Around the Year in 52 Books

message 1: by Michelle (last edited Dec 21, 2021 07:46PM) (new)

Jan 14, 2019 05:18AM

Michelle (driftingsong) (driftingsong) | 56 comments

So I'm still finishing up my 2017 challenge (but didn't do 2018) but should finish within the week. Turns out I could already apply some of the 10 books I read this year and some of the many books I'm reading currently to these challenges, so hurray! I have figured out some choices for each category after extensively looking at the books I want to read and considering my choices. I left two of them clear because I want to see what the year will bring. So without further ado, here we go!

Also for the record:
* = currently reading
** = read

1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane By: Neil Gaiman **

2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, what, where, when, why) : What if It’s Us By: Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera **

3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y: Station Eleven By: Emily St. John Mandel **

4. A book with a criminal character (i.e. assassin, pirate, thief, robber, scoundrel etc)
A Heart in a Body in the World By: Deb Caletti **

5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare
Always Never Yours By: Emily Wibberley **

6. A book with a dual timeline
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo By: Taylor Jenkins **

7. & 8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme
Anger is a Gift By: Mark Oshiro **
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram **
(Topic is YA Books looking at mental illness/mental health)

9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (romance/erotica, crime/mystery, religious/inspirational, science fiction/fantasy or horror)
Belinda Blinked By: Rocky Flintstone **

10. A book featuring an historical figure
The Boys from Brazil By: Ira Levin **

11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject)
Dragons in a Bag By: Zetta Elliott **

12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer
Misery By: Stephen King **

13. A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list
The Kiss Quotient By: Helen Hoang **

14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe By: Lauren James **

15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country
The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy By: Mackenzi Lee **

16. A book told from multiple perspectives
Chocky By: John Wyndham **

17. A speculative fiction (ie fantasy, scifi, horror, dystopia)
Moving the Mountain By: Charlotte Perkins Gilman **

18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements
The Iron Giant By: Ted Hughes **

19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR
The Landry News By: Andrew Clement **

20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City By: Tanya Talaga

21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call vote
A book in which faith/religion plays an integral role in the plot or the life of a main character
Educated: A Memoir By: Tara Westover **

22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer By: Michelle McNamara **

23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old
Breakfast at Tiffanys By: Truman Capote **

24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New
The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store By: Cait Flanders (yes ironic title given that I bought it new XD) **

25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom By: Louis Sacher **

26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston **

27. A book off of the 1001 books to Read before you die list
Rebecca By: Daphne Du Maurier **

28. A book related to something cold (could be theme, title, author, cover)
Between Shades of Gray By: Ruta Sepetys **

29. A book published before 1950
The Railway Children By: E. Nesbit (published 1906) **

30. A book featuring an elderly character
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman **

31. A children’s classic you’ve never read
The Phantom Tollboth by: Norton Juster **

32. A book with more than 500 pages
King of Scars By: Leigh Bardugo **

33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet
Big Little Lies By: Liane Moriarty **

34. A book with a person's name in the title
Dumplin By: Julie Murphy **

35. A psychological thriller
Sadie By: Courtney Summers **

36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year
Amal Unbound By: Aisha Saeed **

37. A book set in a school or university
Noteworthy By: Riley Redgate **

38. A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc)
Check Please! by Ngozi Ukazu **

39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern **

40. A book you stumbled upon (i.e. serendipitous, found in library/bookstore)
The Benefits of Being an Octopus By: Ann Braden **

41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards
Vengeful By: V. E. Schwab **

42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character
Carrie By: Stephen King **

43. A book related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) [fiction or nonfiction]
Shinrin-Yoku: The Art and Science of Forest Bathing **

44. A book related in some way to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed (same topic, same era, book appeared in the show/movie, etc.)
Marilla of Green Gables By: Sarah McCoy **

45. A multi-generational saga
The Joy Luck Club By: Amy Tan **

46. A book with a (mostly) black cover
Ravensong By: T. J. Klune **

47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.)
Love and Gelato By: Jenna Evans Welch **

48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year
Poet X By: Elizabeth Acevedo **

49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country
The Bride Test By: Helen Hoang **

50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)
Tilly and the Book Wanderers #1 By: Anna James **

51. A book published in 2019
In an Absent Dream By: Seannan McGuire (Wayward Children #4) **

52. A book with a weird or intriguing title
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific By: J. Maartin Troost **

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message 2: by Michelle (last edited Dec 21, 2021 08:01PM) (new)

Jan 14, 2019 05:28AM

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message 3: by Michelle (last edited Feb 09, 2019 12:49AM) (new)

Feb 02, 2019 08:00PM

I thought it might be fun to have this section of my thread be any books that I LOVED. For now I'm just keeping it to five star books, but may add some 4-4.5 star books later.

So five star books I loved so far:

In an Absent Dream By: Seanan McGuire
The Ocean at the End of the Lane By: Neil Gaiman
Darius the Great is Not Okay By: Adib Khorram

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message 4: by Michelle (last edited Feb 09, 2019 01:12AM) (new)

Feb 09, 2019 12:54AM

6 Weeks into the year and I've read 15 so far. I am having some pretty good momentum so far. I think it helps that I know more about books and my taste more versus the first time I did this. I can honestly thank the year I did this and the other things I wrote and book research to help me get to this point. Admittedly a lot of the ones I've completed so far are also short, but as I'm getting sucked into some truly enjoyable books that just so happen to fit into these different challenges, I'm really enjoying the ride!

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message 5: by Michelle (new)

Oct 03, 2019 11:54PM

There are a couple that are a BIT of a stretch on my list but I basically have 13 books left. I'm not sure yet if I will get them done by the end of the year but if not by then, hopefully I will get them done soon thereafter! It's been A YEAR. First I decided to move from Japan, went to a job fair overseas, found a job, finished my job in Japan, took another job in Japan, later decided not to take the initial outside of job (after I'd started preperations to go there), had to find another job outside of Japan, found one, moved here, am still not 100% sure if I can stay here. So YES, regardless of what happens I will be proud of what I have accomplished!

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message 6: by Lizzy (new)

Oct 04, 2019 11:44AM

Michelle wrote: "There are a couple that are a BIT of a stretch on my list but I basically have 13 books left. I'm not sure yet if I will get them done by the end of the year but if not by then, hopefully I will ge..."

What a year!

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message 7: by Erica (new)

Oct 09, 2019 06:20PM

Big year! Where did you live in Japan? I used to live in Mie-ken, about 10 years ago :)

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message 8: by Michelle (new)

Mar 24, 2020 08:52AM

Erica wrote: "Big year! Where did you live in Japan? I used to live in Mie-ken, about 10 years ago :)"

Sorry it took me AGES to reply. for a while I abandoned hope of every finishing this, now I am finishing in my own good time (but not getting credit, it's fine, I still want to finish) I lived in Osaka City :D

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message 9: by Michelle (new)

Mar 24, 2020 08:53AM

So, I am writing here to BUMP this up to the top. I am still chugging away at this. I don't care that I'm not getting any credit. I can guarantee that the insanity of my year likely trumps the insanity of most other people's years on here. Even if it takes me until the end of THIS year, I'll get it done, but I am taking my sweet time meandering into other books that don't exactly fit what I need to be doing for this challenge, because I just want to enjoy life, especially in this time of quarantine!

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message 10: by Lizzy (new)

Mar 24, 2020 10:31AM

I think a lot of people are feeling the same way Michelle. I know I'm not reading to what i planned, really just the ones that either take me away from it all or, are upbeat, are the ones I'm choosing.

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message 11: by Michelle (last edited Apr 03, 2020 06:40AM) (new)

Apr 03, 2020 06:35AM

Still 8 more books to get done this challenge from last year, but I'm still chugging along, even if it takes me to the end of this year. Honestly last year was so busy and now I have so much on the go (even during this coronavirus scare) that if it takes me until next year, that's fine, I just ultimately want to get it done eventually. Currently reading Vengeful, then hopefully on to my Shakespeare pick. Sadly Rebecca and Big Little Lies were a bit disappointing to me.

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message 12: by Robin P, Orbicular Mod (new)

Apr 03, 2020 08:36AM

Mod

Good for you! You obviously have character traits of persistence and dependability. I would be more likely to give up, start over with a new challenge and then not finish that one either (as evidenced by my many unfinished craft projects!)

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message 13: by Michelle (new)

Feb 23, 2021 06:22PM

I'm still kicking around trying to finish this. I'm waiting for Elatsoe and then I'm planning on finishing that audiobook and then the challenge, took me more than one extra year, but if anyone knew my life (all the moving around between countries, dealing with own mental health issues and being far from family while they are dealing with health problems and job changes in ADDITION to the covid situation) they'd understand. So YES, I'm closing in on finishing this! Of course it's interesting as Elatsoe was published in 2020, after this challenge was issued, but I don't care as it's what I want to currently read in that category.

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message 14: by Michelle (new)

Dec 21, 2021 08:04PM

I'm done. YES, it took me 3 years rather than the one, but to be fair when I started I lived in Japan, then I moved to Chengdu, China, then I moved over 1000 km to another city within China, I've worked at 4 different schools over that time (finishing up at one school, working briefly for a preschool and then two international schools) have lived in 3 homes, have been dealing with chronic health issues while being overseas, and the pandemic happened. I also deal with trying to find stuff to read while overseas (and currently in China) so, you know what? I am proud of myself!

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Around the Year in 52 Books discussion