Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

SUGGESTIONS THREAD

It's time for our next round of suggestions! It's Poll 4-- which means it's time for the mult-week prompts! See my next post for further clarification on how to word your nomination.

It's also my first time tracking suggestions-- so be kind!

Just a reminder that you can find a full list of prompts already on the 2026 list in the third post on this thread. (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)

A little reminder of how things are done around here:

How it works:
- The topics for the 2026 reading challenge list will be determined by a series of mini-polls, the number of which depends on the number of prompts winning in each mini-polls
- Suggestions for each poll will be opened until 15 suggestions are received and “seconded”.
- The voting thread will open the day after suggestions go live. You can find the schedule here.
- The poll will be posted after the voting thread is opened for 24 hours, and will remain open for three full days.
- Each user has 8 votes to spread between their favorite (top) and least favorite (bottom) prompts
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list (between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)

Rules:
- Each member can only suggest OR second one prompt
- Suggestions close after 15 total seconded prompts

When suggesting and seconding, feel free to provide examples and descriptions that may help other members understand the prompt better. These descriptions and examples will be copied over to the voting thread for further discussion.

As always, please express any and all feedback (respectfully, of course), either here or in The Wild Discussion.


Moving on to Voting:
1. 3 Weeks: A book related to yesterday, a book related to today, and a book related to tomorrow
2. 2 Weeks: Two books where the last name of one author is the first name of the other
3. 2 Weeks: One book related to hot and one book related to cold
4. 2 Weeks: A book written by a male author that includes a love story, and a book written by a female author that DOES NOT include a love story
5. 3 Weeks: One book related to a sharp musical note, one book related to a flat musical note, and one book related to a natural musical note
6. 2 Weeks: Two books where the first word of the second title is the same as the last word of the first title
7. 3 Weeks: One book related to planes, one book related to trains, and one book related to automobiles
8. 2 Weeks: Two books, where the second book's title provides a response to or continuation of the first book's title
9. 3 Weeks: One book related to the lion, one book related to the witch, and one book related to the wardrobe
11. 2 Weeks: A book related to water, and a book related to earth
12. 2 Weeks: The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist
13. 3 weeks: A book related to rock, a book related to paper, and a book related to scissors
14 2 Weeks: A book connected to RIGHT, and a book connected to WRONG
15. Three books: one in each quadrant of the world excluding North America

A 2-week prompt
Read a book related to “hot”
Read a book related to “cold”

This could include books set in HOT climates or weather conditions or COLD climates or weather conditions

Any book including a fire could qualify as HOT
Any book including “open door” sex scenes could qualify as HOT
Any book including a character considered to be COLD, as in an unfriendly personality, etc.

Three weeks: A book related to yesterday, a book related to today, and a book related to tomorrow.

* Book one: A book related to “yesterday” (A book with “yesterday” in the title, or a book set in the past.)
* Book two: A book related to “today” (A book with “today” in the title, or a book set in the present.)
* Book three: A book related to “tomorrow” (A book with “tomorrow” in the title, or a book set in the future.)

(Suggested for Verity)
3 Weeks:
A book related to a Sharp Musical Note
A book related to a Flat Musical Note
A book related to a Natural Musical Note

A sharp book could have a knife on the cover or be about cheating (like a card sharp), have an author’s name or character name of Sharp e.g. Vanity Fair, feature pounds or hashtags (#)
A flat book could be set in flat countryside such as plains or fenland, set in an apartment/flat, be about depression or feeling flat, have “flat” in the title like Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
A natural book could be natural history, set in nature, someone with a talent (they’re a natural), a book featuring one of the natural sciences e.g biology, chemistry, physics

THIS IS POST #2-- you all moved too fast!

A REMINDER: This week is our ONE multi-week poll! This is the only week you will be allowed to submit prompts that span multiple weeks, and those are the only types of prompts that should be submitted.

Please submit your suggestions in the following format:
2 Weeks: First prompt and second prompt
3 Weeks: Prompt that lists three things
etc.

To Clarify:

Prompts formatted like "Three books related to Blood, Sweat, and Tears" will be formatted as such on the final list:

Three books related to Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Book 1
Three books related to Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Book 2
Three books related to Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Book 3

Prompts formatted like "4 Weeks: A book connected to Northeast, A book connected to Southeast, A book connected to Northwest, & a book connected to Southwest" will be formatted as such on the final list:

A book connected to Northeast
A book connected to Southeast
A book connected to Northwest
A book connected to Southwest

Two books where the last name of one author is the first name of the other ("s", etc. included...Williams/William, Stevenson/Steven)

Example:
George Martin/Martin Turnbull
Will Thomas/Thomas Tyron
Jodi Taylor/Taylor Caldwell

Week 1: Author 1's last name is author 2's first name
Week 2: Author 2's first name is author 1's last name

A book written by a male author that includes a love story.
Can be a “romance”, but can also be a sweet love story, or about the love of a child, familial love, deep loving friendship, etc. The love story does not need to be the focus of the plot.
A book written by a female author that DOES NOT include a love story.

Some Listopias for Love Stories written by Men (couldn’t find many JUST male authors, so will have to browse through most lists):
- ATY2021 Love Story: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... (forgot to check ahead to see if we’d had a similar prompt in the past)
- Classic Love Stories: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... (includes Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Dumas, F. Scott Fitzgerald, E.M. Forster, D.H. Lawrence, Nevil Shute, Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, etc. - all books before 1960)
- Male Romance Authors: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/... (some of these are love stories, some are Romance, ALL are male authors)

Examples of Love Stories written by Men:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Time of the Child by Niall Williams (love of family, child)
Bewilderment by Richard Powers (love of child)
My Friends by Fredrik Backman (deep loving friendship)
Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

Some Listopias for Non-Love Stories written by Women (mostly couldn’t find many JUST female authors, so will have to browse through most lists. Tried to pick genres that are less likely to include a love story):
- Best Female Crime/Mystery/Thriller Writers: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
- Interesting and Readable Nonfiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
- Modern Science Non-Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
- Best Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Examples of Non-Love Stories written by Women:
The Power by Naomi Alderman
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. (Shannon) Chakraborty
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams (fiction)
Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams (nonfiction)

3Weeks: Plane, trains & Automobiles. A book related to each one


Books with Planes:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Books with trains :
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Automobiles:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Other:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

We have 6 prompts waiting for seconds!!

I will second Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow!

I will second:

2 weeks where the last name of one author is the first name of the other

also listed as

Week 1: Author 1's last name is author 2's first name
Week 2: Author 2's first name is author 1's last name

I’ll second yesterday, today, tommorrow

Joy D wrote: "I will second:

2 weeks where the last name of one author is the first name of the other

also listed as

Week 1: Author 1's last name is author 2's first name
Week 2: Author 2's first name is auth..."

Thank You!

Wording for the musical prompt:

3 Weeks: One book related to a sharp musical note, one book related to a flat musical note, and one book related to a natural musical note

For the transportation:

3 Weeks: One book related to planes, one book related to trains, and one book related to automobiles

Erica wrote: "I’ll second yesterday, today, tommorrow"

That's been seconded- want to try again?

@Emily

You have the author prompt on both lists

Robin H-R wrote: "@Emily

You have the author prompt on both lists"

Not Emily-- it's me making mistakes! Sorry!

Missed that sry.

I’ll second the male and female author love prompt

I'll second the hot/cold prompt

Pamela wrote: "Robin H-R wrote: "@Emily

You have the author prompt on both lists"

Not Emily-- it's me making mistakes! Sorry!"

No worries...my bad

Thanks, Emily (and Erica)!

Two books where the first word of the second title is the same as the last word of the first title.
Or
The title of book one ends in a common word.
The title of the second book starts with the same word.

Some common words that end and begin book titles are: Death, Murder, Book, Night, Year, Country, and City.

Examples include:
Naked in Death
Death of the Author

Passions in Death
Death Card

Immortal City
The City of Dreaming Books

The Great When
When Women Were Dragons

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
London Eye

Book of Night Night Shift
light years year of the knife
When the moon hits your eye Eyes & the impossible
How to Sell a Haunted House House with good bones House of Cards
Lulu Dean's little library of banned books book censor's library
echo of old books book that wouldn't burn
cat who saved books book of love

I will second the musical note prompt.

suggesting:

3 books: one for each of the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe

Kendra wrote: "I'll second the hot/cold prompt"
Thanks!

Deborah wrote: "Two books where the first word of the second title is the same as the last word of the first title.
Or
The title of book one ends in a common word.
The title of the second book starts with the same..."

I will second this prompt.

I'll second the love story prompt

Chrissie wrote: "I'll second the love story prompt"

That has been seconded- try again!

2 week prompt: 2 books with sequential numbers in the title

Examples- One Hundred Years of Solitude, 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think

One Italian Summer, A Tale of Two Cities

The Three of Us, The Four Winds

Station Eleven, Twelfth Night

Twelve Years a Slave, Thirteen Reasons Why

Slaughterhouse Five, Six of Crows

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Eight Perfect Murders

I'll second trains, planes, and automobiles.

Kelly Sj wrote: "suggesting:

3 books: one for each of the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe"

Is this a cover prompt? title prompt? Or:

a book related to lion
a book related to witch
a book related to wardrobe

depending on your answer, I would second it.

2 week prompt: one book connected to RIGHT, one book connected to WRONG

I suggest a 2-week Call and Response prompt.
Book 1: A book with a title suitable for another title to respond to.
Book 2: A book with a title that seems to respond to the title of Book 1.

Examples:
They Came to Baghdad + And Nobody Knew They Were There
Fourth Wing + The Hoboken Chicken Emergency
What I Ate in One Year + Tortilla Flat
What Rose Forgot + The Keys of the Kingdom
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman+ Working for Bigfoot
News of the World + Here We Go Again
When Sorrows Come + Run for the Hills
Letters from My Windmill + Return to Sender
The Buried Giant + In Too Deep
This is Where I Leave You + Tied Up In Tinsel
Between the World and Me + We Solve Murders
Dune + Sandcastles
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? + She’s Come Undone
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life... + Three Blind Mice
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie + Sticky Fingers
Can You Keep a Secret? +I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Vicki wrote: "I suggest a 2-week Call and Response prompt.
Book 1: A book with a title suitable for another title to respond to.
Book 2: A book with a title that seems to respond to the title of Book 1.

Examp..."

I will second this one

We have 7 prompts. 8 left to go and 3 waiting to be seconded....

Please confirm the wording on this call and response:

2 Weeks: Two books, where the second book's title provides a response to or continuation of the first book's title

Dubhease, people can interpret it however they like, "related to" would work for any interpretation!

Kelly Sj wrote: "Dubhease, people can interpret it however they like, "related to" would work for any interpretation!"

If anyone else wants to second lion, witch, and wardrobe before Dubhease does, she can vote or nominate something else.

I’ll second the lion, witch and wardrobe

Jillian wrote: "I’ll second the lion, witch and wardrobe"

Thank you-- Dubhease, feel free to second or nominate something else... we do need more nominations!

We have 9 moving onto voting.... 6 more spots and 2 waiting to be seconded

Emily wrote: "Please confirm the wording on this call and response:

2 Weeks: Two books, where the second book's title provides a response to or continuation of the first book's title"

Fine with me.

I'll second 2 weeks: 2 books with sequential numbers in the title

Boy, you're all getting quiet... I hear the ice cream truck song outside....

Two books: a book related to Water and a book related to Earth.

3 weeks

a book related to rock
a book related to paper
a book related to scissors

Judy wrote: "Two books: a book related to Water and a book related to Earth."

I'll second this!

A two-week prompt.

1. Read an author’s front list book.

2. Read a back list book by the same author.


A front list book is defined as an author‘s most recently published book.

A backlist book is defined as all books the author published prior to their most recently published book.

As an example, Tom Lake is Ann Patchett’s most recently released boo. All of her books that were published prior to Tom Lake are her backlist books.

Another example would be The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamm. That is his most recently published book, there fire his front list books. All other books he published prior to The River Is Waiting are backlist books.

I second author's front list and backlist

12 prompts-- 3 left to go!!