Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Weekly Topics 2025
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31. A book with a coastal setting
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I'm reading across Canada next year, so either the NS or NFLD book would work.
Wolfe Island by Lucy Treloar is what I’m planning to read. According to the synopsis it’s “set off the northeast coast of the US.”
The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor or one of 8 non-fiction books about Cape Cod that I found on Hoopla.
Dubhease wrote: "I'm reading across Canada next year, so either the NS or NFLD book would work."I like the reading across Canada idea. How are you doing that?
This is another series by Elly Griffiths that I thought I would give a try next year.The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
Charlsa wrote: "Dubhease wrote: "I'm reading across Canada next year, so either the NS or NFLD book would work."I like the reading across Canada idea. How are you doing that?"
My plan is to read one book set in each of the ten provinces. (And hoping I can find a ATY prompt for each of them). And before someone says 10 books isn't a personal challenge, they are right, except that if you do 10 geographic books, 10 series books, 10 anniversary prompts, challenges start piling up fast.
I'm reading Clear, set on a Scottish island (and would also work for 'waves on the cover). For my second time around, I have Hot Milk, set on the Spanish coast.
I'll be reading Rupture by Ragnar Jónasson, set in Hedinsfjörður and Siglufjörður on the northern coast of Iceland.
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I'm planning on The Garden of Evening Mists, set in Malaya, and The House on the Strand, in Cornwall.
Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer is out - if I can wait until after January 1st to read it, it'll be my choice for this!
I want to re-read A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie. I also have a book by Jenny Colgan, The Summer Skies, set in the islands off of Scotland and Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, set partly in the Caribbean.
I have quite a few options for this one, but most of them fit other prompts. So for this one, I might do The Shipping News. I keep meaning to read it and then not getting to it. According to the synopsis, it's set "on the Newfoundland coast." Sounds perfect for this.
Dubhease wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "Dubhease wrote: "I'm reading across Canada next year, so either the NS or NFLD book would work."I like the reading across Canada idea. How are you doing that?"
My plan is to read..."
Wow! That sounds like a great challenge.
It is a toss-up between The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry and The Life Impossible by Matt Haig.
It is a toss-up between The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry and The Life Impossible by Matt Haig.
This seems like a no plan type of book…when I read one that takes place by the coast I’ll slot it here
For this prompt, I read:Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - 4* - My Review (on the coast of Kamchatka, Russia)
I read The House of Lost Secrets which is set on the Scottish coast. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Read it as a group read. It’s not a thriller (even though some people have tagged it as a such). Instead it’s a story about friendship.
For those in the UK it’s available for free on Kindle Unlimited.
It has a lovely cover too.
I used this prompt for another Dexter book, in this case Dexter by Design, since being set on the coast is key to the plot of these books (and getting rid of the bodies).
I loved all these books set on a coast or island. ✅Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
✅Playground by Playground
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton - reading now
Read last year
Float Plan by Trish Doller
Fable by Adrienne Young
Namesake by Adrienne Young
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
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Good choice! When I ran a historical society on the Cape, people were so into her books! They're such fun. And she's from several good old Orleans and Chatham families.
I am planning on reading The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart - it is the third book in the Drowning Empire series, and the empire is made up of a bunch of islands.
I read You Are Fatally Invited, it is set on an island. A fun locked room mystery with some fun twists.
I read The Wall by Mary Roberts Rinehart, a Golden Age Mystery set on an island off the coast of New England. This story has a lot of atmosphere.
I read:
A Gentleman in Charleston and the Manner of His Death: A Novel by William P. Baldwin IIIREJECT: A book set before 1900
Finished: 05/12/2025
Rating: 3 stars
From Goodreads:
War, earthquake, political guile, adultery, illegitimacy, lust, and murder--all the devices of gothic romance--play a role in this tale closely based on the lives of Charlestonians who lived these events over a century ago.
Based on true events. A good story but a bit repetitive at times.
I have read The Cornish Blacksmith's Daughter by Rosemary Aitken, set by the Cornish coast.
I read The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (Read June 8th; 4*) It is set around the coastal area of Newfoundland
Phil wrote: "I read The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (Read June 8th; 4*) It is set around the coastal area of Newfoundland"This novel contains one of the best descriptions of the desolate coasts of Newfoundland I have ever read. Very descriptive reading.
I read Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel, set in Brighton on the English south coast, and The Naked Shore: Of the North Sea.The first would be a good beach read, and had a good feel of Brighton about it. My only quibble is that there were just too many eccentric characters to ground the supernatural elements in the story.
I liked the second book much more than I expected - interesting and evocative.
I read The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspenseful spy stories. The Martini Club is composed of a bunch of retired spies who have taken up residence in the small coastal town of Purity, Maine.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Spy Coast (other topics)The Naked Shore: Of the North Sea (other topics)
Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel (other topics)
The Shipping News (other topics)
The Shipping News (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Tess Gerritsen (other topics)Annie Proulx (other topics)
Annie Proulx (other topics)
William P. Baldwin III (other topics)
Andrea Stewart (other topics)
More...
Some lists to give you ideas:
Variety of water-based settings: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
Ocean and island settings: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
Lighthouses: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
What are you reading this week and where is it set?