Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Hey y'all!

We are in our 26th week of 2024 ATY! I just wanted to do a check in and see how everyone is doing in their challenge and what they hope for the second half of the year.

You can answer these questions (or not!)
1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?

Let's cheer each other on!

1. I have only twelve books remaining to complete the 52. The only hurdle I have had is that additional books pop up to read, which don't fit any of the remaining prompts.
2. Simply to quickly compleat the remaining books so I can focus on completing my goal to read eighty books for the year. Thank goodness, ATW 52 helps with this.
3. Yes, I'm voting. I'm still new to the process but it is interesting to see what are some promising prompts for next year.
4. Best books for the year thus far:
-The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín
- All The Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
- All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
-The Women by Kristin Hannah
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
-The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
-The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
-Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

I'm looking forward to reading:
-Holly by Stephen King.

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing? Yes, on track with 16 to go. I was doing really well, and then my reading overall and challenge reading got sidetracked in May / June. But I just got some library books to fulfil prompts, so hopefully I'm going to burn through the rest.

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year? Finish ATY, Popsugar, the additional lists and awards challenge, and the summer challenge. But also, read and clear out some more of my home book piles. Those two might be kind of contradictory though, as I'm at the point that I need to pick specific books to fulfil what I have left rather than reading randomly and assuming I will find a prompt somewhere to check off.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?Yes, I'm participating. I enjoyed it last year, even though none of my suggestions ever got any traction or response! But I still like reading the discussions and voting. I'm also going to keep track of all my upvotes for a rejects prompt next year, though I'm worried that's going to be a loooong list!

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?Not sure if this accords with my ratings at the time, but looking back over my list of books read so far, the four that stand out in my mind as best are Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, Some Desperate Glory, The Poet X and In the Lives of Puppets.
For the rest of the year, I hope to read good books, and more books I already own but haven't read yet. I also had a personal challenge to read everything on my Goodreads TBR added before 2015, and I have three left to meet that goal - Kafka on the Shore, Vroom with a View, and The Unwritten, Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity.

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
I've almost finished. Waiting for two books on hold from the library.

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
To finish ATY, and then to finish PopSugar. I'll do the seasonal challenges. and also see what books I've read would have fitted the rejects list. Otherwise just read what I fancy.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
Yes I am. I can already see that books I've read this year would fit prompts I rejected in last year's voting, so I'm not investing too much.

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?
A hard choice. Looking at each month quickly:

North Woods; A Trace of Smoke; Hunting the Falcon; News of the World/Burial Rites (can't choose just one of those); The Convert; Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line/All The Sinners Bleed/Americanah (another tie)

Looking forward to reading Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic and Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs.

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
Yes, I'm on track with 33 books read. The biggest challenge now is reading books specifically for prompts instead of reading whatever and fitting them in. I do have a book that I own for each prompt left, so it is doable.

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
Finish the ATY challenge by the end of November and make progress & hopefully finish challenges in other GR groups.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
Yes, I plan to participate but I'm not as gung-ho as other members, which is ok. I will vote but probably not do as much discussing this year. I want to focus more on reading this year and less on planning, although planning is fun (just time-consuming)!

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?
My 2 favorites so far are: Barbara Isn't Dying Yet and The Dark Forest. I'm currently reading the 3rd book, Death's End that follows The Dark Forest.

I definitely plan to read a Stephen King book, either his newest You Like It Darker or The Dead Zone. I have 3 books to read that will complete 2 series: The Story of the Lost Child, The Bullet That Missed and The Last Devil to Die plus a bunch of books I own that I have been meaning to read for YEARS! We will see what I actually decide to read.

Mid-Year Check-In:

I'm in good shape at 34/52, but I'm also one of those crazy people who likes to fulfill ALL the prompts including the seasonal challenges, so right now I'm really focused on the Summer Challenge. I've finished 18/36 of the summer prompts with no overlap between the regular challenge and the seasonal challenge. When I'm done with that, I'll get back to the regular challenge (and Jasper Fforde's Red Side Story!).

★★★★★ Reads:
Annie Bot (ATY #1 - a title that ends in A, T or Y)
This Could Be Us (ATY #25 - involving a crime other than murder: imbezzlement)
Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out (ATY #31 - related to going for gold)
They Never Learn (ATY #36 - a character in education)
Open Throat (ATY #40 - involving a wild animal or endangered species)
Veg-table: Recipes, Techniques, and Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals (ATY #45 - not a novel)

Oh man, Laura, I read a few of these and totally agree with your five star assessment!

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
I'm on track for finishing in November which is normal for me as I do other challenges. I feel like I'm behind on reading in general though, as I've been struggling to concentrate on reading for long periods. Trying to retrain myself not to go on the internet all the time!

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
Finish ATY and the first draft of my second book. I'm undecided whether I'll finish Popsugar, we'll see how the year goes.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing some new ideas and I love making lists in general.

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far?
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde

What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?
Echo of Worlds by M.R. Carey
Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse
The Vengeance by Emma Newman
Key Lime Sky by Al Hess
A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France by Ned Palmer
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
A Rose by Any Other Name by Mary McMyne
Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

You can answer these questions (or not!)
1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
I'm right on track with reading in order and have completed week 26.

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
Just to continue to read in order and not get too behind.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
I'm participating. I'm looking forward to having a new list.

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?
Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent by Dipo Faloyin has been my only 5 star read. (I don't give out many 5 starts).

My most anticipated book is Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson, but it won't be released until December.

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?

I'm currently one book behind, but my difficulties are all self-inflicted! I decided to read more than one book for some of the prompts, so I'm Around the Year in 67 Books for 2024, which is a bit more than I should probably have taken on. I've read 31 books for the challenge so far, so I'd be ahead if I'd been sensible.

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?

Just to get everything in my plan finished.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?

Yes, it's my favourite time of year. I love planning, so I'm excited about figuring out which books I have for the prompts as they get suggested - my spreadsheet has two 2025 tabs ready to be filled :)

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?

Best books so far have been from reliable favourites - Network Effect, False Value and The Fragile Threads of Power.

From the rest of the plan the books I'm looking forward to the most are Gobbelino London & A Contagion of Zombies, Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes: The Official Biography and The Witness for the Dead.

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
I've got 4 prompts to go so I'm feeling good with ATY.

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
Besides ATY, I'm also trying to do the PS challenge, which has much harder prompts for me to fill. I'm also trying to read or ditch books that have been hanging around on my tbr for more than 5 years.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
Yes of course! I love seeing all the new prompt ideas.

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?

A couple standouts:
Thirteen Guests
Ballad for Sophie
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery

For the second half of the year I'm hoping to read more of the books I already own and to pick up books from series I've started.

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing? Yes, I'm on track. However I was 6 ahead but have fallen behind to only 3 ahead. We'll see how the rest of the year goes.
2. What are your goals for the second half of the year? I joined a reading group on Patreon and their group reads are colliding with what I wanted to read this year but the group is fun. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes.
3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about? Yes, I'm participating. I like seeing the list come together.
4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year? Most surprising 5 star read for me was My Sister, the Serial Killer. It's also one I wouldn't have read without the push of a prompt. The other five star I'd have to list is The Great Alone. A lot of feelings in that book. As far as what I'm planning to read, I'm trying to finish up some series. We'll see how that goes!

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?

I've read 27/52. My only goal is to finish by Dec. 31 so by default I'm on track.
2. What are your goals for the second half of the year? None really other than finish several reading challenges by December.
3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about? I am voting, but like last year it seems people are really excited about topics I downvoted (sci-fi by a woman is an example this year, I don't like that genre and eliminating male authors makes it more frustratingly limited (kind of looks like a pop sugar prompt)
4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?

best: There There by Tommy Orange was the best I've read so far

next up: finishing The Women, To Paradise, and London.

looking forward to: Erasure, Men Without Women, and Women Talking

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing? Yes. I'm reading in order I've read through prompt # 37. I got a slow start this year & only caught up by having an audible book & regular book going at once. I'm waiting on a library book for prompt #38.
2. What are your goals for the second half of the year? I do three reading challenges. I want to finish at least one by August.
3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about? I'm participating in the voting process. I'm excited about starting my lists for 2025.
4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year? My best book is The Gift of Rain. I hope to read more books that I own.

Sherri wrote: "1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing? Yes. I'm reading in order I've read through prompt # 37. I got a slow start this year & only caught up by having an ..."

I love The Gift of Rain so much. Always so happy when someone mentions it.

Wow, the year is half over?!

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
I've completed 12 tasks. I don't read fast enough to finish all 52, I just have fun playing along. Also, now that the kiddo is out of school for the summer, I'm *really* going to slow down!

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
Just keep reading! I'm on target to finish my GR goal of 30 books.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
I'm voting so far, I don't think I have the energy to follow along in the Wild Discussion this year, but maybe I will when we get past the pre-polls.

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?
This month I read my first five star books: The Woman in the White Kimono and Proxy.
I'm a mood reader, so finishing what I've got going on now and seeing what grabs me later!

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
I'm half way done. I can't remember that I've ever been that far so early in the year. I think it is my fifth year participating but I only finished once. So I hope this will be the second time

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
No big goals. Just read and have fun with challenges.


3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
Yes. I love it when I'm able to follow a suggestion thread live. It's so exciting.

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?
Best books so far:
The Road to Roswell
The Witch & The City
Love Painted in Lies: A Maida Vale Tale
The Last Murder at the End of the World
The Prince and the Pauper

I need only 2 more books to finish the year, but they may well be ones I look for just to complete the challenge :)

1. I'm on track with about a 83% completion of ATY (43/52) and 71% completion of all my challenges. Popsugar is stressing me a bit because I still have a bunch of hard/super specific prompts left. But I'm at 64% complete (32/50) so it's not like I'm behind.

2. Finish all my challenges. I'm hoping I can finish the Diversity Baseline challenge without having to read a specific book to fit the prompt, just use my regular reading and still manage to hit every prompt.

3. Yep. As I've been struggling with the PS challenge, it just makes me appreciate more how ATY lets me have a say in what makes it on the list and what doesn't.

4. Well, confining myself to a top 10 was tough, but here it is:
1. Six Scorched Roses
2. Me: Moth
3. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
4. Wandering Stars
5. The Familiar
6. Dinosaur Sanctuary, Vol. 1 (The whole series really)
7. Tidal Creatures
8. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
9. Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza
10. The Grief of Stones

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?
64/52 complete (123%). Biggest hurdle is getting books.

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?
I'm trying to complete a second 52. In which case, I'm only 23% done, which looks terrible.

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?
I have been, yes. But not in suggesting topics - just the voting. I am most looking forward to making a 2025 list.

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?

It's probably Beloved by Toni Morrison. That should surprise no one.

Other big ones were Piranesi, Last Chance to See, If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, Pet Sematary, Iron Widow, Fight Club, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, Night Shift, and The Great Train Robbery

1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?

Yes - I am on my last book. I was going to try and finish it in June, but I am reading a physical copy before bed most nights, and I am just savoring it. My biggest challenge is that this has been the absolute worst year of my life. Reading has been my solace, but also, I have had more trouble focusing on physical books. Audiobooks have been easier because I can keep my hands busy while listening.

2. What are your goals for the second half of the year?

Finish my #20BooksByLatinaAuthors challenge

3. Are you participating in the voting for the 2025 list? What are you most excited about?

Yes, but not so much with the discussion and suggesting because I just can't keep up.

4. What's been your best book(s) of the year so far? What are you hoping to read in the second half of the year?

I have read so many good books this year. The Murderbot Diairies have turned into a comfort read for me, and they have been helping me through a terrible year. I also loved reading the first five books of The Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries series. I am really looking forward to two books coming out later in the year: Anyone But Her by Cynthia Swanson and Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson.

Misty wrote: "1. Are you on track with ATY? What are the challenges or hurdles you are facing?

Yes - I am on my last book. I was going to try and finish it in June, but I am reading a physical copy before bed m..."

Seeing that a comfort read is one of the prompts, it is good to hear that Murderbot is a comfort read for you.

John wrote: "Seeing that a comfort read is one of the prompts, it is good to hear that Murderbot is a comfort read for you."

That was a pleasant surprise. I had never read any Wells' books before this year. Finding her work and enjoying it so much has been really nice in a particularly craptastic year!