Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

I am retiring next month so this seems like a good time to try a seasonal challenge.

JUNE

1. Pride Month

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBTQ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.

a. Read a book with at least 5 different colors of the rainbow on the cover.
b. Read a book featuring an LGBTQIA+ protagonist (not side character). Status Update by Annabeth Albert
c. Read a book that was nominated for or won the Lambda Award.

2. June Birthdays: Anne Frank

Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. With the rise of WWII, Anne's family moved to Amsterdam when she was 4, and eventually went into hiding as the Nazis overtook the Netherlands. While in hiding, she wrote a series of diaries documenting her experience, which were eventually published by her father, the only survivor of WWII in the Frank family.

a. Read a book set during WWII.
b. Read a book that was published in sometime between 1900 and 1950. Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson
c. Read The Diary of Anne Frank.

3. Father's Day

In 1972, Woodrow Wilson made Father's Day a national holiday in the United States, and it occurs on the third Sunday of June. While other countries choose to celebrate dads at different times of the year, many countries have adopted the third Sunday in June as their Father's Day as well.

a. Read a book that starts with a letter in FATHERS DAY. Dangerous Places by Susan Hunter
b. Read a book that features someone's relationship with their father.
c. Read a book featured on one of these lists about fathers:
☀️11 Unforgettable Books about Fatherhood
☀️28 Books to Give Dad on Father's Day
☀️Top 10 Books about Fathers

4. Hit the Beach

For the northern hemisphere, the first day of summer is marked by the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Many people use summertime as a chance to get some sunlight on the beach!

a. Read a book with a yellow or blue cover. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
b. Read a book where someone goes to the beach.
c. Read a book found on this list of best beach reads.

JULY

1. Halfway There!

July 1st marks the halfway point of the year. And while it seems like 2020 has lasted 1700 years, we are only halfway to 2021.

a. Read a book with a page number that ends in 2.
b. Read a book that is divided into multiple parts (rather than, or in addition to, chapters).
c. Read a book that features twins. Identical Death by Alexa Padgett

2. July Birthdays: Pablo Neruda

Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (also known by his pen name, and later, his legal name of Pablo Neruda) was born on July 12, 1904 in Chile. At only 13, he published his first work of poetry. He went on to become a diplomat and poet, and he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971, two years before his death.

a. Read a book set in South America.
b. Read a book published between 1904 and 1973. The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton, published in 1922
c. Read a book written in verse (must still meet the 100 page requirement).

3. It's Winter Down South

While those of us in the northern hemisphere are enjoying the warm temperatures and the sunshine, our neighbors in the southern hemisphere are cozying up around the fire and drinking hot cocoa.

a. Read a book set in the southern hemisphere.
b. Read a book where the first letter of each title word can be found in the phrase LET IT SNOW. (Title must be at least two words long.) Let it Snow by Erica Ridley
c. Read a book found on TED's Winter Reading List.

4. Summer Reading

Summer means the best reading months for so many of us. New releases have bright and shiny colors, and the warm weather makes for great picnics and reading in the sun.

a. Read a happy book.
b. Read a book published in June, July, or August. Between Mountain and Sea: Paradisi Chronicles by M. Louisa Locke published in August 2015
c. Read a book from one of the following lists:
☀️ A New Season of Reading
☀️ Authors Offer Summer Reading Recommendations
☀️ Goodreads Employees Share Their Summer Reading Plans

AUGUST

1. Read Good Books

Some of us like to overload our reading with multiple challenges, while others of us are content with just trying to finish ATY. Whatever your stance on challenges is, it's nice when you have a book that you can slot in anywhere.

a. Read a book by a favorite author. Coming in from the Cold by Sarina Bowen
b. Read the next book in a series you've already started.
c. Read a book published in 2020 that you've been looking forward to.

2. Back to School

Many students and teachers are heading back to the classrooms this month. Celebrate that back-to-school feeling with a bit of smart summer reading.

a. Read a book by an author that is new-to-you.
b. Read a YA book. Finding Mia by Rachel K. Burke
c. Read a book often tested on the AP Literature exam, as found on this list.

3. August Birthdays: Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920 in Illinois. Known most prominently for Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury was the author of many science fiction, horror, and fantasy novels and short stories. He is also well known in the film community and has an award named after him for achievement in screenwriting.

a. Read a book in which the initials author's name can be found in RAY BRADBURY. Guilt Trip by Ben Rehder
b. Read a sci-fi or horror book.
c. Read a collection of short stories (must still meet the 100 page requirement).

4. Go for a Drive

With the warm air and a nice breeze, now is the perfect time to roll down your windows and go for a drive... whether it's to the beach, to the mountains, or to your best friend's house.

a. Read a book with a car on the cover.
b. Read a book that starts with a letter in the phrase WINDOWS DOWN, BREEZE BLOWING. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
c. Read a book where a character visits multiple countries.

June 1-7 Summer Reading Tracking

Monday, June 1 - started and finished The Broken Girls, a book with a blue and yellow cover; 336 pages; started Miss Buncle Married, a book published between 1900-1950
Tuesday, June 2 Continued Miss Buncle Married
Wednesday, June 3 Continued Miss Buncle Married
Thursday, June 4 Continued Miss Buncle Married - definitely not a book to rush through - best read with your feet up with a cup of tea to savor the atmosphere.
Friday, June 5 Finished Miss Buncle Married
Saturday, June 6 Started and finished Status Update, a book with an LGBTQIA+ character
Sunday, June 7 Started Dangerous Places, a book that starts with a letter in FATHER'S DAY

Monday, June 8 Finished Dangerous Places - finished June challenges!; Started and finished Identical Death, a book that features twins
Tuesday, June 9 Started The Glimpses of the Moon, a book published between 1904 and 1973
Wednesday, June 10 reading non-challenge book
Thursday, June 11 continued reading Glimpses of the Moon
Friday, June 12 reading non-challenge book
Saturday, June 13 finished Glimpses of the Moon
Sunday, June 14 Started and finished Let it Snow, a book where each word starts with a letter in LET IT SNOW; started Between Mountain and Sea: Paradisi Chronicles, a book published in August 2015

Monday, June 15 Finished Between Mountain and Sea - Finished July challenges!
Tuesday, June 16 Started Coming in from the Cold by Sarah Bowen, a book by a favorite author
Wednesday, June 17 reading non-challenge book
Thursday, June 18 reading non-challenge book
Friday, June 19 Finished Coming in from the Cold
Saturday, June 20 Reading non-challenge book
Sunday, June 21 started & finished Finding Mia by Rachel Burke

Monday, June 22 Started The Blue Castle by
LM Montgomery
Tuesday, June 23 Finished The Blue Castle
Wednesday, June 24 Started and finished Guilt Trip Finished August challenges!
Thursday, June 25
Friday, June 26
Saturday, June 27
Sunday, June 28

Round 2 - going to track this round differently with a new post for each prompt to track.

June 1a. Read a book with at least 5 different colors of the rainbow on the cover



Started Friday, June 26, 2020
Finished Friday, June 26, 2020
Okay cozy mystery

Round 2 June 2b. Read a book set during World War 2

Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII by Chester Nez

Started Friday, June 26, 2020
Finished Saturday, June 27, 2020
Excellent memoir of Navajo code talker and Marine Chester Nez

Round 2 June 3b. Read a book that features someone’s relationship with their father

Little Shoes: The Sensational Depression-Era Murders That Became My Family's Secret by Pamela Everett

Started Saturday, June 27, 2020
Finished Sunday, June 28, 2020
True crime story by the niece of two little girls murdered in 1936. The death of his sisters had a profound effect on the author’s father, which had a major impact on her relationship with him, even though he only mentioned them to her once.

Round 2 June 4b. Read a book where someone goes to a beach

Maid for Love by Marie Force

Started and finished Sunday, June 28, 2020
Cute romance, although the hero was a bit too much of a Mister Fixit without checking with the heroine about whether she wanted him to fix it.

Round 2 July 1a. Read a book with a page number that ends in 2

40-Love by Olivia Dade (312 pages)

Started Sunday, June 28, 2020
Finished Monday, June 29, 2020
Loved this romance between an assistant principal celebrating her 40th birthday at a resort and the 26-year-old tennis pro she meets there.

Round 2 July 2a. Read a book set in South America

Gabriel García Márquez: a Life by Gerald Martin

Started Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Changing horses midstream - this biography is too dense and long for a summer read

All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth Smith

While the author starts her sabbatical trip to Latin America in Guatemala and Mexico, over half of the book takes place in Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Started Thursday, July 2, 2020
Finished Friday, July 3, 2020
Memoir of an English professor’s sabbatical year spent in Latin America discussing Jane Austen books in Spanish with book groups in 6 different countries, where she made friends, contracted and recovered from dengue fever, and fell in love.

Round 2 July 3a. Read a book set in the Southern Hemisphere

The Stationmaster's Cottage by Phillipa Nefri Clark (set in Australia)

Started Friday, June 3, 2020
Finished Saturday, July 4, 2020

Enjoyable romantic mystery, with a woman trying to solve a 50-year-old mystery about lovers who were separated, each believing the other had betrayed them. The woman investigated the mystery is an interesting character, and the small Australian town is delightful.

Round 2 July 4a. Read a happy book

Teach Me by Olivia Dade

Started and finished Saturday, July 4, 2020
A very happy romance between two high school history teachers

Round 2 August 1b. Read the next book in a series you’ve already started

Fool for Love by Marie Force (next book in Gansett Island series)

Started Sunday, July 5, 2020
Finished Monday, July 6, 2020
Same island setting as Maid for Love but better hero

Round 2 August 2a. Read a book by an author that is new-to-you

Thornfruit by Felicia Davin

Started Monday, July 7, 2020
Finished Friday, July 10, 2020
Great world building in this fantasy. Lots of interesting cultures and secrets only partly explored in this first book of the series.

Round 2 August 3c. Read a book of short stories

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins

Started Friday, July 10, 2020
Finished Friday, July 10, 2020
Christmas in July - also New Year’s, Hanukkah, Solstice and Advent.

Round 2 August 4a. Read a book with a car on the cover

Sign Off by Patricia McLinn

Started Friday, July 10, 2020
Finished Saturday, July 11, 2020
Pretty good mystery with a national network reporter demoted to consumer news reporter in a remote Wyoming town