Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

This week we're searching for common nouns in author names. As a reminder, a common noun describes a type of person, thing, or place or names a concept as opposed to a proper noun which describes a specific individual person, place, or thing. Jackie is me, a specific person; a 'jack' is a type of playing card that has a drawing of a soldier or knave on it. Happy hunting!

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt?

I'm triple nouning with this one: Holly Jackson. I'll be reading Good Girl, Bad Blood (which almost made it as my country song title).

I'll read the next book in the Joe Pickett series.

Battle Mountain by C.J. Box. If you like the Longmire series or the Cork O'C'connor series, you would love the Joe Pickett series.

Joe is a game warden in the smallest, least populated county of Wyoming. Box does a great job keeping each book topically fresh, always weaving in current topics or issues for the area while developing some great characters.

Over half of the authors on my 2025 plan fit this prompt!

Leigh Bardugo (bard)
Kelly Barnhill (barn, hill)
Elizabeth Bear
Julie Berry
Holly Black
Pierce Brown
Amber Chen
C.J. Cooke
Miranda Cowley Heller (cowl, hell)
Justin Cronin (tin)
Ash Davidson (ash, son)
Kate Hope Day
Anthony Doerr (ant)
Tan Twan Eng
Stacey Halls
Kiran Millwood Hargrave (mill, wood, grave)
John Hart
Silas House
Scott Alexander Howard (cot, ward)
Georgia Hunter
Ren Hutchings (hutch)
Mary Robinette Kowal (robin)
Arkady Martine (martin)
Liz Michalski (ski)
Stuart Neville (art)
Tommy Orange
Sarah A. Parker (park)
J.P. Pomare (mare)
Laura Purcell (cell)
Laura Ruby
Samantha Shannon (man)
Jade Song

I had wanted to submit a prompt suggestion with an occupation as a last name (Smith, Miller, Baker etc), so that's what I'm going to look for to complete this prompt. I don't have anything in mind just yet, but I notice them all the time.

I was suprised how many authors on my TBR have a noun in the title. Here are a few:

The Night Journal - Elizabeth Crook
Three Junes - Julia Glass
Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption - Susan Devan Harness

I might put Karen McManus in here.

Wellness by Nathan Hill
✅The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
The Nix by Nathan Hill
Open Season by CJ Box - I jumped the gun and read it in December.
Savage Run by CJ Box
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammond
Next in the murderbot series by Martha Wells

Probably something by Fredrick Backman or Abbi Waxman or
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Took me awhile to come up with a book for this prompt, but I'm hoping to read Drag Me Up by R.M. Virtues.

I'll be reading Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer here. I read her book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants this year, and really enjoyed it. Plus I like to work a fair bit of non-fiction into these challanges too.

For anyone who likes romances, I've just discovered Lily Chu. I read The Stand-In, and then based on that, started The Comeback. Looking for a place to put her, I realized she'd qualify for this prompt, so thought I'd pass the recommendation along!

It's about time I read something by Lee Child

I read Survivors by Terry Nation.

I think I am going to read The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan for this one.

ETA: I finished it, and it was such a good story.

For this prompt, I read:
Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay - 4* -

Good Material by Dolly Alderton common noun = DOLLY

this book is not worth the paper it is written on

I read
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
'Pulley' being the common noun.
An enjoyable fantasy, with some historic fiction and steampunk included.

Odette wrote: "I read
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
'Pulley' being the common noun.
An enjoyable fantasy, with some historic fiction and steampunk included."

I also did a Natasha Pulley- The Half Life of Valery K

Misty wrote: "I think I am going to read The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan for this one.

ETA: I finished it, and it was such a good story."

That book has been on my TBR for way too long. Thanks for sharing, as I'm going to read it for this prompt as well. Glad you enjoyed it!

I read The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton (ton)

Misty wrote: "I think I am going to read The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan for this one.

ETA: I finished it, and it was such a good story."

Thanks for calling this out, I have it on my shortlist.

I read In Plain Sight.

I read The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner.

I read:
The Whitechapel Widow by Emily Organ

NOUN: Organ

REJECT: A book published in a quarter-century year (2025)

Finished: 04/25/2025
Rating: 4 stars

First in a new series from Emily Organ. This is a spin-off of the Penny Green series. If you're reading the Penny Green books, you might want to finish the series before reading this one...spoiler alert.

I'm reading Famous Men Who Never Lived (Chess) and Talking Animals and Others: The Life and Work of Walter R. Brooks, Creator of Freddy the Pig (Cart).

At the risk of sounding very stupid, I still struggle with nouns -would Alexandra Almond count with Almond? Or Blake Crouch with crouch?

Bec - almond is definitely a noun. Crouch can be a verb OR a noun. But now you still have to decide which book!

Tracy wrote: "Bec - almond is definitely a noun. Crouch can be a verb OR a noun. But now you still have to decide which book!"

Thanks. I'm going to pick Thoroughly Disenchanted by Alexandra Almond!

A History of Delusions: The Glass King, a Substitute Husband and a Walking Corpse by Victoria Shepherd - despite the rather sensational title this was a sympathetic history of strange mental delusions and their treatment.

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny was the first 'Inspector Gamache' book I've read, but it was easy to follow the characters, and the plot was intriguing.

I read Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Read May 12th; 4*)

I read The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore.

Samantha wrote: "I read The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore."

I may be dense this morning...not yet had my coffee...but what is the common noun in this author's name?

Bea wrote: "I may be dense this morning...not yet had my coffee...but what is the common noun in this author's name?"

Margarita - I'm not a big fan of them, but I did recently see a picture of a margarita made to look like Yoda, and it was hilarious. If I am going to drink them, I prefer mine with lots of grenadine. ;)

I'm guessing margarita, like the drink? It took me a solid minute and then I hard to go check wikipedia to make sure it was in fact a common noun.

Yes margarita!

Misty, I don't know that I have ever had one with grenadine but it sound yummy.

Jackie I too had to verify that was in fact a common noun - lol sometimes its hard to be sure. I saved this to read for this prompt as it was a fun one.

Misty wrote: "Bea wrote: "I may be dense this morning...not yet had my coffee...but what is the common noun in this author's name?"

Margarita - I'm not a big fan of them, but I did recently see a picture of a m..."

I don't think that I have ever had one. Nice catch, though. Thanks.

I read People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks for this one.
It was a fantastic book. I recommend, especially if you like books about books, historical fiction or family drama.

Samantha wrote: "
Misty, I don't know that I have ever had one with grenadine but it sound yummy.
"

In undergrad, the students in our department had a tradition where we would go to this Mexican food restaurant downtown after finals. They served "margaritas" that were basically grown up slushies. LOL.

LeahS wrote: "A History of Delusions: The Glass King, a Substitute Husband and a Walking Corpse by Victoria Shepherd - despite the rather sensational title this was a sympatheti..."

I also chose a Louise Penny for this prompt. I am slowly reading the books in the Inspector Gamache series. The plots are always interesting and I enjoy the characters of Three Pines.

I read Year of Wonders Geraldine Brooks (BROOK)

I read How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life by Catherine Price, and I appreciate this prompt for allowing me to slot in this book, as was difficult to fit elsewhere!

My review can be found here.

I read Again and Again by Jonathan Evison, using "son" from his last name to meet the prompt.

I enjoyed the book, but it might be hard for people who don't like books that jump around. This was a book about a VERY old man telling stories from his life, so you get present, and several past experiences, most of which get visited more than one time. I didn't find it hard to follow though, as it felt very obvious which part of his life he was talking about at any given time.