Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

A spot for all your reading discussions and planning! Are you hustling to the library to grab a mountain of books? Do you have one book in particular that you are desperate to finish? Need help thinking of something for a prompt?

Chat away!

Hmm a good book for the food prompt that isn't a cozy mystery... maybe The Last Chinese Chef - or any other recommendations?

If you like magical realism, Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells or The Peach Keeper. Or Sourdough.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest
With the Fire on High
The School of Essential Ingredients

If you like graphic novels, or want to try one Seconds is a very good one and has a food theme

Thanks :-)

The book I was thinking about starting The Lizard's Tale fits 6 of the prompts: Before 2012, Translated, red on cover, southern hemisphere, animal on cover, under 250 pages. I will probably use it for animal on the cover. I plan on reading Like Water for Chocolate for the food prompt.

I am going to read The Lost Gargoyle of Paris for the food prompt. Apparently it has several vegan recipes included? Gargoyles, mystery and vegan cooking.....so much going on here. lol

Did anyone read Other Birds yet? If so, what did you think?

Louise wrote: "Hmm a good book for the food prompt that isn't a cozy mystery... maybe The Last Chinese Chef - or any other recommendations?"

I'm considering The School of Essential Ingredients

The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Garden Spells were mentioned many times here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Are the prompts for the team challenge the same as the prompts for the individual challenge? If not, then when will the prompts for the team challenge be released?

Search:A Novel by Michelle Huneven will fit the food prompt.

Lindsay wrote: "Are the prompts for the team challenge the same as the prompts for the individual challenge? If not, then when will the prompts for the team challenge be released?"

Last time I don't think we saw the details until Friday, some might have been even later.

Based on the readathons I joined, the group and individual challenges are not the same. But there will be similarities. You'll be able to fit every book in the group plan in some way. Even if a book doesn't fit a category it can earn points (or something) for the team. There is no pressure to read more to "win," but there is an expectation that you'll check in every day with the team. (I don't remember ever knowing which team won. Or maybe there are no winner or losers.)

Also there are usually prompts that are similar to some of the 52 weekly prompts, so you can focus on the ones you have left if you need to.

Lindsay wrote: "Are the prompts for the team challenge the same as the prompts for the individual challenge? If not, then when will the prompts for the team challenge be released?"

Emily posted a bit ago that creating the group challenge prompts are on her to-do list for today. They usually get posted on Friday.

Louise wrote: "Hmm a good book for the food prompt that isn't a cozy mystery... maybe The Last Chinese Chef - or any other recommendations?"

If you like romance, A Pho Love Story is very cute and the two MCs' families run rival Vietnamese restaurants so the food connection is strong.

Has anyone read We Need New Names and can tell me how much of it is set in Zimbabwe? I know the MC moves from Zimbabwe to the US and I'm trying to work out which of these countries is the main setting so I know whether or not it fits the "set in the southern hemisphere" prompt. Thanks!

Aimee wrote: "Has anyone read We Need New Names and can tell me how much of it is set in Zimbabwe? I know the MC moves from Zimbabwe to the US and I'm trying to work out which of these countries ..."

I have read it. A good part of it is set in Zimbabwe. I don't remember exactly how much, but I remember it as the larger part of the book.
I really liked it.

Johanne wrote: "Aimee wrote: "Has anyone read We Need New Names and can tell me how much of it is set in Zimbabwe? I know the MC moves from Zimbabwe to the US and I'm trying to work out which of th..."

Thank you, that's really helpful! :)

I'm excited, I seem to always miss announcements for these despite being a frequent lurker (and very occasional poster). I have a pile of books checked out and hope I'll be able to work them into whatever the challenge ends up being. Most eagerly anticipating Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

Judy wrote: "Did anyone read Other Birds yet? If so, what did you think?"

Yes, I loved it. She's one of my favorite authors and I was so excited for this to be released. Not sure how much you know but she lost her mother and her sister one after the other and this is clearly a love letter to mothers. Absolutely beautiful book.

Johanne wrote: "Aimee wrote: "Has anyone read We Need New Names and can tell me how much of it is set in Zimbabwe? I know the MC moves from Zimbabwe to the US and I'm trying to work out which of th..."

That's good to know. Her book Glory was just shortlisted for the Booker prize.

I had some books planned that I wanted to read for a long time, but I'm really enticed by the new books mentioned in the last several posts.

Oh I’ll have to read Glory then!

We need new names is an emotionally rough book, just so you know. I like that, but some people dont.

Johanne wrote: "We need new names is an emotionally rough book, just so you know. I like that, but some people dont."

Hi Johanne! It's nice to see you here! That's useful information. I like emotional books too, but it's hard to move onto something else immediately.

Nancy wrote: "Judy wrote: "Did anyone read Other Birds yet? If so, what did you think?"

Yes, I loved it. She's one of my favorite authors and I was so excited for this to be released. Not sure how much you know..."

I love her too. I'm really in the mood for something like that. Is this the kind of book you might re-read some day ? I'm thinking of buying the audibles for Other Birds and Tomorrow X3.

Nancy- Which prompts would you use for Other Birds?
Becky - Which prompts would you use for Tomorrow...?

Does anyone else know off hand?

Hi Nancy, same. I’m a lurker in this group, but like to participate in the readathons.

Lindsay wrote: "Are the prompts for the team challenge the same as the prompts for the individual challenge? If not, then when will the prompts for the team challenge be released?"

Team challenge prompts and threads should be up before noon today (CST)

Johanne wrote: "We need new names is an emotionally rough book, just so you know. I like that, but some people dont."

Oh that is helpful, thanks. I'm usually okay with that but maybe not for a readathon since I tend to need a bit of space after, and not want to plough straight into another book. I might see what Isabel Allende books my library has instead, for the southern hemisphere prompt.

I am not a re-reader. There are a handful of books I have re-read but generally I don't re-read. So many books, so little time is my motto!

In the team challenge, Other Birds fits featuring a ghost, family dynamics, magical realism. It also could be used for featuring an animal though I would use the word "featuring" loosely for that one.

In the individual, it fits animal on the cover, includes a romance, features food, more than one POV.

NancyJ wrote: "...Becky - Which prompts would you use for Tomorrow...?"
Without having read Tomorrowx3 yet, it fits book over 400 pages and potentially romance in the individual prompts. Based on the description, it may also have multiple POV? For team challenge, I believe it's at least partially set in the 1900s (assuming that means the whole century?), not sure if it fits any others.

Aimee: its not the whole book thats emorionally rough, but there are some specific childhood scenes that are.

Just finished The Love Hypothesis and I was obsessed.

Anyone know where her novellas could possibly fit in the group challenge. I'm coming up blank:

Any ideas for Multiple Points of View? I need one more book.

Pearl, do you like romances? I feel like those usually have multiple POVs for each of the love interests

Sometimes. I have Love Hypothesis on hold at the library but I don't think I'll get it in time. Does it have multiple POV?

No, unfortunately. But I just finished it last week and it’s wonderful! I couldn’t even slow down enough to make it count for the readathon.

I’m reading Act Your Age, Eve Brown with multiple. I also believe Beach Read by Emily Henry is, and possible People We Meet on Vacation.

Other authors I know that like that style are Sarah J Mass, Leigh Bardugo, Kristin Hannah, Fredrick Backman, Taylor Jenkins Reid,and Gillian Flynn.

People Person has multiple viewpoints, if I remember rightly. I read A Keeper which has two main viewpoints.

Jasmine Guillory's books have two points of view. I just finished Drunk on Love but it won't be published until next week.