Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Not reading in order, planning some books in advance, leaving space for discoveries along the way! Will end up reading mostly fantasy, scifi and classics again, and I have a soft spot for non-fiction as well.

The 2019 List

1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy
Siiri Enoranta Tuhatkuolevan kirous (fantasy, won the Finlandia Junior prize)
2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, What, Where, When, Why)
David Reich Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past
3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y
Banana Yoshimoto NP
4. A book with a criminal character (i.e. assassin, pirate, thief, robber, scoundrel etc)
Zhuangzi The Book of Chuang Tzu

5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare
William Shakespeare King Lear
6. A book with a dual timeline
Hiro Arikawa The Travelling Cat Chronicles
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1 (high fantasy)
Erika Vik Nefrin tytär
8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2 (low fantasy)
Libba Bray Rebel Angels

9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (romance/erotica, crime/mystery, religious/inspirational, science fiction/fantasy or horror)
Susan Dennard Truthwitch
10. A book featuring an historical figure
Margaret Atwood Alias Grace
11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject)
Mia Kankimäki The Women I Think About at Night (tiger's head on the cover)
12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer
Minna Eväsoja Shoshin - Aloittelijan mieli
13. A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list
Kate Elliott Cold Fire
14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term
Makoto Shinkai your name. 01
15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country
marjatta Nielsen, Jorma Kaimio, Eero Jarva Etruskit
16. A book told from multiple perspectives
花樣年華 HYYH The Notes 1
17. A speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy, scifi, horror, dystopia)
Margaret Atwood MaddAddam
18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements
Kathryn Harkup A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie
19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR
Banana Yoshimoto The Lake
20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country
Juha Pentikäinen Saamelaisten mytologia
21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes: A book that takes place (mainly) on a mode of transport
Päivi Laitinen Reissunaisia
22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover
Yuval Noah Harari 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old
Virgil The Aeneid
24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New
Ursula K. Le Guin Lavinia
25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed
Margaret Atwood Hag-Seed: The Tempest Retold

26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue
William Shakespeare The Tempest (blue on the cover)
27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list
Milan Kundera The Unbearable Lightness of Being
28. A book related to something cold (i.e. theme, title, author, cover, etc.)
Yasunari Kawabata Snow Country
29. A book published before 1950
Sei Shōnagon The Pillow Book
30. A book featuring an elderly character
Noriko Morishita Every Day a Good Day: Fifteen lessons I learned about happiness from Japanese tea culture

31. A children’s classic you’ve never read
Diana Wynne Jones The Lives of Christopher Chant
32. A book with more than 500 pages
Kate Elliott Cold Steel
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet
Katja Kokko Aidosti kaunis
34. A book with a person's name in the title
Hermann Hesse Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth

35. A psychological thriller
Daphne du Maurier The Birds and Other Stories
36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list
Alice Hoffman Rules of Magic
37. A book set in a school or university
Maria Turtschaninoff Maresin voima
38. A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc)
Save Me - BTS Webtoon

39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life
Jessica Townsend Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow
40. A book you stumbled upon
Julia Thuren Kaikki rahasta - Näin säästin kymppitonnin vuodessa
41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards
Tomi Adeyemi Children of Blood and Bone
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character
Tiina Piilola Kalevalan naiset
43. A book related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Murray Stein Jung's Map of the Soul: An Introduction

44. A book related in some way to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed (same topic, same era, book appeared in the show/movie, etc.)
Virve Fredman Täydellinen iho - opas korealaiseen ihonhoitoon
45. A multi-generational saga
Min Jin Lee Pachinko
46. A book with a (mostly) black cover
Han Kang Human Acts
47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.)
Rino Mizuho Chocolate Magic: Dark Spice

48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year
Edward O. Wilson The Meaning of Human Existence
49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country
Kyung-Sook Shin The Court Dancer
50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)
Matsuo Bashō Alati matkalla - matkakertomuksia, päiväkirjoja, runoja
51. A book published in 2019
Alan Bradley The Golden Tresses of the Dead
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title
James R. Doty Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart


2019 Reading Goals

Read 25,000 pages: 28 213 pages
Read 13 non-fiction books: 33 non-fiction books
Read 12 classics (published at least 50 years ago):
Read books from five new countries:
Read two doorstops (>750 pages):

Minimum 50% of 2019 reading by female authors:
Minimum 33% of 2019 reading from non US/UK authors:

I'm also planning on doing a rejects challenge this year! Let's see how it goes... If I don't have enough time, I might do half of the 2019 ATY challenge (26 prompts) and the rejects challenge (26 prompts).

The 2019 Rejects Challenge

1. A book with a type of metal (gold, silver, bronze, brass, iron, etc) or something made from metal in the title
Karolina Kouvola Sodan kuningattaret — Amatsoneista valkyrioihin
2. A book by an author from an island
Oddný Eir Land of Love and Ruins
3. A book with alliteration in the title
Diana Wynne Jones Witch Week
4. A book in translation originally written in a language you haven't read a translation from before
Ida Simons A Foolish Virgin (Dutch)
5. A book related to an activity on your bucket list
Erin Niimi Longhurst Japonisme: The Art of Finding Contentment
6. A book inspired by a fairy tale or a book told from the perspective of a villain from a fairy tale
Julie C. Dao Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Snow White retelling)
7. A book related to a zodiac sign
Natsuki Takaya Fruits Basket, #3
8. A book linked to one of your favorite songs or artists
Erich Fromm The Art of Loving
9. A book with a meteorological phenomena in the title
Susan Dennard Windwitch
10. A book featuring a mythical creature or figure as a character (eg. centaur, dragon, death, fairy, etc)
Madeline Miller Circe
11. A book with a interesting or beautiful spine
Katja Kokko Kuulaan kaunis - Korealainen ihonhoito
12. A book with the theme of immortality
Katri Alatalo Ikuisesti, siskoni
13. A Victorian or neo-Victorian related book
Susan Hill The Woman in Black
14. A book about a person who travels to another country as a vacationer, an expatriate, an immigrant, or a refugee
Kim Thúy Ru
15. A book with a quest or treasure hunt
Cait Flanders The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store
16. A book inspired by a song (artist name, lyrics, release year, etc.)
Haruki Murakami Norwegian Wood

17. A book related to an "obscure or unusual" holiday
Ken Mogi The Little Book of Ikigai: The essential Japanese way to live a happy and long life (February, National Cherry Month, obscure in Finland)
18. A book related to the arts
Minna Eväsoja Bigaku, japanilaisesta kauneudesta
19. A book that involves another world or planet or realm
Ursula K. Le Guin Rocannon's World
20. A book related to or set in a national capital city
Philomena Keet Tokyo Fashion City: From Shibuya Style to Harajuku Cool-Tokyo's Best Street Fashion Looks
21. A book with an epigraph (a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme)
Marina Warner Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale
22. A book with a title that contains an allusion or a quote from another literary work
Libba Bray The Sweet Far Thing (title is a quote from William Blake)
23. A dark fairytale
Leigh Bardugo The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
24. A book connected to a dwelling (i.e. a palace/castle, hut, cardboard box, etc.)
Kamo no Chōmei Merkintöjä ruohomajasta
25. A fiction or nonfiction book where music plays a part in the story
Muriel Barbery The Life of Elves
26. A book set in or about a country or place that no longer exists
Lyn Webster Wilde A Brief History of the Amazons: Women Warriors in Myth and History