Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2020 Plans
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2020 Completed Challenges
I finished my challenge a few weeks back, and it has been so fun! I have many books for each prompt, so I might do it again. It felt really good to have a definite reading plan!- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
* Misogynation - Laura Bates
* Bad Feminist - Roxane Gay
* The Extraordinaries - T.J. Klune
* Rage Becomes Her - Soraya Chemali
* Cleopatra: A Life - Stacy Schiff
* Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
* The House in the Cerulian Sea - T.J. Klune
- My most creative twist on a prompt
I think that would have to be the prompt about binary opposites. I went with the literal interpretation and read Snow Crash - Neil Stephenson and Taking Flight - Siera Maley.
- The prompt I cheated on
I don't know if it's cheating per-se, but for the southern hemisphere prompt, I read a fantasy book set in the southern hemisphere of this made-up world.
- My favorite prompt
I found Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra on prompt 30. That was a good one!
- My least favorite prompt
The mystery prompt. I'm not a big fan of mysteries.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
Slaughterhouse-Five, without a doubt!
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!
The mystery one, for sure. I tried to be creative and put my own urban fantasy-spin on it, reading Witch Wolf by Winter Pennington, but it was just meh for me.
Mod
Nothing like a lockdown and a free month-long Scribd access to get me to finish what took me a year last year. -5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
To Have and Have Not
A Streetcar Named Desire
Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone
Essays in Love
Will my Cat eat my Eyeballs?
Unwind
Audrey Hepburn
A Girl Returned
Perfect Nanny
Devotion of Suspect X
The Boy who Harnessed the Wind
The Ice Dragon
The Giver
Julie of the Wolves
Importance of Being Earnest
- My most creative twist on a prompt
Mode of transportation - dragon in "The Ice Dragon"
- The prompt I cheated on
The binary opposites. I planned to do "To Have and Have Not" and "The Unreal and the Real" but the latter was too long so I went with "Flygirl" instead
- My favorite prompt
Maximilian Hell - I got to know about him and I read a classic book set in Hungary.
- My least favorite prompt
Geometric pattern - difficult to find a book I liked
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
Geometric pattern - "A Girl Returned" - I learned about customs in rural Italy.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
"The Girl in the Red Coat" - list of suggestions that didn't win. It was so boring.
Mod
Congratulations! It amazes me when people finish their challenges early since I'm not even sure if I'll finish mine at the end of the year.
Congrats Maan and Stine! I was hoping to be done by now but hit a huge reading slump in March. I'm back on track and hoping to join you guys in a week or two :-)
Congratulations! It seems to me I have less time now than before... with working from home, kids at home, cooking, and having to clean a lot... and making face masks. Plus, I read slowly... I am amazed at your progress! Great job! Amy, I had a serious reading slump in March as well but rebounded in April, mainly with audiobooks as those can be done while doing chores.
And I have completed AtY 2020! 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
Becoming
Planet Ripple: Minnow's World Vol. 4
I Already Know I Love You
When All Is Said
A Gentleman in Moscow
They Called Us Enemy
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Graphic Novel: A Modern Retelling of Little Women
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Occult Edition
When You Find My Body: The Disappearance of Geraldine Largay on the Appalachian Trail
The Giver: Graphic Novel
The Gritterman
The One Hundred Nights of Hero
The Pearl
Overall Stats:
5 Star reads- 13 (25%)
4 Star reads- 27 (52%)
3 Star reads- 9 (17%)
2 Star reads- 3 (6%)
Now to figure out what challenge to tackle next!
Congratulations, Amy! On finishing, and having so many 4 and 5 star reads.
Mod
There was an article in NY Times about the head maintenance man who moved in to live alone in a big hotel in Barcelona so that he can run water in pipes periodically, check on all the mechanicals, etc. while the hotel is closed. He uses the industrial kitchen and laundry for his small meals and clothes washing. It made me think of A Gentleman in Moscow!
Robin wrote: "Anna wrote: "Congratulations, Amy! On finishing, and having so many 4 and 5 star reads."There was an article in NY Times about the head maintenance man who is moved in to live alone in a big hote..."
I hadn't heard of that story before but i knew what book you were going to reference immediately!
Congrats to all who have finished!! I'm getting close, but the quaraintine has definitely slowed me down.
Mod
Congrats on finishing early, everyone. I have 15 to go and may do a 2nd ATY.
5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge (10) The Toll- My most creative twist on a prompt
- The prompt I cheated on - None
- My favorite prompt (41) - A Mystery - Without Consent - Kathryn Fox
- My least favorite prompt - (25) A book Related to the Arts
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!) (34) - Thriller - My Sister The Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!) - (25) - How to Paint a Dead Man by Sarah Hall
reply | flag *
Tracy wrote: "5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge (10) The Toll- My most creative twist on a prompt
- The prompt I cheated on - None
- My favorite prompt (41) - A Mystery - Without Consent - Kathryn ..."
Congrats Tracy. I also read My Sister the Serial Killer for Aty this year and really enjoyed it!
Finished !- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
Only 5 I have given all year Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
- My most creative twist on a prompt
Definately finding out The Floating Admiral was a thing, and it certainly had MORE than two authors lol
- The prompt I cheated on
- My favorite prompt
A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim- it made me actually go back through my TBR and find some things I had legit forgot about
- My least favorite prompt
Any of them to do with author nationality/race/age etc. I usually BARELY notice the author's name so this always requires more research than I want to do
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
A Clockwork Orange, definately always hung out on the 'I should get to that' pile but without a prompt I dont think i ever WOULD have
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
Vita Nostra, a friend recommended it, and it was the right number of pages, and I should really know by now not to trust that particular friend
Juliet wrote: "Finished !- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
Only 5 I have given all year Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
- My most creative twist on a prompt
Definately..."
Congratulations Juliet!
Mod
Bahahaha I totally feel that. I have some friends that recommend books to me and that makes me automatically put them on a Do Not Read list haha!
Congrats on finishing!
I'm finished!- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
The Turn of the Key, You Are Not Alone, The Night Circus, Oona Out of Order, Next Year in Havana
- My most creative twist on a prompt - Twice in a Blue Moon for the Maximilian Hell. They did lay in the grass and look up at the stars....
- The prompt I cheated on - I moved a book that I already read into a prompt that I dnf two books.
- My favorite prompt - A book by an author on the Abe List. I turned this into a side challenage
- My least favorite prompt - #39 - A book by an author whole name you're not quite sure how to pronounce. I dnf two books trying to fill this one.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!) - The Night Circus, I loved loved this book!! This is my favorite book so far this year.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!) - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This was on audio, which I think contributed to my not enjoying it.
With finishing this early, I'm going to revisit any prompt that I also counted in the PopSugar Challenge and read another book.
Happy Reading!!
Mod
I read The Night Circus last year (or two years ago...?) for the challenge as well, and it was my favorite! I also loved Oona Out of Order and Next Year in Havana! I feel like we probably have similar reading tastes haha!
- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge Spoon River Anthology
Lila
Above the East China Sea by Sarah Bird
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
- My most creative twist on a prompt - 52. A book related to time. (The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler - this had multiple timelines)
- The prompt I cheated on - technically I guess it was the The Atlas of Monsters for A Fantasy book because the book was under 100 pages
- My favorite prompt - 16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area
- My least favorite prompt - 12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!) - A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!) - Convenience Store Woman and/or Dad's Maybe Book
Kim wrote: "- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge Spoon River Anthology
Lila
Above the East China Sea by Sarah Bird
The Mercies by Kir..."
Congratulations Kim!
This is my 3rd year completing this challenge -- woo hoo!!!My 5 star reads:
The City We Became by NK Jemisin
The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal
When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald
The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanet Khan
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J Ryan Stradal
Know My Name by Canel Miller
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Old man Who Read Love Stories by Luis Sepulveda
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
11/22/63 by Stephen King
- My most creative twist on a prompt - Geometric pattern on the cover - A FIne Balance
- The prompt I cheated on - None - I am a rule follower
- My favorite prompt - Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites - this was a fun prompt. I used bitter and sweet
- My least favorite prompt - A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win - Too vague. Like a free spot.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!) - 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I have always shied away from King because I thought all his books were horror and they are also VERY long. But I loved this time-travel book.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!) - A Brief History of Time - I love science but this was a total ZZZZZ to me.
- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY ChallengeSmoke Bitten
The Marsh King's Daughter
The Sun Sister
Sweep with Me
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
A Longer Fall
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Spinning Silver
Julia
Uprooted
Imaginary Numbers
Sapphire Flames
The Hiding Girl
- My most creative twist on a prompt- 37. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #1 Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome ancient
38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2book:Confessions of a Shopaholic|9416]- modern
- The prompt I cheated on- I read Twenties Girl for The Twentieth Book
- My favorite prompt- A book set in a time or place you wouldn't want to live
- My least favorite prompt- A Classic Book
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!) Uprooted
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t! The House of the Spirits (I don't really regret any of my books because I take something away from all of them but I didn't really love this one.)
Mod
Finished the challenge earlier this week and already can't wait for next year's challenge!! 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
5 star Fiction:
American Dirt
Starlight
My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises
A Thousand Splendid Suns
The Nightingale
Pachinko
The Paris Library
5 star Young Adult:
Echo
The Giver
The Hate U Give
My most creative twist on a prompt:
Prompt 21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1720: The Henna Artist, by Alka Joshi. One of the contributions Maximilian Hell made to the field of astronomy was to record the transit of the planet Venus. In Roman mythology Venus is a goddess known for love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory; in the Henna Artist, Lakshmi paints henna tattoos on her patrons, for the purposes of bringing those same desires to fruition.
The prompt I cheated on:
None actually
My favorite prompt:
45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018
My least favorite prompt
19. A fantasy book - I'm just not much of a fantasy fan
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!) Little Fires Everywhere
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!) Girl, Woman, Other - i know lots of people are absolutely loving this one, but I wasn't a fan.
Mod
Mod
5 star books - American Gods
Virgil Wander
This is normal for me. I usually give only a few 5-star ratings per year.
High 4-stars - News of the World
The Priory of the Orange Tree
No Stopping Us Now: A History of Older Women in America
Most creative twist on a prompt- I used Virgil Wander for the prompt about survival. It isn’t about a war or plague or living in the wilderness. But in the first scene, the hero drives off a road in the fog and almost dies. Everything else flows from that. Many characters have brushes with death, and the survival of the town is also at stake.
My favorite prompt - A book related to an event from We Didn’t Start the Fire. I liked that this was a creative prompt. I happened to be reading a memoir of a political figure who overlapped the years of the song.
My least favorite prompt - A book about witches. I like fantasy but not paranormal, vampires, zombies or witches. I got around it by reading a book about female empowerment with Witches in the title.
A book I might not have read but I am glad I did - Cannery Row - surprisingly funny and heartwarming.
A book I might not have read and wish I hadn’t - The Murmur of Bees. I read this for the spring challenge as a book set in Mexico. I found it long and drawn out. It didn’t help that I read it at the beginning of lockdown and a whole section was on the 1919 flu epidemic.
Robin, Congrats on finishing! I have Cannery Row on my TBR, from your description I’ll move it up.Happy reading!
I finished the challenge this afternoon, and I'll probably actually try and tackle the Read Harder challenge this year (which I never seem to be able to finish) since I finished up early!If you want to see my full list and all my choices, you can visit my post at Emma's TBR 2020 Plan
5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
Swimmer Among the Stars: Stories by Kanishk Tharoor - a delightful book of stories about intercultural interactions!
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai - a tearjerker of a novel about the AIDS epidemic in Chicago
Emma by Jane Austen - this was never my favorite of Austen's works, but this time around I really appreciated Austen's wit and comedic efforts here
When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams - Terry Tempest Williams is an incredible author, and this memoir-esque collection of essays was very moving
Living and Dying Without A Map by Nancy Ewert - my mom wrote this one about our experience with my dad's illness, and it is a beautiful and heartbreaking look at the many layers of grief - I encourage you to check it out!
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire - McGuire's fairy-tale novellas are absolutely incredible, and this one was even better than most!
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I know Austen is not for everyone, but she is just so so good
This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps - I picked this up for a funny, light memoir, and ended up crying ugly tears while driving. Philipps is a strong woman with a tough past, and this made me fall in love so much more.
How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin - N.K. Jemisin deserves all the credit and writes absolutely amazing books.
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers - Chambers is a new author discovery for me, and her blend of humanity and science fiction hits a perfect sweet spot for me.
Andy Catlett: Early Travels by Wendell Berry - There is something incredibly soothing about diving into Wendell Berry's world, and this book was no exception
The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hessler - This was a fabulously detailed account of Egypt that made me so interested in reading more by Egyptian authors! Hessler does a fantastic job of translating a culture for Western readers and I highly recommend this.
My most creative twist on a prompt
My favorite twist was on the books that featured a pair of opposites. I wanted books that were actually related but also had titles that felt like opposites, so I picked When Women Were Birds and If Women Rose Rooted.
The prompt I cheated on
I didn't really cheat on any of these, although technically, Swimmer Among the Stars: Stories was actually published in 2016, but the edition I read was published in 2017 and contained some new formatting.
I also may have bent the rules a bit for the global city prompt, since I chose London based on Sense and Sensibility, which takes place in London but absolutely contains no one from any other country than the UK, so it is hardly "global".
My favorite prompt
I really enjoyed the 20th book one, but also because it worked perfectly for me and I just picked the 20th book I read this year, which was a fun way to get a freebie!
My least favorite prompt
I hated the witches prompt, and only got lucky because Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko references witchery quite a bit. I also disliked the global city prompt and the four horsemen of the apocalypse prompt.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
Since I usually pick books I already want to read and then try and fit them into prompts, there are not usually too many books I wouldn't have read. However, this probably bumped Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope up my reading list, and this was a really great book to have read! It is both depressing and very necessary, especially in today's enviornment.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
I'm definitely more of a DNF and move on person when I get to books I hate, but I did force myself to finish the fabulously self-indulgent, confusing and frustrating The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, which I absolutely did not like. I actually finished it for another reading challenge and then put it into this one too because it was such a chore I needed double credit to make myself feel better!
Overall, I think the global pandemic definitely made this challenge happen a lot faster than ever before, and it was fun to have something to focus on!
I finished yesterday - it was my first reading challenge and I am already looking forward to next year! My 2020 plans: link- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge (haha one can see I am a fan of Japanese literature)
Another
Welcome to the N.H.K.
Convenience Store Woman
Oryx and Crake
Go
Recursion
My Sister, the Serial Killer
Asleep
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
- My most creative twist on a prompt
A book related to the arts - I read Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1, deciding witchcraft is an art :-D
- The prompt I cheated on
47. A classic book you've always meant to read: I really don't like reading classics (blaim my school), so I can't really say there is any classic book I have always meant to read as I generally avoid them. In the end I read The Handmaid's Tale, thinking it was at least classic-ish :-)
- My favorite prompt
A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018, A book related to time, A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019, A book with a neurodiverse character
- My least favorite prompt
A book with the major theme of survival, A book related to Maximilian Hell, A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire", A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
Death by Darjeeling (for discovering the Tea shop mysteries series)
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (for learning that nonfiction can be interesting),
An Unkindness of Ghosts (this book was really different/special),
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (again a very interesting non-fiction)
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland (an important book, but I found it very boring..),
The Other People (didn't like the style or the story)
Mod
NICE job peeps... I was on target to finish way early this year ( I had 20 books done by valentines day!) but then the quarantine hit and I didn't read anything for like 3 months! So strange cause I normally read 1-5 books in a week!! But I am just getting back into reading again So I still have plenty of time to finish but seeing all of you finish the challenge so early is motivating me to get back on it!
Mod
I read a lot less at the beginning of the pandemic, which seems odd but it was hard to concentrate & I spent too much time watching the news. I did get back on track. On the other hand, my husband has read more since March than in the last couple years!
I'm all done. My completed plan is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...I think my favourite prompt was "a book by an author you've only read once before." This was a great reason to either get back to a recently discovered author, or give an author a second chance.
My least favourite prompt was the author name that you're not sure how to pronounce. I read a book by Colm Tóibín for this one.
Mod
I am done. A little early as I promised to slow down this year, but, hey, it just happened. My favorite books were The Breath of a Whale: The Science and Spirit of Pacific Ocean Giants, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness. I don't think I cheated on anything, tho I wanted to skip # 32 about the Olympic Games and # 52 related to time. Had trouble finding a book.
It's fun to read everyone's 5 star reads. Congrats to all who've finished.I finished July 26.
5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
A Great Deliverance - Elizabeth George
The Woman in the Window - A.J. Finn
Pietr the Latvian - Georges Simenon
In the Woods - Tana French
Maurice - E.M. Forster
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
The Secret Life of Violet Grant - Beatriz Williams
Home - Marilynne Robinson
My most creative twist on a prompt
Using The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane for 31. A book inspired by a leading news story. It's about the Salem witch trials. I'd rather read about that than a book related to any news in the past few years.
The prompt I cheated on
I did a re-read of my favorite author, Barbara Pym, for 47. A classic book you've always meant to read. I read A Glass of Blessings as a comfort read.
My favorite prompt
36. A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim. I found myself checking what everyone else was reading since I like to find unusual or different books.
My least favorite prompt
31. A book inspired by a leading news story. It's just the times that made me dislike this one.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
With the Fire on High was so good. Everyone was talking about it and it didn't disappoint.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
I don't think I wish I hadn't read it, but I didn't like Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood as much as I thought I would. It's the book series that the "Miss Fisher Mysteries" are based on.
My ATY challenge thread- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 3/21/2020
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik 5/3/2020
Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine K. Albright 5/12/2020
The Inheritance & Other Stories by Robin Hobb 6/17/2020
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel 6/29/2020I'm more of a 4 or 3 star rater.
- My most creative twist on a prompt-
6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover- Dragons
Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb 1/26/2020- The prompt I cheated on-
16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area-
•
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson 3/1/2020This first book was set on a sparsely populated planet so I figured this one would be too. The main character ended up on a huge spaceship with 1+ population. Though most of the story took place flying around in space with small teams. So I went ahead and counted it.
- My favorite prompt-
A book with a mode of transportation on the cover-
I thought this one was fun and had a lot of books to pick from.
- My least favorite prompt-
20. The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.]
It did not really make sense to me so I just went with the 20th book read for this challenge.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)-
27. A history or historical fiction-
The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)-
Still Life by Louise PennyI'm not a huge mystery person but since I was finishing the challenge in order. I needed a book that fit the prompt "A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author" that was an audio book and currently available from the library. This one fit the ticket otherwise I would not have read it.
I finished!I'm thinking of trying for a second lap, but I haven't decided yet.
5 star books: 11
Network Effect
The Queen's Bargain
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Book Love
Come Tumbling Down
All Systems Red
Goldenhand
Smoke Bitten
Sweep with Me
Chaos Reigning
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Most creative twist:
For # 32 A book related to the 2020 Summer Olympics I read Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World because the whole thing got canceled because of a pandemic.
Did I cheat:
Not really. I used Firefly: The Magnificent Nine for #21. A book related to Maximilian Hell because it was set in space, which feels like a really tenuous connection to me, but it's not really cheating.
Favorite prompt:
52. A book related to time
Least favorite prompt:
#21. A book related to Maximilian Hell
Any books I read because of the challenge:
I mostly read what I wanted, and then looked to see what challenge they accomplished.
I finished the challenge today. 5 star books I read for the ATY challenge.
Cherokee America by Margaret Verble
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell
Normal People by Sally Rooney
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
Most creative twist on a prompt
The 20th book on your TBR ,in a series...
I used the 20th historical fiction I had read for the year. The Great Influenza by John M.Barry
The prompt I cheated on. A book by an Australian,Canadian or New Zealand author. Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews. It's a children's book.
Favorite prompt A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people.
Least favorite prompt A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire".
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge & I'm glad I did. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacquelin Woodson
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge & I wish I hadn't. Tidelands by Philippa Gregory.
I finished last month but have been busy so didn't really get a chance to post before now.5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
-The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk
-The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky by Mackenzi Lee
-Against All Odds: The inside account of the Thai cave rescue and the courageous Australians at the heart of it by Craig Challen and Richard Harris
My most creative twist on a prompt
Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton. I read this for the Maximillian Hell prompt as the main character is an astronomer.
The prompt I cheated on
I don't think I did cheat
My favorite prompt
None. There was no prompt that I had difficulty filling this year.
My least favorite prompt
A book related to the arts. I couldn't find a book I really wanted so I ended up reading The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. It was really long.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I read this for the literary prize prompt. It was great.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
It was for a the prompt " A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019". I read Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert. I loved Dune but hated this book.
5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge- The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
- From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty
- The Story of More by Hope Jahren
- The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
My most creative twist on a prompt
- When I lost access to my public library for a while due to the shut-down, I searched my own shelves for anything related to the Maximilian Hell prompt and found The Locksmith's Daughter by Karen Brooks, which is about a young woman who becomes a spy during the reign of Queen Elizabeth when the Jesuits were attempting to bring Catholicism back to England.
My favorite prompt
- A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, because I'm mildly obsessed with death so this was a good excuse to read more about it (From Here to Eternity by Caitlyn Doughty)
My least favorite prompt
- A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim, because none of those applied to me, so I just made myself read something I had put on my list a long time ago and hadn't read yet (The Brigadier and the Golf Widow by John Cheever)
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
- Most of the books I read were already on my to-read list, but I don't think I would have gotten to The Agony and The Ecstasy by Irving Stone if it hadn't been for the arts prompt and extra time on my hands in spring. Also finally read Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl (southern hemisphere), which has been on my shelf for years, and it was way better than I expected. And for the Olympics prompt I ended up reading Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian by Yusra Mardini which I learned a lot from.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
- was stuck reading a book of legends I wasn't thrilled with (I picked Legend for the genre with a letter in your name) when I couldn't get my original choice from the library, at least it was short. Shakespeare's As You Like It (20th book) was not particularly good, but also short.
Just Finished!! I'm so excited. It's my first year doing a reading challenge and I've been balancing ATY and PopSugar. 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
House of Salt and Sorrows, The Girl in the Tower, The Dry, The Likeness, Girl, Serpent, Thorn, Felix Ever After, Force of Nature, and Ayiti
It was a very good reading year!
My most creative twist on a prompt
“Book with an emotion in the title” Felix Ever After – this is my first year doing any sort of reading challenge, so almost none of my picks were creative. Even next year, I know I’ll never be as creative as many of you. But for this prompt, Felix is Latin for Lucky and Happy. So while not an emotion in my native language, still an emotion in a language.
The prompt I cheated on
“A book related to Max Hell astronomer” – I just really didn’t like this prompt for some reason. That said I know Max Hell was a priest and I wanted to reread a few Jane Austen books, so I used Emma since Mr. Elton (the local parishioner) is a main character in the book. I think because I wasn’t a fan, I didn’t want to do too much research and the easiest thought was sci-fi which isn’t a genre I usually like.
My favorite prompt
“A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse” – Rage and Ruin. As I mentioned above, I wasn’t very creative this year and kind of hopped on this hoping to just find the most obvious for any category. But I feel like this is a prompt that could have really let my creative juices flow.
My least favorite prompt
“A book with a genre/sub-genre that starts with a letter in your name” – I’m not a fan of having topics tied to my name. With L’s and C’s in my name it’s really easy to find books that match and it ended up being a freebie for me. I’d rather someone just pick a genre for me.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
“A book set in the southern hemisphere” and “A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author”. I know this is two prompts, but both introduced me to Jane Harper who is my new favorite author of the year. I LOVE her Aaron Falk series, and I don’t think I would have read them if not for being forced to look for authors under the equator.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
“A book by an author whose real name you can’t pronounce” The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I didn’t know how to pronounce Steig and I found that luckily I will never need to pronounce this name again. I hated this book. I truly do not understand the hype. I’m praying things were lost in translation because the writing was horrendous.
Mod
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Weight of Ink (other topics)The Bear and the Nightingale (other topics)
Anne of Green Gables (other topics)
Normal People (other topics)
Possession (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Seanan McGuire (other topics)Pamela Aidan (other topics)
T. Kingfisher (other topics)
Tamsyn Muir (other topics)
Alexis Hall (other topics)
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If you're interested, feel free to answer these questions and let us know what you loved and didn't love about the challenge!
- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
- My most creative twist on a prompt
- The prompt I cheated on
- My favorite prompt
- My least favorite prompt
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)