Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

A syllable is "a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound", and this week, we are finding authors who have last names that are just one syllable long. If you want an extra challenge (or help narrowing down your field of authors), try to find an author who has both a first and last name with one syllable each!

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Suggestions:
Russel Banks
Libba Bray
Dan Brown
Philip K. Dick
Gillian Flynn
Roxane Gay
John Green
Tayari Jones
Mira T. Lee
Emily X.R. Pan
Kate Quinn
Joanna Russ
Lisa See
Nevil Shute
Zadie Smith
James Smythe
Nic Stone
Amy Tan
Ruth Ware
Karen White
Virginia Woolf

ATY Group Listopia

(And if you're confused about how many syllables are in a word, here's a great website to help you determine that -- thanks Annie!)

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Optional Questions
1. What are you reading for this category?
2. Who is the author?
3. Have you read books by this author before?

I'm planning on Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See and I'm excited, after reading her Island of the Sea Women in 2019...which was so good!

I’ll probably read C.J. Box. I’ve read most of his books, so I’m hoping he comes out with a new release.

Authors I'm considering:

John Boyne
Brené Brown
Pierce Brown
Sandra Brown
Caleb Carr
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Roald Dahl
Stephanie Dray
Fannie Flagg
David Grann
Shannon Hale
Stephen King
Scott Lynch
A.A. Milne
Alan Moore
Kate Moore
Jojo Moyes
Tamora Pierce
Patrick Ness
Veronica Roth
Irving Stone
Donna Tartt
Mark Twain
Jesmyn Ward
Andy Weir
Nicola Yoon
Camron Wright

I really thought Moyes was pronounced in two syllables (Moy-EZ), so I had discounted her from the list. Interesting! (And sorry for ruining it for anyone who wanted to use her for the name pronunciation prompt lol)

My plan is to do a cozy mystery called Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass. I was going to read something by Stephen King or Caleb Carr but I fit them in somewhere else.

From my physical/Kindle TBRs my choices are huge. Some strong contenders are:

Irvine Welsh (The Acid House)
Wendy Webb (Daughters of the Lake)
Dawn French (Dear Fatty)
Laura Bates (Girl Up)
Chris Lynch (Inexcusable)
Celeste Ng (Little Fires Everywhere)
Lindy West (Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman)
Matthew Quick (The Silver Linings Playbook)
Louise Welsh (The Bullet Trick)
A.M. Homes (The End of Alice)
Donna Tartt (The Little Friend)
Ali Smith (The Whole Story and Other Stories)

Emily wrote: "I really thought Moyes was pronounced in two syllables (Moy-EZ), so I had discounted her from the list. Interesting! (And sorry for ruining it for anyone who wanted to use her for the name pronunci..."

Actually, I have no idea how she pronounces it. Could be one, could be two. I'll have to consider that when making my choice and go with an obvious one syllable.

I recently listened to one of her books on audio and I'm pretty sure it was one syllable.

Teri, I went look up an interview with her on YouTube and you were correct... it's just one syllable!

The other night here on the quiz show Pointless Celebritys She was a contestant and they pronounced it as one syllable

Love the name of the show...Pointless Celebrities!

Lizzy wrote: "Love the name of the show...Pointless Celebrities!"

I often don't think they realise the joke's on them with that (because it's the celebrity version of a show which is just called Pointless), which makes it even better! I see the glint in Alexander Armstrong's eyes when he says it!

Sarah wrote: "Lizzy wrote: "Love the name of the show...Pointless Celebrities!"

I often don't think they realise the joke's on them with that (because it's the celebrity version of a show which is just called P..."

That´s too funny :)

Sjón´s books seem made for this, since his whole name is one syllable (I know it´s not his birth name but it´s the name he uses as an author).

Simon R. Green is one of my most recent favorite authors, I'm finishing up his Nightside series right now and then I'll start his other series, Secret Histories, with this prompt and read The Man with the Golden Torc.

I had planned on reading something I own by one of these authors: Nevil Shute, Jonathan Coe, or Virginia Wolff BUT, if I can find The Blue Fox by Sjon, I may read it. Thank you Johanne! I had this book on my list for 2018 but never found it at the library.

I am planning on Are You Watching? by Vincent Ralph

Little Fires Everywhere by Ng Have the book and been dying to read it.

I'll probably pick one of these, unless I choose a book from the library on a whim.

The Woman in the Window - A.J. Finn
Little Fish - Casey Plett
The Diviners - Libba Bray
On Beauty - Zadie Smith
So Long a Letter - Mariama Ba 90p
The Blue Fox - Sjon 115p

I think I’m going with either Severance by Ling Ma or A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum. Both are books I’ve been wanting to read, but neither is an author I’ve read before.

The Modi Effect by Lance Price

I think I will read Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. I have heaps of his books on my tbr list and I have read books by him before with the most recent being The Last Song, which I really enjoyed!

I might go with something by Edgar Allan Poe, possibly The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.

other possibilities:
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
The White Road by Sarah Lotz
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

I'm probably going to read D.M.Mark's The Zealot's Bones, this would also work for week 4 (A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live) or for week 27 (historical fiction). However with A.A. Milne fitting the bill I'm tempted to get out one of my mother's Winnie the Pooh books from the 1930s or The Red House Mystery.

I'm going to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee for this prompt - I can't believe I have gotten this far in life without reading that book...

I plan to read The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd for week 2. I loved her The Secret Life of Bees.

For this I’m reading The Martian

I'm reading Severance by Ling Ma.

I am reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I had to confirm her last name is pronounced as one syllable and it is.

I am enjoying this audible book and will likely read her next. I suppose this could also fit the “first in a series” prompt.

In my TBR those are the authors that fit
Michael Scott
Patrick Ness
Garth Nix
John R. Fultz
Patricia Briggs
Janny Wurtz
V.E. Schwab
John Gwynne
Jeanette Walls
Robin Hobb
Vivian Shaw

I may consider some other authors but this is a good start. For now I think Robin Hobb or V.E. Schwab are on the top of my list

I'm starting The Blue Fox by Sjon.

For this prompt, I read The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes [Moyz]. It is somewhat different than Me Before You, but it also involves memorable characters addressing social issues in a well-executed manner.

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Blue Fox

2. Who is the author?
Sjón. He is from Iceland and I took the suggestion of Johanne (above in message 15) to try one of his books. Thanks for the recommendation, Johanne!

3. Have you read books by this author before?
No, I'd never heard of him.

I liked the book plus it was only 115 pages so I could mix it in with some longer books I'm reading.

Glad you liked it Kathy. I've only read that one by him, but want to read more, I also enjoyed it. I am reading a book by Robin Hobb right now, so who knows what I'll end up with using ;)

1. What are you reading for this category?
Iron Gold
2. Who is the author?
Pierce Brown
3. Have you read books by this author before?
Yes. I adore his Red Rising trilogy. I was trying to wait to read the next trilogy in that saga until all had been published because the cliffhanger at the end of Golden Son (book 2) really almost killed me. But I’ve never been known for my patience, so here we are.

Just borrowed a Berne brown book for this. I haven’t read her but I’ve been meaning to.

Johanne wrote: "Glad you liked it Kathy. I've only read that one by him, but want to read more, I also enjoyed it. I am reading a book by Robin Hobb right now, so who knows what I'll end up with using ;)"

Right, Johanne. There are so many one-syllable last-name authors to choose from.

I’m reading Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne for my second prompt

I read Redemption Road, by John Hart.

I haven’t read his books before, but this was a good introduction to him. I was unprepared for where this book went. It was beautiful and deep.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan...

this series has been sitting on my TBR pile forever!

I'm going to read Dominicana by Angie Cruz. Another book off my shelf :)

I am going to be starting my book for this challenge today.

Optional Questions
1. What are you reading for this category? Ask Again, Yes
2. Who is the author? Mary Beth Keane
3. Have you read books by this author before? I have not. I hadn't actually heard of her until I say this book on one of the lists on GoodReads. Has anyone read it? Has anyone read either of her other two works (Fever, The Walking People), and would you recommend them?

Luckily I can get on to one of the pile of non-fiction books by my bed for this one. I'm going to read The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads by Tim Wu which fits with both names being a single syllable :)

I had so many good options for this category that it was hard to make a choice, but I think I've decided to read The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye. Between the fact that it takes place at a hotel and the cover, it seems to have a New Year's vibe to me. Though a close second wasThe Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo.

I read The Armored Saint by Myke Cole.

I've not read any of his books before, but he's one of my favourite authors on twitter so I thought it was about time I did.

I am reading The Day We Had Hitler Home by Rodney Hall. I met him at last year's Writer's Festival here in Perth, Western Australia (he's in his 80s now), and was amazed that hardly anyone I spoke to had heard of him, despite the fact that he has twice won the Miles Franklin (Australia's best known literary prize). I find him an excellent, quirky writer - every book very different.

1. What are you reading for this category?

I read the book The Christmas Sweater

2. Who is the author?
The book is by the author Glenn Beck

3. Have you read books by this author before?
I hadn't read the author before but the book's been on my TBR list for over 5 years. The book was a good read. A book about how our actions have long-lasting impacts and how ultimately we forge our own destinies.

1. What are you reading for this category?
I am reading The Killing Lessons by Saul Black

2. Who is the author?
Saul Black. I didn't know much about him so I searched him up. Turns out, Saul Black is a pseudonym for a British author called Glen Duncan. I've never heard of the author either way before reading this book previously

3. Have you read books by this author before?
I've read this book before about 4 years ago so I don't really remember it. Other than that, I've not read any of Saul Black/Glen Duncan's other books.

1. What are you reading for this category?

Dark Matter

2. Who is the author?

Blake Crouch

3. Have you read books by this author before?

No, I haven't. I found this book in a thrift shop and had heard good things about it.