Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Books by an author from each of the official European countries or a book relating to those countries. Also a book relating to each continent.

1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T or Y.
Dekok And The Dancing Death by A.C. Baantjer.
Relevance: Set in Amsterdam
Country: The Netherlands.
Read in February.

2. A book by an author you read in 2022
Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste
Relevance: I read The Shadow King in 2022.
Continent: Africa
Read in January

3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn't make the list this year.
Another Now: Dispatches from an Alternative Present by Yanis Varoufakis
Relevance: Poll 3 rejection: A book about power or politics . Book looks at new ways of dealing with economies and democracy.
Country: Greece
Read in February.

4. A book with an interracial relationship
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Relevance: Two fathers, one black, one white, set out to avenge the deaths of their married sons.
Continent: North America
Read in January

5. A book with four or more colours on the cover

Country: Denmark
Read in February

6. A book where books are important
The Readers' Room by Antoine Laurain
Relevance: Set in a publishing house.
Country: France
Read in March.

7. A book with one of the five 'W' questions in the title
Why Read the Classics? by Italo Calvino
Country: Italy
Read in February.

8. An author's debut book
Bessarabian Nights by Stela Brinzeanu
Country: Moldova
Read in February

9. A book nominated for an award that begins with W.
Fathoms: The World in the Whale by Rebecca Giggs
Relevance: Won the 2020 Western Australian Premier's Prize for an emerging writer
Continent: Australia
Read in January.

10. A book related to one of The Spice Girls' 'personalities'.
White Truffles in Winter by N.M. Kelby
Relevance: 'Posh' - The story of Escoffier, chef to royalty and the stars of the time.
Country: Monaco
Read in June

11. A book about a person/character with a disability.
The Wych Elm by Tana French
Relevance: MC has suffered a brain injury.
Country: Ireland
Read in January.

12. A book connected to birds, bees or bunnies.
Our Mother Earth: A Christian Reading of the Challenge of the Environment by Pope Francis
Country: The Vatican
Read in March.

13. A book with a repeated object on the cover.

Country: Latvia
Read in March.

14. A book with a con, deception or fake
The Flemish House by Georges Simenon
Relevance: Lots of deception as Inspector Maigret investigates a disappearance.
Country: Belgium
Read in April.

15. Three books each set in a different century (a)
The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz del Castillo
Relevance: Set in the sixteenth century.
Country Spain
Read in March.

16. Three books each set in a different century (b)
Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann
Relevance: Set in the seventeenth century
Country: Germany
Read in April

17. Three books each set in a different century (c)
The Mysterious Balloon Man by Albert Salvadó
Relevance: Set in the eighteenth century
Country: Andorra
Read in May.

18. A book related to science
From the Mouth of the Whale by Sjón
Relevance: A conflict between superstition and scientific discovery.
Country: Iceland
Read in March.

19. A book related to the arts
Linn Ullmann Unquiet /anglais by Linn Ullmann
Relevance: Author's memoir of her father, film director Ingmar Bergman and her mother, actress Liv Ullmann.
Country: Norway
Read in March

20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
The Bridge over the Drina by Ivo Andrić
Country: Bosnia
Read in May.

21. A book by an Asian diaspora author
I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain by Anita Sethi
Relevance: Author born in England; heritage Indian via Guyana.
Country: United Kingdom
Read in January.

22. A book with a faceless person on the cover.

Country: Ukraine
Read in April

23. A book with a body of water in the title
The House by the Lake: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History by Thomas Harding
Continent: Europe
Read in January.

24. A character that might be called a tinker, tailor, soldier or spy
I'm an Old Commie! by Dan Lungu
Relevance: MC was a metalworker (tinker)
Country: Romania
Read in January.

25. A book with a tropical setting
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
Relevance: Set in the Sundarbans, Bay of Bengal.
Continent: Asia
Read in April.

26. A book related to pride
The Fall of Milosevic: The October 5th Revolution by Dragan Bujosevic
Relevance: ...goes before a fall
Country: Serbia
Read in April.

27. A book by an author from continental Europe
The Pleasure of Drowning by Jean Bürlesk
Country: Luxembourg
Read in June.

28. A book that is dark
Blindness by José Saramago
Relevance: Dystopian novel about a pandemic of blindness
Country: Portugal
Read in April.

29. A book that is light

Relevance: Novella, kaleidiscopic cover
Country: Slovakia
Read in March.

30. A book related to a chess piece
A Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
Country: Austria
Read in April.

31. A book found by inputting a favourite author on https://www.literature-map.com
The Woman in the Case by Anton Chekhov
Relevance: Linked authors include Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, Cormac McCarthy, Gustave Flaubert, Tolstoy, Alice Munro, Ray Bradbury....
Country: Russia
Read in April

32. A book set in an UNESCO city of literature
Prague Noir edited by Pavel Mandys
Country: Czech Republic
Read in June.

33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923.
Stamping Grounds by Charlie Connelly
Relevance: Charles was 5th most popular boy's name in USA and 14th in the UK; Charlie was in the top 100.
Country: Liechtenstein
Read in July.

34. A novella
The Doll by Ismail Kadare
Relevance: 160 pages.
Country: Albania
Read in February.

35. A book with a school subject in the title
pH Neutral History by Lidija Dimkovska
Country: North Macedonia
Read in April.

36. A book translated from another language
Billiards at the Hotel Dobray by Dušan Šarotar translated by Rawley Grau
Country: Slovenia
Read in June.

37. A book with a theme of returning home
Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knezevic
Relevance: The MC and her best friend grow up longing to escape their home town for the city, but both eventually end up back there.
Country: Montenegro.
Read in June.

38. A book with the moon, stars or sun on the cover

Area: Oceania
Read in July

39. A western
The Violent Land by Jorge Amado
Relevance: gunfights, land disputes, vendettas, goodtime girls...
Continent: South America
Read in April.

40. A book with a full name in the title
Fearless: The Story of Daphne Caruana Galizia by Gattaldo
Country: Malta
Read in April.

41. Book from the NPR Books we love list
Lea by Pascal Mercier
Relevance: In the Tales from round the world section in 2017.
Country: Switzerland.
Read in April.

42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom or spectre
Katalin Street by M Szabo
Relevance: The spirit of a murdered girl follows the families she grew up with.
Country: Hungary
Read in June.

43. A book that involves a murder
The Dark by Emma Haughton
Relevance: A closed circle murder mystery
Continent: Antarctica
Read in April

44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal

Country: Bulgaria
Read in March.

45. A book by an author who has published more than seven books
History of San Marino: Finding, Beginning of the nation, Culture and Cultural Policies. Tourism by Paul Has
Relevance: Author has published thirty-nine books.
Country: San Marino
Read in March.

46. A title that includes a word often found in a recipe
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Country: Lithuania
Read in April.

47. A book related to a geometric shape
Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk
Relevance: The eponymous village is laid out in a square pattern - angels guard each corner.
Country: Poland
Read in February.

48. A book with a version of an unusually large animal in the story
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Relevance: Contains an unusually large cat
Country: Finland
Read in April.

49. A book posted in the ATY Best book of the month threads in 2022 or 2023
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Relevance: In the 2022 threads
Country: Sweden
Read in April.

50. A second book that fits your favourite prompt
Farewell Cowboy by Olja Savičević Ivančević, translated by Celia Hawkesworth.
Relevance: Prompt: A book translated from another language
Country: Croatia
Read in April.

51. A book published in 2023
The Little Girl Who Could Not Cry by Lidia Maksymowicz
Relevance: English translation published January 2023
Country: Belarus
Read in March

52. A book with an unusual or surprising title
The Misadventures of the New Satan by A.H. Tammsaare
Country: Estonia
Read in March.

Second Time Around: A European medley: books set in Europe and/or by European authors

1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
An Octopus in My Ouzo: Loving Life on a Greek Island by Jennifer Barclay
Relevance: Set on the island of Tilos.
Location: The Dodecanese
Read in July.

2. A book by an author you read in 2022
The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak
Relevance: I read The Island of Missing Trees in 2022.
Location: Istanbul
Read in July.

3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list
The Drago Tree by Isobel Blackthorn
Relevance: Poll 3 rejection: A book with named chapters
Location: The Canary Islands
Read in July

4. A book with an interracial relationship
The Girl in the Painted Caravan by Eva Petulengro
Relevance: A Roma woman married to a non-Romany
Location: England
Read in June

5. A book with 4 or more colours on the cover

Location: Wales
Read in June

6. A book where books are important
The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo by Paula Huntley
Relevance: The importance of The Old Man and the Sea to Albanian students learning English after war.
Location: Kosova
Read in August

7. A book with ONE of the five "W" question words in the title
And What Do You Do?: What The Royal Family Don't Want You To Know by Norman Baker
Location: The United Kingdom
Read in June.

8. An author's debut book
Evia: Travels on an Undiscovered Greek Island by Sara Wheeler
Location: Evia
Read in August

9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W
Milkman by Anna Burns
Location: Northern Ireland
Relevance: Nominated for Women's Prize for Fiction 2019
Read in June

10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities"
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way by Nancy Spain
Relevance: Posh, as the author knew many celebrities of the day.
Location: Skiathos in the Sporades
Read in July

11. A book about a person/character with a disability
Skeleton Staff by Elizabeth Ferrars
Relevance: One character has been crippled in a road accident
Location: Madeira
Read in August

12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen
Location: Finland
Read in May.

13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
by Damian Barr
Location: Scotland
Read in June

14. A book with a con, deception, or fake
One Summer in Crete by Nadia Marks
Location: Crete
Relevance: an important deception
Read in June.

15. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 1
Daughters of Chivalry by Kelcey Wilson-Lee
Relevance: C13th
Location: England and continental Europe
Read in July

16. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 2
Blood, Fire Gold: The Story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici by Estelle Paranque
Location: England and France
Relevance: C16th
Read in May

17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 3
Sarah Forbes Bonetta by Victoria Princewill
Relevance: C19th
Location: The United Kingdom
Read in August

18. A book related to science
The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey Into Greenland’s Buried Past and Our Perilous Future by Jon Gertner
Location: Greenland
Read in June.

19. A book related to the arts
A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson
Relevance: A colony of artists, writers and musicians on the Greek island of Hydra during the 1960s; characters include Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen.
Location: Hydra in the Saronic Islands
Read in August.

20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel

Location: The Scilly Isles
Read in June

21. A book by an Asian diaspora author
Marriage Material by Sathnam Sanghera
Relevance: Author is British, of Punjabi Sikh heritage
Read in August

22. A book with a faceless person on the cover

Location: Guernsey in the Channel Islands
Read in May.

23. A book with a body of water in the title
The Little Theatre by the Sea by Rosanna Ley
Location: Sardinia
Read in July

24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
The Tinker's Wedding by J.M. Synge
Location: Ireland
Read in August

25. A book with a tropical setting
Jungle by Patrick Roberts
Relevance: Subtitle: How tropical forests shaped world history and us
Author: British
Read in July

26. A book related to pride
Fallen Idols: History is not erased when statues are pulled down. It is made by Alex von Tunzelmann
Relevance: Pride goes before....
Location: Covers several European countries
Read in June

27. A book by an author from continental Europe
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Relevance: Author from France
Read in May

28. A book that is dark
Dark Tides by Chris Ewan
Relevance: thriller with a spooky setting and several murders
Location: Isle of Man
Read in June

29. A book that is light
Thornyhold by Mary Stewart
Relevance: A romance with a touch of magic.
Location: England
Read in August

30. A book related to a chess piece
Secrets of Santorini by Patricia Wilson
Relevance: Thira, Queen of Atlantis is a character
Location: Santorini in the Cyclades i
Read in July

31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com
The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine
Relevance: David Nicholls, Siri Hustvedt, Denise Mina, Zadie Smith and er, Beatrice Potter.
Location: Lesbos in the North Aegean islands
Read in July.

32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria Mackenzie
Relevance: Half the book is set in Norwich
Read in August

33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
Rumpole and the Primrose Path by John Mortimer
Relevance: John was the most popular name in England and Wales in 1923, when the author was born.
Location: England
Read in April.

34. A novella
Hex by Jenni Fagan
Relevance: 103 pages
Location: Scotland
Read in July

35. A book with a school subject in the title
Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson
Read in August

36. A book that has been translated from another language
Old Man and His Sons by Heðin Brú, translated from the Faroese by John F West.
Location: The Faroe Islands
Read in July.

37. A book with the theme of returning home
The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores by Diana Marcum
Relevance: The annual return of the Azorean diaspora
Location: The Azores
Read in June

38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover

Location: Basque country
Read in February.

39. A western
Breakheart Pass by Alistair MacLean
Author: Scottish
Read in August

40. A book with a full name in the title
Asterix in Corsica by René Goscinny and UDERZO Albert
Location: Corsica
Read in July

41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Relevance: 2021 Staff Pick.
Location: Ireland
Read in May

42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or spectre
Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola
Relevance: a haunting that might be all in the mind
Location: France
Read in July

43. A book that involves a murder
A Thousand Cuts: A Spike Sanguinetti Novel by Thomas Mogford
Relevance: A murder linked to wartime secrets
Location: Gibraltar
Read in May

44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal

Author: Danish
Read in July.

45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books
A Postcard from Capri by Alex Brown
Relevance: The author's fourteenth book
Location: Capri
Read in July.

46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe
Bread & Oil: Majorcan Culture's Last Stand by Tomas Graves
Location: The Balearic islands
Read in July.

47. A book related to a geometric shape
The Pyramid Of Mud by Andrea Camilleri
Location: Sicily
Read in July.

48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story
The Rival Monster by Compton Mackenzie
Relevance: contains an unusually large water creature.
Location: The Scottish isles
Read in June

49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
Relevance: Posted in 2022
Location: England
Read in August

50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt
The Life and Death of Hangman Thomas by Konstantinos Theotokis
Relevance: Fits prompt 36 A book translated from another language.
Read in August

51. A book published in 2023
The Valkyrie by Kate Heartfield
Location: around Dark Ages Burgundy
Relevance: Published 30th March 2023
Read in July.

52. A book with an unusual or surprising title
A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible by Christy Lefteri
Location: Cyprus
Read in May

ATY Multiple Choice Personal Challenge

A, T or Y Location

Dekok And The Dancing Death by A.C. Baantjer
Relevance: Set in Amsterdam
Read in February

An Octopus in My Ouzo: Loving Life on a Greek Island by Jennifer Barclay
Relevance: Set on the island of Tilos
Read in July

Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
Relevance: Set in Yorkshire
Read in June

Title containing one of the five W question words

What: And What Do You Do?: What The Royal Family Don't Want You To Know by Norman Baker
Read in June

When: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Read in April

Where: Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan
Read in May

Who: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
Read in February

Why: Why Read the Classics? by Italo Calvino
Read in February

Book related to one of The Spice Girls 'personalities'

Baby: Dreamland by Rosa Rankin-Gee
Relevance: Baby Blue is an important character
Read in June

Ginger: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Relevance: MC has red hair
Read in February

Posh: White Truffles in Winter by N.M. Kelby
Relevance: About Escoffier, chef to royalty.
Read in June

Scary: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Read in March

Sporty: We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
Relevance: About a hockey team
Read in March

A book related to birds, bees or bunnies

Birds: The Most Perfect Thing: Inside (and Outside) a Bird's Egg by Tim Birkhead
Read in March

Bees: Honeycomb by Joanne M. Harris
Read in April

Bunnies: The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen

A book with a character who could be described as a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier or Spy

Tinker: The Tinker's Wedding by J.M. Synge
Read in August

Tailor: A Vision of Loveliness by Louise Levene
Relevance: The MC models for a tailor
Read in April

Soldier: Girl by Edna O'Brien
Relevance: The MC is kidnapped by soldiers of Boko Haram
Read in April

Spy: King of Spies by Blaine Harden
Read in May

A book related to a chess piece

King: A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain by Marc Morris
Read in January

Queen: Secrets of Santorini by Patricia Wilson
Relevance: Thira, Queen of Atlantis is a character
Read in July

Knight: The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett
Read in January

Castle/Rook: Crashing Heat by Richard Castle
Relevance: Author's pen-name is Castle and a character is called Jameson Rook
Read in June

Bishop: The Impossible Life of Mary Benson: The Extraordinary Story of a Victorian Wife by Rodney Bolt
Relevance: MB was married to an Archbishop of Canterbury
Read in April

Pawn: The Gold Pawn by L.A. Chandlar
Read in May

A book with the sun, moon or stars on the cover

Sun:
Read in July

Moon:
Read in February

Stars:
Read in May

A book by an author with a name popular in 1923

Female name: Heriot by Margaret Mahy
Read in April

Male name: Rumpole and the Primrose Path by John Mortimer
Read in April