Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

We've reached the fall, and that means it's time to go back to school!

For this team challenge, you will be tackling all the major school subjects, with the goal of making all As!

Completing one prompt in each category will increase your grade by one letter. Here's how the grades are given:
Completing one prompt for the subject: F
Completing two prompts for the subject: D
Completing three prompts for the subject: C
Completing four prompts for the subject: B
Completing five prompts for the subject (plus required pencils): A

Pencils can be earned by reading 1500 pages or listening to 25 hours of audiobooks as a team.

Literature
Two Pencils
A book about books
A book featuring a student, teacher, writer or librarian
A book that is a retelling
A book that has been translated into English
A book with a title of 5 words or more

Math
Three Pencils
A book with a geometric shape on the cover
A book with more than one author
A book with over 500 pages
A book with under 200 pages
A book with multiple points of view

Science
One Pencil
A book involving nature
A book involving a person in a STEM field
A science fiction book
A book with an animal on the cover
A book with a plant on the cover

History
Two Pencils
A historical fiction book
A book published at least 50 years ago
A book featuring a real historical figure
A memoir, biography or autobiography
A book taking place during a war

Geography
One Pencil
A book set on an island
A book written by an Asian author
A book set in the southern hemisphere
A book involving travel
A book containing a weather event (storm, quake, blizzard, etc.)

The Arts
One Pencil
A play, screenplay, or book of poetry
A book featuring a protagonist who has a career in the arts
A book with all three primary colors on the cover (red, blue, yellow)
A book whose title starts with a letter in EGOT
A book containing a map or illustrations

Recess
A book featuring sports
A book featuring a hobby
A children's book (can be less than 100 pages)
A young adult book
A humorous book

THE TEAM
Captain: J
Captain: Ciara
Nancy
Jillian
Emma R.
Isabella Taylor
Traci

THE SPREADSHEET
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Hi Team Eagles!

This is my first time doing a read-a-thon and am new to the group.

I am currently reading and can be used for the prompt “ a book with over 500 pages”.

Thanks for shouting that out, Isabella! I was thinking about jumping on that grenade. I'll focus my reading elsewhere now.

I was thinking about targeting all of my reads within one subject - because I want to get a good grade. But it would be good to see what other topics people are already targeting.

Hi team! I'm happy to be reading with you all this week!

I just added some of my book options to the plans tab of the spreadsheet. Emma and Nancy have added some too. It's a good way to get an idea where we're at with prompts.

I added the 5 books I hope to finish during the read-a-thon. 4 of the 5 books are over 500 pages but they also fit other categories.

Hi Team!

Yes Isabella go ahead and add your book to the Plan tab, and mark off whatever prompts fit. Someone else may complete the 500 pages first and then yours can be used for something else.

Does anyone know why there are Sheet 2 and Sheet 3 tabs?

Excited for this week and hope to get caught up on my GoodReads goal for the year! I have kind of a crazy week so hope to read as much as I can. I do have a few flights in there so hopefully I can get a lot of reading done on those!

Nancy, my internet kept disconnecting while I was updating the spreadsheet so it likely was me. I let Emily know and she fixed it.

Note: For this round, as you complete subjects, you will need to add the number of pencils you're using to each subject tab. Typically putting an x is ok, but because some subjects require more pencils, I changed the formula so it will correctly count your available pencils on the pencil tab. Head to the intro thread if you have questions.

Hello, team! It's early in the morning on the 14th for me & I just sat down with my coffee & saw which team I've been assigned to & that I'm a team leader this time around! I'm stoked to see that several of you have already input your TBRs into the planning sheet & marked the potential prompts they meet. Anyone who hasn't done that yet--that is a great first step, & if you need help with it, feel free to reach out. If you don't know for sure what prompts your books might meet because you haven't read them yet, that's okay! You're not locked into anything right now. Just mark what you can & we can fill in any blanks we may have later.

Just an update that I am now half way through my first book A Stitch in Time by Andrew Jordt Robinson.

I got up at 5:30 this morning, had my coffee, and started reading. 📚🥰

Book and prompts added to the spreadsheet as well.

Finished my first book! A Stitch in Time by Andrew Jordt Robinson. 396 pages.

Works for prompts:
Science Fiction, a book taking place during a war (flashbacks in the book), a book with a plant on the cover (not sure if a flower is ok).

Isabella Taylor wrote: "Finished my first book! A Stitch in Time by Andrew Jordt Robinson. 396 pages.

Works for prompts:
Science Fiction, a book taking place during a war (flashbacks in the ..."

I added it to Science Fiction since that had the fewest options, and we can move it later if needed.


I just colored the boxes with a light blue but if anyone wants to change the color that is fine with me.

Thanks Jillian!

Hi team,
Sorry for the late check-in. I'm working my way through a number of books. I'm hopeful to finish Die With Your Lord and Amethysts & Alchemy this weekend. I was already reading them before the challenge and I am over half way through them.

Today ended up being pretty busy so I didn't get much reading done. I'm hoping to get to read more tomorrow and finish Hot and Sour Suspects.

I made progress on both my books today, especially my audiobook as I did other things around the house. I should finish both tomorrow.

I found a short book with two authors and may listen to that one tomorrow too. Work is rough right now so I planned a low key weekend but am also trying to do house stuff, cooking, etc to make the week easier, which means lots of audio time.

I too made progress on both of my books yesterday and should finish them both today. I'm going out on a friend's boat today but plan to spend the evening reading.

Good morning,

I’ll be focusing on the slow going Wizard's First Rule. If anyone finishes the prompt of 500 pages or more before I finish, I’ll use mine for pencils.

I haven’t seen any prompts so far that this can be used for yet besides that one.

I know I have a few books that fit the 500+ prompt, but I’m planning on using them for other prompts.

Isabella, it looks like you have two spots in pencil tracking. Any idea what's up with that? We can probably just delete one, right? & Nancy, you're the only one who hasn't tallied your reading from yesterday in pencil tracking yet. No problem as long as everyone makes sure they're keeping track everyday & get it filled in eventually.

I've finished two books so far & am hoping to get at least halfway through another by the end of the day, but TBH with y'all, I'm really not feeling well. I was diagnosed with a kidney infection last week & I think I'm having a bad reaction to the antibiotics. Being ill could mean I get LOTS of reading done because I'm stuck in bed or NO reading done because I'm always asleep. Hoping to just plain feel better tomorrow, but if I must be sick, cross your fingers for lots of reading.

I fixed it so there is only one entry on my pages read.

I logged yesterday's pages this morning at about 8am Mountain. Not sure what time you checked it but they are there. Since I read at night in bed and often during the night when I wake up and can't go back to sleep, I don't log until the next morning.

Hope you feel better, Ciara.

I finished My Favourite Mistake and put it in for set on an island, which actually works for both settings of NYC and Ireland.

Ciara, I hope you're starting to feel better. When I had covid last month, a friend said she hoped I had a bunch of good books, but I spent most of the week sleeping, so I get what you mean!

I finished One Two Three. The POV switched between three triplets during the course of the book (chapters were 1,2,3,1,2,3,etc instead of normal numbers), but I put it in student, librarian etc since all are in HS and one is the "librarian" of their small town (it had fewer options than multiple POV). I've found both Laurie Frankel books I've read to have interesting perspectives and hope to read more.

I also read The Honeymoon Crashers which was a short follow-up to The Unhoneymooners and a quick, easy read and was written by two authors.

I'll finish How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House tonight after I finish up some work and keep going on Noor, though I'm not sure it works for anything but sci-fi.

Ciara, I hope you start feeling better.

Traci, I added Isabella’s book to sci-fi since there was only one other possible book. Her book fit in a few different spots if yours only works for sci-fi or we can start trying for a second column.

I finished Hot and Sour Suspects earlier today. I probably won’t finish any more books until the middle of the week. I’ll update my pencils in the morning since I’m hoping to get more pages and audio hours in before I go to sleep.

Ooh, it might fit in involving travel. Funny, when I was looking earlier I thought that was a category, but couldn't find it. I guess my brain just kept skipping over it! Otherwise I'll juggle!

Nancy, maybe you updated it at some point while I had the spreadsheet open. I know I had it open for a while as I was doing other things. Sorry!

I just checked things out for the morning & wow! We made a ton of progress yesterday! Amazing job, everyone! I'm reading an ARC of Snake Oil right now, which would be perfect for the STEM field prompt (or multiple POVs). I was going to read The Wedding People, but my reader wouldn't connect to WiFi & let me download it. So I'm going to jump into that later today. Not having read it yet, I have no idea what prompts it might fit, beyond all the reviews saying it's "funny" (but I imagine probably in the way a Nora Ephron movie is funny--like, you laugh, you cry, as opposed to the way seeing a hated political rival fall down an open manhole is funny, which is just straight up funny, no matter what my boyfriend says).

No worries at all.

I finished Firekeeper's Daughter last night and put it in a book featuring sports since there are no other options for that category. Saying it "features" sports is pushing it a bit but there's definitely hockey including a game.

I too won't finish anything else for a few days. Darn work getting in the way!

I had a great reading weekend and was able to complete three books. I've updated the spreadsheet with those books. I am hoping to complete three more books this week, but I'll see what my work schedule allows.

I finished The Great Gatsby and put it in as a short book. My current book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is going well and I plan to put it in as a Children's Novel.

After that, I intend to target the prompts that nobody has claimed. I finished Fool on Friday (before the challenge started) and was considering reading the play it was based on, King Lear, for the play prompt.

Sorry that you have to read Wizard's First Rule, Isabella. I should have warned you.

I stopped reading it at almost 100 pages in. I hated the writing style, the characters, just about everything.

Reading Destiny: The Complete Saga by David Mack instead and loving it! Well over 500 pages.

Thanks for tackling the play, J! Or at least considering it!

I have a book in transit from the library that fits for Southern hemisphere, so I can start that one after I finish Where the Forest Meets the Stars, which I think will be a decently quick read, though work week, so who knows.

I haven't had much focus today for reading. Hopefully, I'll find a burst before falling asleep. I'll update in the morning.

I finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane yesterday and put it in as the children's book. Though that might be one we could move around.

Currently reading King Lear (Kindle) for the play prompt and The Moving Finger for the over 50-year-old prompt.

There are a few prompts that are hard to know if your book qualifies for, until you're reading it.

Traci wrote: "I'll finish How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House tonight after I finish up some work and keep going on Noor, though I'm not sure it works for anything but sci-fi."

I added some X's to Noor for you. Don't look at them if you don't want any spoilers.

Isabella Taylor wrote: "I stopped reading Wizard's First Rule at almost 100 pages in. I hated the writing style, the characters, just about everything."

A lot smarter than me.

I finished The Wedding People & decided it wasn't funny enough (for my tastes) to count for the humor prompt. I slotted it into the primary colors prompt instead, but it could work for several others. Diving into Madwoman today, Chelsea Bieker's newest, & I have no idea yet what prompts it might fit!

I finished Noor and agree with J's additional x's (thanks!).

While on a walk yesterday, my phone returned two of my audiobooks, including the memoir, but I found a different memoir to check out. My phone also opened 10 websites, took 4 in-pocket videos, composed a text, created a text group with 6 people and composed that text (luckily didn't send any texts). I don't understand how this all happened...

I finished The Moving Finger (in one day) and put it in for the old book prompt.

Looking at our plan, there are two prompts that nobody is currently reading a book for:

A book about books
A humorous book

My big target is going to be completing King Lear. It's going well so far. Surprisingly, it got a shout out in The Moving Finger. I might be able to shift my other reading to help cover one more prompt.

I should be finished with Destiny: The Complete Saga for the prompt a book with over 500 pages by Saturday.

I have the only planned book for "A book containing a map or illustrations". I'm planning on focus on Words of Radiance for my print book and should be finished Friday/Saturday.

I also hope to finish War and Peace around Friday/Saturday. It still seems to fit several open prompts.

Thats Great News, Jillian and Isabella!

Those are definitely harder prompts (big books).

Here's what I have for high priority:

House of Glass (Nancy) - Geometric Shape
My Side of the River (Traci) - Memoir
King Lear (J) - Play
With You Forever (Nancy) - Career in Arts
Words of Radiance (Jillian) - Map
The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir (Emma) - EGOT
War and Peace (Jillian) - Translated work

The only thing we have listed for Southern Hemisphere is Between Us (Traci) which isn't started yet. Might need confirmation on that one (or a backup).

S. hemisphere: As long as it comes in to the library (it's in transit, but should be to my branch today or tomorrow I'd guess), I'll finish it over the weekend. It's young adult and my current book is good so moving quickly, but stressful work means I'm only reading before bed.

Books about books: There are 2 in completed tab with this x'd.
The Wedding People - there are other options for current placement
The Changeling - would have to move Die With Your Lord to retelling and then there are other options for plant on cover.

Would want to confirm with Ciara that she feels they still fit book about books. I know sometimes when I read the book it no longer seems like it fit a prompt I thought it would.

I'm chugging along on House of Glass, I have my book club tonight plus need to start packing for my trip. Fingers crossed if I get everything done I might be able to finish it tomorrow? If not for sure on Friday.

With You Forever being audio means I can listen while driving and packing. I'm also shooting for tomorrow for that but it may be Friday as well.

J wrote: "Thats Great News, Jillian and Isabella!

Those are definitely harder prompts (big books).

Here's what I have for high priority:

House of Glass (Nancy) - Geometric Shape
My Side of the River (Trac..."

This looks like a good plan.

Update: My Southern hemisphere book is at the library, so I can commit to finishing this before the end of the read-a-thon!

Yay, we have an A in recess!

11 hour work day, so not much reading done, but tomorrow should be better.

Thanks to menopause, I was able to finish House of Glass in the wee hours. Thanks menopause!

Still planning on tomorrow for With You Forever.

Not sure what I'll start next, lots of Libby holds that were supposed to take weeks have come in. It's a good problem to have!

We're failing Art!

Sorry, y'all, I don't know why I didn't see all this new discussion yesterday. Yes, feel free to move my books around if necessary. I've double-checked & everything I've read fits the prompts I have checked. I did move some things around yesterday to find a spot for Madwoman when I finished it yesterday because it wound up satisfying remarkably few prompts.

If anyone finishes a book & you can't find an unused a prompt for it, & you can't figure out how best to shift things around to accommodate itt, just holler & we will sort it out.

So updating from where J did yesterday morning, these are the currently unfilled prompts:

a book about books: The Writing Retreat (Ciara)
title with 5 words or more: The Dagger & the Forbidden Heir (Emma)
over 500 pages: Star Trek: Destiny (Isabella)
about nature: Where the Forest Meets the Stars (Traci)
memoir/biography/autobiography: My Side of the River (Traci) OR Splinters (Ciara)
takes place during war: Unspeakable Home (Ciara) (I'll be done with this in like an hour)
set in the Southern hemishphere: Between Us (Traci) OR Search History (Ciara)
play/screenplay/poetry: King Lear (J)
protag with a career in the arts: With You Forever (Nancy)
title starts with EGOT: Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare (Ciara)
contains map or illustrations: Words of Radiance (Jillian)

I assigned myself a lot of prompts but that is only to make sure every prompt had a book attached. I know I am good to read at least four more books, maybe five, before the end of the readathon, & I tried to match everyone else up with a book that is already listed as In Progress so no feels overwhelmed. But by all means, read more if you can & if you desire!

Please let me know if I've overlooked anything, & please don't interpret this as me muscling anyone out of prompts! Please take on whatever prompts you wish--again, this is just a way of covering bases! :)

I will be reading all day today and tomorrow and plan on finishing up my book by tomorrow at the latest.

I finished my memoir and juggled pencils so we now have an A in history. I'll figure out my next audio tomorrow but focus more on physical to finish up those prompts.

It is looking like I will be finishing both of my books Saturday. The problem with reading really long books.