Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2017 Plans
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Maris's plan for 2017
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You have really great books on your list, you'll have a fun year. The Graveyard Book, Cinder and A Monster Calls are great and I also totally loved The Night Circus. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who hasn't read Jane Eyre yet :)Except if you really want to read it, I don't recommend The Girl on the Train, overall people here didn't like it. It's an easy read, but a depressing book and an average thriller.
Zaz wrote: "You have really great books on your list, you'll have a fun year. The Graveyard Book, Cinder and A Monster Calls are great and I also totally loved The Night Circus. It's nice to see that I'm not t..."Thank you for your opinion, it's always nice to hear what other's have thought. :) Many of the books you've enjoyed have been on my TBR list for far too long and now I am even more excited to begin reading them. As for The Girl On The Train, I have an entire year to make up my mind about whether or not I'd actually like to pick it up.
I just finished A Dog's Purpose and I LOVED it. Mind you, I am a dog lover and my dogs are members of my family, but it really touched my heart. I liked it better than The Art of Racing in the Rain. Happy reading!
Some very good choices here, hope you enjoy Cinder! I'm a bit jealous, wish I could read it for the first time again
Thanks for your input! I'm really itching to get to reading now that I've heard what you had to say about the books! :)
JANUARY READSJan 02
★★★☆☆ Jan 14
★★★★★ Jan 21
★★★☆☆ Jan 24
★★★★☆Favorite of the month: A Monster Calls
Least favorite: Around The World in Eighty Days
Outlander is one of my favorite books of ALL time. I definitely suggest you go with that pick. Please, do yourself a favor and forgo The Girl on the Train. I am reading it now and it is depressing as can be... and not very suspenseful. I'm really bad at guessing the endings of these books, and I'm almost 95% sure I know "who dunnit".
Chelsea wrote: "Outlander is one of my favorite books of ALL time. I definitely suggest you go with that pick. Please, do yourself a favor and forgo The Girl on the Train. I am reading it now and it is depressin..."
I have decided to abandon Girl On The Train. As I am constantly changing my list's choices, I doubt it'll be difficult to replace. Thank you for your opinion :)
I am strongly considering reading Outlander, probably later in the year, though, as I am still getting my reading habit back after a few shaky years. It is a pretty long book after all :D
Have you started reading it? My suggestion is not to take suggestions on whether or not you'll like it. This book is either loved or hated - it doesn't seem to have any middle ground. I enjoyed it. But people whose opinions I respect hated it. So, I advise people to not take others' advice on the quality of this book.
Just my 2 cents!
Kirsten *I support diversity in my reading and my world!" wrote: "Have you started reading it? My suggestion is not to take suggestions on whether or not you'll like it. This book is either loved or hated - it doesn't seem to have any middle ground. I enjoyed i..."
It's actually not that much about the opinions of others, I don't really change my mind based just on other's view. No, I have not started on it, but, like I mentioned, I change my list constantly (I make changes daily, sometimes even twice or three times a day). I wasn't a 100% sure about it when I put it on the list. But who knows? There is a chance that it may end up back here over the course of this year with the way I go about my list. It is only January after all :D
So, my February has been a very disappointing reading month. I have some catching up to do because of it, but the year's still young!! :DFEBRUARY READS
Feb 26
★★★☆☆
Finished my first book of March - The Danish Girl ★★★★☆Wow, this book was incredible. The descriptions made you feel present in the story and it was a surprisingly fast read! I do admit that the ending was a bit of a letdown, but I liked it nonetheless :)
Finished my 2nd book of March - Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ★★★☆☆It was a beautiful book with an easy flow but kind of a slow pace. The imagery enhanced the experience, though! Definitely going to read the rest of the series, too!
Little Women ★☆☆☆☆ was my third book of this month (8th over-all). I am very sad saying that I felt underwhelmed by this book. I had been wanting to read this for a few years now, and was super excited when I picked it up. I felt that the characters were two-dimensional and, though there were some differentiating traits, the characters all felt the same to me.
I just finished Danish Girl also. It surprised me the medical advances as well as the characters understanding attitudes.
Anastasia wrote: "I just finished Danish Girl also. It surprised me the medical advances as well as the characters understanding attitudes."To be honest, I thought at times, the characters were too understanding, actually. Especially considering the year. I love that the support was there, but sometimes it felt unnatural.
How did you like the book, Anastasia?
I gave it three stars. The topic was interesting but it took me longer than a week to read it.
Book 4 in March was Anne of Green Gables ★★★★★Oh my goodness! This book is truly fantastic. Anne is such an amazing character and I found myself relating to her instantly! The plot and the characters were so beautifully done that I found myself laughing through most of this. Closed the book with the biggest, most ridiculous smile on my face. Without a doubt worth a 5-star rating :)
I felt the same way about Little Women - I reread it earlier this year. The second book in particular was awful.
March book #5 was Carrie ★★★☆☆The true horror of the story was, in my mind, the nature of several of the characters - just the way they seemed to take pleasure in another's suffering. Truly great portrayal! It was my first Stephen King novel and I will definitely read more of his works in the future :)
My favorite King novels are: The Stand and Revival. Joyland is excellent too, but different for him.
MARCH READS:
★★★★☆
★★★☆☆
★☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
★★★☆☆Month Favorite: Anne of Green Gables
Least Favorite: Little Women
I read Looking for Alaska ★★★☆☆ and really enjoyed it. The book was humorous, lighthearted, quirky and tragic all rolled into one. I love the character interaction, though at times it was slightly over the top. Slightly on the slow side of things.
Finished The Fault in Our Stars ★★★★☆Loved loved loved it. Both melted and shattered my poor heart. The characters were colorful, dialogue flowed easily and it was worth all the hype it has been getting. I read this ages ago, but never finished for some unknown reason. Sure am glad to have picked this up again :)
I realized that The Alchemyst fits into category #25 - A book about a famous historical figure with characters like Nicholas Flamel, Perenelle Flamel, John Dee.I gave the book a rating of ★★★☆☆ since the idea was good and I was fairly intrigued by the story, but the characters were poorly executed. They were not bad, not good, just not right. I liked Scatty and loved loved loved her grandmother Dora. Unfortunately, Dora was only included at the end of the book. There was potential, which lost most of its edge due to the introduction to the world and backstories. It was an okay read, though I expect more in the next books.
APRIL READS:
★★★☆☆
★★★☆☆
★★★★☆
★★☆☆☆Month favorite: The Fault In Our Stars
Least favorite: The Alchemist
MAY READS:
★★★★★
★★★☆☆I enjoyed both books in the month of May, loved The Perks Of Being A Wallflower a lot but, even with a couple of issues writing style wise and such, Red Queen was quite a fun to read.
Would have liked to read more this month, but between exams and other things that go hand in hand with finishing high school, two was plenty :)
JULY READS:
★★☆☆☆
★★★★★
★★★☆☆
★★★☆☆Month favorite: The Hate U Give
Least favorite: Red Rising
AUGUST READS:
★★★★☆
★★★★☆
SEPTEMBER READS:
★★★★★
★★★★★I really loved this month's books. Once again, didn't get too many books in, but I couldn't have picked better ones to read!
Night Circus was a favorite of the year for me!
Perri wrote: "Night Circus was a favorite of the year for me!"I really loved it, probably one of my favorites of all time. Beautiful writing
OCTOBER READS:
★★★★☆
★★★☆☆
★★★★☆
★★★★☆
★★★★★
★★★★★Month favorite: Billy Elliot
Least favorite: The Rest Of Us Just Live Here
Late updateNOVEMBER READS:
★★★★☆
★★★★☆Something, that I haven't mentioned is that I sometimes read other books, which do not fit towards any challenge, so just as a sidenote, I have read a couple more books in the month of November, but they unfortunately don't fall under any category
I didn't know Billy Elliot was a book. LOVED the moive
Perri wrote: "I didn't know Billy Elliot was a book. LOVED the moive"Yeah, I found out sometime last year while browsing the library. It is interesting as well, since the movie is not based on the book, but actually its the other way around! It's not often it happens that a movie is adapted into a book and I really liked this!
DECEMBER READS:
★★☆☆☆
★★★★☆
★★★★★
★★★★☆
★★★★★
★★★★☆Month favorite: Wonder
Least favorite: A Court Of Thorns And Roses
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
History Is All You Left Me (other topics)A Court of Thorns and Roses (other topics)
Wonder (other topics)
One of Us Is Lying (other topics)
A Dog Called Hope: The wounded warrior and the dog who dared to love him (other topics)
More...
✔ - READ
✖ - CURRENTLY READING
1. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016✔ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2
2. A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple points of view)✔ Six of Crows
3. A book you meant to read in 2016✔ Billy Elliot
4. A title that doesn't contain the letter "E"✔ Matilda
5. A historical fiction
TBD
6. A book being released as a movie in 2017✔ Wonder
7. A book with an animal on the cover or in the title
All the Birds in the Sky
8. A book written by a person of color✔ The Hate U Give
9. A book in the middle of your To Be Read list✔ Red Rising
10. A dual-timeline novel✔ History is All You Left Me
11. A category from another challenge(Popsugar 2016: A book from the library)
✔ Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
12. A book based on a myth✔ The Penelopiad
13. A book recommended by one of your favorite authors✔ Carrie
14. A book with a strong female character✔ Between Shades of Gray
15. A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland)
A Man Called Ove
16. A mystery
Magpie Murders
17. A book with illustrations✔ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
18. A really long book (600+ pages)✔ The Night Circus
19. A New York Times best-seller✔ A Monster Calls
20. A book that you've owned for a while but haven't got around to reading✔ The Fault in Our Stars
21. A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read
TBD
22. A book by an author you haven't read before✔ The Danish Girl
23. A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list✔ Anne of Green Gables
24. A book written by at least two authors✔ A Dog Called Hope: The wounded warrior and the dog who dared to love him
25. A book about a famous historical figure✔ The Alchemyst
26. An adventure book✔ Around the World in Eighty Days
27. A book by one of your favorite authors✔ The Rest of Us Just Live Here
28. A non-fiction
How to Win Friends and Influence People
29. A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses (Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Penguin Random House; Hachette Livre) - check all the editions✔ The BFG
30. A book from Goodreads Top 100 YA Books✔ A Court of Thorns and Roses
31. A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre✔ A Walk to Remember
32. A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle)
✖ One of Us Is Lying
33. A magical realism novel
Every Day
34. A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere✔ The Book Thief
35. A book where one of the main characters is royalty✔ Red Queen
36. A Hugo Award winner or nominee
The Graveyard Book
37. A book you choose randomly✔ The Alchemist
38. A novel inspired by a work of classic literature✔ The Sleeper and the Spindle
39. An epistolary fiction✔ The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
40. A book published in 2017✔ The Upside of Unrequited
41. A book with an unreliable narrator✔ We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
42. A best book of the 21st century (so far)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
43. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold)
Bird Box
44. A recommendation from "What Should I Read Next"
TBD
45. A book with a one-word title✔ Inkheart
46. A time travel novel
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
47. A past suggestion that didn't win✔ (A book about siblings) Little Women
48. A banned book✔ The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
49. A book from someone else's bookshelf✔ Looking for Alaska
50. A Penguin Modern Classic - any edition
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
OR
Cat's Cradle
51. A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays)
TBD
52. A book set in a fictional location✔ The Archived
If there's something that actually doesn't fit a category, please let me know! :) This plan is very likely to experience several changes along the year, but here are my current ideas.