Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

I’m thinking Alive which is set in The Andes

I’m starting off the challenge with The Snow Child, set in Alaska.

Books I recommend that fit this prompt:

A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini

The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah

Where'd You Go, Bernadette
by Maria Semple

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
by Fannie Flagg

Apples Never Fall
by Liane Moriarty

The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls

The Last Anniversary
by Liane Moriarty

To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee

Educated
by Tara Westover

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir
by Jenny Lawson

Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl

Gods in Alabama
by Joshilyn Jackson

The Wife Upstairs
by Rachel Hawkins

Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides

One for the Money
by Janet Evanovich

Nine Perfect Strangers
by Liane Moriarty

I'm working night shift this new years eve. About to start listening to American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse for this one.

Pamela wrote: "Wondering if I can hit all 3-- there's lots of A continents and then the Y and T for country or state and then city. Any Y places in Texas, Tasmania, Tennessee, Tunisia, Trinidad or Tanzania that h..."

I like this idea, so Imma gonna put my own spin on it.
3 books a week is pretty much my limit, so I'm going to plan on these this week.

Continent ASIA -
Region APPALACHIA
State - ALABAMA
** I'm not totally sure about the Bernadette book, as most of the book takes place in Seattle, but the other three are solid. **


Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber
Completed ~ 1.2.22
Pages ~ 333
Relevance ~ Alabama
4★

Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck
Completed ~ 1.4.22
Pages ~ 316
Relevance ~ Asia
5★

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Completed ~ 1.5.23
Pages ~ 330
Relevance ~ Antarctica
3★

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Completed ~ 1.7.23
Pages ~ 546
Relevance ~ set in the Southeastern region of APPALACHIA
6★ (yes, I know, but it was.)

I've just read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for the prompt. It was a great read, would recommend.

Tomorrow, When the War Began Australia

I just found this challenge, but am excited to join in. This is my choice for the first week.

Ha! I misread this prompt as the one last year for characters starting with A, T, or Y. I was so excited that I was starting out with the first prompt this year. Oh well so much for that! I'll have to slot my book somewhere else!

Week 1
Read Night boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry
Set in the port of Algeciras in Spain.

I'm planning to read Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands set in Alberta

So it turns out Kindred is based partially in Altadena, California. It fits for a prompt on another challenge as well so I'm giving it a go. I was planning on another book but since I want to watch the Hulu series and this fits, it seems kismet that I should go ahead and read it.

Currently reading The Bastard of Istanbul which partially takes place in Turkey. I didn't like the writing style at first but got into it after about 100 pages so will keep going.

I'm choosing Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata which is set in Tokyo :D

I am going with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Before the Coffee Gets Cold. They are both set in Tokyo. I plan to finish both this week, but we'll see how that goes.

I've just started a reread of Tamora Pierce's Tortallverse, and any of those books would definitely work :)

I am reading The American Quilt. A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950 by Roderick Kiracofe. I can recommend A Song For Summer by Eva Ibbotson, which is set in Austria; Tangerine by Christine Mangan, set in Tangier; and The Sweetest Thing
by Fiona Shaw, set in York.

I was going to use Demon Copperhead for this week, but couldn’t wait, and read it last year. My new pick for this prompt is Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, set in Yucatan.

Lizzy wrote: "I was going to use Demon Copperhead for this week, but couldn’t wait, and read it last year. My new pick for this prompt is Gods of Jade and Shadow by [author:Silvia..."

I really liked Gods of Jade and Shadow, hope you enjoy!

Set in Alaska:
Wrong Alibi

For this prompt, I read:
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene - 4* - My Review (set in Arkansas)

Just finished this prompt with The Summer Party, which is set in Australia (and, in fact, specifically Yorke Peninsula, so it gets the Y in, too).

Anyone have feelings on Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton? It takes place in South Africa... which is in Africa... does this count?

Either way, I'm reading it and I'm doing my prompts out of order. Just wanted to see what people thought.

I read The Dry by Jane Harper. Set in Australia.
It also fits the Australian Literary Awards prompt that did not get in.

I recommend it. I also recommend The Great Alone set in Alaska

Holly wrote: "Anyone have feelings on Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton? It takes place in South Africa... which is in Africa... does this count?

Either way, I'm reading it and I'm doing my pro..."

Sure, it’s on the continent of Africa. I see other posts and lists with Asia, Australia, and Antarctica. I’ve got a few African possibilities too, in different countries. Go for it Holly!

Judy wrote: "I read The Dry by Jane Harper. Set in Australia.
It also fits the Australian Literary Awards prompt that did not get in.

I recommend it. I also recommend [book:The Great Alone|34..."


I thought both of those were great reads!

Read Sweet Bean Paste (set in Toyko) and it became one of my favourite books ever. It is so wholesome, sweet, sad, and lovely.

I read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, set in Turkey. It was quite good, 4 stars.

I read A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George set in Yorkshire. I was not expecting it to be as dark as it turned out to be, but I will be continuing with the series.

I read Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower, set in Amherst, Massachusetts.

I felt the author did a good job creating a mystery with Emily Dickinson helping investigate the death of her maid's brother. It was a little darker than I expected.

I finished Sourcery for this prompt (mostly being set in Ankh-Morpork) last week and loved it! I'm trying to take my time working through this series, as I'm already saddened by the idea of not having any new ones to read, but I think I could inhale them all in a week. They're very easy, funny reads.

I'd recommend any of the Discworld novels for this prompt, especially if you like light-hearted fantasy.

I guess I'm months behind the power-curve here, but I've jumped into the broader Australia by reading The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions by Kerry Greenwood. It's a collection of Phryne Fisher detective stories.

I started the year with a Ninth House reread -- it's set at Yale.

This was an easy choice for this little Aussie, as I want to read more Australian lit this year. For this prompt, I'm finally reading the Australian classic The Thorn Birds.

I read two short novellas both set in Arizona. The First Lie and True Lies. Since they were so short, I counted them as one book.

I finished Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac

This book is a mystery set in Austria.

Jody wrote: "This was an easy choice for this little Aussie, as I want to read more Australian lit this year. For this prompt, I'm finally reading the Australian classic The Thorn Birds."

OMG The Thorn Birds was the MUST-read book for every girl/woman I knew when I was in college, and now it’s considered a classic. Does this make me old, or should I say I’m a classic? 😉

Well, I haven't yet read any of the three that I listed in post #38. No, as usual, I ended up reading Art's Blood, which was set in Appalachia (North Carolina mountain country).

Prompt #1 done.

I decided to do a BIO option of sorts and pick a town / city beginning with A, T or Y rather than a country. I had previously read An American Marriage by Tayari Jones and was aware she had other books set in Atlanta, so I picked up Silver Sparrow on Kindle and really enjoyed it.
It worked really well for the location prompt because it is set in various different parts of Atlanta and really made me feel like I learned something about that city.

Nancy, the mini series of The Thorn Birds seemed to be on TV all of the time when I was a kid, but I never watched it! I’m a bad Australian!

Finished Murder on the Ballarat Train (Australia, with the main events being in Ballan and Melbourne). I'm glad I gave this series another try, Miss Fisher is a fun detective.

Pam wrote: "I’m going with Argentina and have 2 classics (both are also debut novels) I’m interested in - The Tunnel by Ernesto Sabato and Betrayed by Rita Hayworth by Manuel Puig. I have 7 other options that ..."

I highly recommend Our Share of the Night. Maybe I will just reread it for the prompt, this time in English translation.

I read - Antarctica - How the Penguins Saved Veronica

I read Jane Eyre using Thornfield Hall for the location.

What are you reading for this prompt?
I read Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson
Set in Yorkshire England

I was going to use The Book Eaters but when I read it I didn't feel enough was set in Yorkshire (and if you weren't paying attention, you might not have known the Yorkshire bits were Yorkshire).

So I have used Hell Bent instead which is set at Yale. Loved it! I usually like to read prompt #1 as my first prompt of the year but fate had different ideas this year.

This year I'm finally reading for ATY in order. :D
I initially wanted to read The Inhertitance Games for this prompt, and even though the beginning is amazing, I feel like it's not its time right now.
So instead of forcing myself to continue it, I decided to check for something else. And I just realised that last night I finished The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out by Jill Tomlinson that takes place in Antarctica.

I highly recommend Jill's books in this animal series, as I previously read The Owl who was afraid of the dark and really loved it!

I read The Marsh Queen for this challenge. The book is set in the fictional town of Tenetkee, Florida and also in Tallahassee, Florida.

Still not going in order, but closer than ever, I chose The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian. I usually love the author's work, but this one not so much. The setting is a safari in Tanzania, November 1964, but too many characters and too much backstory weighed down the plot for me, although the drama and suspense picked up as the novel went on.

I read Demon Copperhead which is set in Appalachia. I enjoyed Kingsolver's early books but not her last several, but I decided to venture this one, given all the good reviews from some of my most trusted sources. Sadly, I was right to drop her...she is not the author for me anymore.

Dana wrote: "This year I'm finally reading for ATY in order. :D
I initially wanted to read The Inhertitance Games for this prompt, and even though the beginning is amazing, I feel like it's not its time right n..."

I love books about animals, Dana. And Antarctica's a plus! Thanks for the tip about Jill Tomlinson - I'll definitely check her out.

EUROPE
Faroe Islands:
The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Australian author Holly Ringland is a magical book set in Tasmania, Copenhagen and the Faroe Islands. It covers Indigenous stories, Nordic mythology, selkies and fairytales as Esther tries to piece together what happened to her sister Aurora and what the seven verses tattooed on her back meant. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review