind of cheated for this week. It's completely obvious that everyone isn't talking about this book. However, me and my best friend visited Books-a-Million. While browsing around the discount shelf, we stumbled across this book. I read the back and let her read the back and we both decided to buy it! She started reading the book before I did and was telling me how amazing it was. I actually think I finished it before her it was so good!

What were my expectations?
After all the hype of her talking about it, I knew that it must be really good because me and her have kind of the same taste! She definitely wasn't wrong because I loved this book and It's a trilogy. I already got a chance to read a snippet of the next book and I'm super stoked to read it! Fixing to buy my copy as I'm typing this :)

Kristin wrote: "For this week I chose:

by Jacqueline Green

Where did I hear about it?
Okay, so I kind of cheated for this week. It's completely obvious that ..."

I don't think you cheated at all... now maybe we ALL will be talking about it if you think the book is that good ;-)

^Lol - that cover! I thought the title was: 'Rut' Or Dare and was this close to putting it on my TBR.

- What are you reading this week?
Ready Player One
- Where did you hear about it?
Like the star_fire13 in the first post, I have seen it EVERYWHERE recently. I think because it is being made into a movie it is being read and talk about more.
- What are your expectations for the book?
Originally I had no interest but have heard enough now to think it will be different, funny and enjoyable.

What are you reading this week?

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

Where did you hear about it?
Earlier this year, the chatter about this book was deafening. Reviews of it appeared in several major newspapers, and it was a finalist for various awards: NBA, NBCC, and Goodreads Choice.

What are your expectations for the book?
The title and cover are so alluring that I intentionally skipped summaries and reviews. My expectations include exquisite prose and an epic plot.

What are you reading this week?
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

Where did you hear about it?
This was a HUGELY popular book with our group last year, and it seems to have carried through to this year too.

What are your expectations for the book?
Honestly, I'm a little scared to read it. My expectations are high ... like skyscraper high. And I'm terrified that I'll be disappointed because of that. But, I've heard such wonderful things about this book, and about his writing, that I am cautiously optimistic.

What are you reading this week?
Room

Where did you hear about it?
Everyone where I live was talking about it after the movie came out. I thought I would read the book.

- What are your expectations for the book?
My expectations were high because so many people who had read it liked it. However, I hated this book. I felt the dialogue supposedly of the 5 year old Jack was irritating and not true to life. I hated the subject matter and found it too disturbing. I couldn't finish it.

- What are you reading this week?
This week I finally finished The Secret History.

- Where did you hear about it?
Goodreads, of course. It was a buddy read for me, and it had been showing up on friends' lists for a while. I'd also heard about it in book club and seen it recommended in different lists of must-read books.

- What are your expectations for the book?
I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but I figured it would be amazing based on the response. I had no idea it had been around for as long as it has. I enjoyed it, though!