Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2023 Plans
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Ana AZ's ATY 2023 Challenge (which I will actually finish)
Other 2023 Goals:✓ 1. Read more physical books (at least 12) see next post -- was able to read more than 12, but I also bought a lot though
2. Continue series that I started and enjoyed (minimum of 5 books total?) - (Dec 13) so far only 4...
- Dune
- Lord of the Rings?
- Wayward Children
- Earthsea
- Inheritance (Eragon)
- Artemis Fowl
- The Giver
- The Watershed Trilogy
- The Young Elites
- Graceling
3. Read 12 non-fiction books (rereads are okay) - 2 of 12
(Dec 13 - only 10 so far✓ 4. Read at least 6 books published in 2022-2023. (Maybe from the Book of the Month subscription service.) - 4 of 6
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (Aug 2022)
The Last Party (Aug 2022)
Book Lovers (May 2022)
Sweep of the Heart (Dec 2022)
- read 12
✓ 5. Read at least 2 Filipino books. 2 of 2!
6. Review every book that I read. Not all have to be long reviews. I just have to leave something so that when I go back to the book a few years later, I'll remember how and why I felt that way about the book I read. - ongoing...
✓ 7. Leave regular updates HERE. Maybe weekly, definitely monthly. Put stats, like genres read, ratings, page numbers, favorites of the month, etc. Goals progress.
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Other stuff:
My 2022 ATY Challenge
Dragons & Jetpacks 2023 Superhero Challenge
Dragons & Jetpacks Catch-Up Challenge
My 2024 ATY Challenge
TBR at the start of the year: 818
TBR at the end of the year: ___
My physical read bookshelf:
My physical unread bookshelf:
Not including books I've read before this year, books I have no plan on rereading this year, nor books that are still boxed up somewhere else in my house.
---Physical books bought/received in 2023:---
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Physical gained vs read ratio for 2023:
9:4
Ana AZ wrote: "My physical bookshelf: [bookcover:The Blind Watchmaker: ..."The Poisonwood Bible is my personal favorite book of all time. It also:
-takes place primarily in Africa
-includes an interracial relationship
-sort of includes a character with a disability (one of the characters seems to fit the description of Autism Spectrum Disorder)
Holly wrote: "Ana AZ wrote: "My physical bookshelf: [bookcover:The Bli..."Thank you! I will put that in my ATY challenge. I tend to pick up books when someone has recently talked about or gushed about. I think I put this on my TBR because it was on a "list of books to read" that I would sometimes google, but only got my hands on a physical copy some years later so it wasn't freshly on top of my TBR anymore.
JANUARYTBR:
1st week - Children of Dune
2nd week - The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
3rd week - The Poisonwood Bible
4th week - some new release
January Week 1
Finished The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—And How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay - 3.5 stars.
It's for prompt 7: A book with ONE of the five "W" question words in the title. As seen in the title.
It's a good psychology book. Probably better to read it when you're in your early to mid twenties. I'm in my early thirties but I'm close with someone in their early twenties so I thought I'd read it on their behalf. This book made me hate the word "twentysomething". It was soooo repetitive.
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Question for anyone checking out this thread: Do you like reading psychology books?
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Done with Sunreach by Brandon Sanderson. It's a novella in the Skyward series. 3.75 stars.
✓ 45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books. He's written (co-written) 54 books so far.
Goal: 2/52
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Wow, done with my third book all in the first week.
Read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna for the prompt ✓3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list: A winner or nominee from the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards - Fantasy nominees
2.75 stars. There were things that I really liked, and things that I didn't like so much. Mika Moon is a witch who was hired as a live-in tutor to three young witches. But witches who live together attract a lot of magic, which can attract unwanted attention.
Goal: 3/52
12 BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY 12 FRIENDS CHALLENGEI'm going to try to fit this into the 52 ATY, but we'll see how it goes.
Done:
January Week 2
Done with the Skyward novella ReDawn by Brandon Sanderson. ✓ 2. A book by an author you read in 2022. 3.5 stars.
Goal: 4/52 books
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Done with The Last Party -- a great detective mystery! It's so addicting. I gave it 4 stars. Put it in prompt ✓ 43. A book that involves a murder.
Goal: 5/52 books
January Week 3I haven't finished a book for five days now, but I am "currently reading" five books. Ugh.
Sometimes if I have too many "currently reading" books and none are really grabbing me, I DNF everything and start fresh. I hope I don't have to do that (yet).
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Finished Tagos! I started it in November 3, 2022. It took me more than 2 months to finish this little book of essays, but I did it and it checked off a LOT of my other goals like read more physical books, read non-fiction, read Filipino.
It's for prompt ✓ 25. A book with a tropical setting. It's set in the Philippines.
Goal: 6 of 52 books
***JANUARY WRAP-UP***
*I read 10 books this month. None of which were on my January TBR that I made in December. Lol.
Haven't posted these yet:
for the ff prompts and ratings in order:
✓ 29. A book that is light - 5 stars
✓ 5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover - 5 stars
✓ 34. A novella - 3 stars
✓ 6. A book where books are important - 4 stars
*Favorite book of the month: Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson
*ATY Books read: 10/52
DNFs: Here to Stay because I'm not in the right headspace for it and The Count of Monte Cristo because my audio copy is having some glitches
*Book formats:
- ebook 6
- physical 4
- audio 0
*Genres:
- non-fic 2
- sci-fi 4
- fantasy 1
- thriller/mystery 1
- comics 1
- romance 1
February Week 1Let's see if I'll have more luck sticking with my February TBR.
Week 1: The Keeper of Night and Sweep of the Heart
Week 2: Well Met or The Kiss Quotient
Week 3: Educated
Week 4: The Poisonwood Bible
February Week 2
Finished:
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius on audio. 3 stars. TBH I spaced out a lot during Aurelius's journal entries, but I was really interested when the book talked about the stuff that was happening during that time, like with the religious beliefs.
- Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews. Also 3 stars. It was fun, as usual with Ilona Andrews. The Kate Daniels series is still better though.
- The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker. 2.5 stars round down. I wanted so much to like this, but... I just couldn't care for the characters. I do love the Japanese folklore explored here. I hope this writer improves because I think she has potential.
I want to read a 4-5 star book next after all these low-ish rated books. I'm currently reading The Cruel Prince which isn't in the TBR that I made at the start of the month, but it's promising.
February Week 3Valentines Week! I read two romances:
The first two books in the Kiss Quotient loose series by Helen Hoang. These books can also be read as standalones.
- The Kiss Quotient was for prompt 11: A book about a person/character with a disability -- The girl MC has high functioning autism previously known as Asperger's. I rated this 3 stars
- The Bride Test was for prompt 14: A book with a con, deception, or fake -- the girl MC lies about a lot of things to the guy MC. I rated this 2 stars.
Currently reading:
I finished The Cruel Prince for prompt 28. A book that is dark. Cruelty is dark, and also, my hardbound copy is black when the dust jacket is removed. I rated this 4.5 stars. What a relief after all the 2-3 stars from this month! And also, what a relief to see a girl LIE for good reasons instead of all the stupid, shallow, insecure reasons the girls in The Kiss Quotient series had for lying/hiding the truth.
***FEBRUARY WRAP-UP***
I read 6 books this month. Three of which were in my Feb TBR at the start of the month. Yay!
Favorite book of the month: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
ATY Books read so far: 16
DNFs: 0
Book formats:
- ebook - 3
- physical - 2
- audio - 1
Genres:
- non-fic - 2
- fantasy - 3
- romance 2
March Week 1My TBR for the month:
Holly Black's Folk of the Air binge
✓ - The Wicked King
- The Queen of Nothing
- How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
- The Stolen Heir
I find that letting myself get sucked into a series is a great way to finish a lot of books.
In case I still have time, or if I want a break between the series, Educated by Tara Westover, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie are books that I already started a while back and could try to finish this month.
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I finished Target 100: The World's Simplest Weight-Loss Program in 6 Easy Steps by Liz Josefsberg, a non-fiction book about weight loss. I looked this book up after watching the author on Youtube. I'd love to lose a little weight. Hope this works! I rated the book 4 stars.
I used it for prompt ✓ 47. A book related to a geometric shape. This is because she talks about literal targets like in archery, the circle shapes.
Also finished The Wicked King, Book 2 of Holly Black's Folk of the Air series, for prompt ✓ 30. A book related to a chess piece because of "King" of course.
I rated it 4 stars. That ending was so good!
March Week 2
- I finished The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, the final book in the Folk of the Air series. I rated it 4 stars. It was a pretty good ending.
- I used it for prompt ✓ 48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story - they ride on giant toads sometimes.
ATY Goal: 19/52
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- Finished The Lost Sisters by Holly Black, book 1.5 in the series. It was just so-so. It's Taryn's POV of how she and Locke got together. I feel like this could have been shortened and inserted in the main books somehow. 2.5 stars
- I used it for the prompt 20: A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
ATY goal: 20/52
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- Finished Educated. WOW what a memoir. What a book. It deserves all the hype. 5 stars. I put it under prompt 12: A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies - because the cover has tiny silhouettes of birds.
ATY goal: 21/52
My ATY Through the Years2015: 52/52! - Ana's Plan
2016: 24/52 - Ana A's 2016 Plan
2017: 0/52 - took a break
2018: 43/52 - Ana A's 2018 attempt
2019: 19/52 - Ana A's 2019
2020: 52/52! - Ana A's 2020 Plan
2021: 31/52 - Ana's 2021 List List
2022: 37/52 - Ana A's Attempt for 2022
Ohhh I only finished twice out of the 8 years this challenge has been around.
How long have you been with ATY?
March Week 3
- Just finished The Heart Principle for prompt 44: A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal -- the title is slightly diagonal.
- I gave it 4 stars. This is the third book in the Kiss Quotient series by Helen Hoang. I liked this more than the other two because it dealt with deeper problems.
SERIES I FINISHED THIS YEARDoesn't matter when I started it, as long as I finish this year.
1. The Folk of the Air by Holly Black
+
2. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
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Not exactly "finished" but up-to-date because the rest of the series aren't published yet (and I've read more than just the first book):
• Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
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• Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews
+
March Week 4
- Finished How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black for the prompt 10: A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" for Posh Spice because royalty... I gave it 3 stars. It was just okay. It's very different from the main trilogy books.
Next thing for me to read in this world is The Stolen Heir!
ATY goal: 23/52
***MARCH WRAP-UP***I read eight books this month, four of which were in my TBR at the start of the month.
Haven't posted this yet:
- Used it for prompt 52: A book with an unusual or surprising title
- 2.5 stars
- I'm not the target audience for this book. It would be better for people who are feeling extremely overwhelmed with housework, maybe dealing with depression too. But since it's short, I think it's still worth a read.
Favorite book of the month: Educated by Tara Westover
ATY Books read so far: 24
Book formats:
- ebook 6
- physical 2
- audio 0
Genres:
- non-fic 3
- fantasy 4
- romance 1
April Week 1My TBR:
- Finish the books I'm currently reading:
The Scapegoat
The Stolen Heir
The Blade Itself
- Also books I haven't started yet:
Piranesi
The Deep
Before They Are Hanged
Strange the Dreamer
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Last Argument of Kings
The Poisonwood Bible
April Week 3(I didn't finish anything for Weeks 1 and 2)
- Just finished reading the audio version of Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Prompt number 26. A book related to pride -- Most of the band members had so much pride/ego
- Rating: 5 stars!!! Wow. What an amazing book. I feel like I haven't read anything quite like this book. The story felt so real. The characters--so real. It's my first TJR book and wow, I understand the hype. Can't wait to read Evelyn Hugo.
April Week 4
- Finished The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier
- The first 3/4s of the book was 3 stars, then there were some exciting stuff, like reveals and twists that bumped it up 4 stars, but the actual ending was 3 stars for me. So... 3.45 stars.
- Used it for prompt 17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 3. Set in 1900s. Honestly couldn't think where else to put this.
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- Finished The Deep. It was short, but I wish it was shorter.
- 2.5 stars.
- Used it for prompt 37. A book with the theme of returning home.
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- Finished After I Do by TJR. She is my new favorite author. She just finds a way to write such realistic characters!
- 4.5 stars
-
***APRIL WRAP-UP***
I read four books this month, three of which were in my TBR at the start of the month.
Favorite book of the month: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
ATY Books read so far: 28
Book formats:
- ebook 1
- physical 2
- audio 1
Genres:
- classic 1
- fantasy 1
- romance 1
- historical fic 1
May Week 1My TBR:
- Finish the books I'm currently reading:
The Blade Itself
- Also books I haven't started yet:
Piranesi
Age of Vice
Before They Are Hanged
Strange the Dreamer
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Last Argument of Kings
The Poisonwood Bible
The Beauty and the Beast
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- Finished the Stolen Heir by Holly Black for prompt 51. A book published in 2023.
- 3 stars... I was underwhelmed compared to how I felt while reading The Cruel Prince. BUT I'm still gonna read Book 2 because of the twist at the end.
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- Finished ABC3D, a fun little interactive "picture" pop-up book. Gave it 5 stars, but it doesn't fit any prompts.
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- Finished Hello Beautiful. WOW. I will give this a million stars. It's amazing. Heartbreaking, but beautiful.
- I love family sagas, and this has reminded me of that.
- Used it for prompt 50, A second book that fits your favorite prompt - published in 2023
May Week 2Still currently reading The Blade Itself.
Also currently reading Dracula through the Dracula Daily emails subscription. Dracula has been on my TBR for so long, and I kinda gave up on getting around to reading it until I heard about the email subscription. It makes it less intimidating.
May Week 3
- Finished The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
- For prompt 8. An author's debut book
- 3 stars. It's actually really good, but it was so slow... I will still read the rest of the series though because I hear good things about it.
May Week 4
- Finished Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
- For prompt 9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W -- World Fantasy Award nominee for best novel in 2021
- 4 stars! But very close to 5 stars... Maybe 4.45 stars. It's a short book but I can't help but think about it a lot even after reading it. And it made me want to read more like it.
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- Finished Ninth House. Loved it! 5 stars!
- For prompt ✓ 42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
***MAY WRAP-UP***
I read six books this month, four of which were in the TBR I made at the start of the month.
My favorite book of the month is Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, honorable mention is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
ATY books read so far: 33/52
Book formats:
ebook - 3
print - 3
audio - 0
Genres:
fantasy - 4
contemporary - 1
other - 1
June Week 1My TBR - 10 for optimism
✓ 1. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
✓ 2. Hell Bent
3. Strange the Dreamer
4. Before They Are Hanged
5. The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
6. Maybe in Another Life
7. Elantris
8. Broken Islands
9. The Secret History
10. Frenchman's Creek
And there's Dracula through Dracula Daily which will end on November 7.
How About a Mid-Year Check-In Tag because why notEncountered this tag from booktube, by a lil bit mads.
Questions:
1. Best book you’ve read so far
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. This was my best book of May. It's a heartbreaking family saga.
2. Best sequel you've read so far
Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson. It's the 3rd book in the Skyward series and the world-building is so good here.
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. I just finished Ninth House and it's soooo good! Can't wait to read book 2.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
Defiant by Brandon Sanderson to be released on November. It's the final book in the series!
5. Biggest disappointment
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker. This was just... okay. It had potential, but that's it. It was my biggest disappointment because this was the first BOTM copy that I was able to get my hands on, and I really wanted to love it. I don't live in the US, so it's hard to find BOTMs here.
6. Biggest surprise
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I read this via audiobook and was just so into it! I couldn't wait to go on a long drive since I usually only listen to audiobooks while driving. The characters just felt so real here.
7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)
Taylor Jenkins Reid. I read After I Do after finishing Daisy Jones, and still loved it. She writes about regular people that makes it feel so real. Plus of course I read/hear so many good things about her other books that I haven't read yet.
8. Newest fictional crush
Bayaz from The Blade Itself. He's a powerful magician, but he looks like a butcher and is unintentionally funny.
9. Newest favourite character
Jude from The Cruel Prince by by Holly Black. She's smart, resilient, does what she can to survive, even morally questionable things.
10. Book that made you cry
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano 3
11. Book that made you happy
I'll say Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, not because it's a happy story, but because it's my latest 5 star read, and that makes me happy.
June Week 2
- Finished Slammed by Colleen Hooverfor prompt 19. A book related to the arts because of the slam poetry
- 3 stars
- This was not in the TBR at the start of the month, but I needed a palate cleanser between finishing fantasy books. This is a quick contemporary YA romance
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- Finished The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty.
- Used for prompt 16. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 2. It's set in the 1100's.
- 3.5 stars. It was really fun, but so far I like the Daevabad books better. We'll see in the next books of this series if I'll change my mind. I thought this was a little too fast-paced and action-packed for my taste. It was funny though.
June Week 3
- Finished Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. It's Book 2 in the Alex Stern series (Ninth House)
- It's for prompt 49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
- 4.5 out of 5 stars. (Ninth House got 5 stars from me.) I still really liked it, but it was a lot more the usual fantasy and a little less dark academia. I wanted the dark academia aspect of it.
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- Finished Verity by Colleen Hoover
- for prompt 31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com. I input TJR. CoHo is one of those that were mapped.
- 2 stars. It's just terrible. It's a wannabe Rebecca but fails so badly. A random pedestrian got his head crushed so the two main characters could meet??? WTF.
*****
Something I want to do in starting now and moving forward is to focus on sequels, like read one sequel a month. It has to be a sequel, not the first book in a new series. And ideally it should be a different series from the month immediately before it.
This month's sequel will be Before They are Hanged from The First Law trilogy. July I think will be Beneath the Sugar Sky from the Wayward Children series.
June Week 4
- Finished The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- For prompt 33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923. Sylvia is the 98th most popular girl name.
- also reading this for a book club with The Book Leo
- 3.5 stars. This is a reread. I gave it 4 stars the first time I read this, bumped it down 0.5 stars because the stream of consciousness style was bugging me a little more this time around
- I listened mostly on audiobook and read the ebook when I wasn’t driving. I think I read only 3 chapters on ebook, the other 17 on audiobook. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a great fit as the narrator of this book.
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- Finished Maybe in Another Life by TJR
- for prompt 13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover - frames pictures of palm trees was repeated
- Gave it 3.5 stars, round down to 3 stars. I love TJR's writing, but there were a few moments when it was a little repetitive, plus I didn't like the outcome in one timeline.
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- Finished TJR's short story Evidence of the Affair
- Not sure if I can put it in a prompt. Just put it as a side-read for now
- 4 stars! It's really good! Didn't give it 5 stars though because... I kinda felt like one person was a little too good to be true.
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(I am on a roll this week!)
- Finished I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- For prompt 41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
- 5 stars!!! So good!!! The writing is amazing. Not perfect, but very much close to perfection. Plus Jennette is so brave and badass to reveal what has happened to her.
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(Still rolling)
- Finished Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire. It's the third book in the Wayward Children series, a series that can also be read as standalones
- For prompt 46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe - sugar
- Gave it 3 stars. It's alright. I liked it better than the first book, but not as good as the second book. I will still continue with the series though.
***JUNE WRAP-UP***
*I read nine books this month, three of which were in the TBR I made at the start of the month.
*My favorite book of the month is I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
*ATY books read so far: 41/52
*Sequel read: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire, the 3rd book in the Wayward Children series
*Book formats:
ebook - 4
print - 4
audio - 1
*Genres:
fantasy - 3
contemporary - 1
non-fic – 1
thriller – 1
romance – 2
classic - 1
July Week 1Currently reading:
1. Strange the Dreamer - because I heard a lot of good things, but not sure if I can put it in a prompt
2. (
3. Dracula - through the email subscription
TBR:
1. Before They Are Hanged - for this month's sequel read (August's sequel will be The Tombs of Atuan)
2. The Left Hand of Darkness - for a book club read with The Book Leo
3. Broken Islands - for prompt 22
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Jul 4 - DNF Crying in H Mart. It's... not for me. Or maybe after reading I'm Glad My Mom Died, I have a higher standard for memoirs now.
Jul 6 - Finished Yellowface by RF Kuang. It's my first book by her but it certainly won't be my last!
- Gave it 4 stars. It was really good, smart and entertaining. It was a quick read too.
- Used it for prompt 21, A book by an Asian diaspora author. It fits the prompt really well too because the concept of Asian diaspora authors was explored in it.
July Week 2
- Finished The Outsiders by SE Hinton!
- 4 stars
- Just a side read since I wasn't able to fit this into any vacant prompt.
- I added this book in 2014! Wow. Finally read it because I had a four hour drive and listened to this on audio. Glad to finally read it. It's referenced so many times in other media.
July Week 3
- Finished The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Used for prompt 18. A book related to science, since it's a sci-fi
- 2 stars. I know it's a masterpiece and won many awards, and it does have profound things to say, but it was just so boring. My enjoyment rating is 1.5, while I think the quality of the work is maybe 2.75. Classic sci-fi is just not for me.
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- Finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
- 5 stars! 6 stars if I could! This might dethrone Hello Beautiful for my favorite book of the year... It's definitely my favorite of the month.
- For prompt 36. A book that has been translated from another language -- this was originally in Swedish
=====ATY 2024=====I probably have too much time on my hands, but I want to start panning while the list is being built.
A book published in 2024
- Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire
- The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black
- The Fury by Alex Michaelides
A book connected to something you read in 2023
- The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
- Happy Place by Emily Henry
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs"
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
- To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
- Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And other Questions about Dead Bodies by Caitlin Doughty
A book related to night
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
- The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
A book set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
A book with a number in the title
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
- The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
- The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- Jade City by Fonda Lee
A book related to the name of one of Snow White's seven dwarfs
- Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Todd Gilbert
- Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
- Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
A book with a single word title
- Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
A book with a title containing 6+ words
- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
- And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
A book that is not a novel
- Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
- Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
- Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
A book related to land
- Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
- The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
- The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
A book related to sea
- The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
- A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
A book related to air
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
- The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
2 Weeks: Two books with similar covers
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-
-
A book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
- Oz, Complete Collection, Volume 1: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz / The Marvelous Land of Oz / Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Originals: How Non-conformists Change the World by Adam M. Grant
- All Systems Red by Martha Wells
A book with a secondary color on the cover (orange, green or purple)
- When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
A book with a chilling atmosphere
- Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
- The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
- Pet Sematary by Stephen King
A book with a main character who is Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color
- Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
- The Housekeeper & the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
- Maame by Jessica George
A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX)
- Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- I Love You More by Jennifer Murphy
- Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
A book with a touch of magic
- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
A history or historical fiction book
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
A book that is part of a series
- Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
- The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
A science or science fiction book
- All Systems Red by Martha Wells
- A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
A book connected in some way to any of the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
- The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads
- The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao
- Sanity, Insanity and Common Sense by Rick Suarez
- SSKAIT COMICS 2: Dad, Daddy, Baby by AJ Bacar
A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea
- The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
A book that has been on your TBR for over a year
- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
- The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
A book with a botanical cover
- Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
- When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
A book with a senior citizen character
- The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
- The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
- Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
A book involving a crime other than a murder
- The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (heist?)
- The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
- My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell?
A book related to Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads, or Jimmy Buffett
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
- Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
- A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
A book by an author known by their initials
- If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
- Family of Liars by E. Lockhart
- Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
A book by an author from an African country
- Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
- The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
A book by an Edgar Award-winning author
- Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
- Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
A second book that fits your favorite prompt
-
-
-
A book related to “Going for the Gold”
- The Goldfinch
- Red Rising
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January
A cozy mystery
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles
- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
- Anxious People
A book with a sound-related word in the title
- The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary
- Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer
- A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories by Ray Bradbury
A book with a 2 word title in the format: The ______
- The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
- The Wager by David Grann
- The Alienist by Caleb Carr
A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 or 2024
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
A book with wings on the cover
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown
A book with an X connection
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A book featuring a character in education
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Babel by R.F. Kuang
- If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
A book involving a wild animal or endangered species, in the content, title, or on the cover
- Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
- The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
- The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
A book involving travel
- Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
- The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
July Week 4
- Finished Before They Are Hanged
by Joe Abercrombie
- 4 stars!
- It's for prompt 24, A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
- This is also my series read this month. This is the second book in the First Law trilogy.
---
- Managed to finish Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson with just a few hours left for July.
- 4.25 stars! It was a lot of fun
- It's for prompt 23, A book with a body of water in the title
- Tress lives on a planet with dangerous "seas". They're not actually made of water but of something else. When the love of her life is in danger, she braves the seas to rescue him.
***JULY WRAP-UP***
(img from enlightenedspaceman on deviantart)
*I read six books this month, three of which were in the TBR I made at the start of the month.
*My favorite book of the month is A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
*ATY books read so far: 46/52
*Sequel read: Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie. 2nd book in the First Law trilogy
*Book formats:
ebook - 2
print - 3
audio - 1
*Genres:
fantasy - 2
contemporary - 2
sci-fi – 1
classic - 1
August Week 1Currently reading, hoping to finish:
1.
✓ 2. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
TBR:
✓ 3.
4. Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
✓ 6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
✓ 7.
8. Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
9. Broken Islands by Criselda Yabes
10. Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marías
--
DNF-ing Dracula by Bram Stoker. I was reading it through the Dracula Daily email subscription, but I was just not really into it. It was starting to feel like a dreaded chore to read.
--
- Finished Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
- 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5
- It's so beautifully written
August Week 2
- Finished COVID-128 by Marissa Meyer
- 3 stars
- Side read, doesn't fit any available ATY prompt
- It was a cute slice of life short story on the characters of The Lunar Chronicles during their version of COVID.
- Finished Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
- 3 stars. There were parts that I really liked and parts that just didn't work for me
- Side read, doesn't fit any available ATY prompt
- This is Acevedo's adult debut. She's know for her YA works and this is her first adult book. It's definitely adult because of the sexual content and other themes involved. I'd say Acevedo was able to successfully make an adult book, unlike a lot of YA authors who make "adult" books but are just YA books with more sex. Anyway, this is about the Marte family and how the sisters and daughters have magical powers. They deal with death and heartache.
Finished my goal to read 52 books this year! But still haven't finished my ATY challenge.
August Week 3- DNF'd Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong. Can't believe I wasted so much time reading this low quality book.
- Finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- 5 stars!!! It's so worth the hype!
- For the prompt 40. A book with a full name in the title
- This book is about a famous actress, but more than that, it's about a woman who did what she had to do in order to get what she wanted, and told in such a masterful way. TJR just has a way of making her characters feel so real.
August Week 4
- Finished Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
- Side read for ATY but this is my sequel read for the month.
- 5 stars!!! It's not perfect, but it's still beautiful!
- It's book 2 of the Strange the Dreamer series. New characters are introduced, forgiveness and vengeance are explored.
- Finished Outlawed by Anna North
- 4 out of 5 stars
- Used it for the Western prompt
- It was unexpectedly good. It's a Western set in an alternate universe where barren women are seen as witches.
***AUGUST WRAP-UP***
*I read six books this month, though one was a very short story.
*My favorite book of August is Muse of Nightmares (or the whole Strange the Dreamer duology by Laini Taylor). A very close second place is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
*ATY books read so far: 48/52
*Sequel read: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor. Book 2 of the Strange the Dreamer duology.
*Book formats:
ebook - 4
print - 2
*Genres:
fantasy - 3
magic realism - 1
historical fiction - 2
September Week 1Currently reading, hope to finish:
✓ 1. The Song of Achilles - for another GR group
✓ 2. The Five Love Languages of Children - nonfic read
3. Ink Blood Sister Scribe - 2023 release
✓ 4. Dark Matter - felt like starting a thriller
TBR:
5. The Heart's Invisible Furies - ATY
6. Frenchman's Creek - ATY
✓ 7. Nettle & Bone - for The Hidden Library
8. Last Argument of Kings - just because
✓ 9. Going Solo - sequel read
10. Broken Islands - ATY
--
- Finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it but think it's overhyped.
- Multiverse, sci-fi, thriller
- Finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
- 3 stars. It's fine, but I think it's another overhyped thing.
- Iliad retelling, LGBTQ rep, others say it's super sad but I was just okay with this.
BOTM ReadsI don't live in the US so I can't actually get BOTMs, but I'd really like to read new releases. So I'm gonna try to read at least one BOTM selection per month.
(The months below are for when the BOTMs came out, not for when I'm gonna read them.)
✓ - December - Kiss Her Once for Me - 4 stars
✓ - January - Hell Bent - 5 stars
✓ - February - River Sing Me Home
✓ - March - The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi - 3.5 stars
✓ - April - The Only Survivors
- May - The Collected Regrets of Clover
✓ - June - Ink Blood Sister Scribe - 4.5 stars
X - July - Immortal Longings (DNF'd) - 1 star
✓ - August - Family Lore - 3 stars
? - September - The River We Remember - soft DNF
- October - The Leftover Woman
- November - The Helsinki Affair
- December - The Storm We Made
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Daisy Jones & The Six (other topics)Strange the Dreamer (other topics)
Hello Beautiful (other topics)
Immortal Longings (other topics)
Muse of Nightmares (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Taylor Jenkins Reid (other topics)Fredrik Backman (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
Taylor Jenkins Reid (other topics)
--- completed on November 12, 2023!!! 🥳🥳🥳
[✓ with date means finished]
✓ 1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
[Feb 6] Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews - Texas
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Alaska
✓ 2. A book by an author you read in 2022
[Jan 8] ReDawn by Brandon Sanderson
✓3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list: A winner or nominee from the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards - Fantasy nominees
[Jan 6] The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
✓ 4. A book with an interracial relationship
[Feb 10] The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
--
✓ 5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
[Jan 23] Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith
✓ 6. A book where books are important
[Jan 30] Book Lovers by Emily Henry
✓ 7. A book with ONE of the five "W" question words in the title
[Jan 2] The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—And How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
✓ 8. An author's debut book
[May 17] The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
✓ 9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W
[May 22] Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang
--
✓ 10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities"
[Mar 24] How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black - Posh Spice
Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab - Scary Spice
✓ 11. A book about a person/character with a disability
[Feb 17] The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
✓ 12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
[Mar 13] Educated by Tara Westover
The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
✓ 13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
[Jun 24] Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain
--
✓ 14. A book with a con, deception, or fake
[Feb 19] The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
✓ 15. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 1 - 179 AD:
[Feb 3] Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
431 BC Medea by Euripedes
✓ 16. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 2
[Jun 11] The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - 1100s
The Beauty and the Beast by
Gabrielle Barbot de Villeneuve - 1700s
✓ 17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 3
[Apr 23] The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier - 1900s
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - 1900s
Fairy Tale by Stephen King - 2013
--
✓ 18. A book related to science
[Jul 18] The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design by Richard Dawkins
✓ 19. A book related to the arts
[Jun 8] Slammed by Colleen Hoover
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
✓ 20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
[Mar 10] The Lost Sisters by Holly Black
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
✓ 21. A book by an Asian diaspora author
[Jul 6] Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner -- dnf
✓ 22. A book with a faceless person on the cover
[Sep 14] Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Broken Islands by Criselda Yabes
--
✓ 23. A book with a body of water in the title
[Jul 31] Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Frenchman's Creek by Daphne DuMaurier
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
✓ 24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
[Jul 31] Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
✓ 25. A book with a tropical setting
[Jan 18] Tagos: Mga Sulat na Hindi Tungkol sa Menstrual Cycle by Edilbert Estanislao - Philippines
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
✓ 26. A book related to pride
[Apr 18] Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Read
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
--
✓ 27. A book by an author from continental Europe
[Nov 12] Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marías
The Stranger by Albert Camus
✓ 28. A book that is dark
[Feb 21] The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
✓ 29. A book that is light
[Jan 19] SSKAIT COMICS 1: Man v.s. IPIS by AJ Bacar
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
✓ 30. A book related to a chess piece
[Mar 6] The Wicked King by Holly Black
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
✓ 31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com.
[June 20] Verity by Colleen Hoover - for Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - for Stephen King
--
✓ 32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature
[Nov 8] Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
✓ 33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
[Jun 23] The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
✓ 34. A novella
[Jan 24] Evershore by Brandon Sanderson
All Systems Red by Martha Wells, or
✓ 35. A book with a school subject in the title
[Sep 18] The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman
Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
✓ 36. A book that has been translated from another language
[Jul 22] A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
✓ 37. A book with the theme of returning home
[Apr 26] The Deep by Rivers Solomon
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
✓ 38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover
[Apr 30]After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Becoming Leidah by Michelle Grierson
✓ 39. A western
[Aug 28] Outlawed by Anna North
The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage
--
✓ 40. A book with a full name in the title
[Aug 19] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
✓ 41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
[Jun 27] I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
✓ 42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
[May 31] Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
✓ 43. A book that involves a murder
[Jan 11] The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
✓ 44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal
[Mar 18] The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott
--
✓ 45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books
[Jan 3] Sunreach by Brandon Sanderson
It by Stephen King
✓ 46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe
[Jun 29] Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
✓ 47. A book related to a geometric shape
[Mar 4] Target 100: The World's Simplest Weight-Loss Program in 6 Easy Steps by Liz Josefsberg
The First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
✓ 48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story
[Mar 8] The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
Malice by John Gwynne
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
--
✓ 49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
[Jun 18] Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
✓ 50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt - published in 2023
[May 5] Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
✓ 51. A book published in 2023
[May 1] The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
✓ 52. A book with an unusual or surprising title
[Mar 31] How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis
-----
SIDE-READ or Currently Unassigned:
[May 3] ABC3D by Marion Bataille
[Jun 24] Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid
[Jul 11] The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
[Aug 23] Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor