Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

When this group started, one of the main focuses was on group discussions of individual books. Those eventually became the A-Z folders where members could post the books they've read and discuss whatever aspects of the books they wish; characters, plots (with spoiler tags), quality of writing, favourite quotes, writing style, or just how much they loved it (or didn't). Over the years the discussion of individual books has really tapered off so that now it's almost non-existent. Most of the posts contain a couple responses, but sometimes none at all. The deeper discussions of why people liked or disliked a book and other aspects of the content have become much less common. The Progress Posts offer a place to talk about the books we are reading, but most of the discussions there focuses more on the prompt and the books members are using to fulfill it rather than the books themselves.

In an effort to stimulate a little more discussion about books and their content, quality, writing, characterization or any other aspect related to the actual books being read, I'm hoping this thread might be useful.*

Things are always more exciting (and easier to remember!) the more recent they are. So as a loose format, I thought members could discuss their favourite books from the past month or so (for example, it's August now, so discussions would focus on books members had read through July. Then in September discussion can progress to books read in August). This is a very loose format and not really a rule - if there's a book you just finished that you just need to talk about, post it, share share your thoughts and let everyone know how it made you feel! The favourite books of the month is just a rough outline to keep the discussions current about the books members area reading or have recently read, but it isn't meant to limit discussion about a book someone has read years ago if they have an opinion or thoughts to share in the discussion.

I'm hoping that this thread will stimulate a little more discussion about the books members are reading, and with it being a fluid evolving post that doesn't need to be categorized or searched like the A-Z folders, it might be a little more accessible and visible for members to jump in and out of easily. The conversational format I'm hoping for within this thread also means the dialogue can move to and from books easily, and may mean a specific book is examined more than once as different members read and wish to discuss the same book at different times through the year.

So, if there's a great (or awful) book you've read and want to shout it out to the world or have the need to convince someone else to read it in order to share in the emotions evoked by the book, share it here. Tell us all about how a book made you cry, laugh, or slam it shut and throw it across the room; tell us about the pain you felt when your favourite character failed, or the joy you felt when they triumphed or your satisfaction when the villain finally got what was coming to them; tell us about the way an author transported you to another world or another a planet or back in time, or to a future full of potential and danger; tell us about your all-time favourite book and what makes it so good and all the reasons everyone else should pick up a copy and read it right now. Tell us about the books you're reading!

*Mods - if this is in the wrong place, let me know and I'll delete/move it to the appropriate place. Also, depending on response and whether this actually stimulates discussion about the books members have been read, is this something that can be "stickied" so it's visible and doesn't have to be searched?

I guess I'll start us off!!

I read City of Thieves last month and it is one of the best books I've read all year. It focuses on the siege of Leningrad and a Russian youth trying to survive in the city. He gets caught by the Russian army and branded as a looter - a crime which is usually dealt with harshly. Instead, the Soviet Colonel gives him an option - to find 12 eggs for the Colonel's daughter's wedding cake. And so begins the absurb quest to find a dozen eggs in a starving city deprived of food in the dead of winter. The characters in the book are engrossing and feel real, and the narrator's voice eases the reader into the story. It is a World War II story, but it doesn't have large scale battles or the scope of a typical book that covers that era. It's focused on the life, specifically a few days, of two men trying to accomplish a seemingly impossible task. The mundane nature of their quest to find eggs is in direct contrast to the descriptions of the effects of war on the city and the people living there. The author avoids a lot of the typical war tropes in favour of a more intimate look at an individual's experience of the war, and what results is an incredible and truly believable story.

Another book I've recently reread is Red Rising. I first read this a number of years ago and rated it 4 stars, but ended up increasing my rating this time. It's likely based on the fact that I've read the rest of the series and I know how good it gets, but I enjoyed it even more this time. It's often compared to The Hunger Games, but I think it goes a lot deeper. It's also, I think (I can only assume because I haven't actually read The Hunger Games), a little more mature in its themes and content than The Hunger Games. It's the story of a distant human future, in which we have colonized the rest of the solar system, but despite our advances in technology, the society is arranged into "colour castes" that essentially determine each individual's role and worth within the society. Darrow is a Red, the lowest caste, thrust into a rebellion seeking to infiltrate the Golds, the ruling caste, and overthrow the system from within. I enjoyed the foundation and characterization as well as some of the foreshadowing I didn't pick up on during my first read. One of the things I remember not liking during my first read was that we only get Darrow's perspective and the secondary characters could have been developed more, but going back, I think this was intentional. As the series progresses, the perspective widens and gradually develops the secondary and supporting characters as Darrow's perspective changes; the closer he gets to them, the more the reader gets to know them. The Red Rising series is one of my all-time favourite series, and the 5th book was just released a week or two ago. While I'm waiting for my library to get a copy, I'm getting caught up on the story by rereading the rest of the series. I know there are a few other people in the group who have read at least the first Red Rising trilogy. Are any of you as excited about the newest release as I am? For anyone looking for a great read, the series starts out strong, but gets better with Golden Son and then the trilogy ends with the absolute emotional roller coaster of Morning Star. I don't know if I've ever read a book that played with my emotions and kept me on the edge of my seat as much as Morning Star!

Has anyone else read those books? I'm interested in your thoughts on them. If there are any other books someone is interested in talking about, share it here and let's get some discussions going!

Hi Peter. I read Red Rising a few years ago, and Golden Son earlier this year. I loved Red Rising, but for some reason waited a long time to continue with the series. I should have reread Red Rising before reading Golden Son, I was a little lost. It's interesting that you compare this and The Hunger Games. You are correct that Red Rising is more mature, to the point that I didn't know it was characterized as young adult until a coworker told me. Golden Son ended on a real cliffhanger, and I would have immediately followed up with the next book, if not for these pesky reading challenges.
Anyway, I am not nearly as eloquent as you are, so my apologies for the lame discussion.
I love your description of City of Thieves. It's been on my TBR for a while now. Interesting that it's written by one of the producers of Game of Thrones.

I love talking about the Red Rising series, so any discussion about it is far from lame! I've been on my brother's case to read it for years now, but they haven't yet. Golden Son definitely jumps into things a lot faster than Red Rising and doesn't walk the reader through all the background like a lot of sequels do. On one hand it's beneficial because it gets the plot moving a lot faster, but on the other if you don't read them close together it makes it harder to remember things. I was the same when I first read the series and had a gap - I remember feeling confused for a little while because of how fast it takes off. I highly recommend finishing the trilogy if you can; Morning Star was the best book of the series in my opinion.

City of Thieves was really good as well. Much better than I expected after reading the synopsis. I didn't make the connection to the GoT writer until I was almost finished the book. When you read it let me know what you think of it.

Are there any books you've read this year you would highly recommend?

Hi Peter- First, thank you for starting this topic. It is this kind of post that I love reading.

Regarding Red Rising, I read very little SFF, but I have seen so much chatter about this series, I’m wondering if I would like it. I typically read literary fiction, mysteries, historical fiction. Do you think this series might work for me?

My favorite recent book was An Unkindness of Ghosts - I’m not good at explaining what I like, or at remembering details after I finish a book, but the setting and main character were cool and felt pretty fresh to me. It’s space sci-if, but with some social commentary.

I used to post in the A-Z folders for books I was excited about, but there are just so many of them and it didn’t seem like people revisited after posting for a conversation. I think small group monthly reads and buddy reads are better for deeper conversations about books, so that everyone in the discussion has recently read with the view towards talking about it.

No problem! I love talking about books too. It's something I've noticed has been lacking lately. I'm not really sure why? I think it's likely a combination of things - enthusiasm and excitement about creating the list, people posting in the progress posts what they are reading for each prompt and not wanting to "double post", and maybe the fact that the A-Z folders has each book separated and it makes them less visible and harder to find on their own.

I know this isn't dedicated to any one particular book, but maybe a more fluid conversation about the books we are all reading may work a little better to get us talking about them as we finish them. I thought it was worth a try at least.

As far as Red Rising, it is definitely not any of the genres you listed as your favourites. It's not "hard" sci-fi either though. It's sci-fi in the sense that it takes place in in space in a distant future, but it doesn't focus on the technical stuff - the focus is on the action and the characters, especially Darrow the main character and his reflections and thoughts on how things play out. I think the best comparison for the series would be Game of Thrones, but in space. If you don't really read a lot of sci-fi, or tend to be turned off of typical sci-fi, these books are likely a good place to start because they are more action/adventure/character/drama driven than hard science.

I agree with Peter that Red Rising may work for you, Chrissy, because it doesn't focus on the tech stuff. The focus is more on the society and the characters. I also found it less intimidating than Game of Thrones, not as many characters to keep track of.

Thank you Peter... I think I’ll try to get the first one in sometime in the next few months.

Chrissy wrote: "My favorite recent book was An Unkindness of Ghosts - I’m not good at explaining what I like, or at remembering details after I finish a book, but the setting and main character wer..."

This looks interesting. I've never read a book described as a "generational spaceship". I'm not really sure what that really means though. Is that referring to the setting? My best guess would be that it's a spaceship on a voyage long enough for people to be born and grow up.


Lizzy wrote: "Thank you Peter... I think I’ll try to get the first one in sometime in the next few months."

Let me know what you think!

Peter wrote: “My best guess would be that it's a spaceship on a voyage long enough for people to be born and grow up.”

Your guess is right - the ship becomes their whole world.

The Red Rising series is one of my favourite of all time! I love how deep it goes into the characters (Darrow’s at first, but from the 4th book you get several perspectives. I just realised it would be perfect for the ensemble cast next year, but I won’t be able to wait that long to read it haha).

The interactions are quite complex and what I find the most interesting is that the good guys don’t always do good things and the bad guys aren’t always that bad (except some are reeeaaally bad). The main character goes through so much crap you wonder how he can still be alive and that changes him... a lot.

I highly recommend it even if you’re not used to reading a lot of sci-fi (it could almost be labelled as dystopian if it’s a genre you prefer). And don’t be intimidated by the length of the series, the first 3 books can be read on their own and the next 3 are a follow-up 10 years later. Plus the author is actually releasing books, unlike others we know... 😒

I haven’t read many 5 stars books this year (and 3 of them were re-reads), but one that recently blew my mind was Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job, but I feel like I didn’t remember information as much as if I read it. I think I’m going to buy it and re-read passages once in a while because it’s sooo interesting and I love the perspectives it gives. I’d also recommend it to anyone who’s a bit intimidated by non-fiction because it’s not as dense as a textbook.

I’ve been thinking about the Red Rising series for a long time. Maybe it’s time to give it a go. A

Sophie wrote: "Plus the author is actually releasing books, unlike others we know... ..."

hahaha *laughs and cries at the same time

Great idea for a topic Peter!

I want to read City of Thieves, I haven't read any of the other books mentioned in this topic, but I just have to share again my love for Lost Children Archive, best book I read in July and one of the books I read this year. The writing style is beautiful. It is about a mother and a father with their respective children taking a lost road trip as a family, while at the same time the mother is researching the story of the children at the border. I can't describe it very well, but it is a very actual topic and it is beautifully written, so I am recommending it to everybody.

On the phone app so I can't quote anyone directly.

@Sophie - Lol, I have more than one author I've been waiting on for years. I know they don't owe me anything, but it is sometimes painful not being able to know the end of the story.... (I'm looking at you Rothfuss/Lynch/Martin...)

A Brief History of Humankind looks really interesting too. The description reminds me of a course I took about ancient technology that focused on breakthroughs that advanced humans. One of the biggest "technological advancements" was the use of fire. It was weird looking at fire as "technology" but it really is when the ways it improved life start to be examined. Have you read The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking? It's about physics and the universe and concepts like time and space, but it think it's probably similar in that it's written to be accessible and understandable by everyday people, not just people with advanced degrees in astrophysics.

@Irene - That book looks interesting too. The last few years I've been trying to include some books that tackle current issues within them so it's relevant with all the issues with immigration and border control going on.

@Jody - Do it! I can't think of anyone that has read the Red Rising series that didn't enjoy it. I will say that the first book is probably the weakest of the trilogy (but it's still very good), and the trilogy improves with each book. I think the author started it pretty young so I think his writing improved as he got a little older.

Red Rising was one of my top books so far this year! It's really rough to read in places, but it's an excellent story.

Of course, The Martian was also one of my recent favortes, so maybe I'm just really drawn to books set on Mars? :-)

Red Rising has now been added to my ever growing TBR. I will add a few of my favourites when I am on a computer later.

Peter wrote: "Have you read The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking? It's about physics and the universe and concepts like time and space, but it think it's probably similar in that it's written to be accessible and understandable by everyday people, not just people with advanced degrees in astrophysics."

I've read A Brief History of Time, do you know how they compare? I love science and physics in particular, but I've watched tons of documentaries about the subject and often find books about it harder to read and to be honest quite a slog to get through haha.

Peter wrote: "I will say that the first book is probably the weakest of the trilogy (but it's still very good), and the trilogy improves with each book. I think the author started it pretty young so I think his writing improved as he got a little older"

I agree! My mom didn't like Red Rising that much because it's quite violent, but she devoured the next two books because it gets so much more interesting and deep.

Raquel wrote: "Of course, The Martian was also one of my recent favortes, so maybe I'm just really drawn to books set on Mars? :-)"

I loooove The Martian so much too! I actually think I'm going to re-read it at some point...

So many good books mentioned here!

Red Rising was one of the best books I've read this year. I described it in my notes as "like a young Jack Reacher taking part in a team version of The Hunger Games". The Hunger Games was one of my favourites a couple of years ago (it's definitely more adult than the movie version), and Reacher is one of my favourite characters, so that was a big compliment, but also if felt like there was so much room for the story to expand, whereas The Hunger Games felt quite narrow and self-contained.

I listened to Sapiens on audiobook last year, and agree the narrator was excellent. I think I enjoyed it more in that format than I would have reading, it was almost documentary-like. I keep nagging friends to sign up to the library just to borrow this, it's so interesting, I'm likely to re-listen fairly soon.

As for The Martian, easily the best book I read last year, might even make my list of all-time favourites.

I also love The Martian, it is so funny I laughed out loud sometimes and I don't like science fiction/space settings normally

Peter wrote: "@Jody - Do it! I can't think of anyone that has read the Red Rising series that didn't enjoy it. I will say that the first book is probably the weakest of the trilogy."

*sticks up hand* I didn't like Red Rising enough to continue the series... I've completely forgotten the plot now, so I don't see myself going back to it even though I have the second book on kindle.

Oh no! I realize it's not for everyone though. There are plenty of books I didn't enjoy that are considered amazing by most people.

If you ever do go back to the series, the second and third books are better. The story shifts and becomes larger in scope and actually handles the rebellion referenced in the title of the first. I do remember when I first read it, I found myself disappointed that it wasn't really about a "rising". It ends up serving more as an introduction to the story as a whole in the context of the trilogy. I'll rephrase now - most people I know that read the series enjoyed it lol :)

It's been a few years since I've read City of Thieves, but I still remember how much I loved it! The ending crushed me. My boyfriend had recommended it to me, and normally we do NOT have the same reading tastes. Luckily this is one of only two books I actually liked that he gave me (the other being The 25th Hour).

I think I'm of the unpopular opinion here in that I did not love The Martian (so I recommended it to my boyfriend lol). I read it this January and only liked it. While I thought Mark's commentary was funny, the plot was repetitive (I tried to do X, which failed because of Y, so then I tried Z and it worked, to ad nauseum), and I wish it would have dived more into the emotions of Mark and the other characters. There was so much emotional depth that could have been explored and I felt like the book just kept missing the opportunity to do so.

Also, I have to copy Irene in that Lost Children Archive has been the best book I've read all year. It was so powerful and moving. As she said, it's kind of hard to describe, but everyone really just needs to go read it! The writing is wonderful and the last chapter is written as one very long run on sentence which definitely adds to the dramatic effect of it.

My second favorite read of the year was The Handmaid's Tale. Yes, I know I'm pretty late to this one. I've been watching the Hulu show since it came out and loved it so I finally got around to reading the book. And the book still floored me. The writing was so much better than I imagined. I also can't believe how well the show has done capturing the voice and tone of the novel. So now the sequel novel, The Testaments, is coming out on September 10th. I'm so psyched and pre-ordered the book (something I haven't done since the seventh Harry Potter book came out). Is anyone else excited about reading this? I haven't read any interviews yet, but I'm so curious about how the Hulu show has/hasn't affected her writing of this long awaited sequel. Will it be similar to the show's story line or completely different?

I tried on Tuesday to get my book club to read City of Thieves but I failed as we just read another book set during the world war period. But we selected My Sister, the Serial Killer, which I read already but I loved it and it is short enough to do a quick re read the week before the next meeting.

I will also buy The Testaments on 10th of September, I am trying to find the time to reread Handmaid's tale beforehand, but so many books, so little time...

Karissa wrote: "My second favorite read of the year was The Handmaid's Tale. Yes, I know I'm pretty late to this one. I've been watching the Hulu show since it came out and loved it so I finally got around to reading the book. And the book still floored me. The writing was so much better than I imagined. I also can't believe how well the show has done capturing the voice and tone of the novel. So now the sequel novel, The Testaments, is coming out on September 10th. I'm so psyched and pre-ordered the book (something I haven't done since the seventh Harry Potter book came out). Is anyone else excited about reading this? I haven't read any interviews yet, but I'm so curious about how the Hulu show has/hasn't affected her writing of this long awaited sequel. Will it be similar to the show's story line or completely different?"

The Handmaid's Tale is such a fantastic book, I think I kinda want to re-read it before The Testaments! That just reminded me to recommend it to my library so if they buy it I'm first on the hold line hehe.

I've only watched the first episode of the show, it was good but I didn't have much time for tv shows these pas years. Does it stop at the end of the book or do they show what could be in the sequel?

As I understood the first season is basically the content of the book, but the second season is completely made up, but I also haven't watched it yet. Some people in my IRL book group liked the series better than the book though (at least the first season).

I have the audiobook of The Testaments pre-ordered. I recall Margaret Atwood has said it's not the same as the TV show, it's three new characters, but does shed light on what happened after.

I gave up on the TV show, it was just too hard going emotionally. It was very well done though!

Sophie wrote: "Peter wrote: "Have you read The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking? It's about physics and the universe and concepts like time and space, but it think it's probably similar in that it's written to be ..."

I haven't read A Brief History of Time yet, but I think it would be comparable? At least in the way they are written. I think both books are written as a way to introduce some very complex concepts to people that don't have the academic background the concepts are studied.

I haven't read any Margaret Atwood. I tried reading Oryx and Crake earlier this year and I just did not like the style of writing. I've heard it is a little different from other Atwood books though. I haven't read The Handmaid's Tale or watched the show. I feel like I should have read some of her books by now, because she's so celebrated, but I just haven't been drawn to any of her books...

I honestly didn't really like The Handmaid's Tale but I absolutely love the series. It's definitely hard going emotionally but so worth it. I did put a hold on the next book and there's already over a hundred people ahead of me. I'll probably re-read the Handmaid's. It's very possible it just wasn't the right time the first time I read it.

I did not finish Oryx and Crake but really liked any books by Atwood I read. But the Handmaid's Tale is my favourite ☺️

I liked but didn't love Handmaid's tale, but I still want to read Testaments because of all the buzz around it and I think I will appreciate Handmaid's tale more after I reread it.

Laura wrote: "I honestly didn't really like The Handmaid's Tale but I absolutely love the series. It's definitely hard going emotionally but so worth it. I did put a hold on the next book and there'..."

I absolutely love the series as a well, too bad we have to wait soooo long for the next season!

Also, the HBO series of My Brilliant Friend was suberp!!

Larissa, I’m with you on The Martian. It was ok, I think I rated it three stars but in hindsight it was 2.5 at best. It was funny to start with but then just got repetitive.

From the different reviews I've seen on The Martian, and my own reactions, I think you really have to be interested in the scientific explanations to enjoy it. If you don't care HOW all the different things work then yeah, it could seem repetitive.

Hilde wrote: "Also, the HBO series of My Brilliant Friend was suberp" Ooo good to know about My Brilliant Friend. I also read that this year and enjoyed the book. I'll have to check out the show.

Mods- Are we considering starting a new A to Z post for the 2020. This year I posted zero in the old one...too hard to find books; posts are outdated; how do I know if people who posted there are even alive anymore. A new, updated A-Z folder would encourage people to use it and maybe promote discussion.

Do you mean just deleting/archiving everything there? It would clean things up a fair bit, but honestly it'll end just as bloated within a few months; probably once there's more than a page of threads and people stop checking to see if there is an existing thread for the book they are posting about. It's not hard to check if there's an existing thread though - from the group home page on the right hand side, type the title of the book in the search bar, and then when the results populate, select the option "only topics" and it will only display topics with that title.

I honestly think that the topic posts have sort of overshadowed discussions about books - it's easier for people to go into the topic and say "I read X book for this". The discussions there tend to be more about the prompt than the actual books though. I'd be in favour of doing a "reset" to stimulate discussion about the books rather than the prompts. The semantics debates about the wording and exact intent behind every prompts is getting really tedious and tiresome... I'd much rather talk about the books, so if archiving the A-Z folders and restarting in 2020 is what gets that going again I'm all for it.

I've never posted in the A-Z folders. The biggest problem with them for me is that they're used both before and after we've read a book, which means they have to be spoiler-free, and that severely restricts discussion of the content.

There are other places to post what we're reading for what prompts, and for people to go for inspiration.

So I'd love to go a step further, reset and then make the new A-Z a "beware, here be spoilers" zone.

I guess I’m not totally seeing what that would accomplish. You would still need to search for books on the right since there could still be duplicates. And when you start a thread, you would comment about the book, same as if you add a comment to an existing book now. There’s nothing stopping members from commenting in an existing thread and acting as if they’re the first ones. You can respond to the person before you or just add your personal comments. Then others comment if they wish.

I just finished a 5 star book! Medicine Walk was beautiful and sad without being depressing (to me). If you like fathers and sons, laconic characters, great atmosphere... I recommend!
It would work for the prompts next year about being raised by a non-biological parent, and is by a Canadian author also. Oh, and a rural setting.

Laura wrote: "I guess I’m not totally seeing what that would accomplish. You would still need to search for books on the right since there could still be duplicates. And when you start a thread, you would commen..." I don't want to reply to someone that posted in 2016 and no one else has since then.

Chrissy wrote: "I just finished a 5 star book! Medicine Walk was beautiful and sad without being depressing (to me). If you like fathers and sons, laconic characters, great atmosphere... I recommen..."

That looks great! I've added it to my TBR. I have another of his books on my list for this year - Indian Horse, which I'm really looking forward to. I've heard really great things about a number of his books.

Ann wrote: "I don't want to reply to someone that posted in 2016 and no one else has since then."

Like Laura said, you don't have to "reply" to what someone said from 2016. Just post in the thread about your own thoughts about the book and let any further discussion stem from there. The only thing archiving what is there already really does is delay the need to search if there's an existing thread for a couple of months. I agree with Laura, I don't really see the point, but like I said above, if it provides the perception that book discussions are there, I'm ok with it because I'm tired of talking about the terminology used in the prompts.

Chrissy- I’m glad to hear that Medicine Walk is so good. I have it planned for 2020 for a book by one of your favorite authors from 2018 or 2019. I really enjoyed Indian Horse this year and was hoping to read sometime else by Richard Wagamese. He was a great storyteller. I saw the movie first and highly recommend it, too! It’s one of those stories that sticks with you. Every time I think about it, I feel emotional on different levels.

I just finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. This will easily be one of my favorites this year. I loved the way the author incorporated historical elements (changing times in Detroit from the 1920s-1980s), humor, and Greek culture to tell this unusual coming of age multi-generational story of Calliope/Cal, a hermaphrodite. I don’t know what I expected of this book but it wasn’t this! Very nice surprise.

Pam wrote: "Chrissy- I’m glad to hear that Medicine Walk is so good. I have it planned for 2020 for a book by one of your favorite authors from 2018 or 2019. I really enjoyed Indian Horse this year and was hop..."

Glad to hear Indian Horse, the movie, is good too. I've put off watching the movie until I read the book later this year (I have it on hold at my library).

I've also added Middlesex to my TBR! It looks really interesting!

I loved Middlesex, but it’s been years since I read it.

ETA I should mention that I did the audiobook for Medicine Walk, and it was really good. The narrator did convincing voices that weren’t cartoony for all the characters.

I read Middlesex in the beginning of the year and I also loved it!

Middlesex is fantastic. I read it for one of our challenges (I think it might have been our first in 2015, when we did Popsugar). I’ve since read The Virgin Suicides and loved that as well. He is such a talented writer.

I also don’t really see that anything will be achieved by clearing out the A-Z threads. I think people just aren’t talking books much any more - like Peter mentioned, it’s all about prompt semantics and picking everything apart. Personally, I can’t wait for the 2020 list to be created so we can focus on books again.

I’ve not read Middlesex and probably won’t get around to it this year, but it is on my list of books I definitely want to read next year, so it’s good to see so many people loved it.

I don’t usually participate in book discussions in this group other than posting on my challenge threads or responding to someone else’s that I follow. I do in other groups that are less challenge-oriented. They have threads like “What are you reading in Sept? Or “What have you just read?” What I see is that it’s a core group of members who participate and they have similar, to a certain extent, reading interests. Some of us are active in several groups so you have to pick and choice how to participate in each one otherwise you can spend all day on GR! I like the idea of this thread to talk about a favorite you just read. Great idea!