Since I started months late in 2020, here is me being prepared for 2021.
Some books are used more than once/some options have multiple books listed for juggling purposes. Other prompts are left blank, intentionally, for books that pique my interest after the year begins.
THE 2021 LIST 1. A book related to “In the Beginning...” - Homegoing OR The House of Spirits (debut novel) 2. A book by an author whose name doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y - The Bone People by Keri Hulme OR The Personality Brokers by Merve Emre 3. A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music - Pew by Catherine Lacy (feeling sad..) 4. A book with a monochromatic cover - Gilead
5. A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read - The Water Dancer by Te-Nehisi Coates OR The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi OR The Conjure Women by Afia Atakora 6. A love story - This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell OR Still Life with Woodpecker OR Modern Lovers by Emma Straub 7. A book that fits a prompt suggestion that didn't make the final list - tbd. 8. A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited - The Henna Artist ... lots of options for this prompt, though!
9. A book you associate with a specific season or time of year - Summerwater by Sarah Moss OR Cold Mountain 10. A book with a female villain or criminal - My Friend Anna OR Gone Girl 11. A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum - tbd.. 12. A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation - tbd...pending on what books I can find access to, apparently. 13. A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020 - The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
14. A book set in a made-up place - The Bright Lands by John Fram (Bentley, TX does not exist.) 15. A book that features siblings as the main characters - The Vanishing Half 16. A book with a building in the title - The Glass Hotel OR The House of Spirits OR Home Fire 17. A book with a Muslim character or author - Home Fire OR I Am Malala Or A Thousand Splendid Suns
18. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 1 - The Illness Lesson 19. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 2 - Girl, Woman, Other 20. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 3 - Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler 21. A book whose title and author both contain the letter "u" - The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley OR One Hundred Years of Solitude 22. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo OR My Dark Vanessa
23. A cross genre novel - Mexican Gothic OR Magic Lessons OR The Rivers of London #1 24. A book about racism or race relations - Stamped from the Beginning OR Caste 25. A book set on an island - The Guest List by Lucy Foley 26. A short book (<210 pages) by a new-to-you author
27. A book with a character who can be found in a deck of cards - Queenie OR Chasing the King of Hearts by Philip Boehm 28. A book connected to ice - Where’d You Go, Bernadette? OR The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah OR Game of Thrones (The Song of Ice and Fire #1) OR Bride of Ice: Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva 29. A book that you consider comfort reading - something Russian.or an Evie Wyld book, OR #2 of Neapolitan Quartet, The Story of a New Name 30. A long book - The Luminaries
31. A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years - The Poisonwood Bible OR The Count of Monte Cristo OR The Sea, The Sea 32. A book whose cover shows more than 2 people - Big Little Lies OR When Miss Emmie Was in Russia 33. A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry - Fifty Words for Rain OR Forty Stories by Chekhov 34. A book with a travel theme - 35. A book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer - Mexican Gothic
36. A book with six or more words in the title - After the Fire A Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld OR The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell OR Ferrante’s Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (#3) 37. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list - Steppenwolf OR Let the Right One In OR The Idiot 38. A book related to a word given by a random word generator - tbd. 39. A book involving an immigrant - Home Fire OR Pachinko
40. A book with flowers or greenery on the cover - The Ten Thousand Doors of January 41. A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author - Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby 42. A mystery or thriller - a BOTM selection, tbd. 43. A book with elements of magic - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue OR Before the Coffee Gets Cold
44. A book whose title contains a negative - How to be an Anti-Racist 45. A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet - The Glass Hotel OR The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 46. A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind OR STIFF: the curious lives of human cadavers 48. A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?” - Zealot by Reza Aslan
49. A book with an ensemble cast - East of Eden by Steinbeck OR Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders OR The Sound and the Fury 50. A book published in 2021 - I’ll read one of my by BOTM books for this one. 51. A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name - The Henna Artist OR Sex Object OR The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 52. A book related to "the end" - Last book in a series..like The Story of the Lost Child in the Neapolitan Quartet OR The Prisoner of Heaven in the Shadow of the Wind trilogy OR a book with “end” in the title, like: Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Some books are used more than once/some options have multiple books listed for juggling purposes. Other prompts are left blank, intentionally, for books that pique my interest after the year begins.
THE 2021 LIST
1. A book related to “In the Beginning...” - Homegoing OR The House of Spirits (debut novel)
2. A book by an author whose name doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y - The Bone People by Keri Hulme OR The Personality Brokers by Merve Emre
3. A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music - Pew by Catherine Lacy (feeling sad..)
4. A book with a monochromatic cover - Gilead
5. A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read - The Water Dancer by Te-Nehisi Coates OR The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi OR The Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
6. A love story - This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell OR Still Life with Woodpecker OR Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
7. A book that fits a prompt suggestion that didn't make the final list - tbd.
8. A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited - The Henna Artist ... lots of options for this prompt, though!
9. A book you associate with a specific season or time of year - Summerwater by Sarah Moss OR Cold Mountain
10. A book with a female villain or criminal - My Friend Anna OR Gone Girl
11. A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum - tbd..
12. A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation - tbd...pending on what books I can find access to, apparently.
13. A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020 - The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
14. A book set in a made-up place - The Bright Lands by John Fram (Bentley, TX does not exist.)
15. A book that features siblings as the main characters - The Vanishing Half
16. A book with a building in the title - The Glass Hotel OR The House of Spirits OR Home Fire
17. A book with a Muslim character or author - Home Fire OR I Am Malala Or A Thousand Splendid Suns
18. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 1 - The Illness Lesson
19. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 2 - Girl, Woman, Other
20. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 3 - Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
21. A book whose title and author both contain the letter "u" - The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley OR One Hundred Years of Solitude
22. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo OR My Dark Vanessa
23. A cross genre novel - Mexican Gothic OR Magic Lessons OR The Rivers of London #1
24. A book about racism or race relations - Stamped from the Beginning OR Caste
25. A book set on an island - The Guest List by Lucy Foley
26. A short book (<210 pages) by a new-to-you author
27. A book with a character who can be found in a deck of cards - Queenie OR Chasing the King of Hearts by Philip Boehm
28. A book connected to ice - Where’d You Go, Bernadette? OR The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah OR Game of Thrones (The Song of Ice and Fire #1) OR Bride of Ice: Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva
29. A book that you consider comfort reading - something Russian.or an Evie Wyld book, OR #2 of Neapolitan Quartet, The Story of a New Name
30. A long book - The Luminaries
31. A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years - The Poisonwood Bible OR The Count of Monte Cristo OR The Sea, The Sea
32. A book whose cover shows more than 2 people - Big Little Lies OR When Miss Emmie Was in Russia
33. A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry - Fifty Words for Rain OR Forty Stories by Chekhov
34. A book with a travel theme -
35. A book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer - Mexican Gothic
36. A book with six or more words in the title - After the Fire A Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld OR The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell OR Ferrante’s Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (#3)
37. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list - Steppenwolf OR Let the Right One In OR The Idiot
38. A book related to a word given by a random word generator - tbd.
39. A book involving an immigrant - Home Fire OR Pachinko
40. A book with flowers or greenery on the cover - The Ten Thousand Doors of January
41. A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author - Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
42. A mystery or thriller - a BOTM selection, tbd.
43. A book with elements of magic - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue OR Before the Coffee Gets Cold
44. A book whose title contains a negative - How to be an Anti-Racist
45. A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet - The Glass Hotel OR The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
46. A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind OR STIFF: the curious lives of human cadavers
48. A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?” - Zealot by Reza Aslan
49. A book with an ensemble cast - East of Eden by Steinbeck OR Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders OR The Sound and the Fury
50. A book published in 2021 - I’ll read one of my by BOTM books for this one.
51. A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name - The Henna Artist OR Sex Object OR The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
52. A book related to "the end" - Last book in a series..like The Story of the Lost Child in the Neapolitan Quartet OR The Prisoner of Heaven in the Shadow of the Wind trilogy
OR a book with “end” in the title, like: Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World