Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

The 2017 List:
1. 2016 Awards - Adulthood Is a Myth
2. A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple points of view) - The Bone Clocks
3. A book you meant to read in 2016 - The Long Goodbye
4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E" - A Civil Contract
5. A historical fiction - Mansfield Park
6. A book being released as a movie in 2017 - The Bell Jar
7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title - Kiss of the Spider Woman
8. A book written by a person of color - Woman at Point Zero
9. A book in the middle of your To Be Read list - Titus Groan
10. A dual-timeline novel - Possession
11. A category from another challenge - Seasonal Challenge Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
12. A book based on a myth - Metamorphoses
13. A book recommended by one of your favorite authors - Tom's Midnight Garden (David Mitchell)
14. A book with a strong female character -Sense and Sensibility
15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland) - The Bridal Wreath
16. A mystery - Mrs McGinty's Dead
17. A book with illustrations - The Good Soldier Švejk
18. A really long book (600+ pages) - Our Mutual Friend
19. A New York Times best-seller - The Martian
20. A book that you've owned for a while but haven't gotten around to reading - Blott on the Landscape
21. A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read - Framley Parsonage
22. A book by an author you haven't read before - The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
23. A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list (link) - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
24. A book written by at least two authors
25. A book about a famous historical figure - I, Claudius
26. An adventure book - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
27. A book by one of your favorite authors - One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
28. A non-fiction - Arbella: England's Lost Queen
29. A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses (Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Penguin Random House; Hachette Livre) - check all the editions The Sound of Waves
30. A book from Goodreads Top 100 YA Books (link) - Ready Player One
31. A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre Black Sheep
32. A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle) - Where Angels Fear to Tread
33. A magical realism novel
34. A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere - Born a Crime
35. A book where one of the main characters is royalty - The Charterhouse of Parma
36. A Hugo Award winner or nominee (link)
37. A book you choose randomly - The Woman in Black
38. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature - Joseph Andrews
39. An epistolary fiction - I Capture the Castle
40. A book published in 2017 - Wild Card?
41. A book with an unreliable narrator - Cat's Eye
42. A best book of the 21st century (so far) - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
43. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold) Without You, There Is No Us: My secret life teaching the sons of North Korea’s elite
44. A recommendation from "What Should I Read Next" (link)
45. A book with a one-word title - Rebecca
46. A time travel novel
47. A past suggestion that didn't win - A Book set in Wartime - Shirley
48. A banned book - All Quiet on the Western Front
49. A book from someone else's bookshelf - Friday's Child
50. A Penguin Modern Classic - any edition - At Swim-Two-Birds
51. A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays) The Overcoat and Other Short Stories
52. A book set in a fictional location - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

My first list I'm going to jump around in, filling in books as an when, but I thought I'd try a second list where I read each week in as much order as I can. Of course there will be some overlap.

The 2017 List.
1. 2016 Awards - Adulthood Is a Myth
2. A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple points of view) - The Bone Clocks
3. A book you meant to read in 2016 -The Long Goodbye
4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E" -
5. A historical fiction -
6. A book being released as a movie in 2017 -
7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title
8. A book written by a person of color -
9. A book in the middle of your To Be Read list -
10. A dual-timeline novel - Possession
11. A category from another challenge - Seasonal Challenge
12. A book based on a myth -
13. A book recommended by one of your favorite authors -
14. A book with a strong female character -
15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland) -
16. A mystery -
17. A book with illustrations -
18. A really long book (600+ pages) -
19. A New York Times best-seller
20. A book that you've owned for a while but haven't gotten around to reading -
21. A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read -
22. A book by an author you haven't read before
23. A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list (link) -
24. A book written by at least two authors
25. A book about a famous historical figure -
26. An adventure book -
27. A book by one of your favorite authors
28. A non-fiction - When I Was a Child I Read Books?
29. A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses (Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Penguin Random House; Hachette Livre) - check all the editions
30. A book from Goodreads Top 100 YA Books (link) -
31. A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre
32. A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle) -
33. A magical realism novel
34. A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere
35. A book where one of the main characters is royalty
36. A Hugo Award winner or nominee (link)
37. A book you choose randomly
38. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature
39. An epistolary fiction -
40. A book published in 2017 - Wild Card?
41. A book with an unreliable narrator
42. A best book of the 21st century (so far)
43. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold)
44. A recommendation from "What Should I Read Next" (link)
45. A book with a one-word title
46. A time travel novel
47. A past suggestion that didn't win (link)
48. A banned book
49. A book from someone else's bookshelf
50. A Penguin Modern Classic - any edition
51. A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays)
52. A book set in a fictional location -

45. A book with a one-word title

I read Rebecca a book that has been on my TBR list for a couple of years. A very atmospheric book although I did think it a little too slow in places and I'm afraid I guessed all of the twists and turns it took. Perhaps I've read too many mystery books :-)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is really wonderful! I hope you enjoy it!

Plan 1.

# 26. An Adventure Book

I picked The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for his. A true adventure classic and a wonderful reread.

Plan 1.

# 7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title

- A very unusual book. Two men in a cell in Brazil? share many secrets with each other and one entertains the other with his retelling of movies which have touched his heart.

Plan 1.

# 15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland)

- Has a claim to being part of some of the most famous set of books to ever be written in Norway. This is the first in the three part trilogy.

Plan 1.

# 18 A really long book (600+ pages)

- You can't go wrong with Dickens ;-)

Plan 1.

#16 A mystery

I chose a book from the 'Queen of Crime'.

Plan 1.

43. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold)

- A journalist/writer goes undercover teaching English in a North Korean school. It's a very unsettling and oppressive atmosphere for her.

Plan 1.

51. A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays)

- I wanted to read The Nose by Nikolai Gogol and I thought I might as well read a few others of his more famous short stories at the same time.

Plan 1.

31. A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre

I don't really have a 'favourite' genre but I read a lot of Historical Fiction, usually of the older sort (Dickens, Austen, Trollope etc). From more 'modern' writers my undisputed favourite author in this field is Georgette Heyer. This is a 'Regency Romance' sub-genre.

Plan 1. & Plan 2.

1. 2016 Awards

I gave up reading my first attempt at this first task so that has thrown my attempt at reading Plan 2. more or less in sync with the weeks but I finally picked up from my library:
Adulthood is a Myth


Which won the graphic category I think. It was very good anyway and nice and quick to read :-)

Plan 1. & Plan 2.

2. A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple points of view)
The Bone Clocks


My third David Mitchell. It wasn't as good as Cloud Atlas, mostly due to the ending which rather fizzled out but I still gave it 4 stars which is reasonably rare for me.

Plan 1

38. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature
Joseph Andrews


A satirical work written to lampoon the famous Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded

Plan 1 & Plan 2

3. A book you meant to read in 2016
The Long Goodbye

Plan 1

32. A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle)
Where Angels Fear to Tread

Nicola wrote: "Plan 1. & Plan 2.

2. A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple points of view)
The Bone Clocks


My third David Mitchell. It wasn't as good as [book:Cloud ..."

I really meant to read this last year, got 100 pages in and lost interest. Intend to circle back to it soon, but good to know you gave it a rare 4 star review!
Great start to your challenge!

Plan 1 & Plan 2

4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E"
A Civil Contract


Not the one I was planning to read but never mind!

Plan 1 & Plan 2

5. A historical fiction
Mansfield Park


Ditto with this one!

Plan 1

11. A category from another challenge - The Seasonal Challenge - Book set Underwater
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Plan 1

22. A book by an author you haven't read before
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York


Deborah Blum wrote this - a wonderfully informative and interesting non-fiction.

Plan 1

27. A book by one of your favorite authors
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe


I love Agatha Christie!

Plan 1

25. A book about a famous historical figure
I, Claudius


This is about the Roman Emperor, Claudius. He came to the throne after surviving the years of assassinations and murder under Caligula and Tiberius because people thought him simple minded and no threat.

Plan 1.

21. A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read
Framley Parsonage


The 4th in the Barsetshire Series by Anthony Trollope

Plan 1.

8. A book written by a person of color
Woman at Point Zero


Disturbing.

Plan 1.

41. A book with an unreliable narrator
Cat's Eye


I didn't realise this until partway through when the narrator was maintaining that she couldn't remember all of the things that were done to her. I guess she was repressing the memories.

Plan 1.

37. A book you choose randomly
The Woman in Black


A random pick from a random genre that I hadn't read in a while.

Plan 1.

34. A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere
Born a Crime


This was so good. A wonderful memoir from the comedian Trevor Noah written about his life growing up in South Africa, the illegal child of a black mother and a white father. I listened to the audio read by Trevor Noah himself. Highly recommended.

Plan 1.

29. A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses (Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Penguin Random House; Hachette Livre)
The Sound of Waves


The first book I've ever read which was written by a Samurai!

Plan 1.

47. A past suggestion that didn't win - A book set during wartime
Shirley


This is set in England during the end of the Napoleonic wars. The long war has had a devastating impact on the rural economy and many men are hungry and desperate to stop mill owners from importing machinery which would put even more of them out of work.