Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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(The bookshelf)
1. A book based on a Fairy Tale:
Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2. A National Book Award winner:
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

✅ 3. A YA bestseller:
The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass

4. A book you haven't read since high school:
Neuromancer by William Gibson

5. A book set in your home state:
Drakarna över Helsingfors by Kjell Westö

6. A book translated into English:
The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

7. A romance set in the future:
Misled by Sylvia Day

8. A book set in Europe:
Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris

9. A book that's under 150 pages:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

10. A New York Times bestseller:
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

✅ 11. A book that's becoming a Movie in 2016:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth

12. A book recommended by someone you've just met:
Bröderna Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

13. A self-improvement book:
Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck

14. A book you can finish in a day:
The Diary of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain

15. A book written by a celebrity:
Wildflower by Drew Barrymore (audio)

16. A political memoir:
Marskalkens Minnen by Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim

17. A book at least 100 years older than you:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

18. A book more than 600 pages:
Sinuhe egyptiläinen by Mika Waltari

19. A book from Oprah's Book Club:
A New Earth: Create a Better Life by Eckhart Tolle

20. A Science Fiction novel:
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

21. A book recommended by a family member:
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

22. A Graphic Novel:
The Gabriel Set-Up by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway

23. A book that is published in 2016:
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

24. A book with a protagonist who has your occupation:
Gone are the Leaves by Anne Donovan

25. A book that takes place during Summer:
Puccini's Ghosts. Morag Joss by Morag Joss
[bookcover: Puccini's Ghosts. Morag Joss]
26.&27. A book and its prequel:
The Novice and The High Lord by Trudy Canavan


✅ 28. A murder mystery:
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear

29. A book written by a comedian:
Bossypants by Tina Fey

30. A dystopian novel:
Kallocain by Karin Boye

31. A book with a blue Cover:
Three Men on a Plane by Mavis Cheek

32. A book of Poetry:
Pilvenvarjo by Solveig von Schoultz

✅ 33. The 1st book you see in a bookstore:
The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

34. A classic from the 20th century:
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

✅ 35. A book from the library:
Copper Girl by Jennifer Allis Provost

36. An autobiography:
The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane von Furstenberg

37. A book about a road trip:
It's. Nice. Outside. by Jim Kokoris

38. A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with:
Luutohtorin tytär by Amy Tan

39. A satirical book:
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

✅ 40. A book that takes place on an island:
The Island Escape by Kerry Fisher

41. A book guaranteed to bring you joy:
Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse


(The bookshelf)
A Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
B Joan Brady - God on a Harley
C John Cleland - Fanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure
D Robert Dessaix - Twilight Of Love
E George Eliot - Middlemarch
F Laura Florand - The Chocolate Thief
✅ G Kerry Greenwood - Earthly Delights
H Siri Hustvedt - What I Loved
I
J Eloisa James - A Kiss at Midnight
K Milan Kundera - The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
L Väinö Linna - Sotaromaani
M Dora Levy Mossanen - Harem
N Jandy Nelson - The Sky Is Everywhere
O Jamie O'Neill - At Swim, Two Boys
P Agneta Pleijel - Lord Nevermore
Q Julia Quinn - The Duke and I
R Michèle Roberts - Fair Exchange
S Cynthia Sax - Flashes of Me
T Antonio Tabucchi - Påstår Pereira
U
V Genevieve Valentine - The Girls at the Kingfisher Club
W Madeleine Wickham - Sleeping Arrangements
X
Y Suzanne Young - The Program
Z Gabrielle Zevin - The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
Å
Ä
Ö Klas Östergren - Under i September

(The bookshelf)
A Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
B The Book of Illusions - Paul Auster
C The Canterbury Tales: A Selection - Geoffrey Chaucer
D Diamond Dust - Anita Desai
E England, England - Julian Barnes
F Fru Björks öden och äventyr - Jonas Gardell
G Gramercy Park - Paula Cohen
H Home Remedies - Angela Pneuman
I In The Presence Of Horses - Barbara Dimmick
J Jag går - Jean Echenoz
K Kvinnan och apan - Peter Høeg
L Lumi - Maxence Fermine
M Microcosms - Claudio Magris
N Nattgästen - Ben Elton
O The Other Side of the Bridge - Mary Lawson
P Pattern Recognition - William Gibson
Q The Queen and I - Sue Townsend
R Rapsbaggarna - Karin Brunk Holmqvist
S Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts
T Tjuven - Göran Tunström
U Utopia - Thomas More
V Vid floden Piedra satte jag mig ned och grät - Paulo Coelho
W The Water's Edge - Louise Tondeur
X X - Ilyasah Shabazz, Kekla Magoon
Y Young Woman in a Garden: Stories - Delia Sherman
Z The Zap Gun - Philip K. Dick
Å Århundradets kärlekssaga - Märta Tikkanen
Ä Älskade du - Barbara Voors
Ö Öster om väst - Miroslav Penkov

(The bookshelf)
A Adams, Douglas - Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams
B Barenboim, Daniel - A Life in Music
C Curie, Marie - Boken om Blanche och Marie
D Dalí, Salvador - Diary of a Genius
E Ephron, Nora - I Feel Bad about My Neck
F
G Giacometti, Alberto - Alberto Giacometti. Der Mensch und sein Lebenswerk
H Hammarskjöld, Dag - Vägmärken
I
J Jansson, Tove - Tove Jansson: Tee työtä ja rakasta
K Kauffmann, Angelika - Die zehnte Muse: Das Leben der Angelika Kauffmann
L
M Medici, Caterina de - Catherine De Medici
N Nin, Anaïs - Anaïs Nin: A Biography
O Orchid (Empress) - Empress Orchid
P Politkovskaya, Anna - Venäläinen päiväkirja
Q
R Rejman, Fredrik - Som skeppsläkare i Antarktis
S Schumann, Eugenie - Claras Kinder
T Tolkien, J.R.R. - J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography
U
V Victoria (Queen) - Queen Victoria: A Woman on the Throne
W Wilde, Oscar - De Profundis
X
Y
Z
Å
Ä
Ö

(The bookshelf)
TITLE (1.-21.)
COVER (22.-29.)
EADING LIST / GOODREADS / FRIENDS ETC. (30.-55.)
INSIDE - LOCATION (56.-65.)
INSIDE - CHARACTERS (66.-69. part 1)
TITLE (1.-21.)
1. Two books with the same title:

2. Two books with the same title:

3. A book title that describes you/your life:

4. A book with title inspired by poetry or line from a play:
[bookcover: ] by
5. A book with a number in the title:

6. A book with a date in the title (day, month, year etc.):

7. A fairy tale with a color in the title:

8. A children's book with a character's name in the title:

9. A book you can finish in a day with a title that starts with the word "the":

10. A book with a body part in the title:

11. Any genre with something from nature in the title:

12. A book with a male or female noun or pronoun in the title (i.e. he/she, boy/girl, man/woman, etc.):

13. A book with a word in the title that describes a time of day/night:

14. A book with a day of the week in the title:

15. A book with alliteration in the title:

16. A book with a redundant phrase in the title (i.e. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter):

17. A book with a weird/wacky title:

18. A book with a long title (8-10 words or more):

19. A book with 'diary' in the title:

20. A title that relates to a season:

21. A book with an element in the title (earth, air, fire, water):

COVER (22.-29.)
22. A children's book with an animal on the cover:

23. A book with an animal on the cover:

24. A book with sparkles on the cover:

25. A book with a plant (tree, flower, etc) on the cover:

26. A book with a blue spine or cover:

27. A book with a famous building/sculpture on the cover:

28. A book with a woman and a man on the cover:

29. A book with a cover that puts you off:

READING LIST / GOODREADS / FRIENDS ETC. (30.-55.)
30. A book picked for you by someone else:

31. A book that is chosen for you by another member:

32. The smallest book on your TBR list:

33. Re-read a favorite:
[bookcover: ] by
34. A book that you associate with someone special:

35. A book your grandparents are owning:

36. A book that you feel like everyone has read but you:

37. A children's book that your parents had enjoyed when they were children:
[bookcover: ] by
38. A graphic novel that everybody is talking about:

39. A popular 'cult' book that's under 200 pages:
[bookcover: ] by
40. A book from the GoodReads "Best of May List" (any year):

41. A book another member of this group recommended to you:

42. A book recommended to you by a friend:

43. A book recommended by a famous person:
[bookcover: ] by
44. A book you started but never finished:

45. Re-read one of your favorite books:
[bookcover: ] by
46. A book with less than 100 reviews:

47. A popular book from the "2015 Reading Challenge":

48. A book you judged too quickly:

49. A book that inspires you:

50.

51. A book you bought or will buy from an independent bookstore or from a charity shop:

✅ 52. A book a friend has told you multiple times to read:

53. Re-read a book that has a special meaning to you:
[bookcover: ] by
54. One of you favorite books from your childhood:
[bookcover: ] by
55. The first book (that you can remember) that made you love reading:
[bookcover: ] by
INSIDE - LOCATION (56.-65.)
56. A book sets on another planet:

57. A book that doesn't take place on earth:

58. A book about the old west in USA:
[bookcover: ] by
59. A book set in the state in which you were born:

60. A book about the history of the place you live:

61. A book set in the country of your ancestors:

62. A book that takes place underwater:

63. A book that takes place in more than one country:

64. A book that is set in a location you would like to visit:

65. A book based in a place that you would like to live in:

INSIDE - CHARACTERS (66.-69. part 1)
66. A book you have/develop a crush on one of the characters:
[bookcover: ] by
67. A book where a main character has a special power:

68. A book with a hero from a different ethnic group than yours:

69. A book about animals or with an animal as one of the main characters:


INSIDE - CHARACTERS (70.-83. part 2)
INSIDE - EVENTS/TIME (84.-90.)
GENRE / THEME (91.-137.)
INSIDE - CHARACTERS (70.-83. part 2)
70. A book with nonhuman characters:

71. A book with a child as the main character (or one of), but not a children's book:

72. A book with a child as the main character:

73. A book with a ghost in it:

74. A book about the events in another book from another character's point of view:
[bookcover: ] by
75. A book with a strong female protagonist:

76. A book with a character who has your name (any):

77. A book with a main character who has the same age as you (currently):
[bookcover: ] by
78. A book featuring a fictional trickster:

79. A book with an unreliable narrator:

80. A book with an elderly person as a main character (> 60 years old):

81. A book where the protagonist has the same name as someone you know well:

82. A book where you share your name (first, middle, last, or maiden name) with the main character:

83. A book of fiction that mentions, or is about a real person/ or someone who was a real person:

INSIDE - EVENTS/TIME (84.-90.)
84. An alternative history book:

85. A book that raises your heart rate (any genre):

86. A book that makes you pee your pants:

87. A book that is happening in the summer (at least short time):

88. A book that takes place during a holiday:

89. A book set during time of war:

90. A book set during World War II:

GENRE / THEME (91.-137.)
91. A play:

92. A chick-lit book:

93. A paranormal romance:

94. A classic romance written before you were born:

95. A classic you wanted to read for a long time but never did:

96. A modern classic (post WWI):

97. A Greek or Roman classic:

98. An ancient legend (the creation of the planet Earth, etc):
[bookcover: ] by
99. An epic poem:

100. A collection of

101. A historical biography:

102. A medical related memoir:

103. A fairy tale:

104. A retelling:

105. A book whose plot is based in a fairy tale:

106.

107. A book based on mythology:

108. A book with an end of the world, apocalyptic theme:

109. A parody of a children's book:

110. A children's book with a "choose your own adventure" theme:

111. A children's book of historical or educational fiction genre:

112. A short non-fiction book:

113. A non-fiction book on math/science/engineering/social economics/business:

114. A self help book under 200 pages:
[bookcover: ] by
115. A book that makes you better (better cook, better parent, better person, etc.):

116. An existentialist themed book:

117. A book about a taboo subject:

118. A book about an obsession:

119. A book about science:

120. A book about sports:

121. A short story collection:

122. A micro-history:

123. A campus novel:

124. A

125. A climate fiction:

126. An adventure book:
[bookcover: ] by
127. A family saga:

128. A book in a genre you normally don't read:

129. A book outside your comfort zone:

130. A book that requires you to complete activities or experiments:

131. A book that is short but really packs a punch:
[bookcover: ] by
132. A book about human rights or animal rights (it could be both fiction or non-fiction):

133. A work of fiction about art (paintings, artists, sculptors, painters,etc.):

134. A book about traveling:
[bookcover: ] by
135. A travelogue:

136. A book written for adults that you would read to a child:

137. A book about second chances/starting over:


SERIES (138.-142.)
AUTHOR / PUBLISHING (143.-177.)
AWARDS / CHALLENGES / LISTS / ADAPTATIONS ETC. (178.-186.)
SERIES (138.-142.)
138.

139.

140. A novella

141. A "prequel" to a book series:

142.

AUTHOR / PUBLISHING (143.-177.)
143. A book that has more than one author (2 or more):

144. A book from an author with your initials:

145. A book by an author whose uses an initial instead of a first name:

146. A children's book written by an author who also writes adult books:

147. A book by a Russian author:

148. A book by an

149. A book by an author from Asia:

150. A book written by an author of your nationality:

151. A book by an author who is from a country different than your own:

152. A book written by a Nobel Prize winner (literature):

153. A book from a prolific author (wrote 50 books or more so far):

154. A book by an author that you've read before but weren't so keen on:

155. A novel by someone already famous in another field (such as a sportsperson, actor etc):

156. A self-published/indie book:
[bookcover: ] by
157. A book published posthumously:

158. A book by someone who has died recently:

159. A book published during a significant year for you (anniversary, graduation, child's birth, etc.):

160. A bestseller published the year a significant other was born (i.e. parent, sibling, best friend etc.):

161. A book published the year you were born:
[bookcover: ] by
Repetition of 161, when month is scratched (TMI).
163. A magazine from the year you were born:
[bookcover: ] by
TMI
165. A book that was released exactly 100 years before the year you were born:

166. A book written when your mother/father was a teenager:

167. A censored book:

168. A book that you don't understand why it was banned in your birth country:

169. A book from genre you don't normally read with 200 pages or less:

170. A book longer than the longest book you read last year:

171. A short book written in another language (not English or your mother tongue):

172. A novella

173. A book originally written in a language you'd love to learn:
[bookcover: ] by
174.
Not following any authors.
175.
TMI
176. A book released in 2016 which is an author's debut novel:
[bookcover: ] by
177. A book that you got for free:

AWARDS / CHALLENGES / LISTS / ADAPTATIONS ETC. (178.-186.)
✅ 178. A book from NPR's 100 Swoon-worthy Romances:

179. An Oprah's book-club book:

180. A book made into a Disney film:

181. A Hugo Award winner (sci-fi):

182. A Newbery Medal winner or Honor Book:
[bookcover: ] by
✅ 183. A Quick Reads book published within the last 2 years:

184. A play that has been adapted into a musical or a movie:

185. A book that was made into a TV movie, series, or mini-series:

186. A book that was


It is quite tedious to check all links, as I've found numerous cases when using the bracket book name bracket html code to cause an incorrect volume to show up. The solution is to grab the long number code from the URL of the correct book, then edit a comment here by pasting said number over the incorrect code after the book name. Phew.

You'll be very busy with all the readings! I'm waiting for the rainbow :D

You'll be very busy with all the readings! I'm waiting for the rainbow :D"
I'm finally done, well up-to-date, with my choices for The Rejects. I added covers and titles to all categories, for everyone's convenience, hidden in the spoilers. It's nice to see something visual, not just text. Still have a few here and there to add, but need to do more research first.
I also really like the idea of doing the memoirs/(auto)biographies. I may have to steal that idea for when I finish the A-Z titles :)
I had never heard of X (Ilyasah Shabazz) but it sounds really great. I wasn't too happy with my previous choice for X so I think I'm going read X instead. Thanks!
I had never heard of X (Ilyasah Shabazz) but it sounds really great. I wasn't too happy with my previous choice for X so I think I'm going read X instead. Thanks!

I had a phase of buying biographies/memoirs and history/society books, but they are dry in comparison with fiction and so I have yet to read most of them. I try to recall there was a reason for my buying them back in the day, but what has helped even more has been handling each and everyone in true KonMari style.
She has some ideas stemming in a spiritual world that I due to a different cultural background don't quite comprehend, but her core message, the part about sparking joy, and basically thanking items for lessons taught, when you allow yourself to part with the not joyful things, has been fantastic. I take what I can use and discard what doesn't work for me.
Anyway, Malcolm X was a significant person in US history and I want to know more :)

Someone I know always says that his all-time favorite book is the Autobiography of Malcolm X, so I've been meaning to pick that up. Maybe I'll fit that into my new biography A-Z (that I'm also stealing :P)

Thanks! I think I have to look at the RH again.
As for getting rid of my TBR, it will never happen, since new books come out constantly, but I do very badly want to remove some books that have been on it since my school days, two decades in other words.
Which in turn means adding quite a few classics to my challenges. I'm trying to recall that they are such for a reason. The most impressive one of my TBRs is the Gilgamesh epic, which was written around 2000 BC. I thought it'd be a doorstopper, but it's fewer than 100 pages long.
The next couple of years will therefore mean some efforts outside of my comfort zone of reading mostly authors I already know on some level, and jumping back in time. But dusting off classics will breathe new life into the TBR, which in itself makes it worth it. Get rid of the stale energy and all that...
Books mentioned in this topic
Wildflower (other topics)Go the F--k to Sleep (other topics)
The Graveyard Book (other topics)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (other topics)
Purpur (other topics)
More...
Below:
2016 PopSugar Challenge
Challenge A-Ö - Author
Challenge A-Ö - Title
Challenge A-Ö - Biography, autobiography and memoir
Challenge A-Ö - History and Society
2016 The Rejects
Rainbow Covers