Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Progress Posts 2017
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37: A book you choose randomly
Given that I didn't start in order, and that the book I read this week (The Forgetting Time) was such a page turner, I'm pleased to announce my first progress report for Around The Year in 52 Books 2017.As mentioned I read The Forgetting Time, which was picked at random when I bought it and which had remained on my floor ever since because pfft, bookshelves are expensive. So it was picked out from my TBR at random, having been put there due to randomness in the first place. The fact that it happened to fit in with ohhh,,, five or six other reading challenges might also have been a deciding factor though.
I enjoyed picking at random because TBH that's what I usually do in any case. Hence the need to hop around instead of following a strict schedule. Scheduling reading takes some of the pleasure out of it for me.
I am reading A Spool of Blue Thread. It is not a book that i would ordinarily read but I have just joined a local bookclub and this was this months choice. I usally pick randomly anyway but its good to try books outside your comfort zone.
I'm reading Povestea Uitării (The Story of Forgetting)I chose it because sometimes I forget things :)
I enjoyed choosing it because...what was I saying?
I read Ready Player One this week! So glad I did, it was sitting on my TBR for ages and I decided now would be the perfect time to read it :)
What are you reading this week?Jaws
How did you choose your book?
I went to my online library wishlist and picked the first audio book that I was able to borrow. I don't actually know how this book got on my wishlist, it isn't one I had been wanting to read.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
In this case I did. I enjoyed reading this book it was quick and easy read.
- What are you reading this week?The Life Plan
- How did you choose your book?
It looked like an interesting self help book, being the beginning of the year I choose it to pick ideas for my new year resolutions.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I did enjoy it, although most of the content was known. I personally found the 20-year plan a useful exercise.
I like to pick books at random sometimes because .... serendipity!
For this week, I am reading The One Man by Andrew GrossMy local book store has Blind Date books - they are covered in brown paper with only a couple of words describing them. I chose one of these books and The One Man was it.
I am so worried about choosing books randomly, but after this I might try it more often
- What are you reading this week?Tuesday's Socks- How did you choose your book? Bookbub suggestion that I had been on my TBR list for awhile, so why not?
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? The picture on the front of the book and the title had intrigued me for a while. But it one of 120, so.... However, since I had chosen it from a list with descriptions in the first place, it wasn't very random. Enjoyed because I knew I was whittling my list down.
What are you reading this week?: The Quilter's ApprenticeHow did you choose your book?: Was looking through Audible and found this.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? : It was okay - I had so many to choose from !!
- What are you reading this week?The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
- How did you choose your book?
My whole book club did. We are given a choice of dozens of books for our year's worth of book club books and this was one of the ones chosen. I know nothing about it.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
It was fun to choose books based on the cover and title alone.
- What are you reading this week?Det är något som inte stämmer by Martina Haag
- How did you choose your book?
Just took it off my TBR shelf. I was looking for a short book and I've heard good things. Also, it's been sitting unread for way too long.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I often pick books at random when I don't have anything specific I'm in the mood for.
- What are you reading this week?Past Lies
- How did you choose your book?
I needed a synonym for Ancient in the title and Past worked. I went through my library's digital collection looking at books with Past in the title and just picked one.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I have fun picking books like this. I've read a lot of good books, as well as some not so good ones, that I never would have read.
- What are you reading this week?
- How did you choose your book? It was only $1.99 on my Kindle
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? I enjoy choosing books at random because it makes you read books you may not have otherwise read. However, I did not enjoy this particular random book.
- What are you reading this week?Seed by Michael Edelson
- How did you choose your book?
I saw it on my timeline here on Goodreads and went looking for it.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Not really a big deal.
- What are you reading this week? The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout- How did you choose your book? I'm working on a 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards challenge for another group and this book fit that challenge.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? Kind of but not really since it's for another challenge but I did pick it up randomly at the bookstore.
What are you reading this week?Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
How did you choose your book?
This prompt was hard for me because it didn't force me into a certain category or topic. I tried 2 other books before this one and couldn't even get a chapter in before hating them. I finally settled on this one because I've read it before and knew I'd enjoy it. Trying to push through a book I was having troubles with was causing me to melt into a reading slump (which is really dangerous for my momentum this early in the year!) so I'm hoping by switching it up with a book that I already know I'll like that it'll put me back into the reading mood that I started this year with.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
No really not. Mainly because that's what I always do, and the reason I started this challenge was to have more direction to what I choose. Choosing at random put that pressure back on me to pick something out of the hundreds of books on my list, without any parameters, which was actually very overwhelming.
- What are you reading this week? Thirteen Reasons Why- How did you choose your book? I just wanted to reread it
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? Not so much, I like selecting categories/challenges for my reads
I am reading The Legacy of Lucy Harte: A poignant, life-affirming novel that will make you laugh and cry by Emma Heatherington. I decided to use it as my random book because I chose it as a result of an Amazon offer email popping into my inbox.
-What are you reading this week? Ordinary Grace-How did you choose your book? Ordered it as it looked interesting-and it definitely was!
-Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? yes Why or why not? I like to read something different every now and then.
- What are you reading this week?Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot and Aurelia Fronty
- How did you choose your book?
I found its cover beautiful.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I usually don't like it. I did that a lot before, and ended up reading lots of bad books! That's one of the reason why I participate in book challenges : to have a more intentional reading life.
But this time it was a good pick. It's a children's book, and now I think I will read an adult version of Wangari Maathai's biography, because she seems to have been a very brave and interesting woman.
What are you reading this week?The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain
How did you choose your book?
I had fun picking this! I decided that I'd take the last book I read and look up the first word of the eighth line on the tenth page. Then I'd search for a book that had that word in the title. The word was "sister" so I'll be reading The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes, I actually did enjoy it in the end! When I first started working on my plan I had a few ideas about how I might choose a book at random, but I couldn't decide which to use. Then, in order to stop wasting more time thinking about the options I decided I'd just go with the first new idea that popped into my head, which happened to be this one.
Bryony wrote: "What are you reading this week?The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain
How did you choose your book?
I had fun picking this! I decided that I'd..."
What a fun way to choose a book! I definitely have to try that! ;-)
- What are you reading this week?I read The Discovery of Chocolate: A Novel by James Runcie
- How did you choose your book?
I went to a new Goodwill to look for books. They don't carry books except they had this one novel, a Sydney Chambers mystery by James Runcie. I decided to buy it. After reading it, I was curious to see what else he has written, other than this mystery series. I found this book, which is his first novel. I had never heard of the book or the author before my Goodwill find.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes, I did. It was an unexpected surprise! I always enjoy finding new authors that I like.
- What are you reading this week?
The Couple Next Door
- How did you choose your book?
I wanted to focus my challenge on killing my TBR List. My lucky number is 8. So on the day I drafted my list, I went to the 8th page of my TBR on Goodreads and selected the 8th book down.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yea, I did. Especially because this was only really semi-random and still helped me to knock one of the TBR.
What are you reading this week?Symptoms of Being Human
How did you choose your book?
My original intent was to use some kind of random number generator, but I ended up choosing a different way. While I was skimming through my TBR to find options for other prompts in my challenges, this book kept jumping out at me. I considered it a "random" choice since there was nothing in particular that made this book stand out more than others, but for some reason, every time I saw it on the list, I kept thinking "I have to fit that in somewhere!"
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I tend to take prompts a bit too literally sometimes, so for a while I was stuck on how to truly make it random. I liked it because it helped me fit in a book that I really wanted to try.
What are you reading this week?The property by Rutu Modan
How did you choose your book?
At the library.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
My TBR list is a silly length, so only great books get to leapfrog! But it was a good choice.
What are you reading this week?
02/10/2017How did you choose your book?
It's one I wanted to read for some time and the opportunity arose for a group/buddy read.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Absolutely! Gives you the chance to fit a book you want to read into a category.
What are you reading this week?Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
How did you choose your book?
I found it in the vacation home I'm staying at, and I ran out of reading material, so I decided to just read that.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I didn't really choose much with this book, but I am glad it was there. I always enjoy Poirot mysteries.
-What are you reading this week? The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton-How did you choose your book? While searching the online available books from my library.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Yes
- Why or why not? I tend to find books that will interest me by searching my online library availability regularly. This allows me to find books that I was not aware of.
- What are you reading this week? Only Daughter- How did you choose your book? I went to the Library list of Audiobooks and picked a random page 42nd and then picked the first book on that page that jumped out at me.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? I like picking books at random. This is my first year to attempt this challenge. So picking books with specific prompts is out of the norm I am used to picking books at random! :) The only thing I don't like about the challenge is I don't have as much freedom to pick up books at random that I just see on a whim. I still do but less of that because all my hold spots on my library queue are filled with challenge books! :)
What are you reading this week?The Witches by Roald Dahl
How did you choose your book?
I had randomly chosen something else at first--going to new releases on Goodreads and choosing the first one that looked interesting ( The Mothers by Brit Bennett), but then The Witches was chosen as Book of the Month and I wanted to read it so I just changed. Seemed kind of random...
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
It was more fun the first way I did it. But I really wanted to read The Witches.
What are you reading this week?The Witches by Roald DahlHow did you choose your book? I left it to fate! more or less. At the beginning I decided that I would read the book chosen for Children Classic in the BotM, unless I had already read it, and if that happened, I should chose from the next BotM and so on ... it was a great plan, except that three books won in the first BotM and I had to choose one of them ... and that's why is just a more or less randomly choice :)
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? I did! Sometimes I have problems to choose the next book to read, but this time I left the decision to others :D
What are you reading this week?Masques by Patricia Briggs
How did you choose your book?
I found it at a library book sale and I love some of the author's other work, so I thought I'd give it a try!
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes, I usually pick up books that look good to me, but finding this at the library sale was pretty fun!
What are you reading this week?Understanding Archives & Manuscripts
How did you choose your book?
I took this prompt to be the reader's choice prompt like Week 13 last year. I needed to read this book for school, so I just put it in this prompt.
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I didn't really choose this book at random, but I have chosen other books at random in the past and I enjoy doing so. I usually pick randomly by choosing a book while browsing at the library.
- What are you reading this week?Gakuen Alice, Vol. 01 by Tachibana Higuchi
- How did you choose your book?
I was watching the anime and suddenly thought of reading the manga.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes, I almost always choose books completely randomly based on what I'm in the mood for.
- What are you reading this week?A Case of Need by Jeffery Hudson (Michael Crichton)
- How did you choose your book?
First, I decided that this should be another prompt where I read a book I have owned for a while. Then I collected up the books which had not made the cut for week 20.
Given that there were multiple books by a few authors and a lot of books total. I chose a representative book for those authors thereby limiting the options to 6. Then I used Random.org to choose from the six.
A Michael Crichton book was chosen. So, I next gathered all of my Crichton books that have not been read and did another random selection to land on the final choice.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes. It was exciting to find out what would be chosen and since it started from a limited list of books, I knew it couldn't end up too bad.
What are you reading this week?The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.
How did you choose your book?
I had some time to kill while my daughter and her friend were digging for worms today. I only had my phone on me, and no Internet, so had to choose something I had already downloaded onto iBooks. Sherlock won!
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
It was ok, especially since I was choosing from books I wanted to read. I'm not sure how I'd go choosing something completely randomly!
This weeks book is The Savage by David Almond I chose it at random at the library after deciding I wanted to try a graphic novel
Generally I don't choose at random
- What are you reading this week?The Vampire Wish
- How did you choose your book?
I was doing a readathon and needed an ebook. And I had an e-ARC for this one on my phone.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
I feel like I mostly choose my books at random.
- What are you reading this week? Do Not Become Alarmed- How did you choose your book? I had a bunch of stuff on hold at the library and decided I would read the one that came off hold first.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? I think I could have been more creative but it was fun. Don't mind choosing randomly from my TBR.
What are you reading this week?The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
How did you choose your book?
Needed a beach read for vacation; this seemed light enough...
Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes, this one was enjoyable. I didn't think I would be able to find a way to get around to it this year, it was completely impulsive which is something I rarely get to be...
- What are you reading this week?The Fabulous Flying Mrs Miller
- How did you choose your book?
I was scanning new e-books available via my library, liked the cover so read more and was intrigued by the summary. I don't read many narrative histories let along girls' own adventure books and with a heroine called Chubbie I had to investigate.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Half the books I choose are random picks, especially from the library. I am more adventurous if I don't have to make a financial commitment. I tend to buy things I have researched previously or random picks from the library I have enjoyed and would like to re-read.
Progress Post:- What are you reading this week?
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill
- How did you choose your book?
I saw it as a possible ebook to take out on Overdrive and thought it sounded interesting
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Sometimes. I actually really enjoy it when I do, but usually I have so many books that have been recommended to me that I don't feel I have the time to pick up random books I have never heard of.
- What are you reading this week? Fated by Benedict Jacka- How did you choose your book? I used one of my lists, closed my eyes, and pointed.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not? No, I'm too much of a control freak.
- What are you reading this week? Culottées
- How did you choose your book?
I had a list of reservations at the library and this one was the first available.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
As it was a pick from my TBR, it was fine. I wouldn't have liked something fully random like "pick the 1st book you see".
- What are you reading this week?My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
- How did you choose your book?
I choosed a book from by TBR with a random number generator
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Not really. I prefer reading what I want.
- What are you reading this week?
- How did you choose your book?
Goodreads recommendations.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Sometimes, but I choose book in what mood I am.
- What are you reading this week?Hushabye by Celina Grace
- How did you choose your book?
I picked a random number then went to my TBR list and chose whichever book corresponded with that number.
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?
Yes because it makes me read a book already on my TBR list that I may have not read any time soon.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life (other topics)We Are Unprepared (other topics)
Dangerous Minds (other topics)
The Field Guide (other topics)
Autumn (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kate McDermott (other topics)Phoef Sutton (other topics)
Janet Evanovich (other topics)
Tony DiTerlizzi (other topics)
Holly Black (other topics)
More...
For those reading in order: September 11 – September 17, 2017
Suggestions for this category: link
To discuss the book, don't forget to add it in the A-Z folders or join the existing discussion. Please, don't discuss the book here.
Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?
- How did you choose your book?
- Did you enjoy choosing a book at random? Why or why not?