Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

52/52

✔1. A book with the letters A, T & Y in the title
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

✔2. A book from the first 10 books added to your To Be Read list
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

( The Princess Bride )

✔3. A book from the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

✔4. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #1 Earth (in title, cover, content, setting, author...)
Lomailijan puutarha by Leena Luoto

( The Fifth Season )

✔5. A book about or inspired by real events
Kaunis sydän by Cecilia Samartin

( Burial Rites )

✔6. A book originally written in a language other than English
The Vegetarian by Han Kang

( The Elegance of the Hedgehog )

✔7. A gothic novel
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

( The Child Thief )

✔8. An "own voices" book
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

✔9. A book with a body part in the title (heart, bones, teeth, skin, blood, etc)
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

✔10. An author's debut book (their first book to be published)
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

( The Virgin Suicides
Catch-22
The God of Small Things
Doctor Zhivago )

✔11. A literary fiction
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

✔12. A book set in Africa or South America
Puolikas keltaista aurinkoa by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

( Americanah )

✔13. A book with a plot centered around a secret (forbidden love, spies, secret societies, etc)
The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro

( The Observations )

✔14. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #2 Fire
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

✔15. A book with an unique format/writing structure
Heräilevät jumalat by Sylvain Neuvel

( Illuminae )

✔16. A narrative nonfiction
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

( Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time
In Cold Blood
Orange Is the New Black )

✔17. A book you expect to make you laugh
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

( Scrappy Little Nobody
Bonkers: My Life in Laughs
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened )

✔18. A book with a location in the title
The Little French Bistro by Nina George

( The Essex Serpent
Jamaica Inn )

✔19. A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand master author (books & authors)
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

✔20. A book rated 5 stars by at least one of your friends
And I Darken by Kiersten White

✔21. A book written in first person perspective
Armada by Ernest Cline

✔22. A book you have high expectations or hope for
Nimikirjainmurhat by Sophie Hannah

( Garden Spells
Life After Life )

✔23. A medical or legal thriller
The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen

( The Plague Tales )

✔24. A book with a map
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

( Poison Study
The Winner's Curse )

✔25. A book with an antagonist/villain point of view
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

✔26. A book with a text only cover
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

✔27. A book about surviving a hardship (war, famine, major disasters, serious illness, etc)
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

✔28. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #3 Water
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

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

✔30. A short book
Tähtitiedettä kiireisille by Neil deGrasse Tyson

( Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
The Metamorphosis
A Room with a View )

✔31. A book set in a country you'd like to visit but have never been to
Veden äärellä by Nora Roberts

( The Bone People )

✔32. An alternate history book
Kuninkaan lohikäärme by Naomi Novik

( 11/22/63 )

✔33. A book connected (title, cover, content) to a word "born" in the same year as you: Cyberpunk (how cool is that?!)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

✔34. A suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call: A book about feminism or with feminist themes
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

✔35. A book featuring a murder
In the Woods by Tana French

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

(The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
Lincoln in the Bardo)

✔37. A Women's Prize for Fiction winner or nominee
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

✔38. A science book or a science fiction book
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

✔39. A book with a form of punctuation in the title
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

(You're Never Weird on the Internet)

✔40. A book from Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list
The Stranger by Albert Camus

(Of Human Bondage)

✔41. A book by an author with the same first and last initials
La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

(Fangirl)

✔42. A book that takes place on, in, or underwater
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

✔43. A book with a title that is a whole sentence
On hieno paikka haudan povi by Alan Bradley

(I Know This Much Is True
Their Eyes Were Watching God)

✔44. A ghost story
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

(The Little Stranger)

✔45. A book that intimidates/ scares you
Paimenen kruunu by Terry Pratchett

(Bleak House)

✔46. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #4 Air
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

✔47. A book where the main character (or author) is of a different ethnic origin, religion, or sexual identity than your own
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

✔48. A book related to one of the 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

✔49. A book from one of the Goodreads Best Books of the Month lists
Muusa by Jessie Burton

(The Bear and the Nightingale)

✔50. A book with a warm atmosphere (centered on family, friendship, love or summer)
Kesäkirja by Tove Jansson

(News of the World)

✔51. An award-winning short story or short story collection
Reader's Choice
Darien by Conn Iggulden

(253)

✔52. A book published in 2018
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Why do you keep doing this? How could we stop?!! ;)

Hope u love --- fangirl -- when breath becomes air -- and the hate u give -- as much as I did!!!

I can't recommend Everything I Never Told You enough, honestly! I wept reading it, but it was terribly beautiful. I hope you give it a try!

You have some of the same big books on your list that I have on mine: The Fifth Season, Life After Life. Wish us luck!

Wish you all the luck tackling them books! Hadn't even realised The Fifth Season being a robust book, I have it on Kindle, woe is me..

Kelly tell me if you come up with a cure :D

I'm more or less set on those with only one option for a book left so likely to read Everything I Never Told You, I'll keep a packet of tissues nearby.

I also loved Everything I never told you. I really cared about the kids, so it helped me to connect with the story. I'll read another of her books in 2018, I hope it'll be good.

The Last Policeman is another favorite of mine. I found the sequels less interesting, but the first was a great read. It's totally the contrary with The Knife of Never Letting Go, the 1st is nice/average, but the sequels are outstanding.

The 5th season is dark but really well crafted. I've yet to read the sequels, but the 1st one is still fresh in my mind after more than a year.
Voices of Chernobyl was an emotional read (which wasn't the case with other books I read on the topic).

Plenty of other books I really enjoyed in your plan, so hopefully, you'll have a great reading year :)

Thank you Zaz and it's nice to hear I have good stories waiting, some of them have been sitting on my shelves for ages! Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster sounds intriguing and based on what you wrote I'll probably pick that out of the four :)

Lots of good choices, including Burial Rites, Do Androids Dream, and Of Human Bondage! Why do we keep doing this? Because it's fun! Enjoy! 😀

Voices from Chernobyl sounds amazing. I really wanted to pick it for my challenge, but my library doesn't have it. 😔

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time is a good read. I did feel taken though when I found out he was a shyster.
You may want to do some research first before you read it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_C...

Katie wrote: "Voices from Chernobyl sounds amazing. I really wanted to pick it for my challenge, but my library doesn't have it. 😔"

Katie can you get an interlibrary loan? Someone has to have it? I just put in requests for all of my January books and I think 5 of them are ILL's - the last time I did that the librarian was so pissed when I brought them back and she went to check them in 😂

Cheers Pam! It is fun, that's just the sleep deprivated part of me whining 😅 (3 books left of this years challenge)

Have you tried bookcrossing Katie? Someone might have it and be willing to send it.

Thanks for the heads up Anastasia! I picked it up from somewhere and had no idea of the guestionable background 😱

That sounds familiar Tracy 😂

Jen wrote: "Cheers Pam! It is fun, that's just the sleep deprivated part of me whining 😅 (3 books left of this years challenge)

Have you tried bookcrossing Katie? Someone might have it and be willing to send ..."


Is it really that hard to send them back??

My thoughts exactly! 😁 Every time I request a book from the storage they sigh loudly and make it known that I'm only taking the piss wanting to read something no one else has wanted to read in years 😂 the same applies when dealing with interlibrary loans, I nowadays only request them online and hurry away after returning!

Wow, I am so lucky at my library. They are always interested in what I have asked for. If I liked it etc.

You have a great list, Jen. Happy reading!

That's nice Anastasia, my old town had that kind of librarians and I miss them dearly. Do they give recommendations?

Thank you Anna! You too 😄

I loved The Fifth Season - and the rest of the series is equally good. Also amazing: Oranges are Not the Only Fruit (I adore Winterson!), Bad Feminist, The Bear and the Nightingale, I Know this Much is True, Of Human Bondage.

Coincidentally also on my list: When Breath Becomes Air, 11/22/63, Lincoln in the Bardo, In Cold Blood, Catch-22.

And I hadn't even thought of Bleak House - but yes, I agree with the intimidation factor.

Leigh wrote: "And I hadn't even thought of Bleak House - but yes, I agree with the intimidation factor. " I know! It's not just the sheer size of it but the size and title combined 😂

I'm so happy to know there's promise in my choices Leigh 😄 Have to admit I was slightly disappointed of the overall rating for 2017, so many really good books but too many ok ones 😅

I finished! In time 🎉 Had to make some last minute changes, but all in all I'm super happy to reach the goal 😁

Some of the books left out have been forwarded to 2019 challenge, for there are many I really want to read. Sometimes available library books are simply more convenient.

Many good books which I enjoyed, the ones I loved: The Ghost Bride, The Summer Book, Hag-Seed, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow & Half of a Yellow Sun

26 hours left till year 2019!

Jen wrote: "I finished! In time 🎉 Had to make some last minute changes, but all in all I'm super happy to reach the goal 😁

Some of the books left out have been forwarded to 2019 challenge, for there are many ..."


Congrats! I can totally relate to the name of this thread. I am admitting defeat, but hope to finish one or two more before Jan. 1.

... and you have just over a day to recover... before doing it all over again??

MJ wrote:"Congrats! I can totally relate to the name of this thread. I am admitting defeat, but hope to finish one or two more before Jan. 1.

... and you have just over a day to recover... before doing it all over again??"

Cheers MJ! And I know right, why oh why do I do this and willingly year after year? 😂

I'm sure the more you'll manage this year the more you'll push for it the next. I fell 3 books short last year and it still bugs me. Good luck and happy new year!