Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

The next four comments after this list show the books I'm reading and have read (by quarter). As books are finished, they get a check mark in the quarterly comments. Completed prompts will get deleted from this first list.

I also have 368 books on my TBR list (as of Dec 31, 2017) I'd like to greet 2019 with fewer than that! Is that possible???


6. A book originally written in a language other than English
Gora

11. A literary fiction

23. A medical or legal thriller

26. A book with a text only cover

29. A book with a "Clue" weapon on the cover or title (lead pipe, revolver, rope, candlestick, dagger, wrench)

32. An alternate history book

33. A book connected (title, cover, content) to a word "born" in the same year as you (link)

37. A Women's Prize for Fiction winner or nominee (link1, link2)
See What I Have Done

40. A book from Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list (link)

41. A book by an author with the same first and last initials

45. A book that intimidates/ scares you

48. A book related to one of the 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth)

I need to read 13 books per quarter!
First quarter:

January
✅34. A suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call (link)
A book by an author who has published at least 30 fiction books or 10 non-fiction books
Carrie short 250ish pages, 4 stars
✅35. A book featuring a murder
Murder on the Orient Express short, 3.5 stars
✅44. A ghost story short, three stars
The Darker Sex: Tales of the Supernatural and Macabre by Victorian Women Writers
✅36. A book published in the last 3 years (2016, 2017, 2018) by an author you haven't read before
The Alice Network
✔️42 A book that takes place on, in, or underwater
Black Water
9. A book with a body part in the title (heart, bones, teeth, skin, blood, etc)
Dragon Teeth
10. An author's debut book (their first book to be published)
The Alienist
45. A book that intimidates/ scares you
Ulysses



February
✔️50. A book with a warm atmosphere (centered on family, friendship, love or summer) Love Comes Softly

March
✔️8. an "own voices" book
Shetani's Sister
✅ 28. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #3 Water
Into the Water
✅ 39. A book with a form of punctuation in the title
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
✅ 43. A book with a title that is a whole sentence
See You in the Cosmos
24. A book with a map
This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland

Side reads:

Short (<300):
Medium (300-600):
Long (>600):

Second quarter:

April
✅ 13. A book with a plot centered around a secret (forbidden love, spies, secret societies, etc)
Shadow of Night

May
✅ 24. A book with a map
A Game of Thrones

June
✅ 27. A book about surviving a hardship (war, famine, major disasters, serious illness, etc)
The Stand
Side reads

Third quarter:

July
✅ 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #1 Earth (in title, cover, content, setting, author...)
To a God Unknown

August
✅52. A book published in 2018
The Flight Attendant
✅ 9. A book with a body part in the title (heart, bones, teeth, skin, blood, etc)
The Back of the Turtle
✅31. A book set in a country you'd like to visit but have never been to
I Am the Chosen King
✅15. A book with an unique format/writing structure
Dear Committee Members


September
✅47. A book where the main character (or author) is of a different ethnic origin, religion, or sexual identity than your own
Women of the Dunes
✅5. A book about or inspired by real events
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City

Fourth quarter:

October
✅. 46 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #4 Air
Late Nights on Air
✅30. A short book
Short for Chameleon

November
✅10. An author's debut book (their first book to be published)
The Hunt for Red October
✅1. A book with the letters A, T & Y in the title
The Bell at Sealey Head
✅25. A book with an antagonist/villain point of view
Artemis
2. A book from the first 10 books added to your To Be Read list
✅ Winter Study

December
✅49. A book from one of the Goodreads Best Books of the Month lists
The Bear and the Nightingale
✅51. An award-winning short story or short story collection
Just So Stories
✅3. A book from the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards
The Women in the Castle
✅7. A gothic novel
In a Glass Darkly
✅38. A science book or a science fiction book
Ancillary Justice
✅18. A book with a location in the title
A Wizard of Earthsea
✅21. A book written in first person perspective
The Reconciliation Manifesto: Recovering the Land, Rebuilding the Economy
✅14. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #2 Fire
The Stars Are Fire
✅16. A narrative nonfiction
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
33. A book connected (title, cover, content) to a word "born" in the same year as you
Chocolate Cherry Chai
✅12. A book set in Africa or South America
Out of Africa
✅17. A book you expect to make you laugh
Mad About the Boy
✅20. A book rated 5 stars by at least one of your friends
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
✅19. A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand master author (books & authors)
Murder at the Vicarage

Mega-classics (5)

Author (more) (5)
(Bret Easton Ellis)

Author (firsts) (5)

World (5)

Non-fiction (5)

Rory Gilmore (5)
Carrie by Stephen King
Stiff, the Curious Lives of hUMAN cadavers by Mary Roach

800+ pages (2)

Five books from the first 15 in my TBR:
1 One Hundred Years of Solitude (yeah right)
2 The Picture of Dorian Grey
3 Wolf Willow
4 Love in the Time of Cholera
5 The Count of Monte Cristo
6 Moscow to the End of the Line
7 Titus Groan
8 Winter Study
9 A Journey From Prince of Wales Fort in Hudson's Bay to the Northeastern Ocean
10 Someone to Run With
11In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
12The Death of Ivan Ilych
13 419
14 The Ambassadors
15 The Omnivore's Dilemma

I am going to try my best in 2018 to tackle my tbr list. It just keeps getting longer. It's out of hand! There is no way I will finish 2017's list, but that's not putting a damper on my excitement for next year's list!!!

So. Can I add The Winds of Winter for #52 a book published in 2018? I added it this year to the "book I planned to read in 2016" prompt.
One can hope.

Expected publication date 2020? Humbug.

Expected publication 2020? Are you serious?!?! I just can't...

Sophie wrote: "Expected publication 2020? Are you serious?!?! I just can't..."

That's one source. GRRM has a post saying maybe in 2018... but in the next sentence he hinted LAST year that something might come out in 2017. Grrr.

I am reluctant to fill in the whole year's worth of reading! Bu this tome of year, selections i made a year ago don't fit my mood or reading cravings! The books I filled in to this point are books I want to read NOW! And i will concentrate on getting them off my list first before choosing more

And then to be totally contradictory... i want to fill in the whole list because there are so many other books fighting for my attemtion! Aargh! :D

MJ wrote: "I am reluctant to fill in the whole year's worth of reading! Bu this tome of year, selections i made a year ago don't fit my mood or reading cravings! The books I filled in to this point are books ..."

I agree about filling in the whole list. I enjoy the planning part though and I can't seem to stop myself. This will be my second year and I've learned I might not want to read the books I've selected when the time comes. What I want to accomplish most is reading the ones I have already and to have fun with it. I'll probably get distracted by other books.

I also want to go through my tbr and get rid of some of the ones I have no idea why I put them on there. I put a lot on there from websites that said if you liked reading this book then you'll love such and such. I need to get rid of those.

Joan wrote: "MJ wrote: "I am reluctant to fill in the whole year's worth of reading! Bu this tome of year, selections i made a year ago don't fit my mood or reading cravings! The books I filled in to this point..."

The length of my tbr list is similar to yours, amd I have the crazy notion that I can read them all! Haha

And ugh to all the errors in my previous post!

Input please!

I have never read anything by Charles Dickens!

Which one do I start with?

Dickens intimidates me, maybe because his books are so long (somehow, this is coming from me who has read Anna Karenina... twice.) Thus, I think a Dickens book will fit nicely into the "book that intimidates me" category.

Maybe A Christmas Carol? That might be an easier read (It's much shorter). My experience with Dickens is limited. I've read Great Expectations in high school, so yea, I pretty much didn't like it. Not sure how I'll feel about it if I re-read it ever. In my twenties, I read Bleak House and surprised myself by enjoying it very much. Looking over reviews for those two, many of my GR friends gave each of them 4 or 5 stars, but more of them seemed to enjoy Bleak House. Good luck!

My Dickensian 2c: I thought A Christmas Carol was really great - even though I was really familiar with the story I still found it totally entertaining. I really liked Great Expectations - it has some fantastic characters, and is actually quite funny. I wasn’t a huge fan of A Tale of Two Cities, although I thought the ending was beautiful. I started Oliver Twist some years ago, but put it down and never remembered to pick it back up again.

I want to read something else by him soon. I think I’ll try Oliver Twist again, or maybe David Copperfield.

Bleak House has been on my tbr for most of my life because I remember my mother reading it (she died when I was a teen). But sheesh (!) it's over 1000 pages!

I've been looking through his other novels and several of them aren't nearly so long. Not so intimidating. Committing to 1000 pages of Dickens? Yes. That's intimidating.

But then again, David Copperfield was supposedly described by Dickens as his favourite child... and at 800+ pages it is also intimidating. It is also one of the Rory Gilmore books (ha. so is A Christmas Carol)...

You should switch your Dickens and Joyce categories. If you make it through Finnegan's Wake I will mail you a gold star! I think it will just end up giving you a headache. Dickens takes some time to get used to, but once you are in the zone they are very good. I liked Great Expectations a lot. I intend to read David Copperfield one of these days.

Great list, MJ. Looks like it is going to be a fun AND challenging 2018 for you!

Tammy wrote: "You should switch your Dickens and Joyce categories. If you make it through Finnegan's Wake I will mail you a gold star! I think it will just end up giving you a headache. Dickens takes some time t..."

Sigh. This is just one of my challenges. My other is in the Catching Up On Classics group!

As for Dickens and Joyce, I will keep that in mind! I forced my way through Moby Dick two years ago, and I figure if I was able to do that, I can get through anything. I say that, but firmly believe that life is too short (and there are too many books) to read something I don't enjoy.

I just realized how many Russian authors are up there in my list!

FW is experimental writing with a blending of languages. It doesn't read like it is even english. I've heard reading it out loud to yourself helps. I think I made it through the first page.

I am also in the classics group. I have a personal challenge of 88 books on that one ( many are taken from my list in this group).

I liked American Gods, but I loved Anansi Boys. Big fan of Gaiman.

MJ wrote: Sigh. This is just one of my challenges. My other is in the Catching Up On Classics group!

That sounds like a group I need to be in! Which one are you in? Is it "Catching up on Classics" or "Everyone has read this but me..." ?

Jenna ~Don't Talk To Me When I'm Reading~ wrote: "MJ wrote: Sigh. This is just one of my challenges. My other is in the Catching Up On Classics group!

That sounds like a group I need to be in! Which one are you in? Is it "Catching up on Classics"..."

Catching up on Classics. It's a really active group. Multiple challenges, different monthly reads.

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

for #33 a shortened list of words/terms born in 1974:
Afropop, agony aunt, alternative music, anchorpeople, biofuel, bioreactor, blueliner, body wrap, bottom-fishing, by catch, cargo pocket, carpaccio, chai, chalkboard, clicker, computerphobe, controlling, corporate-wide, CT scan, cyanobacterium decadelong, dinger, direct deposit, ditzy, exotic shorthair, fly-on-the-wall, gearhead, gotcha, GPS gulag, Heimlich maneuver, houseperson, immunocompromised, indexing, Internet, Inuktitut, IRA, kneecapping, life support, luminism, nanotechnology, nongay, ombudsperson, poster session, probiotic, psi particle, qigong, ringette, rotavirus, slumpflation, smoking gun, snow crab, STD, string bikini, string cheese, super mom take-no-prisoners, telecommute, teletext, touch pad, touch screen, transgender, transposon, ultralight, underdiagnose, wake-up call, wimp out.

Super Cool!

Confessions of Super Mom
Little Miss Ditzy
The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

I might have to join that group! I love classics, it’s by far my favourite genre, but there are still SO many that I’ve yet to read and it would be nice to get a little direction.

I’m planning on tackling Joyce next year too. I’m seriously intimidated. 😐

Jody wrote: "I might have to join that group! I love classics, it’s by far my favourite genre, but there are still SO many that I’ve yet to read and it would be nice to get a little direction.

I’m planning on..."

I hope you check it out. Ulysses is one of the group reads in January.

What I like about the group is that they read the new and the old.
And there is a female author challenge, which I find really interesting. Good luck with Joyce and your challenge!

So. I currently have two books next to my bed that are waiting for the new year. I keep looking at my selections for next year and I can't wait! 2017 has been a crap year for me and I am more than ready for it to be over. Even though I have a pile of books I want to finish reading before then!

Waiting for January 1:

A Wizard of Earthsea for
4. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #1 Earth (in title, cover, content, setting, author...)
Murder on the Orient Express for
35. A book featuring a murder

I have Jesus' Son, Blood Meridian, Catch22, Ulysses, and 2 or three others checked out from the library and ready to go! I can't wait. I have others that are for the end of the year, but I am with you. I want to start my challenges! Hope 2018 will be great for you in every way.

MJ wrote: "Input please!

I have never read anything by Charles Dickens!

Which one do I start with?

Dickens intimidates me, maybe because his books are so long (somehow, this is coming from me who has read ..."

Ha MJ we are in the same boat re: dickens! If you don't mind I might borrow your idea about tagging the Rory Gilmore overlap books :) My brain likes to see everything labeled lol

Jenna ~Don't Talk To Me When I'm Reading~ wrote: "MJ wrote: "Input please!
Ha MJ we are in the same boat re: dickens! If you don't mind I might borrow your idea about tagging the Rory Gilmore overlap books :) My brain likes to see everything labeled lol..."

I have too many challenges going so I need the reminders and help keeping things straight!

Tammy wrote: "I have Jesus' Son, Blood Meridian, Catch22, Ulysses, and 2 or three others checked out from the library and ready to go! I can't wait. I have others that are for the end of the year, but I am with ..."

I am trying not to think about Ulysses.

Having just finished Stephen King's Cujo yesterday, I've changed my plans for my first book of the year. I'm just a wild and crazy gal, apparently. Can you tell I am impatient to get started?

So... I just download Carrie from the library for
34. A suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call (link)

and my chosen suggestion is:

A book by an author who has published at least 30 fiction books or 10 non-fiction books.

Stephen King is back on my reading agenda! Carrie also is on the Rory Gilmore reading challenge, which is a happy bonus.

If I make it to midnight tonight, I might get reading!
I am so glad I managed to fit it into the challenge. Imagine starting the year with a SIDE READ?

After Carrie, I will be reading
Murder on the Orient Express for the prompt
35 a book that features a murder.

I have two three other books waiting for me. And please let's not talk about Ulysses just yet.

Ok. I. Am. So. Ready. For. Tomorrow.

Cant wait for 2018!!!!!!!

Will be spending new years eve finishing up 2 books on my currently reading list which will bring me to 70 for the year.

I already have all of my books owned for the 2018 challenge stacked, just got three brand new I ordered form Amazon ( New Books!!!!!!!!!!!!!) And a stack on hold for January at the Library.

Let the challenge begin :-)

MJ, what are mega-classics? I'm intrigued.

I should look into that classics group you mentioned. For the past 2 years I've had a goal to read 2 classics a month, but I usually just end up picking the short ones to get them done. Next year, I'm going to plan on one long classic per month instead to try to help me tackle things like Dickens. I was thinking about doing 500+ page classics, but when I looked at my Classics list, I have a bunch between 4 and 500 pages, so maybe I'll just do 400+. I think it will still stretch me.

Katie wrote: "MJ, what are mega-classics? I'm intrigued.

I should look into that classics group you mentioned. For the past 2 years I've had a goal to read 2 classics a month, but I usually just end up picking..."

Mega classics are the ones that everyone has heard of and everyone knows of as a classic, as opposed to the piles of books that people who read lots of classics consider "classic" but many people (including me) haven't heard of. I'm starting to read classics I hadn't heard of until Recently, but I still haven't read Tom Sawyer or Oliver Twist or Frankenstein (3 mega classics by my definition). I borrowed the headings idea from someone in that classics group.

Okay!
When I crawled into bed just at midnight I opened an online version of Ulysses for
45. A book that intimidates/ scares you

Charles Dickens get pushed back again! Just because I've started Ulysses does not mean that I will finish it. I am also going to start reading Carrie for

34. A suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call (link) (an author who has published at least 30 fiction books).

I love that term. Thanks for explaining it.

Katie wrote: "I love that term. Thanks for explaining it."

Me too, and you're welcome. As soon as I saw it, I knew it needed to become a reading goal.

I like the idea of mega-classics too - I’d never heard that term, but it makes total sense.

I was afraid it meant super long ones. 😂

Finished Carrie for prompt
34. A suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call (link) (an author who has published at least 30 fiction books).

Amazingly, I hadn't read this before, or even seen the movie. I was surprised at the format (news reports, interviews, etc interspersed with narration) and at the crazy religion aspect.

After starting this one, I discovered that this was King's first published novel (although it wasn't the first one he wrote), so this one would have also fit the prompt as an author's debut novel.

A shortish book that I couldn't put down once I started. Nice and short, which buys me some time to deal with Ulysses.

1/52!

Finished Murder on the Orient Express for
35. A book featuring a murder

2/52

Go MJ go!! 👍🏻

Katie, that was my first thought too. 😂 Thankfully way less scary!

Okay. Three books read in the first week. A good week, but a pace that won't (can't) be maintained!

The Darker Sex: Tales of the Supernatural and Macabre by Victorian Women Writers
44. A ghost story
Actually, it was a collection of ghost stories that I thought was going to be a side read. Originally, I had it down for the gothic novel prompt, but decided not to use it since it's actually a collection of ghost stories.

I was going to give it four stars until I got to the last story, which bumped it down to three. Goodness only knows why the editor decided to include it...

Making slow progress on Ulysses. Not sure what my next read will be.

Go Go GO !!!!!!!!😊📚

Currently reading:
The Alice Network for

36. A book published in the last 3 years (2016, 2017, 2018) by an author you haven't read before

Finished The Alice Network Five Stars.

making it 4/52

I just picked up Catch-22 from the library, and it is a longer book than I expected it to be.

It's for
40. A book from Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list (link)

But it isn't tickling my fancy. Ha. I haven't even thumbed through it yet! I just want a fun read now after reading about spies and torture (The Alice Network).

I had a really weird reading experience with Catch-22. I also didn’t realise how long it was (500 pages?) even though I’d had a physical copy on my shelf for years. It took me six months to read. It was funny, but not compelling, and then there were times when even the funny couldn’t keep me going. I could read a chapter a day at best. Felt like I wasn’t invested or connected at all and totally contemplated abandoning it. Then something happened (in the book) that made realise I actually was invested, then I couldn’t put it down - I think I read almost the last 150 pages in an afternoon, and I was already thinking about a re-read as I was closing the book. Even now I have very complicated feelings about this book! It’s definitely not what I’d consider light, as funny as it is. And it really is hilarious.

Catch-22 wasn't an light and easy read, but it makes me laugh every time I think about Dr. Daneeka.
It's a book I want to read again one day. I have a feeling I'll appreciate more the second time around.
Good luck with it, MJ!