Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Jody started a trend, so I decided I want in on it. I didn't like the sound of 40 before 40 because I don't want to think about that age milestone, so I tried to think about how I wanted to format my list. Then one thing led to another, and now I have a list of 100. Because 100 is a nice round number, and it allowed for a nice way to break things down.

While I have almost 900 books on my TBR, these 100 are books I'd really like to prioritize and make sure I don't miss out on. So I'm breaking the list down into 4 lists of 25: American novels, British novels, World novels, and Nonfiction.

I'm going to give myself 8 years for this challenge, which will take me right to my 40th birthday, but it also creates a nice pace of about one book from this list per month.


AMERICAN NOVELS 3/25
1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
2. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
3. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
4. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
5. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
6. Sanctuary by William Faulkner
7. The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
9. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
10. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
11. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
12. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
13. Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
14. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
✔ 15. Chesapeake by James A. Michener
✔ 16. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
17. The Chosen by Chaim Potok
18. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
19. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
✔ 20. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
21. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
22. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
23. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
24. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
25. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe

BRITISH NOVELS 1/25
1. Watership Down by Richard Adams
2. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
3. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
4. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
5. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
6. Silas Marner by George Eliot
7. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
8. Howards End by E.M. Forster
9. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
10. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
✔ 11. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
12. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
13. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
14. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
15. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
16. 1984 by George Orwell
17. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
18. Sarum: The Novel of England by Edward Rutherfurd
19. Ivanhoe by Walter Scott
20. Swing Time by Zadie Smith
21. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
22. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
23. Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh
24. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
25. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

WORLD NOVELS 4/25
1. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
2. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
3. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
4. The Stranger by Albert Camus
5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
✔ 6. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
7. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
8. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
9. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
10. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
✔ 11. Ulysses by James Joyce
12. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
13. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
14. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
15. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
16. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
17. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
✔ 18. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
✔ 19. Dracula by Bram Stoker
20. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
21. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
22. The Aeneid by Virgil (Robert Fagles translation)
23. Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar
24. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
25. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

NONFICTION 7/25
1. Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
✔ 2. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
✔ 3. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
4. Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
5. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
6. David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
7. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
8. Leonardo and the Last Supper by Ross King
9. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
✔ 10. Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee by Michael Korda
✔ 11. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
✔ 12. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
✔ 13. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride
14. 1776 by David McCullough
15. Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
16. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
17. Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
18. Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
19. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
20. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
21. The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz
22. Night by Elie Wiesel
✔ 23. Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms & a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester
24. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
25. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

Covers

Quarterly Status Update

Y1Q1 - August, September, October 2018 - 4 books read - 4/100 - AHEAD
Y1Q2 - November, December 2018, January 2019 - 9 books read - 13/100 - AHEAD
Y1Q3 - February, March, April 2019 - 1 book read - 14/100 - AHEAD
Y1Q4 - May, June, July 2019 - 0 books read - 14/100 - AHEAD
Y2Q1 - August, September, October 2019 - 0 books read - 14/100 - BEHIND
Y2Q2 - November, December 2019, January 2020 - 1 book read - 15/100 - BEHIND
Y2Q3
Y2Q4
Y3Q1
Y3Q2
Y3Q3
Y3Q4
Y4Q1
Y4Q2
Y4Q3
Y4Q4
Y5Q1
Y5Q2
Y5Q3
Y5Q4
Y6Q1
Y6Q2
Y6Q3
Y6Q4
Y7Q1
Y7Q2
Y7Q3
Y7Q4
Y8Q1
Y8Q2
Y8Q3
Y8Q4

Argh! I am not good with suspense. Looking very forward to your list Katie!

My lists are all updated. And I'm taking recommendations!

I'm just missing one pick for the world novels list, so please share your favorites.

Also for the lines where I've just listed an author, I haven't selected which book to read from that author, so let me know if you have any good suggestions.

Great list!! I love the way you divided it up. The only one I see that I don’t recommend is 20,000 Leagues. Maybe I read a bad translation but I didn’t like it. You have so many other good ones and ones I want to read, too!

For authors where you have no book listed, here are my suggestions:
-Steinbeck - 1) East of Eden or 2) Of Mice and Men
-Rutherford- Russka
All of his books are good. Just depends which country you are interested in.
-Winchester- Krakatoa
I thought it was incredibly interesting! It’s the only book I’ve read by him, though.

Some suggestions for your remaining 25th world book: Disgrace by J M Coetzee (South African), Dona Barbara by Romulo Gallegos, (Venezuelan), Silence by Endo (Japanese), The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart (Canadian).

Great list! A few of my favorites are listed (Love in the Time of Cholera, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, In Cold Blood) and several on my list so I look forward to reading your thoughts as you go.

I haven't read Russka yet but I really enjoyed Rutherfurd's New York.

For world novels, perhaps My Name is Red by Turkish author Orhan Pamuk.

I love your list, Katie! If I were to make a list with similar groupings it would look a lot like yours. I would have to expand the world novels, though, because there are way too many to narrow it down to 25. I would definitely have to add The Kite Runner, The Poisonwood Bible and The Power of One because of so many glowing recommendations from friends of mine. (That's actually why I haven't read them yet...I sometimes avoid the ones my friends rave about because I get nervous I won't like them as well.)

For Steinbeck, I'm with Pam. I haven't read East of Eden yet (it's on my before 40 list), but I really like Of Mice and Men. It's a novella, but it really showcases Steinbeck's ability to be super straightforward while implying so much between the lines.

For Hemingway, I really enjoyed The Sun Also Rises. I've only read this and his short stories, but this one is often recommended by other people as well.

As for Mark Twain, I'd recommend a collection of his short stories over a novel. He does humorous short stories really well. I mean, if you haven't read Huck Finn, by all means, go for it. But I'd much prefer his short stuff.

For Robert Louis Stevenson, I would go with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I haven't read Treasure Island, so people who have read both may disagree, but I really enjoyed Jekyll and Hyde, and it gives you insight into the multitude of culture references.

Yay, so glad you're joining in! :)

If you don't hate Ulysses, I'll be surprised. I highly recommend doing his book of short stories - Dubliners - instead. The Dead is one of my favorite short stories.

For Virginia Woolf, I think Mrs. Dalloway is the most accessible but my favorite is The Waves. Steinbeck I'd recommend East of Eden or The Winter of Our Discontent. I love everything Hemingway but if forced to choose one I think I'd say The Sun Also Rises. For Dickens, I think Oliver Twist is probably the easiest but I really love A Tale of Two Cities.

Does France count as world fiction? If so, I highly recommend Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda. Or for Japan - The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa. Or Trinidad - The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey.

Yay, Katie! I thought about doing a 50 non-fiction too, but it seemed a little too ambitious, but maybe I should ...

I love your lists. Jude the Obscure and A Fine Balance are two of my absolute favourites. I think you'll love them. To round out my trilogy of favourite soul-destroying novels, I would recommend All Quiet on the Western Front for your last world novel - it's incredible, and one of the very, very few books I think everyone should read.

I'm in the minority here in that I haaaaaaaated The Sun Also Rises, but I'm not the biggest fan of Hemingway in general. I absolutely detest how he wrote women - although the more I read about what he was like, it's not at all surprising. Of the four novels of his I've read, I enjoyed The Old Man and the Sea the best - no doubt in large part because there aren't any women in it, or at least not in any significant role. For Dickens, Great Expectations is great - and so much funnier than I'd expected. It has some fantastic characters.

A couple on there made me wince, just because of my own personal seething hatred for them. I'll be very interested to see what you think of them! 😁

Jody, you're not the only one who disliked how Hemingway wrote women! I am a fan of some of his work but I think I prefer reading about him and his life than I am in reading his work, if that makes sense. I didn't hate The Sun Also Rises but (view spoiler)[the way he wrote Lady Brett irritated me and the racist and anti-semitic language bothered me as well. I know, I know, it was a different time but it still makes me cringe and it took me right out of the story. (hide spoiler)] I do love A Moveable Feast but I am a sucker for anything to do with Paris.

Also for world novels, maybe consider Thomas Mann, either Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family or The Magic Mountain. Or a more contemporary German author Wolfgang Herrndorf. He has a YA novel that is good - Why We Took the Car and a literary thriller that was recently translated- Sand. I just started Sand so I can't recommend it yet but it looks very interesting and unusual! I don't know if you are mostly looking for classics.

Also, Shadow of the Wind and Of Human Bondage are excellent! Of Human Bondage was my all-time favorite book for decades. The movie with Bette Davis is good, too! But, enough ideas from me. Enjoy!

Pam, you know what, I was not excited about adding 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to my list. I think I might change that out if I can find a good replacement, but I did read Around the World in Eighty Days last year and was pleasantly surprised by it, and felt like maybe I should read more Verne.

After just reading A Gentleman in Moscow, perhaps Russka would be a good choice.

With both Rutherfurd & Winchester, the problem is that all of their books look interesting to me! How will I ever decide, haha.

I will have to check out your world book recommendations. I don't think I'm familiar with any of them.

Rachelnyc, New York is the only Rutherfurd book I've read so far, and I really enjoyed that. I think I really enjoy those sweeping family sagas, but I don't read them so much because they're usually so long.

I had A Moveable Feast on my nonfiction list because I've wanted to read that ever since I read The Paris Wife, but I decided to only do one book per author and thought I should stick to more of Hemingway's fiction. But it would be an excellent choice if the expat prompt makes it on the final list next year. Oh wait, I voted for it, so it will be on my rejects list no matter way. Sounds like that's solved, haha.

Brooke, excellent suggestions. I was seriously considering The Kite Runner, since I've never read it, but The Power of One sounds excellent & is highly rated by some of my goodreads friends. The Poisonwood Bible is written by an American, and I've decided to break down my list be author nationality, so it's on my American Novels list. I'm very excited to read that one.

Thanks for the Steinbeck suggestions, Pam, Emily & dalex. I've read four of his books, including East of Eden & Of Mice and Men, and I loved both of them. I read The Grapes of Wrath in college and hated it, but I'm wondering if I should reread it now that I have a love of Steinbeck.

What is The Winter of Our Discontent about, dalex? Does it have any allusions or parallelism to Richard III, because I love that play (and its opening soliloquy).

I was also thinking about Cannery Row. Has anyone read that?

Emily, I'm trying to think if I've even ever read any of Mark Twain's short stories. I don't think I have. I did read Huckleberry Finn last year and found it so much more enjoyable than I expected.

And yes! Thank you, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is totally what I want to read for Stevenson. I'm adding that to the list now.

dalex, I'm reading Ulysses for my intimidating book prompt this year, which I'm not altogether excited about, but I conquered War & Peace last year, so I'm determined to conquer this one. Especially because the guy who sits across from me at work read it over a number of months during our lunch breaks, and I just can't have him beating me like that. He already has me out-Shakespeared by reading his complete works too.

For Hemingway, it's probably between The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls, since I've read The Old Man and the Sea and A Farewell to Arms.

I just read A Tale of Two Cities this year, and I loved it so much. The ending is just so so good.

And for world, I'm counting anything non US or Great Britain, so anything else counts including English speaking countries like Canada or Australia. I'm excited that you gave a rec from Trinidad. I was thinking I wanted something Caribbean on the list.

Jody, I got the rec for A Fine Balance from you, so I'm excited to tackle it. And I've been reading one Hardy a year for the past few after disliking him for before that. I just read The Mayor of Casterbridge last month, so I'm excited to read Jude, next year probably.

I read All Quiet on the Western Front in high school, but I barely remember it. It might qualify for being a reread on the list.

And PS. I totally want to know which ones you have seething hatred for.

BTW, I’m reading Lonesome Dove right now. It’s really good! Another good author (for world books) is Per Petterson. (Norwegian) Have fun choosing! You might have to start a secondary list for your next 100! 😂

WRT Mark Twain, you didn’t read The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County in school? That’s probably his most famous short story. It’s a good one! I am going to read Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur‘s court for my Twain book.

Katie wrote: "Rachelnyc, New York is the only Rutherfurd book I've read so far, and I really enjoyed that. I think I really enjoy those sweeping family sagas, but I don't read them so much because they're usuall..."

Ooh, good call about A Moveable Feast for the expat prompt!

I am a big fan of multi-generational sagas. I also read Paris by Rutherfurd and I enjoyed that one as well. I don't feel like I learned a whole lot of new info about the city but I have read a lot of book's on Paris' history so that is probably more my issue than the book's. One of the characters helps build the Eiffel Tower so that was really cool to read about from that perspective.

Katie wrote: "And PS. I totally want to know which ones you have seething hatred for. "

The Alchemist I hate more than I could possibly hate any book ever. Life of Pi is the other one, but nothing comes close to my intense hatred of The Alchemist.

And to be honest, as I added that to the list, I was like, I don't even know if I want to read this. I just feel like I'm supposed to, you know?

Well ... it's short. And you might like it! A lot of people call it incredible and life changing. Frankly I'd prefer to eat my own face before coming within ten feet of that book ever again.

Wow, Jody! I liked both of those books! Well, we all can’t agree on everything. I loved The Alchemist the first time I read it but the second time was just ok. It’s so interesting how people can have such different reactions to a book.

Great list!! Of the list I have read 12--- 8 of which I really loved 4 I really didn't! And several on my TBR as well!! Happy reading 8 years u till you are 40!!! Lol you are a baby!! ;)

Pam wrote: "Wow, Jody! I liked both of those books! "

I kinda feel that if you like one of them, you're likely to like the other one too. I found them quite similar in overall feel.

Katie wrote: "What is The Winter of Our Discontent about, dalex? Does it have any allusions or parallelism to Richard III, because I love that play (and its opening soliloquy)."

As far as I know the only connection is the title but I know zero about Richard III so if there is any allusion I missed it.

Katie wrote: "I'm reading Ulysses for my intimidating book prompt this year."

Well, if you're determined to tackle it I would recommend the annotated version so you have a better idea what's going on. It's really better as a study than as a novel. (But, really, also read his short stories. They are so good and will enable you to appreciate his genius.)

Katie wrote: "For Hemingway, it's probably between The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls."

The Sun Also Rises is brilliant but it's really a lot of bulls and misogyny :lol: so I think I'd recommend For Whom the Bells Tolls.

Katie wrote: "I just read A Tale of Two Cities this year, and I loved it so much. The ending is just so so good."

The book (and the movie) make me cry, every single time.

Katie wrote: "I'm excited that you gave a rec from Trinidad. I was thinking I wanted something Caribbean on the list."

I've read two of the author's books - The White Woman on the Green Bicycle and Archipelago - and gave both 5 Stars. Green Bicycle is more "world" in that it gives you a sense of place but Archipelago is heartbreaking and lovely.

dalex wrote: "Katie wrote: "The Sun Also Rises is brilliant but it's really a lot of bulls and misogyny :lol: so I think I'd recommend For Whom the Bells Tolls.

With some racism and anti-semitism sprinkled in to make it well balanced! ;)

dalex, I read Dubliners a few years ago. I studied lit in college, and I really wish I'd had the opportunity to take a Joyce class, because I feel like I really would've benefited from having a professor's guidance in studying him. And I feel like it would've helped when I visited Dublin, because he's all over the city.

Also, what is this film version of A Tale of Two Cities of which you speak?

Katie wrote: "Also, what is this film version of A Tale of Two Cities of which you speak? "

There are several versions but the only one I've seen is the 1935 one. It's on my short list of movies to watch on a snow day or a stay-home-sick day.

I see you have a space for the World Novels. I'd like to promote something from my own country, Noli Me Tángere by José Rizal.

It's set during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. There are star-crossed lovers, an evil priest, all that fun stuff. I hope you'll consider this, but of course I won't take offense if you don't.

This was a required reading for me when I was in high school and I hated it. Lol. But then I read it again and loved it the second time because I didn't feel forced anymore.

Thanks for the suggestion! I will check it out.

I love, love, love your list. I have read many of your selected books/authors and can't wait to hear what you think of some of them.

Thanks, Tammy! I had a few holes in my list, but I just finished it up. Now to begin reading!

The Bluest Eye is a really good pick for Morrison as is Tom Sawyer for Mark Twain. Nice update!

I m working on a challenge list for myself... this inspired me to go through my entire GRs TBR ( from 2012 -present ) and choose the books I REALLY want to read. I think I have it narrowed down to 200 on my list ( out of almost 2000).... no time limit. I just haven't put it up yet. I also had a discussion about self-help books last night with someone in my support group and I was saying how I avoid self help ( weird trigger thing), but I decided to make a side goal of reading 12 self help type books next year. I ended up with a list of 16 :-)

Its a great list Katie, enjoy it. Mine will probably be less ambitious lol ...

Tracy wrote: "I m working on a challenge list for myself... this inspired me to go through my entire GRs TBR ( from 2012 -present ) and choose the books I REALLY want to read. I think I have it narrowed down to ..."

Tracy, I set a goal of 6 self-help books this year, and nearly all of them have been a bust. They have all had one or two chapters I really connected to, and the rest was just... blah. Hopefully you find better books than I did! I still have two more to read this year, and I have hope that those two are better than the rest I've read.

Emily wrote: "Tracy wrote: "I m working on a challenge list for myself... this inspired me to go through my entire GRs TBR ( from 2012 -present ) and choose the books I REALLY want to read. I think I have it nar..."

I know Emily I was thinking of you when I made out the list.... Tried to vary it a little. I put a few Brene Bown on there (? eh not sure about those), Big Magic, Girl Wash Your Face and then a few parenting books, a few trauma related books , a few communication books and then 2 about introverts ( Quiet being one of them, I know you really enjoyed that book )

Tracy, I really like that idea about creating a list of books you'd really like to read. I have this list, which is mostly classics, but I use my TBR to keep track of books that I think are interesting, but it would be a good idea to actually create a goodreads list for books I really really want to read. Hey, I should create a goodread list for this challenge. I'm going to go do that right now.

Tammy, I'm so glad to hear you endorse The Bluest Eye. I've already read Beloved, but I was going back and forth between The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon. I ultimately chose The Bluest Eye solely because it had more reviews on goodreads.

So many good ones on this list though Katie:

Loved all of these -
Cold Mountain ( even though the MC annoyed the hell out of me)
Poisonwood Bible
Tree grows in Brooklyn
The Color Purple
Secret Garden
(surprisingly) Bleak House
1984
The Hobbit
The Book Thief
Born A Crime ( just finished listening -5 Stars- gonna listen again, thanks Jody)
Night

Also I'm totally with Jody on The Alchemist, just.....UGH! I didn't get it. I kept waiting for some revelation that never came.

Into thin air is sitting on my counter right now but I don't think I'll get to it this year, its probably gonna go right back to the library, but I keep hearing its soo good :-(

Challenge issues.

Would love to see what you do with your books you REALLY want to read list :-)

I’m so glad you loved Born a Crime! It’s just so good. I actually hated Into Thin Air, so in my opinion at least, you’ve dodged a bullet there. 😂

I have really grown to love Toni Morrison. Song of Solomon is probably my favorite, Bluest Eye, but Beloved, Sula...and several others just strike the right note for me.

I don't recall hating Into Thin Air, but I did read it a really long time ago!

Sanctuary is going to be on one of my lists next year!

I love your challenge! I just created a "really want to read" list after reading through this thread. Thanks for the inspiration Katie & Tracy!

I like this idea. I like it, but I have a tendency to make these lists and then abandon them. Every year I've done ATY52 I've made a priority list, but towards the end of the year, I'm just happy to fill in prompts with ANY book that strikes my fancy at the moment. Good luck with this list!

Decided to take a look at this reading challenge after over a year. I'm only 3 books behind schedule, which I don't consider that bad. Especially because I currently have 2 books from my list checked out from the library. Just have to turn up my effort a very little bit & I should be back on track. Reading one book a month shouldn't be hard.