Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Use this thread to ask for suggestions on where a book can go. Anyone can comment with answers.

Faith wrote: "I can't find again where it says the page number limit (minimum) for books in this challenge. Who knows what it is? Thanks :)"

The limit is whatever you set for yourself - it's only the read-a-thon and a couple of the side challenges that have set limits. For those, it's 100 pages regular books, 200 for graphic novels/poetry collections etc. (If you want to use those for your challenge)

Thanks Kendra!!

Is a puffin a wild animal? Would Life, Loss, and Puffins count for 40. A book involving a wild animal or endangered species, in the content, title, or on the cover?

Puffins are a wild sea bird, and fit this category perfectly. While not (yet) endangered, they are a threatened species due to human activity.

Thanks Heather. They are not well known in my part of Australia and a google search made me think they were wild but I really wanted confirmation.

I read The Shadow Casket by Chris Wooding and I don't know where it fits except the obvious (A book that is part of a series). I have read too many books that are part of a series... Can anyone help me?

Ira wrote: "I read The Shadow Casket by Chris Wooding and I don't know where it fits except the obvious (A book that is part of a series). I have read too many books that are par..."

1. A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y
9. A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads
48. A second book that fits your favorite prompt

If you've wanted to read it for a while this could work:
12. A book that has been on your TBR for over a year

If a main character fits the characteristics of one of the seven dwarves, this could work:
34. A book related to the name of one of Snow White's seven dwarfs

Hope this helps!

I was gifted Roar: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life but I'm having a hard time fitting it anywhere. Although it's about sports, there's no "athlete character" for the Breakfast club prompt. My only ideas are pairing it with a whisper or murmur book for the "opposite titles" prompt, or else I found "a roar of laughingthrush" as a collective noun on a new zealand bird website. It's a stretch, but I'll probably go with that unless anyone has any other ideas... thanks in advance!

Wendy wrote: "I was gifted Roar: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life but I'm having a hard ..."

It matches the Do Re Mi song: "Do, a deer, a female deer."

Wendy, it would also work for 01. A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y “athlete”

Wendy, the Breakfast Club prompt actually DOES include an athlete (2nd in the list after brain). This was the character portrayed by Emilio Estevez.

Tracy, I think what she meant was that the book doesn't have an athlete character to put in that spot.

Ah, thanks Emily. I totally read that as “no athlete character in The Breakfast Club”. I must have been influenced by the cover of her book which looks like it pictures a female athlete…

Wendy wrote: "I was gifted Roar: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life but I'm having a hard ..."

Wendy, last summer we talked about how to match a nonfiction book to a character prompt. It seems hard when there are no characters per se, but if the subject matter fits, it’s a fair match. It sounds like at least part of the book touches on athleticism (fitness and performance) so I think it would be fair. It might help to imagine that some of the readers will be female athletes.

I’d actually say, the main character that is an athlete in that book is YOU. You don’t have to be a professional athlete or an organized sport to be an athlete.

I’d consider someone that takes part in a general sport (also broad definition) and trains for improvement an athlete.

Unfortunately for me, walking to the fridge likely isn’t a sport.

Wow, thank you all! So many great angles I hadn't considered (and better than what I had come up with). I forgot the ATY letter prompt was for "starts with" too, my brain was still stuck on "ends with" from last year.

And I appreciate those of you who have changed my perspective on the Breakfast Club prompt -- I had indeed assumed that I would need to pick a fiction book that had a character, but I like the idea of "you" as the character...hmm, so many great choices. I'm glad I asked!

(I've decided to train for a triathlon this year - today was day one of training, only 24 weeks to go, haha - and this was a great book to hype me up and get me in the right mindset for it!)

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fit Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe OR The Ten Thousand Doors of January into the Do, Re, Mi prompt? I'm trying to read in order and want to make these books work in January. If I can get one of these to fit nicely in that prompt, I can smoothly shift everything else around on my tbr for the month.

I originally had We Solve Murders in that spot for "Fa," but I'm hoping to move it to prompt 1: a "tail" on the cover.

I have only seen the movie but also looking at the synopsis Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe could work for mi- a name I call myself since one of the characters is telling her life story.

I haven’t read the other book, but perhaps fa-a long long way to run. Based on the title 10 thousand doors seems like a lot of traveling.

Those are fantastic ways to think of them! Thank you! It sounds so obvious when you say it like that, but it never crossed my mind.

I have read The Ten Thousand Doors of January and agree about the use of Fa(r).

Liz wrote: "Does anyone have any ideas on how to fit Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe OR The Ten Thousand Doors of January into the Do, Re, Mi prompt? I'm trying to rea..."

FGT set in the Whistle Stop Cafe so Ti .. a drink with jam & bread.

I wondered about that, but I got so caught up in it needing to be linked directly to tea. Haha. I feel like it helps having “permission” from someone else to use it that way. It helps me get past my need for absolute proof it’s in the story (I’m sure someone in the cafe drinks tea at some point anyway. Haha)

Liz wrote: "Does anyone have any ideas on how to fit Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe"

Works for Week 1. (Has a train on the cover.)
Works for Week 5 (Intriguing title)
Works for Week 11 (Whistle Stop is not a real city)
Works for Week 15 (I won't tell you about the deception, but it is key to the plot and likely the most memorable part of the book.)
Works for Week 19 (cover has the cafe)
Works for Week 20 (tomato)
Works for Week 24 (see: note for week 15 above)
Works for Week 26 (Flag, and Fannie)
I could see it for Week 34
Works for Week 45 (FF's writing starts in 1981)
Works for Week 48

Liz wrote: "Those are fantastic ways to think of them! Thank you! It sounds so obvious when you say it like that, but it never crossed my mind."

I sometimes have the same difficulty with the books I’m trying to find a spot for.

Does anyone know where I could fit Where You End? I picked it up on a whim from the library and I'm not quite sure what prompt(s) would suit it.

Mel wrote: "Does anyone know where I could fit Where You End? I picked it up on a whim from the library and I'm not quite sure what prompt(s) would suit it."

I haven't read it, but, just going off the blurb and the cover, I'd say it goes under:

Week 15 - "a book of secrets, lies, or deception"
Week 21 - "a book connected in some way to any collective noun for animals" (Confusion of Wildebeest (amnesia story) is in the list of animals for that prompt.)
Week 26 - "a book by an author with a common noun in their name" (An "abbot" is "a man who is in charge of an abbey of monks.")
Week 32 - "a mystery or true crime book"
Week 41 - "a book that involves digging up the past"
And possibly week 44 -- "a haunting book" depending on how you define "haunting"

Hope that helps!

Alistair wrote: "Mel wrote: "Does anyone know where I could fit Where You End? I picked it up on a whim from the library and I'm not quite sure what prompt(s) would suit it."

I haven't read it, bu..."
These are all great suggestions! I especially love the "Confusion of Wildebeest" suggestion. I've been struggling on what to pick for week 21, so I think I'll slot this there. Thank you!

I just picked up Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao - do we think this would count as an author who goes by three names? The author is based in Manila and I don't know if Sotta Yambao is actually two words or considered one (Goodreads has it as Sotta Yambao, Samantha so that makes me unsure).

It's possible I'm overthinking this.

My Filipino students, most of whom have "two lasts names" say it counts as three names since they only use one of their last names, they would call themselves "Samantha Yambao" and say if she uses all three it counts as three names

Emily wrote: "I just picked up Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao - do we think this would count as an author who goes by three names? The author is based in Manila and I don't..."

I would count Samantha Sotto Yambao as an author with three names. I personally, counted Marie-Helene Bertino for this task, and I tend to be too literal at times with tasks.

Wikipedia has each name separate in a list of popular Filipino names, so I think you’re fine there.

I’m using Emily St John Mandel. I think of StJohn as one name (and I always remember the Jane Eyre pronunciation as SinJin). I wouldn’t use a book by Carolina De Robertis, because I consider DeRobertis as just one name. I’m not 100% sure if I’m correct in either case, so maybe I should check Wikipedia. What do you think?

Any thoughts on where Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen could fit?

The more I slot in the books I’ve already finished, the harder it is to figure out what fits where!

Liz wrote: "Any thoughts on where Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen could fit?
The more I slot in the books I’ve already finished, the harder it is to figure out what fits where!"

Sounds like an interesting book, not sure if I would find it comforting or scary right now.
Here are my thoughts on what you could use - Good luck

45. A book by an author whose publishing career spans at least ten years

41. A book that involves digging up the past

If you found another book with similar themes, cover, author name ect you could pair it for 38 and 39. Two books with a connection from different genres

Could it be argued it is about monsters? - 30. A monster book

Without reading its hard to know how much or if they focus on any one person but one that is mention in the blurb is a convicted felon so a criminal - 24. A book with a main character who is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal

16. A book that fits a prompt from the 2016 ATY list - non fiction book

Potentially - 15. A book of secrets, lies, or deception
if you are doing the anniversary prompts it would work for - 2017: A book whose title doesn't contain the letter "E"

I just read a great book called Warrior Girl, Unearthed by Angeline Boulley and I’m having trouble figuring out where I can slot it. It’s written by a Native American author and it’s about bringing home Native American artifacts and remains to the tribes and about violence against native women. It’s fiction although it is based on the reality of native peoples. Can you see where it might fit?

Could we somehow reorder this prompt so the most recent are at the top of the page?

I wish, Rose, but I don't think we can! Might go through and delete the posts that do not relate to the 2025 list though.

Rose wrote: "Could we somehow reorder this prompt so the most recent are at the top of the page?"

If you enter the thread by clicking on the red link to unread replies instead of the title of the thread, you’ll skip over everything you’ve already read. HTH

Liz wrote: "Any thoughts on where Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen could fit?

The more I slot in the books I’ve already finished, the harder it is to figure out what fits where!"

LIZ, did you find the book helpful? (It’s already much worse this term than last time.)
I agree Samantha’s ideas, plus…

It also works for
2. a prompt suggestion that didn’t make it on the list, from poll 11 - A book about a politician or election

Depending on the focus of the chapters, these would be my favorites.
2. …Politician
15. Secrets lies, deception
30. A monster book
24. …criminal (the biggest crimes came after she wrote the book)
Anniversary - all five vowels in title + author
2016 - nonfiction
Anniversary - all vowels in title +author name

Use this thread to ask where a book could fit or give suggestions.

I removed all the past year comments, and I seem to have removed the most current ones as well! Feel free to repost if you had a pending question.

Why would you delete posts they could still be helpful? I can see archiving the thread and starting a new one.

Jillian wrote: "Why would you delete posts they could still be helpful? I can see archiving the thread and starting a new one."

I'm sorry, you're right, I could have just started a new one for 2025. In the future we will do that.

The other mods are experts at managing threads and generally take care of archiving, but I happened to start this one so it was up to me to fix it. I should have consulted Emily on the best way to do it! I apologize for this mixup.

Rose wrote: "I just read a great book called Warrior Girl, Unearthed by Angeline Boulley and I’m having trouble figuring out where I can slot it. It’s written by a Native American author and it’s about bringing..."

Rose, I really liked that book.

It definitely fits these:
✴️15. A book of secrets, lies, or deception
✴️41. A book that involves digging up the past
✴️32. A mystery or true crime book

I’ll take a look at the whole list tomorrow to find more.


Maybe
🔅35. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists -maybe - it has npr tags

1. A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A,TY
2. A prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the list
13. A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family - MAYBE
44. A haunting book
52. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover - colors

We didn't want to archive this entire thread, as there were some 2025 list questions on it. The previous year questions are not really relevant anymore, so deleting the comments is fine. In the future, we will start a new thread at the beginning of each year to avoid confusion!

Nancy J, thank you for your suggestions. I think I’m going with Digging up the past. I don’t have anything slotted there yet.

Where does Sweet Bean Paste fit for 2025?

I must have planned it for the challenge and then replaced it because I cannot find it on my list. Any help is appreciated.

translated novel from Asia

or

main character who is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal

Probably more, but those are the two that jumped out for me without even looking at the list.

Sweet Bean Paste seems like it would fit into the following prompts

1. A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y
Trees on the cover

5. A book with a weird or intriguing title

20. A book with an animal, vegetable (plant), or mineral in the title

22. A translated novel from Asia

37. A book featuring adult friendships

Bea wrote: "Where does Sweet Bean Paste fit for 2025?

I must have planned it for the challenge and then replaced it because I cannot find it on my list. Any help is appreciated."

I agree with Kayleigh’s ideas and I would add the prompt related to secrets (or digging up the past). One of the characters has an interesting secret.

This also fits some of the anniversary and 2016 prompts. It’s listed as his debut novel, it’s about food, written in another language, set in another continent. Maybe beautiful cover. I found it both immersive and gentle, which might make it a comfort read for me.

Thank you for all the ideas, Deborah, Kayleigh, and NancyJ. I am surprised that a few of the suggestions didn't leap out at me when I looked over my list: #20. A book with an animal, vegetable (plant), or mineral in the title; #37. A book featuring adult friendships; and #41. A book that involves digging up the past. Now to decide which to use!