Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

ATY 2024: By The Numbers [BTN]plan

In 2023, I did a personal challenge to read books relating to the 'multiple choice' prompts, e.g. I read a book relating to each chess piece.

For 2024, I'm incorporating that idea into the main challenge and finding books for each of the 'multi-choice' prompts:

25 cities: Barcelona; Buenos Aires; Cape Town; Cartagena; Chefchaouen; Dubrovnik; Edinburgh; Hoi An; Istanbul; Kyoto; London; New York; Palermo; Paris; Rio de Janeiro; Rome; Queenstown; San Francisco; San Miguel de Allende; Sedona; Seoul; Singapore; Sydney; Taipei; Tbisili

7 dwarfs: Bashful; Doc; Dopey; Grumpy; Happy; Sleepy; Sneezy

4 letters: J, Q, X, Z

3 colours: Green, orange, violet

3 countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand

3 endings: A, T, Y

3 ethnicities: Black, Indigenous, POC

2 either/ors: Science/science-fiction; History/ historical fiction

2 'rain' animals: Cat and dog

A-Z: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

1 A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y
Lampedusa
BTN: Set in Palermo
A-Z: L
Rejects: MC is a writer; literary fiction; takes place in 2 centuries
Read: 19/2/24

2 A book connected to something you read in 2023
The Flea Palace by Elif Shafak
Relevance: I read The Architect's Apprentice by the same author in 2023.
BTN: Set in Istanbul
Rejects: insect in title; twin characters; character's initials in LIBRARY CARD
Read: 7/1/24

3 A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list
The Maid's Room
Relevance: Suggestion was migration/relocation to another country . The maid is a migrant worker; MC has relocated.
BTN: Set in Singapore
A-Z: M
Rejects: set in one of the 100th smallest countries; character in domestic service; character has alter ego
Read: 28/1/24

4 A book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Relevance: .....trees of green....
BTN: Orange on cover
A-Z: N
Rejects: Goodreads Choice nominee; dream plays role; year of Wood Dragon
Read: 9/1/24

5 A book set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world
by Alexander McCall Smith
Relevance: Set in Edinburgh
BTN: X in author's name
Rejects: a cultural book; clock on cover
Read:24/2/24

6 A book with wings on the cover
by Eva Glyn
BTN: Set in Dubrovnik
Rejects: relative in title; rhyming name; tilted planes on cover; character works in eating establishment; contains poem; previous prompt
Read: 18/4/24

7 A book with a pronoun in the title
Until I Love Myself: The Journey of a Nonbinary Manga Artist, Vol. 1
Rejects: related to 'dare'; prepositional phrase; graphic novel with female writer/artist; mental health issues
Read: 20/6/24

8. A book by an author from Australia, Canada or New Zealand
Shell by Kristina Olsson
Relevance: Australian author
BTN: Set in Sydney
Rejects: related to a landmark; more than one MC
Read: 15/3/24

9 A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads

Relevance: 1,173 ratings @25/7/24
BTN: Set in San Francisco
Rejects: gold on cover
Read:12/3/24

10 A history or historical fiction book
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
Relevance: History book
Rejects : set (in part) BCE; over 500 pages; between 400-600pp
Read: 21/1/24

11 A book with an X connection
x + y: A Mathematician's Manifesto for Rethinking Gender
Relevance: X in title; generation X author; X chromosomes; X as mathematical symbol
A-Z: X
Rejects: X in title; GenX author; STEM topic; hot topic
Read: 3/4/24

12 A book that has been on your TBR list for over a year
All About Love: New Visions
A-Z: A
Rejects: book you meant to read in 2023; helps reflect/recharge
Read: 25/3/24

13 A book that is on a Five Books list
Shy
Relevance: https://fivebooks.com/best-books/nota...
BTN: Shy = Bashful the dwarf
A-Z: S
Rejects: takes place in 24 hours; antihero as MC
Read: January 2024

14 A book with a BIPOC main character
A House for Alice
Relevance: All main characters are black
BTN: London
Rejects: related to fire; set in Eurovision 24 competitor; book with an ex; related to Alice in Wonderland ; music genre (House) in the title.
Read: 7/4/24

15 A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX)
Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin
Relevance: Author’s name contains Q
BTN: Set in Taipei
Rejects: includes a love story
Read: 22/4/24

16 A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs"
Rain Cat
BTN: Title ends in T
A-Z: R
Rejects: a nod to the weather; liquid water
Read: 28/2/24

17 A book involving intelligence
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Relevance: Two characters hiding their intelligence.
BTN: Both MCs are Grumpy
Rejects: well-read in world literature list
Read: 15/2/24

18. A book with a botanical cover
by Gretchen Gerzina
BTN: Z in author's name
Rejects: piece of fruit on cover; related to
A-Z: B
Read: 15/2/24

19. A book connected in some way to any of the flavours of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream
Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez
Relevance: Cherry Garcia ice-cream
BTN: Set in Cartagena
Read: 1/2/24

20 A book with a single word title
Invisibles.
BTN: Set in Rio de Janeiro
Rejects: Set in southern hemisphere; new to me location
A-Z: I
Read: 25/3/24

21 A book with a title containing 6+ words
Love and Murder in the Time of Covid
BTN: Covid symptom = Sneezy the dwarf
Rejects: related to masks; book in series
Read: 5/5/24

22 A book by an author from an African country
The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso
Relevance: Nigerian author living in South Africa
BTN: Set in Cape Town
Rejects: woman in title
Read: 14/4/24

23 A book related to Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads or Jimmy Buffet

Relevance: Set on and in the beaches and bars of Barcelona; music plays a large part in one story.
BTN: Set in Barcelona
Rejects: cover related to summer; summertime blues; character is a musician; music theme
Read: 12/5/24

24 A book with a secondary colour on the cover
]
Relevance: Green on cover
BTN: Set in San Miguel de Allende
A-Z: O
Rejects: related to Anne of Green Gables
Read: 24/3/24

25 A book involving a crime that’s not murder
Y Is for Yesterday
Relevance: blackmail, theft, sexual assault.
A-Z: Y
Read: 8/4/24

26 A book by an author known by their initials
Edge Of Evil by J.A. Jance
BTN: Set in Sedona
A-Z: E
Rejects: features first responder (cop)
Read: 3/5/24

27 A book related to land
Nine Last Days on Planet Earth
Relevance: The land is overtaken by alien plants
BTN: Sci-fi
Rejects: Addams Family - dangerous plant; 3 generations of a family
Read: 11/5/24

28 A book related to sea

BTN: Hoi An
Rejects: related to bridge (cover)
Read: 1/5/24

29 A book related to air
by Margaret Mahy
BTN: Author from New Zealand
A-Z: D
Rejects: Las Vegas hotel - Circus, Circus
Read: 1/5/24

30 A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean sea
Adventures in Morocco from the Souks to the Sahara
BTN: chapter set in Chefchaouen
Read:27/3/24

31 A book related to ‘Going for the Gold’.
Gold Diggers
BTN: Characters are POC
A-Z: G
Rejects: related to invention/discovery; catchphrase
Read: 29/5/24

32 A book with a number in the title

BTN: Set in Queenstown
Rejects: winter cover; sentence(i)
Read: 18/5/24

33 A book involving travel
Jessie's Journey: Autobiography of a Traveller Girl by Jess Smith
BTN: J in author's name
A-Z: J
Rejects: autobiography
Read: 5/6/24

34 A book related to the name of one of Snow White's seven dwarfs
The Pear Field
Relevance: Overcoming oppression in a residential school known locally as the ‘School for Idiots’ = Dopey the dwarf.
BTN: Set in Tbilisi
Rejects: marginilised character
Read: 6/6/24

35 A science or science-fiction book
How Science Saved the Eiffel Tower
BTN: Set in Paris
Rejects: Set in Paris; taken for granted; technology
Read: 11/5/24

36 A book featuring a character in education
Vladimir
Relevance: MCs are university professors; involves complaint by students.
BTN: MCs have doctorates = Doc the dwarf
Rejects: Mad, bad or dangerous character
A-Z: V
Read: 6/5/24

37 A book that is part of a series
Fatal Legacy
Relevance: Eleventh book in the Flavia Albia series
BTN: Set in Rome
A-Z: F
Related to Ludo ; pre C20th set historical fiction; legal term in title
Read:14/1/24

38 Two books with similar covers : Book 1

BTN: Set in Kyoto
A-Z: P
Rejects: rock, paper or scissors on cover; Sailor Moon
Read: 3rd January

39 Two books with similar covers : Book 2

Rejects: spring cover; related to mountain (Fiji); includes a love story
Read: 12/6/24

40 A book involving a wild animal or endangered species in the content, title, or on the cover

Relevance: Fox on cover; foxes, coyotes, wolves in content
BTN: Happiness = Happy the dwarf
A-Z: H
Rejects: character works with animals
Read: 16/3/24

41 A book with a chilling atmosphere

BTN: Sleepwalking, 18 hour sleep, drugged sleep = Sleepy the dwarf
A-Z: W
Rejects: disembodied hand on cover; classic/familiar tale retelling; famous fictional character; related to mushrooms
Read: 17/7/24

42 A book with a sound-related word in the title
The Heron's Cry
BTN: Title ending in Y
Rejects: group living situation
Read: 8/1/24

43 A book by an Edgar award-winning author
Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty
Relevance: Won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original 2017
BTN: Dogs and rain
Rejects: Apocalypse horsemen -Death; trapped character
Read: 15/6/24

44 A book with a touch of magic
To the Bright Edge of the World
Relevance: Shamanism, magic realism
BTN: Indigenous MCr
A-Z: T
Rejects: solid water; X-Files character
Read:27/1/24

45 A book that is not a novel
by Alicia Elliott
Relevance: Essays
BTN: Canadian author
Rejects: autumn cover
Read: March 2024

46 A book related to night

BTN: Seoul
A-Z: U
Rejects: plays with reality; partly hidden face; SE Asian author; heated atmosphere
Read: 20/6/24

47. A book with a two-word title, with the first word being ‘The’.
The Cloisters
BTN: Set in New York
A-Z: C
Read: 15/4/24

48. A second book that fits your favourite prompt
Knowledge of Angels
Relevance: #10: historical fiction
A-Z: K
Rejects: related to 'soul'; more than 1 main character
Read: 28/5/24

49 A book with a senior citizen character

Relevance: MC has just retired.
BTN: Set in Buenos Aires
Rejects: body part in title; split cover; related to 'truth'
Read: 20/5/24

50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 /2024
Zen in the Art of Writing
Relevance: 297 in the 2023 list
Rejects: title word related to reading; topic you've wanted to know about
A-Z: Z
Read: 6/7/24

51 A book published in 2024

Relevance: Publication date 4/4/24
A-Z: Q
Rejects: horse on cover; short story collection
Read: 20/6/24

52 A cosy mystery

BTN: Violet on cover
Rejects: related to Friends; Waterstones summer reading list
Read: 25/1/24

2024 ATY Round 2: Losing the TBR list

1 A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y
Cuddy
Rejects: D&D character (cleric)
Read: 11/4/24

2 A book connected to something you read in 2023
The Gathering by Anne Enright
Relevance: I read The Forgotten Waltz by the same author in 12/23.
Rejects: ATY 23: book by author you read previous year; long-listed for Booker; won Booker open to male writers
Read: 23/4/24

3 A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list
The Moon And Sixpence
Relevance: Suggestion was book involving migration or relocation to another country . MC relocates from England to France and Tahiti.
Read: 22/1/24

4 A book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Orwell's Roses
Relevance: red roses too
Rejects: Roses are red ; related to left; full moon name - Flower Moon
Read:17/2/24

5 A book set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Relevance: Set in New York
Rejects: sentence (iii); ATY member (Vicki) gave 5*
Read: 6/2/24

6 A book with wings on the cover

Rejects: at least 247 pages
Read: 29/2/24

7 A book with a pronoun in the title
Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person: A Parent’s Handbook to Supporting Newly Diagnosed Teens and Pre-Teens
Read :May 24

8 A book by an author from Australia, Canada or New Zealand
The Yield by Tara June Winch
Relevance: Australian author
Rejects: marginalised character
Read:16/3/24

9 A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads
How Religion Evolved
Relevance: 403 ratings @22/6/24
Read: 10/5/24

10 A history or historical fiction book
The Temple of Fortuna
Relevance: Historical fiction
Rejects: real person as character (Pliny)
Read: 4/1/24

11 A book with an X connection
Rise Up Women
Relevance: The right to put an X on a ballot paper
Rejects: X marks the spot; library pick
Read: 2/4/24

12 A book that has been on your TBR list for over a year
Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How it Changes Us
Rejects: human/civil rights; involves politics
Read: 3/1/24

13 A book that is on a Five Books list
The Satsuma Complex
Relevance: https://fivebooks.com/best-books/funn...
Rejects: pet in story
Read: 8/1/24

14 A book with a BIPOC main character
Homegoing
Relevance: MCs are black
Read: 13/4/24

15 A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX)
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
Rejects: in honour of Wilkie Collins
Read: 1/6/24

16 A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs"
History of the Rain
Rejects: child character
Read: 26/02/24

17 A book involving intelligence
If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity
Read: 30/1/24

18 A book with a botanical cover

Rejects: related to
Read:21/2/24

19 A book connected in some way to any of the flavours of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream
Bournville
Relevance: Chocolatey Love A Fair ; suburb of Bournville built by Cadburys of chocolate fame.
Rejects: multiple POV
Read: January 2024

20 A book with a single word title
Oxblood
Rejects: read in 24 hours
Read: 25/3/24

21 A book with a title containing 6+ words
The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne
Read: 18/4/24

22 A book by an author from an African country
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin
Relevance: author from Nigeria
Rejects: fish out of water character
Read: 14/4/24

23 A book related to Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads or Jimmy Buffet
Crusoe's Island: A Rich and Curious History of Pirates, Castaways and Madness
Read: 12/3/24

24 A book with a secondary colour on the cover

Relevance: Violet on cover
Rejects: Violets are blue; Barbie job (floral designer)
Read: 7/5/24

25 A book involving a crime that’s not murder
Keanu Reeves Is Not In Love With You: The Murky World of Online Romance Fraud
Read: 12/4/24

26 A book by an author known by their initials
All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Rejects; From NPR list
Read: 4/6/24

27 A book related to land
by Raynor Winn
Reject: rhyming author name; non-traditional name; 4 seasons cover
Read: 15/5/24

28 A book related to sea
Risingtidefallingstar
Read: 21/5/24

29 A book related to air
Caesar's Last Breath - the Epic Story of the Air we Breathe by Sam Kean
Rejects: water as gas; author with gender neutral name
Read: 24/5/324

30 A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean sea
The Convert
Relevance: set in France, and Egypt
Rejects: bilingual character
Read: 8/5/24

31 A book related to ‘Going for the Gold’.
Trojan Gold
Rejects: related to Terracotta Army discovery
Read: 27/5/24

32 A book with a number in the title
The Three Graces
Rejects: title refers to more than I MC
Read: 12/5/24

33 A book involving travel
News of the World
Read: 19/4/24

34 A book related to the name of one of Snow White's seven dwarfs
The Sleep Watcher
Relevance: Sleepy
Read: 10/6/24

35 A science or science-fiction book
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Relevance: Science-fiction
Rejects: sci-fi (fantasy) novel; zodiac sign recommendation/related to birth month
Read: 5/5/24

36 A book with a character in education
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Relevance: MC starts a new school
Rejects: won several children's book awards
Read: April 24

37 A book that is part of a series
Amongst Our Weapons
Relevance: Rivers of London series
Rejects: hidden object on cover
Read: 6/1/24

38 Two books with similar covers: Book 1

Rejects: found family; strong sense of place
Read: 28/4/24

39 Two books with similar covers: Book 2

Rejects: lost family
Read: 30/4/24

40 A book involving a wild animal or endangered species in the content, title, or on the cover

Rejects: biography, autobiography or memoir ; timepiece on cover
Read:21/3/24

41 A book with a chilling atmosphere
The Fall of the House of Usher
Rejects: a classic; Nightmare before Christmas character
Read: 13/6/24

42 A book with a sound-related word in the title
The Screaming Sky
Rejects: features a hobby (birdwatching)
Read: 31/1/24

43 A book by an Edgar award-winning author
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
Relevance: Best Novel 2021
Rejects: colour in title; author from country by Indian Ocean
Read: 19/6/24

44 A book with a touch of magic
When We Were Birds
Relevance: Shapeshifting, spirits.
Rejects: magical realism
Read: May 24

45 A book that is not a novel
Midnight Chicken: & Other Recipes Worth Living For
Relevance: Recipes/memoir
Rejects: related to Greek letter (Chi)
Read: 28/1/24

46 A book related to night
Nightwalking
Rejects: creatures of the night; set (partly) in autumn
Read: 20/6/24

47 A book with a two-word title, with the first word being ‘The’.
The Cartographers
Rejects: related to pirates, maps or treasure; mad, bad/dangerous character
Read: 22/4/24

48 A second book that fits your favourite prompt
Hunting the Falcon
Relevance: Fits #10 A history book or historical novel
Rejects: related to We didn't start the fire -England's got a new queen; 6 Wives rhyme; musical: Six
Read: March 24

49 A book with a senior citizen character
The Carer
Rejects: sentence (ii)
Read: 6/4/24

50 A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 /2024
Educated
Relevance: 2023 list
Rejects: Audie award winner; celebrity recommendation (Bill Gates)
Read: 2/6/24

51 A book published in 2024

Relevance: Published 6/2/24
Rejects: set in/around a building; chair on cover; household object on cover
Read: 11/6/24

52 A cosy mystery
The Marlow Murder Club
Rejects: Masterpiece mysteries
Read: 31/1/24

As a first timer who started on 1/2/2024 and just finished my (basic) 2024, I admired the style of your more elaborate plan.

Thanks - it was fun to do.

A-Z

All About Love; Black England; (The) Cloisters; (The) Door in the Air; Edge Of Evil; Fatal Legacy; Gold Diggers; Happiness; Invisibles; Jessie's Journey; Knowledge of Angels; Lampedusa; (The) Maid's Room; North Woods; On Mexican Time; Paper Boat Paper Bird; Quickly, While They Still Have Horses ; Rain Cat; Shy; To the Bright Edge of the World; Untold Night and Day; What Moves the Dead; Vladimir; x + y; Y Is for Yesterday; Zen in the Art of Writing

Rejected prompts

These are the rejects that I couldn't fit into the main ATY challenge:

Read for other challenges
1 A book from the Canada Reads booklist
Empire of Wild
Read for PopSugar #40: horror story by BIPOC author

2 A book by an author lost in 2023
The Book of Forgotten Authors by Christopher Fowler
Read for PopSugar #15: book recommended by a librarian

3 A book related to dragons
The Dragon of Krakow: and other Polish Stories
Read for PopSugar #23: a book that features dragons

4 A book on a banned book list
George
Read for ATY summer challenge: a character in an educational setting, and PopSugar #39: fiction by trans or non-binary author

5 A book related to a sensory disability
Deaf Sentence
Read for PopSugar #9: book by a deaf/hard of hearing author

6/7 A book with a ranch or farm setting; Line from Roses are red verse ( sugar is sweet )
The Sweetness of Water
Read for ATY summer challenge: book with a rural setting

8 A book related to athletics in honour of the Olympics
Carrie Soto Is Back
Read for PopSugar #7: book about a female athlete

9 A book with a neuro-diverse character
A Boy Made of Blocks
Read for PopSugar #22: a book centred on video games

10 A book that was the basis for an Oscar winning movie
The Price of Salt
(basis for Carol )
Read for PopSugar #13: a book originally published under a pen name

11 A book recommended by an independent bookseller
Weyward
Read for PopSugar #35: a book with magical realism

12 A book for leap year/day/with a leap
Once Upon a Leap Year
Read for PopSugar #1: a book with the word 'leap' in the title

13 A book with a musical instrument on the cover

Read for PopSugar #47: a book with 24 letters in the title

14 A book with a great first line
Fire from Heaven
( The child was wakened by the knotting of the snake's coils around his waist. )
Read for ATY summer challenge: a book published in the 60s

15 A book disguised as a reference work or manual
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Read for ATY Fall Challenge: letter E


Read to complete missing rejects

15/16 A book with life in the title/a book with death in the title
Rhyming Life and Death: A Novel

17/18 A book with 'guide' in the title/ A book with a reference work in the title
The Guide

19 A book with a celebrated last line
The Awakening
The last line There was the hum of bees and the musky odor of pinks filled the air was listed by a Washington Post 2019 article entitled The 23 most unforgettable last lines in fiction . Really needs the story context to see what the article meant.

20. A book with a lock or key on the cover


21 A book with the name of a spice in the title
Eliza Mace



Complete!

End of year summary:

Challenges completed: ATYx2, 4 seasonal challenges, PopSugar, participated in 4 Readathons and completed 1.

Books read: 230. Non-fiction: 52

Read for ATY: 104; PopSugar: 50; seasonal challenges and readathons: 48; Other: 27.

Top 5 fiction genres (some overlap): Literary fiction: 61; Crime/mystery: 45; Fantasy/magical realism: 26 (surprise!); Historical fiction: 22; Romance: 8.

Top 5 non-fiction genres (some overlap): Autobiography/biography/memoir: 18; History: 12; Biology/nature: 10; Mental health /psychology: 6; Essays: 4

Sources for books:
Library: 172 (including 7 e-books)
Borrowed from friends etc: 13
Bought on Kindle: 14
Bought from bookshops: 13
Bought secondhand: 8
Gifts: 5
Free downloads: 3