Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Completed Books: 52/52 (Details not updated yet)
✅: Read
*: Reading
Message 2: Rejects Challenge
Message 3: Covers of Books Read

One of my reading goals in 2019 is to read (or attempt) the 10 National Book nominees for the inaugural Translated Literature category (noted by 'NB').
NB Translated Lit Nominees Read: 1 /10

✅1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Finished: 1/25 (4 stars)
✅2. A book with one of the 5 Ws in the title
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke- Finished 3/12 (2.5 stars)
✅3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y
There There by Tommy Orange -Finished Jan 9 (5 stars!)
✅4. A book with a criminal character
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Fin: 5/30 (3.5 stars)

✅5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (3 stars)
✅6. A book with a dual timeline
Where the Crawdads Sing March (4 stars)
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme

8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme


9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres

✅10. A book featuring an historical figure
Augustus by John Williams- Feb (4.5 stars!)
✅11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo- Jan 2 (4 stars)
✅12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez- Jan 12 (5 stars!)

✅13. A book that is included on a NYPL Staff Picks list
Rules of Civility Finished: March 19 (4 stars)
✅14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term
InterWorld by Neil Gaiman
✅15. A book set in or by an author from a Mediterranean country
Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel (ARC) Finished: 2/27 (3 stars)
16. A book told from multiple perspectives

17. A speculative fiction (e.g. fantasy, sci-fi, horror, dystopia)

18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements

✅19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR
Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell
Fin: May (4 stars)
✅20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country
Indian Horse Fin: June 7 (5 stars!)
✅21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes (Book less than 200 pages)
Passing by Nella Larsen Finished: 1/29 (3 stars)
✅22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
Finished: 5/8 ( 5+ stars!)

✅23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old
That Old Ace in the Hole;
✅24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New
The Parade by Dave Eggers
Finished: 4/21 (4 stars)
25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed

✅26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue
Rush Oh! Finished: 3/8 (4 stars)
✅27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list
Hunger by Knut Hamsun Jan (5 stars)
✅28. A book related to something cold
Ice: 50th Anniversary Edition 1/19 (3 stars)
✅29. A book published before 1950
War With The Newts
✅30. A book featuring an elderly character
Pied Piper July (4 stars)

✅31. A children’s classic you’ve never read
Fog Magic
Fin: May (3 stars)
✅32. A book with more than 500 pages
Heartstone by C.J. Sansom
Finished: May 1 (4 stars)
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read
✅34. A book with a person's name in the title
Daisy Jones & The Six
Fin: June 4 (4 stars)

✅35. A psychological thriller
The Riders by Tim Winton
Finished: May 6 (2.5 stars)
✅36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list
Educated Finished: April (5 stars!)
✅37. A book set in a school or university
Stoner by John Williams Fin: Feb (5 stars)
38. A book not written in traditional novel format

✅39. A book w/ a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location to life
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx Finished 1/30 (3 stars)

✅40. A book you stumbled upon
Lighthouse by Paco Roca Jan 10 (4 stars)
✅41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards
Circe Finished: 1/6 5 stars!
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character

✅43. A book related to STEM
Mandelbrot the Magnificent
✅44. A book related to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed
Who Killed the Fonz?
Fin: June 1 (3.5 stars)
45. A multi-generational saga

46. A book with a (mostly) black cover

✅47. A book related to food
Strange Weather in Tokyo Finished: Feb 3 (4.5 stars!)
✅48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award
NB- Flights by Olga Tokarczuk Finished: 2/24 (2.5 stars)

49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country

✅50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin Feb 2 (3 stars)

✅51. A book published in 2019
Who Slays the Wicked (ARC) by C.S. Harris 3/29 (3.5 stars)
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title

Reject Challenge
✅: Read
*: Reading
Completed 0/10

1. Author known by initials
C.J. Sansom: Dark Fire or A.B. Guthrie Jr.: The Big Sky
2. Book or collection written by multiple authors
Modern Classics of Science Fiction or a Nebula collection
3. Animal in the title, on the cover, or central to the story
4. Faith/religion plays an integral role in the plot or the life of a main character
Home, Lila, All Other Nights
5. Music plays a part in the story
Accordion Crimes or Music & Silence
6. Man Booker Prize award or nominee
The Porcupine or The Blind Assassin; Go, Went, Gone
7. Recommended by or mentioned in a podcast, blog, or vlog
see my Podcast shelf- Harry's Trees, Jayber Crow, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Devil in a Blue Dress, Refugee
8. Linked to one of your favorite songs or artists
The Magic Mountain (song: Clinch Mountain Backstep)
9. Fiction and
10. non-fiction on the same topic

Collective Covers Collage

ATY & Reject Challenge Reads

Favorite Book of the Month

January: Circe
February: Stoner
March: Where the Crawdads Sing
April: Educated
May: Tie: Mandelbrot the Magnificent and Montana 1948
June: Indian Horse
July: Pied Piper
August: Something Wicked This Way Comes
September: Middlesex
October: Wool Omnibus
November: Salt to the Sea and Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories
December:

Books that I own that I absolutely want to read this year! Linked to Prompts
(T): Translation

Accordion Crimes by E. Annie Proulx (19)
The Adventure of Augie March by Saul Bellow (34)
Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber (24)
Count of Monte Cristo (R7)
Dirt Music by Tim Winton
✅Indian Horse by RIchard Wanganese (20)
(T) The Island by Gustaw Herling (15, 26, R20)
Lord of the Rings trilogy (or 3 books) by JRR Tolkien (9, 17)
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (26, 32)
Middlemarch by George Eliot (29, 32)
Modern Classics of Science Fiction (17, 32, R3)
Moonshadows by Julie Weston (33)
(T) One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (20?, 45?)
(T) Penguin Island by Anatole France (23, 29, R3)
✅The Riders by Tim Winton
✅Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
✅Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (3, 18, 33, 39)
✅Spies of No Country by Matti Friedman (46)
Sweetland by Michael Crummey (30)
✅That Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx (19, 23, R19)
(T) To Siberia by Per Petterson (19)
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (3, 10, 19)
The Waves by Virginia Woolf (29)

ATY 52 Ideas (weeks 1-26)
*: First choice

1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy
*True History of the Kelly Gang (Man Booker); Know and Strange Things (Pen/Jean Stein Award); One Hundred Years of Solitude or The Brothers Karamazov or Foucalt's Pendulum or The Tin Drum (PEN Translation Prize); Chains (Scott O'Dell award)

2. A book with one of the 5 Ws in the title (who, what, where, when, why)
*If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi; What it means when a man falls from the sky; What Maisies Knew: The Spy Who came in from the Cold; Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandin Hobson; Little Fires Everywhere

3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y
*Terry Pratchett; Larry McMurtry; Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy; Salt to the Sea

4. A book with a criminal character
*The Dead Zone by Stephen King; The Godfather or Fools Die by Mario Puzo

5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare
*A Room of Ones Own by Virginia Woolf; The Shakespeare Conspiracy by Ted Bacino; Shakespeare's Star Wars; Macbeth by Jo Nesbo

6. A book with a dual timeline
*The Winter Sea; Billiards at Half past Nine, A Tale for the Time Being, The Blind Assassin

7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1
*Moonshadows by Julie Weston

8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2
*Real-Town Murders by Adam Roberts

9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres
*All the Birds in the Sky; Dune #5

10. A book featuring an historical figure
* Dark Fire by C J Sansom; Destiny of a Republic: A Tale of madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject)
*The Horse's Mouth by Joyce Cary; The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey; The World of Pooh by Milne; *Dream Tiger by Borges

12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer
*All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost by Lan Samantha Chang; The Human Stain by Philip Roth; A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne; Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

13. A book that is included on a NYPL Staff Picks list
*Circe; The World of Tomorrow; Macbeth; Rules of Civility; Women in Sunlight (??); Darwin in Galapagos; A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century; The Friend by Sigrid Nunez; Number 11 by Jonathan Coe; How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe By Charles Yu; S; Valis By Philip K. Dick; Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

By Matthew J. Sullivan; China Rich Girlfriend By Kevin Kwan; Everyone Brave Is Forgiven By Chris Cleave; **Longbourn
By Jo Bake; Watership Down; Number 11. Jonathan Coe

14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term
*Billy Moon; All Other Nights by Dara Horn; The Book of Strange New Things; Luminaries

15. A book set in or by an author from a Mediterranean country
*The Island: Three Tales by Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski; The Odyssey/The Illiad by Homer; Spies of No Country

16. A book told from multiple perspectives
* The Poisonwood Bible; 2666; Let the Great World Spin

17. A speculative fiction (e.g. fantasy, sci-fi, horror, dystopia)
*The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick; Ambiguity Machines and Other Stories by Singh; Smoke

18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements
*The Goldfinch; Uther (metallic gold on cover); The Tin Drum; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Boys in Zinc by Svetlana Alexievich; Curious Case of the Copper Corpse (Flavia de Luce); Iron Gold; Land of Black Gold (Tintin, #15); The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers; The Periodic Table by Primo Levi

19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR
*Abraham Verghese (Cutting for Stone); The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig; Elevation by Stephen King; Archangel by Andrea Barrett; Thomas Kenneally; John Wyndham, John Willimas; Edith Wharton; Evelyn Waugh; Richard Wagamese; Jeff Vandermeer; Simon Van Booy; Catherynne Valente; Jane Urquhart; Sigrid Undset; Paul Theroux

20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country
* Indian Horse or The Life of Chief Horse by Alan Grey; Zeke and Ned by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana; The Dying Grass: A Novel of the Nez Perce War; A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson; Elk; The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky (2019)

21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes
*Polarizing: 1. Podcast (Count of Monte Cristo; The New Life by Orhan Pamuk; Austerlitz by Sebald) 2. Series (Legs by Willima Kennedy) 3. Arthurian legend (Uther by Jack Whyte)

22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover
*Number 11 by Jonathan Coe; Ward No. 6 and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov; The Pig that wants to be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher by Julain Baggini (NF); Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 (NF); Pale Rider: The Spanish Flue of 1918 and How it it Changed the World (NF); 54 by Wu Ming

23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old
*That Old Ace in the Hole or The Accordion Crimes (old purchase) by Annie Proulx

24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New
*The Shipping NEWs by Annie Proulx; Title: Strange New Things

25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed
*The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck; Postcards by Annie Proulx; CT Yankee in King Arthur's Court

26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue
*The Unknown Arthur: Forgotten Tales of the Round Table by John Matthews; Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx; Cover Luminaries

ATY 52 Ideas (weeks 27-52)

27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list
*Waiting for the Barbarians by J M Coetzee; The Bell by Iris Murdoch; Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami; The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood; The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass; Troubles by J. G. Farrell; A Town Like Alice; The Sea, The Sea; The Secret Agent; Don Casmurro; Caleb Williams; Cryptonomicon; The Poisonwood Bible

28. A book related to something cold
*To Siberia by Per Petterson; Snow by Pamuk; Ice Station Zebra; The Shipping News; Gulag Archipelago; The Outlander by Gil Adamson (Canada); Blue Fox by Sjon; The Call of the Wild; Snowblind by Golden

29. A book published before 1950
*Middlemarch; Thomas Hardy or Emile Zola; The Saga of Gösta Berling; The War with the Newts

30. A book featuring an elderly character
*Sweetland; The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry; Angle of Repose; News of the World; Gilead; Out Stealing Horses; Pied Piper; The Blind Assassin; LOTR: End of Watch

31. A children’s classic you’ve never read
*Black Beauty; Alice in Wonderland; World of Pooh; Treasure Island; Wind in the Willows; Hans Brinker; 21 Balloons

32. A book with more than 500 pages
*Middlemarch; Underworld; Modern Classics of Science Fiction; Vanity Fair; The Adventure of Augie March; Pillars of the Earth; Middlesex; Luminaries

33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read
*The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson; Cloudstreet by Tim Winton; Away or Underpainter by Jane Urquhart

34. A book with a person's name in the title
*Stoner by John Williams; Anna of All the Russians: The Life of Anna Ahkmatova (NF); Oliver Twist, Clara Callan; Sister Carrie; Claudius the God; The Saga of Gösta Berling

35. A psychological thriller
*November Road by Lou Berney; The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin; The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo

36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list
*The Goldfinch (2013); Noonday; Rogue Heroes; this census-taker; the fox was ever the hunter by Herta Muller; Ody-C: Cycle One

37. A book set in a school or university
*Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis; Gentlemen and Players by Harris: Peace Breaks out; Talent by Juliet Lapidos

38. A book not written in traditional novel format
*The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books; War of the Newts by Capek; Ody-C; The History of Love by Krause; Sleeping Giants; *This Haunted House by John Boyne

39. A book w/ a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location to life
*The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne; Titus Groan by Mervyn Peak; Night Circus; LOTR; Avalon series; Gabriela, Clove , and Cinnamon; The Saga of Gösta Berling??

40. A book you stumbled upon
*The Island: Three Tales by Gustaw Herling; The History of Love; The Saga of Gösta Berling

41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards
*

42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character
*Dr Jekyl and Mr. Hyde

43. A book related to STEM
*Enchantress of Numbers; Are the Androids Dreaming Yet? Amazing Brain. Human Communication, Creativity and Free Will by James Tagg
Proof by David Auburn; Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson; The Mind-Body Problem by Rebecca Goldstein; Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers; As she climbed across the table by Lethem; Doctor Copernicus by John Banville; The Andromeda Strain; Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis; The Black Swan by Taleb; Clockwork Universe

44. A book related to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed
*Caroline: Little House Revisited; The Serpent's Tooth (Longmire); The Godfather; Just One Evil Act (Inspector Lynley); Wicked; Like Water for Chocolate

45. A multi-generational saga
*The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherford; Pillars of the Earth; The Joy Luck Club; Middlesex; The Godfather; White Teeth

46. A book with a (mostly) black cover
*The Road; Joanthan Strange and Mr Norrell: The SPies of No Country

47. A book related to food
*Tortilla Curtain by T C Boyle; Tortilla Flat; Grapes of Wrath; Five Quarters of an Orange by Joanne Harris; The Dinner by Herman Koch; Gabriela, Clove, and Cinnamon; Delicious Foods; The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery and Paris

48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award
*Fates and Furies; News of the World; Sing, Unburied, Sing; Pax; Sabbath's Theatre; All the Pretty Horses; White Noise; The Fixer by Malamud; The Centaur by John Updike

49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country
*Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan; Shogun; The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)
*Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads or Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux; The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann; The Seven Songs by T A Barron; The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye

51. A book published in 2019
*American Pop by Snoden Wright; The Wolf in the Whale; Flavia de Luce #10; City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders; Talent by Juliet Lapidos

52. A book with a weird or intriguing title
*Schrodingers Ball by Felbert; Havoc by Tom Kristensen; Nothing but the Clouds Unchanged: Artists in World War I (NF): The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver; Clockwork Universe; Where the Dead Sit Talking; Rush, Oh!; Utopian Man; The Crimson Petal and the White; Thief of Time

Love the idea of having a post for the best book of the month!

Katie wrote: "Love the idea of having a post for the best book of the month!"

Me too! I'm totally stealing it!

Katie wrote: "Love the idea of having a post for the best book of the month!"

Thanks Katie and Rachel! I got the idea from another GR group where we have a thread like that for members to update with their favorite book of the month.

January Recap
Finished 12 books (probably a record month for me!)- 11 for ATY52 and 1 I didn't count since I read most of it in 2018.

5 star books:

3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y
There There by Tommy Orange
Very powerful, intense, and heart-wrenching story! I really liked this one!

12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer: The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
Loved, loved, loved it! It's a short, easy read about a woman whose long-time friend/mentor dies and how she deals with his death and her inheritance of his Great Dane.

27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list: Hunger by Knut Hamsun
Very interesting psychological study of a man struggling with hunger as he tries to survive in 1880 Kristiana (Oslo). It's not for everyone but I enjoyed it! So different than any other book I've read.

41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards: Circe by Madeline Miller
Well-deserved winner! The book shows a whole other side to Circe. Prior to reading the book, I only knew of her encounter with Odysseus and his men. I loved revisiting the Greek myths that I studied decades ago. Love the author's writing!

4 star books:

1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Good but not as compelling, for me, as Circe. Achilles was presented in a way (sexually) that I've never seen explored! It was well-written and an enjoyable story! If I had not just read Circe, which I preferred, I probably would've given it 5 stars.

11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals:
The Night Tiger (ARC) by Yangsze Choo
Imaginative, magical realism mystery set in 1930s Malaysia!

29. A book published before 1950: War With The Newts
A Czechoslovakian dystopian satire- worth reading if you like satire.

40. A book you stumbled upon: The Lighthouse by Paco Roca
I randomly found this book while I was browsing through the graphic novels at the library. It is set at an old remote lighthouse during the Spanish Civil War. I enjoyed it! I rarely read graphic novels but ones like this I can appreciate!

3 star books:

19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
This is a great book for a "sense of place" (Newfoundland coast) but I found it to be too slow and I didn't care for the characters. It's a Pulitzer Prize winner (+ other awards) but didn't work for me.

21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes (Book less than 200 pages): Passing by Nella Larsen
I didn't choose this book but, instead, read it because it was a group read for a FB group. It's a novella set in 1920s Harlem where 2 childhood friends reunite. They are both light-skinned black women. One is passing as white but the other is not. The race theme and the psychological elements are very interesting but I didn't care for the writing. It is still worth reading! 3.5 stars

28. A book related to something cold: Ice: by Anna Kavan
I had a hard time following this one and not sure if I really understood it. 2.5 but rounded up to 3.

Non-ATY52:

Finished Grapes of Wrath- 4 stars
It's Steinbeck so, of course, it is beautifully written. But, it was just too depressing and a bit repetitive for me. Also, I got tired of the dialect which is hard for me to read. It was ok on the audio but when I switched to the physical book, I struggled with reading those parts. It's just tedious!

Working on for Feb:
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: (Medieval theme with knights & jousting, etc. pus pen & ink illustrations): A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain AND
8. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
38. A book not written in traditional novel format: Augustus by John Williams (epistolary)

Finished book #12

Week #8: 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme
I read A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin. I am going with a medieval (knights in armor, etc) theme. I was a little disappointed with this book. It is a prequel to The Game of Thrones. I liked the two main characters Dunk and Egg but I have a few problems with George RR Martin's writing, in general:
1) Too many characters and references to characters. I couldn't keep them all straight!
2) Some crude language that really did not enhance the story. He could've kept it PG.
3) Some repetitive phrases that got old after awhile.

I do enjoy these types of stories, though, and I loved the illustrations by Gary Gianni! Looking at the illustrations, which there were a lot, I kept thinking they reminded me of the Prince Valiant comic strip. At the end of the book, I discovered that Gianni drew the Prince Valiant strip from 2003 to 2012! That explains that!

If you love Game of Thrones, then you might appreciate this book. I didn't feel like it added much, though. I hope Martin quits writing novellas and just finishes the series. 3 stars for the writing and 5 stars for the illustrations.

Just started:
Strange Weather in Tokyo - Haven't decided where to slot it. It works for Food, Elderly character, Unusual title, Far East Asia, Podcast recommendation (Reject challenge).

Stoner - 4. A book with a person's name in the title or 37. A book set in a school or university

Decisions, decisions... And so many good books to read! 2019 is off to a great start!

Finished 10. A book featuring an historical figure:
Augustus
This is my 2nd book by John Williams. Told in epistolary style, it is a brilliant novel of the life of Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. The first part was a little slow for me but I really enjoyed parts II and III. It's a must read by anyone interested in ancient Roman history. It's such a reminder to me of how much history I don't know! My rating: 4.5 stars

Working on for #48 National Book award winner and for #7 Same genre.

Next up is (prompt TBD) and for #5 Mediterranean country. Spies of No Country is an ARC Goodreads Win. I hoped to read it before the publish date of 3/5.

I picked up several books , , , and from Goodwill that I really want to start on and fit into this challenge!

I also finished and . They are very different styles of books but I loved both of them. Stoner is serious and contemplative while Strange Weather is more whimsical with vignettes and lots of dining scenes with an unlikely couple. Both deal with love in different manners and both touched my heart!

I added all of John Williams' books to my TBR after I read Stoner, which I loved. Glad to see you liked Augustus.

Finished #48- National Book award (finalist for 2018 Translation category): Flights

Rating: 2.5 (Rounded up to 3)

Despite the book winning the Man Booker International Prize and one other prize plus being nominated for others, it was a miss for me. It is a collection of short stories and reflections (some just a few sentences or paragraphs) relating to travel and time, mostly set in eastern European countries. I did like the references to travel psychology (a term I was not familiar with) and some of the ideas. The storylines and characters didn't appeal to me, especially the ones with the preserved human specimens and body parts.

The writing was good and I would consider reading one of the author's novels but no more short story collections for me.

Finished 15. A book set in or by an author from a Mediterranean country: Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel (ARC) - Set mostly in Palestine (later Israel), and some in Lebanon and Syria

Rating: 3 stars

I found the subject to be really interesting - 4 Jewish spies (undercover as Arab Muslims) during Israel's fight for Independence. The book was a little hard to follow. I didn't like the way it was organized. It felt haphazard. But, I am glad I read it for the information. It gave me some food for thought!

Pam wrote: "January Recap
Finished 12 books (probably a record month for me!)- 11 for ATY52 and 1 I didn't count since I read most of it in 2018.

5 star books:

3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T..."

I loved your January wrap up. Great thoughts on what looks like pretty interesting books. I'm way behind but it was nice to check in and see how you are doing!

Tammy wrote: "...I loved your January wrap up. Great thoughts on what looks like pretty interesting books. I'm way behind but it was nice to check in and see how you are doing! ..."

Thanks Tammy! I think it is easier for me to update when I finish a book or two, but I may try a monthly summary again in March. I borrowed the idea of summarizing by # of stars from someone else. I think I am going to tackle books I own in March! So she says....

I read 7 books in March so I'm still on track to read 100 books this year (a real challenge for me)!

4 Star Reads:
1. by Carl Hiaasen
Fun and funny mid-grade book! One that everyone can enjoy. I bought it at Goodwill and am saving it for my oldest grandson who loves animals. It starts off with the main character's father getting a head injury from a dead iguana dropping out of a tree onto his head. Yeah, that's Carl Hiassen! Adventure and mishap in the Florida Everglades.

2. by Shirley Barrett
Coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in 1908 in an Australian whaling community. Really good story but I struggled with the idea of whale hunting! (I probably shouldn't' read Moby Dick.)

3. by Amor Towles
This would have been a 5 star review for me except for the slowness of the first half. If I didn't love A Gentleman in Moscow so much, I might have stopped reading it. But, I am glad that I didn't! There is a twist in the story which makes the 2nd half and ending really interesting and satisfying. The writing is fabulous! You definitely get transported to 1938 NYC. I can't wait for his next book!

4. by Delia Owens
This was my favorite book for the month. Everyone is reading it and it's been #1 on the charts for awhile now! The writing is beautiful, especially if you appreciate nature. I would have ended the book differently but I still loved the book and the main character Kya (the Marsh Girl). My only criticism is that I felt that the story wasn't entirely believable BUT it's a novel so I can stretch my belief a little bit!

3 Star Reads:
5. by C.S. Harris
I'm not a mystery reader but this one held my attention. A little on the gory side, though.

2.5 Star Reads
6. by Maj Sjöwall
Another mystery. I read it for a different challenge because it was set partly in Hungary. I enjoyed the Budapest setting but I felt the ending was a bit contrived, but then maybe I'm not the right audience!

7. by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
I expected so more from Neil Gaiman! This is a YA (felt more like mid-grade to me) fantasy/SF novel about a boy who is able to "Walk" between different versions of the Earth. It's the classic fantasy story of a group of kids/teens battling evil to save the universe (or the Altiverse, in this case). Their original idea was for a TV show and, well, that's how it reads to me- like a TV script! IT IS imaginative and a bit funny at times but I think they tried to put too much action into a short book. The writing left a bit to be desired, too. Some of the kid's references and thoughts were more ones you would expect of a 50 year old man, rather than a teen. If you love fantasy/magic, you might like this one. It is part of a 3 book series but I won't be reading the other 2.

Nice summary, Pam. I have Rules of Civility on my 2019 list too so I'm glad to get a heads-up about the slow start.

Kathy wrote: "Nice summary, Pam. I have Rules of Civility on my 2019 list too so I'm glad to get a heads-up about the slow start."

Kathy - I think you will like it, based on what I see you reading! This is a great book for the sense of place prompt. Hope you enjoy it!

Yay - I'm at the half-way point! April has been a very slow reading month but that's ok. I'm slowing things down a little, due to other priorities (like my daughter and grandson's plan to move in with us in next month)! Here is my list of prompts remaining, which I will update as I complete them. For tracking purposes, this strategy worked really well for me last year!

Remaining prompts- Last update: 6/7
*= Currently reading

5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: (Medieval theme with knights & jousting, etc. pus pen & ink illustrations)
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres
16. A book told from multiple perspectives
17. A speculative fiction (e.g. fantasy, sci-fi, horror, dystopia)
18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements
23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old
*
25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed
30. A book featuring an elderly character
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read
38. A book not written in traditional novel format
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character
45. A multi-generational saga
46. A book with a (mostly) black cover
49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title

Yay Pam!! Kicking butt!

April wasn't a great month for finishing books but I made progress on several in addition to finishing 2:

Educated by Tara Westover - Excellent hard-to-put-down memoir! 5 stars
The Parade by Dave Eggers- Interesting novella set in an unidentified country. I liked it and it was a quick read - 3.5 stars.

May update:

Finished 6 books including two 5 star novellas-
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
Mandelbrot the Magnificent by Lisa Ziemska

Mandlebrot is the perfect book for the STEM prompt (math)! It even has diagrams of math concepts, which I know nothing about. I definitely want to read more about this mathematician. This was a true serendipitous find! I was browsing in a different library and it was the last book on the last fiction shelf and a book I've never heard of. And, none of my GR friends had it on their shelves! I love being the first to find a book. I recognized the name Mandelbrot and wondered if it had a math connection. Of course, I am always subconsciously looking for books that fit my remaining ATY52 prompts! This is why I never stick to my original plan.

Epitaph was a 4 star read for me. It was good but I felt like it could've been shorter. I preferred Doc, where you get the backstory on John Henry "Doc" Holliday and the Earp brothers, the first book in the series. I definitely recommend reading that one first, although it isn't necessary.

I'm looking forward to my summer reads and the Summer Challenge but don't know which to start first. So many choices! Have to see what I am in the mood for on June 1st!

I may need to do some rearranging of books after I finish the 3 I'm reading. June and July were SLOW reading months for me due to trips and having my grandson visiting for a month. Of the 6 books I finished, I recommend Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (the movie is excellent, also), Nevil Shute's classic Pied Piper, and Daisy Jones & The Six.

Finished 4 books in August. I'm moving books around on my list so that I can fit them in! I haven't updated my first post and am working off of the spreadsheet instead. (Thanks Emily!)

1. The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump: Essays and Reportage, 1986-2016 by Martin Amis
I chose this author for an odd reason. I read a review in which the reviewer quoted Jared Kushner as stating that no one knew who Martin Amis was (in response to an article talking about him moving from the UK to NYC) and that no one even reads fiction any more! I admit that I had no idea who Amis was but I recognized the surname. His father is Kinsgley Amis (another author many Americans may not know). My library had this e-book so I decided to read it. It was hit or miss for me. I'm not that interested in essays to start with. I really didn't like the essay on pornography. Very disturbing. But, I did like the articles on the celebrities, including Donald Trump.

2. Penguin Highway by Tomihiko Morimi
I saw the animated Japanese movie this past winter so I had to read the book! I'm glad I saw the movie first otherwise I would have had a hard time visualizing some of the scenes. I found the book in the B&N Manga section even though there are no drawings in the book. Maybe the Japanese edition is Manga? I was a little disappointed because I would've liked some illustrations! I still enjoyed it. Penguins + fantasy + magical realism + grade school kids + a mysterious lady = a Fun Read! I recommend the (sub-titled) movie, too. Reading level: Mid-grade.

3. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
If you like Bradbury, you should like this one. Having recently read The Illustrated Man, I was glad to see this character in the book. Imaginative with a dark edge, a good one for October!

4. Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom
Book #2 in the Matthew Shardlake series. It's a murder mystery (with 2 different storylines) set during the time of Henry VIII. I like his books but I'm not much of a mystery reader any more. I do like the historical setting, which makes me want to read some non-fiction about the time period.

Currently reading Middlesex for the Multigenerational prompt. It's so different from anything else I've read! I really love it and highly recommend it even though I'm only 1/2 way though it and have no idea how it will end.

I'm also reading The Dragon in the Sea by Frank Herbert. It's his first novel and kind of obvious. The writing has a 1950s SF movie feel to it but, then, it was written in 1956 so what did I expect? I'm not loving it like I did Dune but will stick with it. I do like the psychological aspect of the submariners' experience. It can be interesting to see how an author's writing style develops over his/her career.

Nice reviews, Pam. That was a good reason to read the Martin Amis book!

I plan on reading Something Wicked in October. It's been years since I read Bradbury.

Kathy- Thanks! I read Something Wicked early for an October group read in another group (I think you are also a member). I hate when I do that because then I can’t remember much by the time the group starts reading it BUT at least I read it! I don’t read fast enough to participate in all of the group reads I’m interested in plus keep up with challenges I’m doing.

After doing a little rearranging, I have just 4 more books to go, 3 of which I've already started! I haven't updated message #1, just the group spreadsheet. I might be able to finish by the end of October or early November!

3 notable recent reads:

1. Gottland: Mostly True Stories from Half of Czechoslovakia - Some very interesting (and sad) true stories from the Communist era gathered by the author, a journalist, who travels to the Czech Republic. The writing is simple and easy to read (reads like fiction). We've all heard stories about the horrors of Communist East Germany and Russia but probably not so many from Czechoslovakia! This one works well for the 2020 "We didn't start the fire" prompt.

2. The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell - Historical fiction about the 1913-14 copper mine strike in Michigan, in particular the woman Annie Clements who was the force behind it. It's very well written and a fascinating story of the important role of women in the Labor Movement. It's a story that most people are probably not familiar with. I read it for the periodic chart element prompt.

3. Can You Crack the Code?: A Fascinating History of Ciphers and Cryptography - Mid-grade level non-fiction about the history, science, and math concerning ciphers and cryptography. Lots of good info and easy to follow, including codes for the reader to crack! This would be a great book for an inquisitive reader of any age (10+)! Some of the info I knew but much of it I didn't. The follow-on books I want to read are Enigma (fiction) and Alan Turing: The Enigma (non-fiction).

Side note: I picked this book up for an unusual reason. The author is a distant DNA match for my dad and brother. So, when I found out that she is an author (and a scientist), I naturally wanted to read one of her books!

I’m down to my last 150 pages in Machine Learning by Hugh Howey to finish the challenge! Hope to finish it tonight or tomorrow. So close....

Finished! Yay. Update to message 1 and summary to be posted later. What a great year of reading!