Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

The list-making process for ATY can be a heartbreaking one... when we set our sights on a prompt that doesn't make it, it is so tough! Luckily, we have this prompt to fill the gap. Take a look at our list of prompts that didn't quite make the cut, and choose your favorite to place here!

The Prompts That Didn't Make the Cut: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
ATY List: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and how does it fit?

This one is tough because nearly every prompt I voted for didn't make the list. But I'm leaning towards quarter century publication, sandwich, or modern Mrs Darcy

I have a lot of rejected prompts, but leaning towards: modern Mrs. Darcy, independent bookseller, Wizard of Oz character, or related to Stephen King book (for now). I'm sure my thoughts will change in 2025!

Since it's the 50th anniversary of Fawlty Towers, I'm going with that prompt

I'm using A book set in a nation, territory, or commonwealth whose predominant language is Spanish.

Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado



Its the first book in a trilogy that has sold over 2 million copies in Spain, sold to seventeen countries, and is the basis of an Amazon streaming series'. I haven't watched the series yet, but I've heard it's good.

There are so many rejected prompts and too many possibilities to list. I think I'm going to use this prompt as a joker to make one of the books I want to read in the coming year work that otherwise wouldn't.

I’d like to go with the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and read either The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena or A History of Burning.
My other favorite is a book set during a revolution but I don’t have a particular revolution or book selected. Maybe the American Revolution - Johnny Tremain.

Now that the voting has finished I know that I will be using "A book that fits at least three other prompts" for this prompt.

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng easily fits 15 prompts and could be stretched to 20 prompts.

I will wait till the ToB shortlist is released to ensure something will fir here, but among my favorite prompts that didn’t make it were mushrooms and migration.

At this point, I've usually decided to go with the GR Choice Award prompt and move on, but I'll probably wait to see what the awards offer, and see the ToB shortlist before deciding on a prompt. I have 59 that I voted for that didn't make the list, so plenty to choose from.

I'm going with "a book that fits three other prompts". My books for this are:
Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness (animal/veg/mineral, cityscape on cover, intriguing title) and
The Fortnight in September (waves on cover, coastal setting, noun in author name - Sherriff)

I'm leaning towards microhistory or mushrooms, but I'll wait to see what Popsugar is like before I lock it in.

I have a list of 51 prompts that I voted for that did not get in. I don't do a rejects challenge. My plan HAD been to use "zombies" for this category, until "monster book" got in, so now I can use that for zombies. My second favorite category was "manga" (for manganese, the 25th element - I just thought that was so clever!!) so I'll read a manga, either The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 2 or Death Note, Vol. 2: Confluence

I'm tempted by the book that plays with reality, breaks the 4th wall, or that fits three different prompts for this one.

Since I have 50+ prompts on my rejects challenge, I almost skipped this one. But I have a number of books that fit the prompt "A book set before 1900", I decided to do for both the official challenge and the rejects challenge. For this one I plan to read Only The Stones Never Die by Padraig McLoughlin, a historical fiction set in 1894 Mayo County Ireland.

I've changed my mind on this. I want to read for 'book with an animal on the cover'. Perhaps not the most exciting prompt, but it gives me a chance to fit in this book.

I'm also reading Oxford Reading Tree Biff, Chip and Kipper Stories Decode and Develop: Level 1+: The Tin Can Man for the Wizard of Oz suggestion. Yes, it's a reading scheme book!, but I'm trying to fit in as many different types of literature as possible. My daughters had this reading scheme, so a bit of nostalgia. Will be a break from all 700 pages of The Romanovs: 1613-1918 for #39!

My first choice is:
A book set before 1900
The Ladies' Paradise - Emile Zola


Other possible prompts:
a Generation Y (Millennial) author, shelved as literary fiction, about books, about a strong woman, with a road trip or long journey, food as a major theme or plot device, an alliterative title, historical fiction novel

I had lots of favourite prompts that I was going to choose from - about books, a tv or film adaptation, lucky or unlucky symbol on the cover, a competent main character, fits three other prompts. But in the end I've gone for something I didn't vote for, just because I want to fit a couple of extra books in and get in some more that are translated. There's one prompt that works perfectly for that:

Three books by authors from three different European countries
Blind Goddess by Anne Holt
Dead Sweet by Katrín Júlíusdóttir
Black Wolf by Juan Gómez-Jurado

I’m going with a book with illustrations and plan to read The Dark Tower by Stephen King.

I feel spoiled for choice to the point that it's overwhelming. I really like a lot of these choices. So right now, this is the shortlist:

* A play, screenplay, or poetry book (I have a screenplay and a couple of plays on my priority list, so this would be good)

* A book by a Nobel Prize winner

* A book shelved as literary fiction

* The Literary Clock one (because it landed on Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie the last time I went to the site)

I'm planning on doing "Book written by a Generation Y (Millenial) writer" since it seems pretty easy and there's a lot of flexibility of what kind of book I can read for it. As of right now, I'm planning on reading an Emily Henry novel (either Funny Story or Great Big Beautiful Life).

I have so many horse and bear related books to read, it obviously has to be animal on the cover:

The Perfect Horse: the Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis

The Bears of Yellowstone

Bold Ruler: Thoroughbred Legends

Native Dancer: The Grey Ghost Hero of a Golden Age

I Read:
Confronting the Invisible by David Field

REJECT: A book where something has disappeared or is disappearing

Finished: 01/01/2025
Rating: 3+ stars

Third book in the series. A dozen children have disappeared from St. Dunstan's perish, and the Reverend Matthew West, his new wife Adelaide, and her father, Dr. Carlyse join forces with the Met to find them.

I had planned something else but ended up reading for

" A book Related to National DNA day"

Genome: The Autobiography of Species in 23 Chapters

I was fascinated by this book and learnt a lot of new facts

I find it too easy to get lost in the weeds when there are too many options so I just went with the first prompt on the linked page;
Animal on the cover

Currently about 100 pages into Paladin's Grace
and absolutely loving it!

I started this book before the ATY 52 challenge,

'A book set in a country without a monarch' - The Virgin Suicides



So far I like the contrast of the tragic subject matter and the wry observations. During Cecilia's funeral, Mrs. Lisbon observes her daughter's chewed fingernails and comments, "Couldn't they do something about her nails?" Mr. Lisbon responds, "They'll grow out. Fingernails keep growing. She can't bite them now, dear."

For this prompt, I chose #2, 5, or 25 in a series. I'm a serial reader so by Tracy Clark was the perfect fit, as it is #2 in the Detective Harriet Foster Series. It was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read!! Having read (Book #1) last year for the 'title with one word' prompt, Fall was a great #2 choice and an easy fill, even though there are so many good reject prompts!
If you love suspense combined with procedural, I highly recommend Tracy Clark. I am looking forward to #3 in this series, as well as reading eventually several more of her books.

I read the dystopian classic novel The Iron Heel by Jack London for the suggestion A book set during a revolution, revolt, or rebellion.

I read, for this from poll 6 under close call (I think I upvoted this one), a book by an author whose publishing career spans at least 10 years The Road to Grace by Richard Paul Evans

This one was tough, reading through all of the prompts that didn't make this year's list. I decided to go with: A book featuring a circus, amusement park, or fair.
I am going to read Circus Creeps by Aiden Pierce.

Trying to finish off the series I am reading I choose the prompt "A book that is number 2, 5, or 25 in a series". I read Död man walking which is number 5 in the Top Dogg series.

I chose a book that is related to butterflies or moths for my prompt & read Strange the Dreamer. I highly recommend anything by this author.

I read If It Bleeds by Stephen King for this topic. It derives from poll 18 "Lucky/Unlucky symbol on cover" and a black cat features on the cover (Read Jan 12th; 4*)

I'm going to read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke for this one.

Anna wrote: "Trying to finish off the series I am reading I choose the prompt "A book that is number 2, 5, or 25 in a series". I read Död man walking which is number 5 in the Top Dogg series."

I chose the same prompt! I read the second book in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series, Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala. I read the first one a few years ago and this was the perfect excuse to ready the second book.

I went with A Short History of the Israel Palestine Conflict for the human rights category that didn't make it.

I read Liars by Sarah Manguso which fit the prompt: A book shelved as literary fiction.

For this prompt, I read:
Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard - 4* - My Review
It fits "a book with a tv or film adaptation"

I re-read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy for the prompt "a book considered a classic"

I read Table for Two Amor Towles

It meets many of the rejected prompts: law enforcement character, breaks the 4th wall, yellow on cover among others

I read Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone by Richard Lloyd Parry for "a book that fits three or more categories".
This book worked for:
- Wave on the cover
- Coastal Setting
- Author has 3 names
- Title contains all 5 vowels
- Character dealing with death
- A haunting book
My review can be found here.

I used the prompt: A book set before 1900 for this one. I read Villette by Charlotte Brontë. I wasn't crazy about it.

The book I chose for this prompt was
(a book involving love)

Short and sweet review:
4.5
It’s the drama, the betrayal, the love story, the prison pen pal all in one. Lei was hurt by almost every man that entered her life. London being that man in prison really was chef’s kiss. Looks like they signed up with the king pins!! That mfn tussie and yoni get exactly what they deserve.

A book involving love <3

I read the enjoyable (if gory in places ) Babylonia for the failed suggestion 'book about a strong woman'.

My 2016 read was Last Days Of New Parisnovella was extremely strange, set in a Paris peopled by Surrealist art come to life and where World War II was still being fought in 1950. Despite the eerie strangeness, I liked it and used it for the failed suggestion: 'A book which plays with perceptions of reality '- it certainly did.

I went with the rejected prompt 'A book that is 2, 5, or 25 in a series' because I had really wanted it to win (but was not in the majority).

Then I used it for book 5 of The Expanse:

I read Crow Mary. A book set before 1900.

I am reading Sylvia Plath Poems chosen by Carol Ann Duffy. It fits poll 5 'A book whose cover looks like a collage'. The cover is unusual and quite striking colourwise and looks very much like a collage.

I FINALLY read Know My Name by Chanel Miller.

If you are not familiar with the title, this is the INCREDIBLE memoir of a young woman who was sexually assaulted on the campus of Stanford in 2015. How she wrote about her experience in the aftermath was so open and raw and emotional and sensitive. And her writing itself was so literary and poetic in places (she had just completed her degree in literature just a few months before her assault). I wish I had read this sooner, but I'm glad I read it now.

I think this memoir should be shared with anyone who has had a similar experience to the author, as she talks about her self-doubt and how she came to realize that this self-doubt was unwarranted. I think it would also be good for someone to know that they are not alone in their feelings. The other important thing it brings up (which would be good to know ahead of time) is how little victims are educated regarding the judicial system and how this can affect their expectations and the decisions they make. So sad that this education does not appear to exist (at least in the author's's experience).

The prompt I used that did not make the list is: A book by any author who was a winner, runner-up, or finalist of any of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize awards. This book was on the Dayton Literary Peace Prize List in 2020.

Tracy wrote: "I FINALLY read Know My Name by Chanel Miller.

If you are not familiar with the title, this is the INCREDIBLE memoir of a young woman who was sexually assaulted on the campus of Sta..."

I love the Dayton peace prize list. I’ve been finding some great books on it this year. We should suggest it again.