Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

So my goal for 2023 is to try and finish up some series that I've started along with reading the books that I already have as well as read as much Stephen King as I can.

THE 2023 LIST


✅1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y - The Last Thing He Told Me
✅2. A book by an author you read in 2022 - Elevation
✅3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list - A book you wanted to read in 2022 - The Guest List
✅4. A book with an interracial relationship - Razorblade Tears
✅5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover - The Upside of Falling
✅6. A book where books are important - Book Lovers
✅7. A book with ONE of the five "W" question words in the title - When No One Is Watching
✅8. An author's debut book - The Kiss Quotient
✅9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W - The Last House on Needless Street (Nominated World Fantasy Award 2022)
✅10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" -Scary Later
✅11. A book about a person/character with a disability - Ask Again, Yes
✅12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies - Bunny
✅13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover - It Starts with Us
✅14. A book with a con, deception, or fake - Wrong Place Wrong Time
✅15. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 1 - The Zookeeper's Wife
✅16. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 2 - November 9
✅17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 3 - Brave New World
✅18. A book related to science - Cell: A Novel
✅19. A book related to the arts - Out of the Corner
✅20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel - The House on Mango Street
✅21. A book by an Asian diaspora author - The Summer I Turned Pretty
✅22. A book with a faceless person on the cover - Not a Happy Family
✅23. A book with a body of water in the title - Fourth of July Creek
✅24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy - Fourth Wing
✅25. A book with a tropical setting - The Island of Dr. Moreau
✅26. A book related to pride - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
✅27. A book by an author from continental Europe - Britt-Marie Was Here
✅28. A book that is dark - Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
✅29. A book that is light - People We Meet on Vacation
✅30. A book related to a chess piece - The Queen's Gambit
✅31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com - Shari Lapena - Lucy Foley - The Paris Apartment
✅32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature - North and South
✅33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923 - Holes
✅34. A novella - 1922
✅35. A book with a school subject in the title - Lab Girl
✅36. A book that has been translated from another language - We
✅37. A book with the theme of returning home - And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
✅38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover - Stargazing
✅39. A western - True Grit
✅40. A book with a full name in the title - Daisy Jones & The Six
✅41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists - Through the Woods
✅42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter - Mother-Daughter Murder Night (wildcard)
✅43. A book that involves a murder - The Thursday Murder Club
✅44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal - The Body
✅45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
✅46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe - Malibu Rising
✅47. A book related to a geometric shape - Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
✅48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story - The Magician's Nephew
✅49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023 - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
✅50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt - An author you read in 2022 - Gwendy's Button Box
✅51. A book published in 2023 - Spare
✅52. A book with an unusual or surprising title - I'm Glad My Mom Died



52/52

Winter Challenge


DECEMBER

1. Winter

Brrrr. Time to break out the hats, scarves and gloves as the coldest time of the year approaches (in the northern hemisphere at least). On the other hand, cold weather is the perfect excuse to curl up under a blanket with your latest book. And, however cold you are, at least you can be glad your home town is warmer then Antarctica, where the lowest temperature on Earth was recorded: an icy −89.2°C (−128.6 °F).

a. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER (you can use or ignore a, an or the)-
✅b. Read a book with snow, snowflakes or a snowman on the cover OR a book with a person wearing winter clothing (scarf, hat, warm coat etc) on the cover - Migrations
c. Read a book that is between 89 and 128 pages long (you can ignore the 100 page requirement for this task)

2. December birthdays: Jane Austen

Jane Austen was born on December 16th.

✅a. Read a book written by a female author - When No One Is Watching
b. Read a novel set in the 19th century
c. Read a romance novel

3. The Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Whether you celebrate Christmas or would prefer to indulge in National Cookie Day, December is packed full of end-of-the-year holidays.

a. Read a book related to a holiday that happens in December. (Some examples: Rosa Parks Day, National Cookie Day, Dewey Decimal System Day, Nobel Prize Day, Kwanzaa, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Hanukkah, etc.)
b. Read a book that has one of the gifts referred to in The Twelve Days of Christmas shown on its cover (ignore the numbers - eg a book with a gold ring works, you don’t need a book with five gold rings!)
✅c. Read a book that features a family gathering - Spare

4. Winter sports: yukigassen

Imagine if someone turned snowball fighting into an official sport with rules, a referee, a court and a snowball making machine. That’s yukigassen! Created in Japan in 1988, there are now competitions all over the world. Teams of seven players battle to capture each other’s flag, while trying to avoid being hit by a snowball and eliminated from the game. Preparation for a match involves making 270 snowballs, no wonder they invented a snowball making machine!

a. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in YUKIGASSEN - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
b. Read a book in a series that is at least 7 books long
✅c. Read a book set in a country where yukigassen is played (Japan, Armenia, Canada, China, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, or Slovakia) - Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel

JANUARY

1. Happy New Year!

Happy 2020! Here’s to a great year of reading. Around the world people will be welcoming the new year while watching fireworks displays, drinking champagne and singing Auld Lang Syne.

✅a. Read a book by an author who is new to you - Night
b. Read a book from a genre that is new to you (you can use a sub-genre, eg urban fantasy, historical romance, etc if you already read books from most genres)
c. Read a book in which all the words in the title have the same number of letters (eg The Bat, Ninth House, The Old Man and the Sea)

2. January birthdays: Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami was born on January 12th.

a. Read a book set in Japan
✅b. Read a book that features a cat in some way - The Last House on Needless Street - cat on cover and a character
c. Read a magical realism novel

3. New Year Resolutions

Millions of people see January 1st as an opportunity to set goals for the year ahead and the practice of making new year resolutions has a long history. In Babylonia new year was a time to promise the repayment of debts and return of borrowed items. And Romans are believed to have made sacrifices and promises to the god Janus, who is depicted as having two faces - one looking to the past and one to the future. Given that history, whether you keep or break your own resolutions this year, you’re probably in good company!

a. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS (the title must be at leat three words long for this option)
✅b. Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc) - Project Hail Mary
c. Read a book that will help you keep one of your New Year resolutions OR if you don’t make resolutions then read a book related to one of the top ten New Years resolutions. Tell us what your resolution is when recording this task as completed

4. Winter sports: bobsleigh

Bobsleighing originated in the Swiss town of St Moritz in the 19th century. Holidaymakers looking for entertainment in the cold winters hit on a plan to adapt delivery sleds into racing sleds and compete in races down the steep roads of the town. While undoubtedly entertaining for holidaymakers, the high speed sled races became immensely unpopular with residents of the town who, not unreasonably, objected to being mown down on their own streets by out of control sleds. In order to restore calm, a local hotel owner constructed an ice half-pipe track outside the town where the sled races could continue, and the sport of bobsleighing was born.

a. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND
✅b. Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot. Tell us what the conflict was (using spoiler tags if necessary) when recording the task as completed - It Starts with Us - Lily and her ex husband
c. Read a book that is fast-paced -

FEBRUARY

1. Valentine’s Day

February 14th is celebrated around the world as Valentine’s Day. It was originally a feast day honouring an early Christian saint and only became associated with love and romance in the 14th century. Fun fact: Cadbury first began producing heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in 1868. Buying overpriced novelty chocolates as a token of love has a long history!

✅a. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page - Heartstopper: Volume Two
b. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY
c. Read a book written in or set in the Medieval period (usually defined as the 5th to 15th centuries)

2. February birthdays: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on February 7th.

✅a. Read a book set in the American midwest - 1922
b. Read a novel that features the wilderness
c. Read a coming of age story

3. Winter sports: Ski jumping

Ski jumping has featured in every Winter Olympics since 1924. Athletes ski down a specially designed ramp and compete against each other to see who can make the longest jump. The current world record is over 253 metres. It was set by Austrian ski jumper, Stefan Kraft, who perhaps predictably is known by the nickname Air Kraft.

a. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long
✅b. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) - Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity
c. Read a book where the plot “jumps” about (a non-linear narrative as it’s normally called)

4. The Shortest Month of the Year

Take some time to explore a variety of genres and topics during the shortest month of the year!

a. Read a literary fiction novel
b. Read a book that features a ghost
✅c. Read a book that starts with a letter in the word SHORT - The Thursday Murder Club

12/12

When: March 1-May 31, 2023

The Phrases:
✅1. springtime - Elevation
✅2. bloom - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
✅3. sun shining - North and South
✅4. baby animals - Bunny
✅5. eggs - The Guest List
✅6. tulips - The Last Thing He Told Me
✅7. jellybeans - November 9
✅8. rainstorm - Razorblade Tears
✅9. sprout - The Upside of Falling
✅10. warming - Magician's Nephew
✅11. spring break - The Kiss Quotient
✅12. raincoat - Daisy Jones & The Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid)

How to Fill the Prompts:
1. Phrase contains BOTH letters of the author's name (ignore middle initial)
2. Phrase contains the first letter of the title (ignore or include A, An, and The)
3. Phrase is exemplified on the cover (your interpretation)

12/12

Summer Reading Challenge

June
1. Father's Day:
111 countries around the world celebrate Father's Day, with the most common date being the third Sunday in June, which was started by Sonora Smart Dodd in Spokane, Washington in 1910.
a. Book whose main character is a father
b. Biography or history nonfiction book
✅c. Author's initials can be found in PATERNITY - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

2. Estival Solstice:
For the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice on June 21st is the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year
✅a. Book with a title that is 5 or more words - Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
b. Cover has plants on the cover
c. Book is set in the Northern Hemisphere

3. Hibernal Solstice:
For the Southern Hemisphere the winter solstice on June 22nd is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year.
✅a. Book that is at least 400 pages long - Fourth of July Creek
b. Book with fire on the cover
c. Book is set in the Southern Hemisphere

4. Pride Month:
A month celebrating LGBT+ communities and their history which was started following the 1969 Stonewall Riots
a. Written by an author who identifies as LGBTQIA+
b. A banned or challenged book
✅c. A coming of age novel - The Summer I Turned Pretty

July
1.Let's Play:
Whether it's your summer or winter, it's always a good time to have some fun
a. First letter of the book's title is in HORSE AROUND
b. Includes a character who plays a sport
✅c. Published in a year ending with 3 - The Queen's Gambit - 1983

2. Travel Season:
Armchair travelling is definitely the cheapest, but exploring in real life is nice too!
a. Set in multiple countries
b. A book with a map
✅c. Cover has vehicle (car, plane, boat, train, hang glider, etc) - Later

3. Halfway there!
a. Book with an even number of pages
✅b. The next book in a series - Prince Caspian
c. An author's second book

4. Turn Up the Radio:
Invented in the 1890s and probably much more fun now
a. Book featuring or about musicians
✅b. Set in the 19th century - True Grit
c. Author's initials can be found in GUGLIELMO MARCONI

August
1. Book Lovers Day:
It's on August 9th, celebrate accordingly.
a. Book written by your favorite author
b. Main character works in a book shop or library
✅c. First letter of the book's title appears in BIBLIOMANIA - Book Lovers

2. Perseid Meteor Shower:
An annual meteor shower peaking around Aug 11-12. According to the American Meteor Society this year will be a particularly good year for viewing.
✅a. Science fiction book - The Time Machine
b. Sun, moon, or stars on the cover
c. Inspired by or retelling myths

3. Make Waves:
Fun fact: about 2.5 million Americans are employed in ocean-based tourism and recreation (as of 2018).
a. Author's initials can be found in SURFBOARD
✅b. Set in a coastal town or city - It's Not Summer Without You
c. A sea creature is on the cover

4. Go Camping:
Fun fact: The American National Park Service employs approximately 20,000 people (full time, part time and seasonal).
a. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
b. A ghost story
✅c. A book primarily set outdoors - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader



12/12

Fall Challenge

Find a book that...
✅- Has a orange cover - Stargazing
✅- Fits the phrase "a falling out" - Real Friends
✅- Has a tree on the cover - The Zookeeper's Wife
✅- Is in a fantasy genre - Gwendy's Button Box
✅- Is set in autumn - Wrong Place Wrong Time
✅- Feels cozy - The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Makes you think of Thanksgiving (or giving thanks)
✅- Is one last summer read - Malibu Rising
✅- Is witchy - The Okay Witch
✅- Features family relationships - Not a Happy Family
✅- Is a book you'd read in English 101 (sample list)*- The Island of Dr. Moreau
✅- Features a found family - Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
✅- Has a rural setting - Holes
✅- Features an athlete - Britt-Marie Was Here
✅- Was published in October - Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga

14/15

Winter Challenge

- WINTER WONDERLAND (16)
- DREAMING OF SNOW (14)
- HELLO NEW BEGINNINGS (18)

You can fulfill these letters by using the first letter of the title, the first letter of the author's first or last name, or the first letter of the main genre of the book.

D
R
E
A
M
I
N
G

O
F

S
N
O
W

Possible Books:
✅Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros F for Fourth Wing or D for Dragons(genre)
20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne T for Title or S for Science Fiction(genre)
✅Brave New World by Aldous Huxley A for Aldous
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James S for Sun or H for Horror
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager H for title or R for Riley
Fangirl, Vol. 2: The Manga M for Manga/Maggs or S for Sam G for Graphic
Fangirl, Vol. 3: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell M for Manga or R for Rainbow
✅Through the Woods by Emily Carroll E for Emily or G for Graphic Novel
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid S for Soto or T for Taylor
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid - A for Title or T for Taylor
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare -
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
The Institute by Stephen King I for Title
11/22/63 by Stephen King E for title
Gwendy's Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar or Stephen King G for Title
Gwendy's Final Task by Richard Chizmar or Stephen King
✅And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

I took a first pass at filling in some of the books for me to read for the challenge next year. I still need to work in more books that I own.

I added some on my list. I thought I was doing good and then I walked in and looked at my physical books on my tbr list and half of them aren't on there. Too many books too little time.

I have a need to try and get some of the top books off of my Goodreads tbr list. I also want to read more Stephen King next year. Of course I want to read some of my physical books that I bought and looking forward to. I also want to complete some series that are hanging open. I'll need to take another pass at it I guess. I'm tempted to just read whatever and see where it fits. Then maybe I can read some stuff I already have and complete some series.

Don't know where to slot all of the books I got for Christmas. Guess I'll figure it out. Too many books and too little time!

I'm still slotting some books in some prompts. I've fit in most of my books from Christmas. I was really excited because I thought I was starting with prompt #1 for a character that starts with A, T, or Y and then I realized this morning it said for location. Oops. But now I can slot another Christmas book there.

I have acquired so many used books lately and books on clearance. I really need never to step in another book store again. My daughter and I discovered 2nd and Charles here and they have so many used books. They have used records and movies also and movie memorabilia. All of the things we love. Well I've told myself I'm not stepping in there all of January. We'll see how long that lasts.

I feel like the returning home prompt was difficult to find a book I already owned for it. I just read all of the backs of my physical books and literally just about the last one I touched, Cold Mountain, seemed to fit. I've had this book for awhile. I bought it used somewhere. It literally starts out right in the area I live which is kind of hard to find in books for me.

Now we'll see if I can hold off buying books and read these. I know new shiny books will distract me. And I also do the goodreads winners challenge and I noticed not too many of these books fit there so I guess we'll see how this original list goes.

I completed my first book for the 2023 challenge! I really didn't want to start with #13 but there were flowers that were repeated on the cover. It wasn't the kind of repeating pattern that I wanted but it fits the prompt.

I read It Starts with Us. It was a good continuation from the first book. I think I rated the first one 5 stars and this one 4. It was a little sappy. I do like Colleen Hoover though. I know she seems to be a love it or hate it author but I find I plow through her books quickly. I do like a sappy romance every once in awhile. My daughter bought me this one for Christmas. My husband got me two others of hers. That's pretty much all I ask for for Christmas. I just hand out a list of books.

My next two books are going to be classics. My daughter also got me We and my other group is reading North and South. I checked North and South out of the library. I've tried to find it used somewhere but could not find it at all. I did find Stephen King's 1922 used so I'll be reading that somewhat soon as well. I get so excited for the reading at the beginning of the year. I just don't know what book to pick up next. I started listening to North and South also for free on audible but it's not keeping my attention. I am catching mainly what is going on but I'll be reading the physical book as well.

1/52

I just completed We. I'm glad I read it but I was confused in it a bit. I had to use cliff notes. I really liked the premise of it. I like dystopian novels especially older dystopian novels. I only rated it 3 stars though. I just didn't care about the characters too much.

I should be able to complete two books next week. I guess we'll see. We was only 103 pages but it took me awhile to get through. The book was kind of a weird edition though. The edition I have doesn't even have page numbers on Goodreads and the pages themselves were huge. Probably would have been almost twice the page numbers in another book.

2/52

I listened to Spare. I thought it was really good and he opened up about everything. He narrated it so that made it fun too. I like to listen to autobiographies every now and again. I rated it 5 stars.

I'm looking forward to the read a thon to get some books read. I'm hoping to get a little ahead of the challenge.

3/52

I completed my fourth book - When No One Is Watching. I didn't know where the story was going for the first half. It was kind of confusing but then it started to come together. Some things weren't tied up in the book. There were some other things that didn't make sense either. But I liked the premise of the book. It was interesting and I look at revitalized neighborhoods in a new way now. I ended up rating it 3 stars because of how long it took to get going and the couple of things that did not make sense.

I'm going to start 1922 for the novella prompt. I'm hoping to get through it in 24 hours.

4/52

I completed 1922. It was a Stephen King novella. I used it for the novella prompt. I thought it was pretty good. It was a little gruesome. I guess I should have expected that. I have a bunch of Stephen King books slated this year. I'm trying to read a bunch more of his. I took a hiatus until last year with his books. I rated it 4 stars. I like the fact that I can never find any holes in his books. Things seem to tie up in the end.

5/52

I completed The Last House on Needless Street. it was a twisty horror book to read. I enjoyed it. The characters were well developed. The writing was really pretty and flowed well. It felt like an original story. I rated it 5 stars.

I guess I'm going to read The Thursday Murder Club next and also complete North and South. I only have one more book left for the winter challenge but these two won't count for it. I should have plenty of time to complete it. A whole month left!

6/52

I completed The Thursday Murder Club. I thought it was a pretty cute book with a lot of mystery. It was a nice break from my normal books. I wanted to read it because I loved the TV series Only Murders in the Building and I saw something somewhere that if you liked that series then try this book. The characters were fun and there were a lot of characters to keep track of. One part was kind of confusing but I got the gist of it. Otherwise it would have been a five star read. I rated it four stars. I'd recommend.

I'm going to read North and South next and then Pretty Things. Then I'm kind of hoping to read more in order but I always say that and then I don't read in order. I feel happy with the books I have laid out for the plan though.

7/52

I moved around some of my books for the winter challenge. I wasn't going to be able to complete the book I'm reading by the end of February. I didn't count The Thursday Murder Club towards the challenge originally but I moved Spare up to family gatherings (there was enough in that book!) and I put The Thursday Murder Club in for a title starting with the letters SHORT.

February has been busy and not a good reading month. It is taking me forever to get through North and South but I am enjoying and like I said it's been a crazy busy month. Looking for some relaxing time coming up!

I listened to Lab Girl which I found a lot of it excruciating. I probably should have stopped listening to it but I wasted an audible credit on it. I rated it one star. I can't get that time in my life back!!!

I'm currently listening to I'm Glad My Mom Died which I'm finding riveting. It is making up for the other.

8/52

I completed listening to I'm Glad My Mom Died. I thought it was a pretty heartfelt book. I know people get annoyed about young celebrities writing autobiographies but I enjoy them. I actually rated this one 5 stars. I was riveted. I used to watch iCarly with my kids.

I decided to put Elevation on the list and near the top. February, I hardly read any books so I thought I'd throw a short one in there to get my reading mojo back up. I'm still reading North and South which I am enjoying. It's just a slow read for me. But I'm very glad I'm reading it. I'm hoping to finish that this weekend. Then I want to read more of the books at the top of my list. A lot of them I can't wait to read. I need to stop going to thrift stores though. I seem to be finding every book on my tbr lately.

9/52

I haven't updated since I read Elevation. It was a quick Stephen King book and not his normal book. Nothing was gross at all in it and it wasn't horror. I enjoyed the quick story. I only rated it 3 stars though. I'm not sure why. I think the story will stay with me and when that happens I usually rate it higher. I don't think I was expecting for it to stay with me like it did. I'd recommend it for a quick read.

I just finished November 9. I wanted a quick love story to read. I liked it and I zipped through it pretty good. The only reason why I didn't read it faster was just because I was busy and when I could sit down to read I was too tired. I did rate it four stars. I think the story will stay with me. I know a lot of people don't like Colleen Hoover but I can always count on zipping through her books. Sometimes I just want a love story.

I honestly feel like reading a bunch of love stories at the moment. I don't know why. It's just a mood. But I decided to try and read in order for the rest of my list. There shouldn't be any reason why I can't for awhile because I have all of the books until we get to the end of the list. I got a lot for Christmas and I feel like I've been finding deals or used books everywhere. It will also keep me honed in on what to read next. Let's see if I stick with reading the rest in order. I'm typically a mood reader.

I'm still reading North and South. I'm enjoying it. It's just a slow read for me. I got it out from the library and have to return it by 3/31. If I don't finish it this weekend then I'll probably complete it next weekend. This doesn't count for being out of order since I've been reading it before I started my idea...ha ha.

I am excited about the next few on my list in order. They have been books I've been wanting to read for awhile and there are some romances in there too. A couple of thriller books which I love as well. I have a handful of classics that I plan to read this year. I'm hoping to get through them. I have kind of let me classic reading go in the last several years. I used to read about 12 a year but now I think it's more like 6 a year. I still have a lot of them I want to read. So many books so little time!

11/52

So I lied. I did read #1 on my list, however my next book is going to be #40 on my list. I really want to read Daisy Jones & The Six so I can watch the Netflix series. Then after that I'll probably read in order.............We'll see but I do want to really read those books on the top of my list.

I completed The Last Thing He Told Me which I flew through up until the last 75 pages. I didn't like the ending. I thought it was pretty suspenseful up until that point and for that reason I still rated it 4 stars. The ending I just thought was a cop out. I don't know. I was hoping for another scenario.

I'm excited to read Daisy Jones & The Six. I didn't realize it was in an interview format and I'm really in the mood for that for some reason. I think I just need something different. But at least I feel like I'm back in my reading groove!!

12/52

I really enjoyed Daisy Jones & The Six. I read it pretty fast. I'm planning on watching the series with my daughter this weekend. I liked the interview style the book was written in. It was easy to fall in love with the characters and get invested in their lives. I rated it 5 stars. I even liked the ending which has been rare for me lately.

I'm planning on completing North and South this weekend. Up next is The Guest List. I'm planning on reading in order after I complete North and South. We'll see how long that lasts.

13/52

North and South took me forever but I did enjoy it. The ending was so abrupt though. I mean I guess it all worked out. A couple questions left open. I thought the writing was really pretty but it wasn't a book to be read quickly. I ended up rating it 4 stars.

I guess I'm reading The Guest List next. I hope my next several books go quickly. I'm a book behind now. I'm also reading The Chronicles of Narnia and I'm not counting them towards the challenge.

14/52

I didn't post after I read The Guest List. I enjoyed it and I read it pretty fast. I thought the characters were well developed and it was a creepy setting. I actually liked the ending of this book. I ended up rating it 5 stars.

I just completed The Upside of Falling. I've been in the mood for sappy love stories so I read this. It was predictable and that was what I wanted. It kept my attention and the characters were cute. It wasn't a book that would win literary awards but I enjoyed reading it and it was exactly what I wanted to read. I rated it 4 stars.

16/52

Well of course I'm not sticking to my plan - why would I? I've been doing these book lists on Facebook so now I want to read all of the childhood classics that I haven't read and Audible had the whole Chronicles of Narnia for one credit. So I had to get them. I don't think I'm going to count the other ones towards my challenge but I counted Magician's Nephew towards the unusually large animal prompt. The Lion sounded like it was bigger than normal. I had fun listening to it and I got the books out of the library to read after as well. I rated it 4 stars.

17/52

I just completed The Kiss Quotient. It was predictable except for one part. But when I read a romance I pretty much figure it's going to be predictable. Overall I liked the quirky characters. I probably rated it a little higher because I liked the fact she had high functioning autism. I rated it a 4 star over all. I don't know if I'd read another one of her books right away though. I'd have to be in the mood for it.

I'm going to read Razorblade Tears next. Several people have said it's good. I hope so. For another group I'm doing an alphabet title challenge and an alphabet author challenge. So some of my next picks are going to be based somewhat on completing those challenges.

18/52

I completed Razorblade Tears. I really liked it. It was a lot more than I was expecting. I did guess one part but there were a lot of things that happened that I didn't guess. The characters were awesome. When I picked up the book I didn't realize it took place in Richmond - right around where I work. That made it extra fun for me. I'd recommend this book. There was a lot of action and a lot of feelings and mystery. I rated it 5 stars.

19/52

Not me posting my summer challenge when I still have a book and a quarter to go for my spring challenge!

I realized I forgot to count The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe towards my spring challenge so I did end up completing it. I may add it to my annual challenge as well. I'm not sure. I am one book behind. I'm planning on reading The Body by Stephen King before the summer challenge starts. It's under 200 pages and I added it to my annual challenge so hopefully that will catch me up.

I am reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I'm listening to it and reading them. I'm finding it fun.

I think next year I'm planning to just finish all of my series that I have started. I'm not sure I'm doing the challenge next year. I may just do the quarterly challenges. I just never seem to catch up on my series because they don't fit a prompt.

I finally completed my first book for the summer challenge. I read The Summer I Turned Pretty. My daughter and I are watching the series. It's fun to watch with her. A little bonding time and then we compare the books to the show. Next season is coming out. I'll probably read the other books in the series. The book was cute and a good summer book. I rated it 3 stars. The characters were likeable and it made you wish you could go to the beach house and stay with them every summer.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next. I'm still kind of in a romance book mood but I could go for a thriller also. I'm also reading the Narnia series mostly outside of the challenge. I'm trying to read some of the children's classics I never got around to reading.

I wish I was more ahead in the challenge but I think I'll start catching up soon. I just got a whole bunch of books for my birthday that aren't on my challenge so trying to figure out when I can read all of the new bright and shiny books.

22/52

I completedBook Lovers. I rated it 4 stars. I thought it could have ended earlier but otherwise I liked the characters and the story. I did kind of guess what was going to happen towards the end of the book. It was a nice heartfelt book. I would read her others.

Not sure what I'm going to read next. I want to read everything and nothing all at the same time. I'll probably decide on something in the morning.

23/52

I rearranged some books to fit The Chronicles of Narnia to help me catch up on my challenge. I have two more to read but I'm going to take a break from them. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader I thought was pretty imaginative. I did only rate it 3 stars though. I am enjoying the series but not as much as I thought.

24/52

I changed up some more books. It's kind of a joke that I thought I could read in order for the rest of it. I'm such a mood reader. But I feel like I'm reading some good books this year and some books that I've been wanting to read. Some books are also really surprising me.

I changed my choice for a book related to a chess piece. I read The Queen's Gambit. It was a real surprise on how much I loved the book. It made chess exciting and I don't know the first thing about chess. I rated it 5 stars. I'm planning on watching the series next on Netflix.

I also read and listened to True Grit. I also watched the movie. I usually hate western movies but this one from 2010 was excellent. I hadn't heard of the book until this challenge. I didn't realize it was a western classic. I was originally going to read Gunslinger but it was long and started a series and I didn't want to start another series. I had mixed feelings about whether I liked the book. I read it 3 stars but I loved the movie and the book/movie has stayed in my thoughts somewhat. I'm glad I was introduced to it.

Those two books that I just read are the reasons why I do this challenge. I wouldn't have read them otherwise but I do want to go rogue next year. I guess time will tell what I end up doing. I'll still do the quarterly challenges for sure and I may just slip books into the annual challenge.

26/52

Once again I changed my plan around. I wasn't planning on reading The House on Mango Street this yea4r but I've been wanting to read more classics or modern classics and this book kept popping up on lists so I read it. Then I noticed it fit for prompt 20 and I hadn't read a book for that prompt yet. It won't work for the summer challenge since it was only a 110 pages. The wording was really pretty in it. I rated it 4 stars. It was a bunch of vignettes of her life when she lived in that house.

I also completed Fourth of July Creek which I guess I didn't post about. It had been on my list for awhile to read and it fit the NPR spot and I found it at a thrift store for cheap. I really liked the author's writing. I wasn't a fan of the ending. I am hyper critical on endings. I rated it 4 stars also.

I'm listening to Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and it's excellent. She tells her story and some stories of her patients and I really wasn't expecting to like it this much. I just have over an hour to go. I should finish on my commute Monday. It fits in the geometric shape one so I'm going to change my initial book for that one as well.

28/52

110 pages looks fine for the Summer Challenge - as long as it's not poetry or a graphic novel, it only has to be 100 pages.

LeahS wrote: "110 pages looks fine for the Summer Challenge - as long as it's not poetry or a graphic novel, it only has to be 100 pages."

Oh yeah - thank you. I read it wrong. I don't see anywhere I want to stick it though and I should be able to complete the challenge without it.

I just finished listening to Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. I was riveted. I wasn't expecting to like it that much. I highly recommend it. It was a story about the therapist herself and 4 of her clients. I loved their stories and how they evolved. I rated it 5 stars.

29/52

I read Later for the Spice girls prompt. I was really kind of scared through the first half. I wasn't a complete fan of the ending but I rated it 4 stars. It was on its way to be 5 stars. I liked the concept. It was creepy.

I just completed It's Not Summer Without You. I'm using it for the summer challenge for a book set in a coastal town. I find them fun books to read. I'm going to start the final one in the series. I like books kind of light every once in awhile.

30/52

I just completed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I rated it 4 stars. I really enjoyed the story it was emotional and the characters were great. I guessed the secret though. I did plow through the end to see if I was right. It kept me turning the pages. I'm glad I finally read it.

I only have one left to read for the summer challenge and I picked the prompt for a science fiction but I'm not in the mood for a science fiction so I'm not sure what I'm going to read. I'll decide tomorrow.

31/52

People We Meet on Vacation - Given how fast I read through this book and the fact that I didn't want to put it down, I rated it 5 stars. I thought it had some deep feelings in it and I loved the characters and the traveling. I wanted to read it in the summer. It was just the sort of book I was looking for at the moment.

I guess I'll somewhat go back to trying to read the rest of the challenge in order from what's left. I say that but we'll see what happens. I've put weeks ago on Goodreads that I started Ask Again, Yes and I haven't started it. I'll give it a whirl now.

32/52

I completed Ask Again, Yes for the disability prompt. I had put off reading it for awhile. It was a really good story with lots of emotion and interesting and believable family dynamics. There wasn't a lot of dialogue so it took awhile to read but it was worth it. I ended up rating it 4 stars.

I also re-read The Time Machine for the summer challenge for the science fiction prompt. I listened to it on audio and it was cute. They had sound effects. I enjoyed listening to it and I love his description of when the time machine is traveling. It was a book ahead of its time.

33/52

Well, I'm kind of slipping behind again. I'm tempted to go rogue and read whatever.

I just completed Not a Happy Family. It was a good quick read and I couldn't figure out who did it. There were a couple of small things that I thought were errors or wasn't cleared up in the book. Other than that it was a really solid book. I rated it 4 stars. All of the characters were unlikable besides the detectives.

I'm almost done listening to The Island of Dr. Moreau but I have to admit I've hardly "heard" any of it. I don't think the narrator is as good as The Time Machine. I'm gong to have to read the book. I'm not going to count it until I read it.

34/52

I read Holes and I counted it for an author with a popular first name in 1923. It was good. I'm glad I finally read it. I'm going through a phase where I want to read a lot of the middle school classics that I haven't before. Also books like Alice in Wonderland, Winnie-the-Pooh, etc. I rated Holes four stars. I thought the ending could have been a little stronger. A fun story though.

Not sure what I'm going to read next - maybe Britt-Marie Was Here. I'm such a mood reader.

35/52

I completed Britt-Marie Was Here. It was a cute book to read and I was invested in what was going to happen. I read it quickly. It was an easy read with lots of emotions. The ending wasn't really tied up the way I wanted it to be so I gave it a 4 star review.

As of tonight I'm on track for the annual challenge but I'll be one behind tomorrow morning. Hoping I can catch up and complete the challenge this year. I was hoping the read a thon would help but I don't think I'll get another book read by the end of tomorrow that would count towards my challenge. I've got a good head start on the fall challenge though. 4 down. I'm aiming for 12 but it would be fun to complete the whole thing.

36/52

I completed listening to Out of the Corner and I used it for a book about the arts. It wasn't in my original plan but I'm falling behind. I really enjoyed listening to it. I liked learning about her start and hearing about her parents background in theater. I didn't realize she won Dancing With the Stars. I liked hearing the back stories of the movies Ferris Bueller and Dirty Dancing. I rated it 4 stars.

I just completed Wrong Place Wrong Time. I rated it 5 stars. It had a bunch of twists and I couldn't put it down. I had to force myself to put it down for work and going to bed. One twist I guessed but it had a lot of twists I wasn't expecting and an interesting premise to the whole book. I'd recommend.

I'm finally on track with the challenge. I think that changes tomorrow or Monday so I'm trying to read The Paris Apartment by the end of the weekend. I decided to read a bunch of my thrillers for September and then I hope to read a bunch of spooky books for October. I may slip in Malibu Rising and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I'm sort of going rogue with the rest of the year or at least going rogue until the end of October. But I think the books I'm gong to read will fit in the challenge. I just feel a slump coming and I want to make sure I read what I want to read for awhile. Only 14 books left to read for the challenge. It seems doable.

38/52

I completed prompt 31. I read The Paris Apartment. It wasn't as good as Wrong Place Wrong Time but she did craft a good story. I just wasn't invested in the characters enough for me to rip through it so I rated it 3 stars. The characters just weren't likable to me. I was confused on who did it. There were many possibilities. I love these types of books but I can't read too many of the same genre books in a row so I'm going to have to change pace and go to something else. Not sure what yet because I have a bunch of mysteries and thrillers to read. Looking for more romance maybe. I'm not in the mood for classics right now but I do have some I need to read.

39/52

I completed Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. The hype was too much on this one I think. I definitely loved the characters but I thought maybe it could have been shorter. I liked how it was a depiction of a true relationship that wasn't perfect. None of the relationships were perfect in the book which was nice. I rated it 4 stars. It took me two weeks to read but I was away last weekend. It was a good book but one I could put down which is why I rated it 4 stars.

I'm hoping I can read the next few books quicker to try and get ahead and complete the challenge early.

40/52

Trying to catch up a bit in my challenge. I added some more books that I read that fit in the prompts. I wasn't planning on using these books towards the challenge but if I don't count them there wouldn't be a way for me to complete the challenge. I completed the following:

Cell
Gwendy's Button Box
The Zookeeper's Wife
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Stargazing

Stargazing is a graphic novel. It was cute. Cell was pretty good. The Zookeeper's Wife - I didn't like this one at all. I rated it 2 stars. The Island of Dr. Moreau took me forever to get into but once I did I loved it. I also loved Gwendy's Button Box.

45/52

I was only planning on reading 12 books for the fall challenge but I ended up reading 14. I'm at 47/52 for the annual challenge. With the holiday season and work I'm not sure I'll be able to complete it but I guess we will see what happens.

I absolutely loved Malibu Rising. The ending was good! I rated it 5 stars. I have two more books to read by this author. I have loved all of her different twists. Usually I get bored of an author but that hasn't happened with Taylor Jenkins Reid. I'll probably read the last two in 2024.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six was also good. I rated it 4 stars. I listened to this one and the audio was pretty good.

I think I'm slipping Fourth Wing in somewhere for the rest of my books. I really want to read it. I never stick to my plan. Too many new shiny books.

47/52