Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Final ATY list - updated 19/12/20

1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
Grounded by Neta Jackson - 4.5★

2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable
At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read - 3★

3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult - 4★

4. A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live
Thirst by L.A. Larkin - 4★

5. The first book in a series that you have not started
Vodka Doesn't Freeze by Leah Giarratano - 3★

6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear - 3★

7. A book set in the southern hemisphere
A Month of Sundays by Liz Byrski - 5★

8. A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The"
The Mothers by Genevieve Gannon - 4★

9. A book that can be read in a day
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor - 4★

10. A book that is between 400-600 pages
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter - 4★

11. A book originally published in a year that is a prime number
The Robber Bride (1993) by Margaret Atwood (1993) - 4★

12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - 4★

13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge
Book related to a hobby or passion - Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman - 3★

14. A book by an author on the Abe List of 100 Essential Female Writers
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood - 4★

15. A book set in a global city
The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster - 4★

16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area
The Model Wife by Tricia Stringer - 4★

17. A book with a neurodiverse character
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer - 5★

18. A book by an author you've only read once before
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer - 5★

19. A fantasy book
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - 3★

20. The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.]

21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1719
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue - 3★

22. A book with the major theme of survival
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand - 4★

23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author
The Nowhere Child by Christian White - 4★

24. A book with an emotion in the title
The Happy Hour Choir by Sally Kilpatrick - 2.5★

25. A book related to the arts
Music And Freedom by Zoë Morrison - 3.5★

26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - 4★

27. A history or historical fiction
Khaki Town by Judy Nunn - 4★

28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author
Swimming Home by Mary-Rose MacColl - 4★

29. An underrated book, a hidden gem or a lesser known book
The Quarantine Station by Michelle Montebello - 4★

30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year

31. A book inspired by a leading news story
An Uncommon Woman by Nicole Alexander - 2.5★

32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - 3.5★

33. A book about a non-traditional family

34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name
Thriller - When She Was Good by Michael Robotham - 4.5★

35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover

36. A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim

37. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #1
Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford - 3.5★

38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2
We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet - 4★

39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick - 3★

40. A book with a place name in the title
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson - 3.5★

41. A mystery
An Author Bites the Dust: An Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Mystery by Arthur W. Upfield - 3★

42. A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World’

43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse
The Last Hours by Minette Walters (plague) - 4★

44. A book related to witches
Tidelands by Philippa Gregory - 3★

45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018
Host by Robin Cook - 3.5★

46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire"
April Fool's Day by Bryce Courtenay (AIDS) - 3.5★

47. A classic book you've always meant to read

48. A book published in 2020
Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer - 4.5★

49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win
An historical fiction novel set during a time period you don't normally read about - The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish - 4★

50. A book with a silhouette on the cover
Messy, Wonderful Us by Catherine Isaac - 2.5★

51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title
The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green - 4★

52. A book related to time
The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly - 4.5★

ATY 2020 Challenge Listopias


Part One

Completed 22/52

Part One

1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
BIO
Grounded by Neta Jackson - 4.5★
Four Fires by Bryce Courtenay
Full House by Maeve Binchy
Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans
Robin by Dave Itzkoff

2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable
At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read - 3★
A Donation of Murder by Felicity Young
The Other Side of the Dale by Gervase Phinn
Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey
The Lost Girls by Wendy James
The Safest Place in London by Maggie Joel
Poppy's Dilemma by Karly Lane
Saving You by Charlotte Nash
Khaki Town by Judy Nunn
Death in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope
Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael
The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates
Coffin Road

3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult - 4★

4. In honor of the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica: A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live (dangerous, inhospitable, etc)
Thirst by L.A. Larkin - 4★
All That Is Solid Melts into Air by Darragh McKeon

5. The first book in a series that you have not started
Still Life by Louise Penny
Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman
The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom
Vodka Doesn't Freeze by Leah Giarratano
Scared to Death by Rachel Amphlett

6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear - 3★

Astray by Emma Donoghue
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Points of Danger by Edward Marston

7. A book set in the southern hemisphere
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman (Bora Bora)
Little Black Lies by Sharon J. Bolton (Falkland Is)
The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell (Argentina)
Euphoria by Lily King (PNG)


8. A book with a two word title where the first word is "The"
The Mothers by Genevieve Gannon - 4★
The Outsider by Stephen King
The Abduction by John Grisham
The Appeal by John Grisham
The Binding by Bridget Collins
The Break by Katherena Vermette
The Lie by C.L. Taylor
The Return by Silvia Kwon

9. To celebrate the Leap Year, a book that can be read in a day
Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry
Calico Joe by John Grisham
What W. H. Auden Can Do for You by Alexander McCall Smith
The Beacon by Susan Hill
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

10. A book that is between 400-600 pages
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter - 4★
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates
The Little Shadows by Marina Endicott
Robin by Dave Itzkoff
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air by Darragh McKeon
We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
The Lie by C.L. Taylor
Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman
Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French
Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans
The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery by Catherine Bailey
The Panic Virus by Seeth Mnookin
Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle

11. A book originally published in a year that is a prime number
The Robber Bride (1993) by Margaret Atwood
The Shell Seekers (1987) by Rosamunde Pilcher
Past the Shallows (2011) by Favel Parrett, The Dead Zone (1979) by Stephen King, The Killings at Badger’s Drift (1987) by Caroline Graham, London (1997) by Edward Rutherfurd
The Lady of the Rivers (2011) by Philippa Gregory
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (1997) by Jon Krakauer
Kim (1901) by Rudyard Kipling
Fallen Into the Pit (1951) by Ellis Peters
April Fool's Day (1993) by Bryce Courtenay
Rose Cottage (1997) by Mary Stewart
Bleachers (2003) by John Grisham

12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - 4★
The House by the River by Lena Manta (translated)(on iPad)
Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French

13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge
Book related to a hobby or passion - Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman
Next book in a series

14. A book by an author on the Abe List (list of 100 women authors)
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

15. A book set in a global city
The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster - 4★
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
The Wife by Alafair Burke

16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area
The Model Wife by Tricia Stringer - 4★
Mistake Creek by Rachel Amphlett
The Road to Winter by Mark Smith
The Secrets at Ocean's Edge by Kali Napier

17. A book with a neurodiverse character
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
Still Alice by Lisa Genova

18. A book by an author you've only read once before
Lea Davey - Silkworm Secrets
Ber Carroll
Tess Evans
Nicole Trope
Christine Wells
J.H. Fletcher
Maggie Joel
Posie Graeme-Evans
Rachel Amphlett
International - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Leah Fleming, Felicia Yap, Jack Higgins, Karin Slaughter, Eowyn Ivey, Sara Donati,

19. A fantasy book
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - 3★
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
The Binding by Bridget Collins
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans

20. The 20th book (eg. on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list)
To the Land of Long Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith

21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1720 (eg his name, astronomy, religion or the year of his birth).
Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco

22. A book with the major theme of survival
The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author
The Nowhere Child by Christian White- 4★

24. A book with an emotion in the title
Scared to Death by Rachel Amphlett
Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford
We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner

25. A book related to the arts (eg. literature, performing arts, visual arts)
Music And Freedom by Zoë Morrison - 3.5★
Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese
The Olive Garden Choir by Leah Fleming
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
Miss Muriel Matters: The Australian Actress Who Became One of London's Most Famous Suffragists by Robert Wainwright

26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Part Two

27. A history or historical fiction
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson
The Safest Place in London by Maggie Joel
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
The Little Shadows by Marina Endicott
Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman
The Great Deception by Joy Chambers
Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey
Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author
The Secret Keeper (or The Keeper of Secrets) by Julie Thomas (NZ)

29. Read an underrated book, a hidden gem, a lesser known
Evergreen Falls by Kimberley Freeman
Little Black Lies by Sharon J. Bolton
The Time in Between by María Dueñas
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
The Ex by Alafair Burke
The Life of P.T. Barnum byP.T. Barnum

30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year
In Pieces by Sally Field (2018)
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott (2017)
Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple (2016)
Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (2014)

31. A book inspired by a leading news story
An Uncommon Woman by Nicole Alexander - 2.5★

32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan (eg. a book set in Japan, a Japanese author, a book about sports, a book with (Olympic) rings on the cover, a book about swimming...)
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - 3.5★
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

33. A book about a non-traditional family (eg. grandparents raising grandkids, LGBTQ+)
That Girl From Nowhere by Dorothy Koomson
The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
A Theory of Relativity by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans

34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name
Thriller
Humour
Realistic fiction
Narrative non-fiction
Adventure novel
Apocalyptic
Historical fiction
Holocaust novels
Religious fiction
Autobiography

35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

36. A book from your TBR, wishlist or similar, that you don't recognize or recall putting there, or that you put there on a whim
A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger
The Last Train by Sue Lawrence
Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd
The Lovers' Guide to Rome by Mark Lamprell
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
The Someday Jar by Allison Morgan
Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey
The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright
The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan
The Story of Us by Susan Wiggs
Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson
The Elephant Keeper's Children by Peter Høeg
West End Girls by Jenny Colgan
The Lost Girls by Wendy James
Terms and Conditions by Robert Glancy
The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson

37. One of two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites
Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford
Truth Like the Sun by Jim Lynch

38. Two of two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites
We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
The Lie by C.L. Taylor

39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce
The Panic Virus: Fear, Myth and the Vaccination Debate by Seth Mnookin

40. A book with a place name in the title (town/city, state/province, country, continent, planet...)
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson
The Safest Place in London by Maggie Joel
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Currawalli Street by Christopher Morgan
The Lovers' Guide to Rome by Mark Lamprell
The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright

41. A mystery
An Author Bites the Dust: An Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Mystery by Arthur W. Upfield - 3★
The Lie by C.L. Taylor
A Ruth Ware - In a Dark, Dark Wood or The Lying Game
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

42. A book that was nominated for one of the 10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse (death, war/conquest, famine, plague/pestilence)
The Last Hours by Minette Walters (plague) - 4★

44. A book related to witches
The Hangmans Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch
The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff
The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner

45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018
Christine Wells*
Nicole Trope*
Kelly Rimmer*
Robin Cook*
Lucy Dawson*
J.H. Fletcher*
Francine Rivers
Kristin Hannah
Tea Cooper
Jojo Moyes
Dervla McTiernan
Fiona Palmer
Sarah Bailey
Ashley Hay
Matt Haig
Michael Robotham
Josephine Moon
Kathleen Tessaro
Di Morrissey
Karen Viggers
Andy Weir
Anna Romer
Elizabeth E. Wein
Matthew Reilly

46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We didn't Start the Fire"
The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict (Einstein)
The Panic Virus: Fear, Myth and the Vaccination Debate by Seth Mnookin (vaccine)
Bleachers by John Grisham (baseball references)
Calico Joe by John Grisham (baseball references)

47. A classic book (fiction or nonfiction) you've always meant to read
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

48. A book published in 2020
Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer - 4.5★
Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win
A book with china or porcelain on the cover - The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright
An historical fiction novel set during a time period you don't normally read about - The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
A book about books
A book with water on the cover
A book that involves a holiday/vacation

50. A book with a silhouette on the cover
Messy, Wonderful Us by Catherine Isaac - 2.5★
Season of Shadow and Light by Jenn J. McLeod
Mistake Creek by Rachel Amphlett
Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title
The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green - 5★
Keep the Home Fires Burning by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Losing Kate by Kylie Kaden
The Binding by Bridget Collins
The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom
The Killings at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham
Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael
Saving You by Charlotte Nash
The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel
The Things We Never Said by Susan Elliot Wright

52. A book related to time
The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly - time travel - 4.5★
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer
The Last Hours by Minette Walters
Today by Felicia Yap (if published in 2020)
The Girl In Times Square by Paullina Simons
Until I Say Goodbye by Susan Spencer-Wendel

Reserved

Reserved

Looks like you have quite a few left to go Kathryn? I finished mine today and have already started planning next years. I've seen quite a few of your comments on the threads for next year choices. Sometimes planning is more fun than the reading! Some difficult topics next year though.

Jane wrote: "Looks like you have quite a few left to go Kathryn? I finished mine today and have already started planning next years. I've seen quite a few of your comments on the threads for next year choices. ..."

Oh Jane, I do have quite a few to go!!! Not quite as bad as it looks here, as I see I've forgotten to update it since the beginning of August!

I think I've got about 7 to go, and one of them will be a Christmas gift, I believe... And I'm certain there are some that I definitely won't get to - like the NY Times list of 100 notable books... The library lockdown threw a bit of a spanner in the works this year, although I was still going pretty well (with a few changes!) until the last few months and I got a bit derailed one way or another!

But, as you say, the planning is just as much fun as the reading, if not more! I'm just checking out your 2021 plan now!