Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Ana's 2018 List

Bold and with rating means done reading.
Another goal is to read 10 nonfiction books this year. So far I have read 4 (weeks 5, 6, 16, 18).

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1. A book with the letters A, T & Y in the title
How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn - 2.5 stars

2. A book from the first 10 books added to your To Be Read list - 4th
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - 5 stars

3. A book from the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards
Artemis by Andy Weir - 5 stars

4. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #1 Earth (cover)

Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

5. A book about or inspired by real events
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande - 4 stars

6. A book originally written in a language other than English - Japanese
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondō - 3 stars

7. A gothic novel
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu - 3 stars

8. An "own voices" book
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - 4 stars

9. A book with a body part in the title (heart, bones, teeth, skin, blood, etc)
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - 3.25 stars

10. An author's debut book (their first book to be published)
Splendid by Julia Quinn - 2.5 stars

11. A literary fiction
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - 4.5 stars

12. A book set in Africa or South America
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - 5 stars

13. A book with a plot centered around a secret (forbidden love, spies, secret societies, etc)
To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn - 2.5 stars

14. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #2 Fire

Magic Rises Ilona Andrews - 4 stars
Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars
Hex Appeal by P.N. Elrod - 3 stars

15. A book with an unique format/writing structure
Our Gang by Philip Roth - 4 stars

16. A narrative nonfiction
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande - 5 stars

17. A book you expect to make you laugh
Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

18. A book with a location in the title
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason - 3.75 stars

19. A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand master author (books & authors)
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

20. A book rated 5 stars by at least one of your friends
The Too-Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo - 5 stars

21. A book written in first person perspective
Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn - 2.5 stars

22. A book you have high expectations or hope for
The Egg by Andy Weir - 5 stars

23. A medical or legal thriller
The Vendetta Defense by Lisa Scottoline - 3 stars

24. A book with a map
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - 3.75 stars

25. A book with an antagonist/villain point of view
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - 5 stars

26. A book with a text only cover

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by James C. Collins

27. A book about surviving a hardship (war, famine, major disasters, serious illness, etc)
The Passage by Justin Cronin - 3.25 stars

28. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #3 Water

Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn - 3.5 stars

29. A book with a "Clue" weapon on the cover or title (lead pipe, revolver, rope, candlestick, dagger, wrench)
This House is Haunted by John Boyne

30. A short book
Fathers and Sons by Gordon Andrews - 4 stars
Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews - 4 stars
Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars
The Tailor by Leigh Bardugo - 3 stars
The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo - 4 stars
The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo - 5 stars

31. A book set in a country you'd like to visit but have never been to - England
Minx by Julia Quinn - 2.5 stars

32. An alternate history book - also Aug BOTM
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - 3 stars

33. A book connected (title, cover, content) to a word "born" in the same year as you - 1989: beatdown & eco-friendly
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce - 5 stars
Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce - 4 stars
Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce - 4.5 stars
The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce - 3.5 stars

34. A suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call - A book whose title or author's last name starts with Q, X, Y, or Z
Brighter Than the Sun by Julia Quinn - 2.5 stars

35. A book featuring a murder
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith - 5 stars

36. A book published in the last 3 years (2016, 2017, 2018) by an author you haven't read before
The Stranger I Met by Katherine Lopez - 3.45 stars

37. A Women's Prize for Fiction winner or nominee
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - 5 stars

38. A science book or a science fiction book
Cosmos by Carl Sagan

39. A book with a form of punctuation in the title
Where's My Hero? by Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn and Kinley MacGregor - 3 stars

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

42. A book that takes place on, in, or underwater
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - 5 stars
The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb - 5 stars
Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb - 5 stars

43. A book with a title that is a whole sentence - also Oct BOTM
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward - 4 stars

44. A ghost story
An Apple for the Creature by Charlaine Harris - 4 stars
(Okay, I don't really remember if there are actual ghosts in this anthology, but I'm stretching the definition of "ghost" to just paranormal because I don't know where else to put this book.)

45. A book that intimidates/ scares you
Good News Bible

46. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #4 Air

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

47. A book where the main character (or author) is of a different ethnic origin, religion, or sexual identity than your own
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - 5 stars

48. A book related to one of the 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth) - wrath
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith - 5 stars

49. A book from one of the Goodreads Best Books of the Month lists - September 2018
Sadie by Courtney Summers - 5 stars

50. A book with a warm atmosphere (centered on family, friendship, love or summer) - family
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri - 4 stars
(To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - 2 stars DNF)

51. An award-winning short story or short story collection

52. A book published in 2018
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

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Other lists:
2015
2016
2017 - took a break
2019
List of Lists

I'm planning to do a monthly best and worst read book, but for this time around, I'll be picking from January to July since I only joined the challenge in July.

Read 28 books for the past 7 months. Of the 28 here are the:

Best: Artemis by Andy Weir
Read for week 3: A book from the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards
It just resonated with the nerd in me.

&

Worst: How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn
Read for week 1: A book with the letters A, T & Y in the title
It started out with such a promising main character, then it was just disappointment after disappointment.

August

I finished seven books in August! But I only had one 5-star book and the rest were 3-stars.

Best: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Read for week 2: A book from the first 10 books added to your To Be Read list - 4th on the list at the time of choosing
Oh my goodness! I added this in 2011 because, of course, it's a classic, but it exceeded my expectations. I have a love-hate relationship with Scarlett O'Hara, but the depiction of the Civil War and Reconstruction Era really rounded out this book. I highly recommend this.

&

Worst: None.
The other books are just so-so but I wouldn't call any of them the worst.

Gone with the Wind is such an amazing book! I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

Tracy wrote: "Gone with the Wind is such an amazing book! I'm glad you enjoyed it!!"

Yey, another fan of the book. I was surprised that I liked it so much. I expected it to be more of a romance book because of the movie posters I see of it. But it had only elements of it, so it wasn't overpowering.

September - I read 6 books this month.

Best: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Read for week 11: A literary fiction
This just had such beautiful writing.

Worst
Disappointing: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Read for week 32: An alternate history book - also Aug BOTM
It's not a very bad book. I rated it 3 solid stars, but I definitely felt that it was too hyped up.

Ana A wrote: "September - I read 6 books this month.

Best: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Read for week 11: A literary fiction
This just had such beautiful writing.

Worst
Disappointing: [book:The..."

Rebecca is another one of my absolute favorites, I've read it so many times :-)

October - I finished two novels and two short stories.

Best: Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Read for week 33: A book connected (title, cover, content) to a word "born" in the same year as you - 1989: beatdown & eco-friendly
I love fantasies and animals, and this has both. Tamora Pierce is also on one of those must-read lists of women of SFF and this is the first time I've read something of hers, and it definitely won't be the last.

2nd Best: The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo
Read for week 30: A short book
I had to give this a shoutout because after reading this amazing short story, it's what made me look for more books with witchery, which led me to the above book (though Daine from Wild Magic is more of a mage than a witch).

&

Worst: None again. :)

November - I read 5 books.

Best:
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Read for week 12: A book set in Africa or South America
This was beautiful and sad.

No "worst" book again.

December - I read 5 books again and DNF'd 1 book

Bests:
1. Sadie by Courtney Summers
Read for week 49: A book from one of the Goodreads Best Books of the Month lists - September 2018
This was just so unexpectedly good! It was suspenseful and just written so well.

& (It's a tie!)

2. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
Read for week 42: A book that takes place on, in, or underwater
I've read Hobb before and was blown away. Her work is just amazing, and this book is beautifully character-driven.

Worst: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Supposed to read for week 50: A book with a warm atmosphere, plus it's the December BOTM, but I'm calling it the December Bottom.
It's just too fluffy.

2018 Stats!
I'm so glad that I got back into this challenge, even if I did start in July. I love reading, and I love finding new books and authors to read.

Top 3 Books:
1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
3. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

They're all different genres, but coincidentally, they're all written by women.

Bottom Book: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Favorite Prompt: 49. A book from one of the Goodreads Best Books of the Month lists
I chose from the September 2018 list and it led me to Sadie by Courtney Summers, which is probably in my top 5. This was an unexpectedly good book for me because I've never heard of the author or heard much about the book.

Prompts left undone:
19. A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand master author (books & authors) (And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie)
26. A book with a text only cover (Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by James C. Collins)
29. A book with a "Clue" weapon on the cover or title (lead pipe, revolver, rope, candlestick, dagger, wrench) (This House is Haunted by John Boyne)
38. A science book or a science fiction book (Cosmos by Carl Sagan)
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 (Good News Bible)
51. An award-winning short story or short story collection
52. A book published in 2018 (Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney)

Number of Prompt Finished: 43/52
Number of Books Finished: 56

Now for 2019...