Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Happy 2021! My goal this year is to read books on my physical shelves with the hope of accommodating the prompts below. Considering the amount of reading material involved, I do not think that this will be difficult! 😄

MY 2021 CHALLENGE SELECTIONS

52/52 TASKS COMPLETED

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✔= read

✔ 1. A book related to “In the Beginning...”
The Six of Crows duology begins with:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

✔ 2. A book by an author whose name doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y:

Nicotine by Nell Zink

✔ 3. A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music:
The cover of this book features butterflies "that fly with the moon on their wings" as well as a lady in a white dress.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

✔ 4. A book with a monochromatic cover:
This book's cover follows a monochromatic color scheme in that it is black, white, and saturated with a single color—green.

Lanny by Max Porter

✔ 5. A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read:

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

✔ 6. A love story:

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

✔ 7. A book that fits a prompt suggestion that didn't make the final list:
A book suggested by the 2020 NPR Book Concierge

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

✔ 8. A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited:
This story takes place in London. I visited Heathrow on my way to other destinations but never actually visited London proper. I hope to do so soon.

Nutshell by Ian McEwan

✔ 9. A book you associate with a specific season or time of year:
This tale is a ghost story, so it is a good Halloween read!

The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman

✔ 10. A book with a female villain or criminal:

The Witches by Roald Dahl

✔ 11. A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum:

7 Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly

✔ 12. A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation:
It was one of ninety-two eligible titles entered in 2019, but it did not progress to the longlist.

Territory of Light by Yūko Tsushima

✔ 13. A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020:

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

✔ 14. A book set in a made-up place:

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

✔ 15. A book that features siblings as the main characters:
I have a feeling that this will be my most creatively fulfilled prompt!

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

✔ 16. A book with a building in the title:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

✔ 17. A book with a Muslim character or author:

The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela

✔ 18. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 1:
This book features women as main characters and is set in the past.

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

✔ 19. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 2
This book features women as main characters and is set in the present century.

Small Days and Nights by Tishani Doshi

✔ 20. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 3:
This book features women as main characters and is set in the future.
*Seven Eves would have been perfect, but I read it before. Wait a minute. I think I found one! *

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

✔ 21. A book whose title and author both contain the letter "u":

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

✔ 22. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads:
This book appeared in the Best Books of May 2021 thread discussion.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

✔ 23. A cross genre novel:
fantasy x historical fiction

A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan

✔ 24. A book about racism or race relations:

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

✔ 25. A book set on an island:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

✔ 26. A short book (<210 pages) by a new-to-you author:

Desert Hiking Tips: Expert Advice on Desert Hiking and Driving by Bruce Grubbs

✔ 27. A book with a character who can be found in a deck of cards:
Queen Victoria

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

✔ 28. A book connected to ice:

The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg

✔ 29. A book that you consider comfort reading:

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by Various

✔ 30. A long book:

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

✔ 31. A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years:

Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell

✔ 32. A book whose cover shows more than 2 people:

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly


✔ 33. A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry:

The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories by Danielle Evans

✔ 34. A book with a travel theme:

Tattooed Map by Barbara Hodgson

✔ 35. A book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer:

The Dry by Jane Harper

✔ 36. A book with six or more words in the title:

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina

✔ 37. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list:

At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien

✔ 38. A book related to a word given by a random word generator:
I decided to use this year's first dictionary.com word-of-the-day. On 1/1/2021 it was carpe diem The title of this book plays upon the term.

Carpet Diem by Justin Lee Anderson

✔ 39. A book involving an immigrant:

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

✔ 40. A book with flowers or greenery on the cover:

Botanical Folk Tales by Lisa Schneidau

✔ 41. A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author:

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

✔ 42. A mystery or thriller:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

✔ 43. A book with elements of magic:

Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke

✔ 44. A book whose title contains a negative:

Stop at Nothing by Michael Ledwidge

✔45. A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
H: Hotel

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

✔ 46. A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards:
This book was a 2020 nominee in the the Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction category.

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

✔ 47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir:

The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings by Sy Montgomery

✔ 48. A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?”

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

✔ 49. A book with an ensemble cast:

Crossings by Alex Landragin

✔ 50. A book published in 2021:

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

✔ 51. A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name:

CONSTABLE ON THE HILL a perfect feel-good read from one of Britain's best-loved authors by Nicholas Rhea

✔ 52. A book related to "the end":
The Six of Crows duology ends with:

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Wow, I own 44 of these selections. I foresee some bare shelves in need of new books if all goes as planned.

I shall try to maintain my focus on this list during 2021 and only stray if I am well ahead of my goal to finish by the end of the year. Being that I filled it with many books of which I have a genuine interest in reading (okay, Infinite Jest might pose a serious problem), then it shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Oh my! I have become somewhat distracted this year and am just reaching the challenge's midpoint.
Thank goodness that many of the books selected for my 26 remaining challenges are relatively short.

I finished the 2021 challenge and cannot wait to look at the complete set of 2022 prompts!

Happy New Year, everyone!