Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

The Summer Challenge

June
✅1. National Ballpoint Pen Day
June 10th, the anniversary of the patent filing. Fun fact: the world's most popular ball point is the Bic Crystal, which sells on average 57 pens per second.
✅a. A book with a writing utensil on the cover
Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje - 6/30/24 - 3* - My Review

✅b. An author who has a pen name
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo - 7/5/24 - 4* - My Review (Elizabeth Tshele)
✅c. A book about a writer, bookseller, or librarian
Sideways by Rex Pickett - 6/25/24 - 3* - My Review (protagonist Miles is a writer)

✅2. National Prune Day
June 15th. Fun fact: prunes, the dried version of plums, were originally from China.
✅a. A book written by someone over the age of 60
Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks - 7/15/24 - 4* - My Review
✅b. A book with more than 400 pages
The Road Beyond Ruin by Gemma Liviero - 6/6/24 - 3* - My Review (436 pages)
✅c. A book with purple on the cover

Pod by Laline Paull - 6/6/24 - 4* - My Review

✅3. Let's Catch a Movie
The term 'blockbuster' was originally used to describe especially destructive bombs, and then came to mean shocking news stories. It's current use as a movie with huge box office returns is often attributed to producer Max Youngstein
✅a. Author's initials can be found in BLOCKBUSTER FILM
Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher - 6/14/24 - 4* - My Review
✅b. A book that has been adapted into a movie or series
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - 6/2/24 - 4* - My Review
✅c. A book published in the last two years
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard - 6/13/24 - 4 stars - My Review

✅4. Happy Birthday Paul Gauguin
Born on June 7th 1848 Gauguin was a French artist most known for his contributions to the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He lived in France, Peru, Martinique, Tahiti, and the Marquesas Islands.
✅a. A book with at least 4 colors on the cover

Pied Piper by Nevil Shute - 6/23/24 - 5* - My Review
✅b. A translated book
Animal Life by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir - 6/15/24 - 4* - My Review (I read the English translation from the original Icelandic)
✅c. A book with a seven in the page count
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse - 6/16/24 - 3* - My Review (227 pages)

July
✅1. Happy Birthday Satchel Paige
Baseball pitcher Leroy R. (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982) was the first African American pitcher in the American League. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
✅a. A book whose author's initials appear in CURVEBALL
The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth - 6/19/24 - 4.5* - My Review
✅b. A book featuring a sport
Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams - 6/27/24 - 3* - My Review (the sport is Cricket)
✅c. A book with a black main character
Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo - 6/5/24 - 4* - My Review

2. The Apollo Moon Landing
Apollo 11, the first manned landing on Earth's moon, touched down on the surface on July 20, 1969.
✅a. A book set in space
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams - 6/11/24 - 4* - My Review
✅b. A book with the moon on the cover

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint - 7/31/24 - 4* - My Review
✅c. A book published in the 1960s
A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o - 8/21/24 - 3* - My Review (published 1967)

✅3. Let's Go on a Hike
Fun fact: Yellowstone National Park averages 1 bear attack per year, and there have only been 8 bear-caused fatalities in park history. For perspective that is 1 bear attack per 26.2 million park visits.
✅a. A book with a cover of a nature scene without people
On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin - 6/13/24 - 3* - My Review
✅b. A book set in a rural area
Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor - 6/20/24 - 4* - My Review
✅c. A book with an element of survival
East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity by Philippe Sands - 6/9/24 - 4* - My Review

✅4. Dog Days of Summer
Fun fact: this phrase refers to the time when Sirius the dog star is visible in the sky.
✅a. A book with a dog on the cover

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo - 7/16/24 - 4* - My Review
✅b. A book with a hot setting
Winds of the Steppe: Walking the Great Silk Road from Central Asia to China by Bernard Ollivier - 6/29/24 - 4.5* - My Review (features a walk through the Gobi Desert)
✅c. An author's first book
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman - 6/1/24 - 4* - My Review


August
✅1. The Destruction of Pompeii
Pompeii was a Roman city that was buried under volcanic ash and pumice during the eruption of Mt Vesuvius on August 24, 79 CE. Because of the particular method of its destruction it is extremely well preserved and offers a unique look at life in the ancient Roman Empire.
✅a. A book featuring an ancient civilization
The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell - 6/10/24 - 4* - My Review
✅b. A book with red on the cover

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson - 6/18/24 - 5* - My Review
✅c. A book set in a city
My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor - 6/3/24 - 5* - My Review (set in Rome/Vatican City)

✅2. Vacation Time
Fun fact: 60% of the Earth's lakes are located in Canada. Something to think about next time you're by a lake.
✅a. A book you've been meaning to read
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf - 6/17/24 - 4* - My Review
✅b. A book by a favorite author
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan - 6/25/24 - 4* - My Review
✅c. Our Hearts Were Young and Gay: An Unforgettable Comic Chronicle of Innocents Abroad in the 1920s by Cornelia Otis Skinner - 6/20/24 - 4* - My Review (Paris)

✅3. Let's Play a Game
Fun fact: In Chile the Clue character Mr. Green is named Chef Lettuce.
✅a. A book with multiple points of view
Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper - 7/4/24 - 4* - My Review
✅b. A book by an author whose initials appear in SCRABBLE
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle - 6/7/24 - 2* - My Review
✅c. A book in a series
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis - 6/15/24 - 2* - My Review

✅4. Back to School Sales
Fun fact: in 2023 the average American household spent $890 on back to school shopping, according to an online survey. Ok, that one's not actually that fun.
✅a. A book borrowed from the library
The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War by Richard Rubin - 6/14/24 - 5* - My Review
✅b. A nonfiction book
Revolutionary Spring: Europe Aflame and the Fight for a New World, 1848-1849 by Christopher Clark - 6/8/24 - 4* - My Review
✅c. A book with a character in an educational setting
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov - 6/4/24 - 4* - My Review

completed 8/21/24