Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2019 Plans
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Cheri's 2019 Plans
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Cover collage!
Thanks for the idea of favorite book of the month. Here goes!January - Educated. This was a tough choice! Both The Cellist of Sarajevo and Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun were also really good.
February - Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia. Again, there were two terrific books this month. The other was Slouching Towards Bethlehem.
March - Artificial Condition
April - Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Overall yearly favorite
Interesting approach! I'll be curious as to which prompts get crossed off last.
Book 1 - The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven GallowayFits prompts:
16. A book told from multiple perspectives
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet
39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life
Mercifully, war is something most of us do not experience first hand. This book gave me a much keener sense not only of the everyday experiences of living in a besieged city, but brought me into the thought processes of adjusting to that. I thought that aspect of the book was remarkable.
Book 2 - Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun by Sarah Ladipo ManyikaFits prompts:
14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term (sun)
28. A book related to something cold (i.e. theme, title, author, cover, etc.) (ice cream)
30. A book featuring an elderly character (main character having 75th birthday)
47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.) (ice cream)
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title
Charming, heart-warming. Some unnecessary things were included and some things were left hanging, but I liked the book quite a bit anyway because I liked the characters. When I picked up the book I did not know that it takes place right in my neighborhood - that was a bonus!
This is a great idea to count a book for multiple weeks, Cheri!
Emily wrote: "This is a great idea to count a book for multiple weeks, Cheri!"Thanks, Emily! I don't think the group encourages it, but it makes sense to me -- and i plan to read the correct number of books total. It makes it doable for me this year. Good luck with your own challenge!
Book 3 - Vinegar Girl by Anne TylerFits prompts:
3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y
5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare (retelling of Taming of the Shrew
19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR
23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old (based on 400-yr-old play)
37. A book set in a school or university (bride a pre-school teacher, groom a university academic)
44. A book related in some way to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed (Kiss Me Kate movie)
47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.)
Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew is cringeworthy in today's world, so I was curious to see how Anne Tyler might recast it to suit modern sensibilities. I had expected her to make Kate a feminist, but instead she simply made her unhappy and hard to be around (a "vinegar girl"). The characters were amusing but overdone, typical for a comedy. I find myself wondering whether there is any reason for a story like this except to say it is a modern take on a Shakespeare play?
Book 4 - The Library Book by Susan OrleanFits prompts:
4. A book with a criminal character
6. A book with a dual timeline
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1 (books & library is commonality with Educated)
12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer
25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed (borrowing books from library)
36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list (2018)
50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual) (one of librarians walks across the US)
I had heard this book was about the L.A. library fire, but it's actually a book about libraries as seen through the lens of the library fire. Except when it's not. Some of the digressions are fascinating (all about arsonists and the nature of fire itself) and some are not (the extended lives of the library directors and the man-who-would-not-be-the-arsonist). As with Susan Orlean's other book, The Orchid Thief, you have to take each chapter for what it is and let it go where it will. I generally prefer a clearer structure, but even so I learned a lot from this book and I'm glad I read it.
Book 5 - Educated by Tara WestoverFits prompts:
1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy (Reading Women Award for Non-fiction)
8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2 (books related to books and library, with The Library Book)
12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer
13. A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list (Winter 2018, adults)
26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue (author gets severely depressed)
36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list (2018)
37. A book set in a school or university (takes place in BYU, Cambridge, Harvard and homeschool)
41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards
50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)
The great thing about a memoir is that you know the author has survived. Without that knowledge, I'm not sure I could have read this book, which explores a terrifying confluence of religion, mental illness, isolation, domestic violence and homeschooling. Education is ongoing - Tara Westover has opened herself to so many things, but it seems the process is far from over. More power to her.
Book 6 - Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan DidionFits prompts:
38. A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc) - in essay form
39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life - essays about various places
Such incisive prose. She captures a person or a place with just a sentence: "Glendale, where desolation had a different flavor: antimacassars among the orange groves, a middle class prelude to Forest Lawn." This is my first Joan Didion, but it won't be my last. Even after 50 years, the essays feel fresh and timely.
Book 7 - The Nigerian-Nordic Girl's Guide to Lady Problems by Faith AdieleFits prompts:
19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR
40. A book you stumbled upon
Great perspective on being mixed race, mixed culture, female, and lost in the health care system - and in life. I enjoyed the writing very much, but at only 33 pages, this wasn't really a book.
Book 8 - A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu GuoFits prompts:
24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New (moves to a new country, falls in love for first time)
38. A book not written in traditional novel format (written as series of dictionary entries)
49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country (Chinese author, part of book in China)
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title
I really enjoyed watching the narrator's English improve as she spent more time studying in London, but I found the awkward language to be a mixed blessing - sometimes insightful and sometimes simply distracting. Cultural, linguistic, gender, and relationship issues got all tangled up, which of course they do in real life, but it made it hard for me to know what to take away from the book.
Book 9 - Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia by Dennis CovingtonFits prompts:
1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy (non-fiction, National Book Award finalist 1995)
11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject) (snake)
48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year (1995, non-fiction finalist)
This absorbing book is partly journalism and partly personal journey. The author is open about blurring this line, and his observer/participant status made it easier for me to use his experience to understand something that I was inclined to dismiss as simply crazy. I was not prepared for the last chapter, however, and it ended a little abruptly (no spoilers, but definitely worth reading to the end). I found the Afterword to the 25th anniversary edition to be helpful, too.
Book 10 - Why Homer Matters by Adam NicolsonFits prompts:
2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, What, Where, When, Why)
10. A book featuring an historical figure (Homer)
15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country (Greece, Mediterranean islands, Spain)
34. A book with a person's name in the title
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character (many monsters from Homer's epic are discussed)
I decided to pick this up after reading Circe and tackling Elizabeth Wilson's new translation of the Odyssey, which was published after this book was written. I loved Miller's Circe and Wilson's intro, but Homer himself did not speak to me as I had hoped.
Nicolson is a man obsessed with Homer. His descriptions are filled with over-the-top extremes and occasional contradictions, but they are enthralling. It was fun to ride his coattails through the ancient world. Eventually it became clear he had deeply personal reasons for being drawn to Homer, and I liked the lessons he took away. But those are not the lessons I gleaned from my own reading - the violence and unrelenting masculinity overwhelmed all else for me. Maybe it's time for a new epic to arise, one that speaks to women as well as men and offers a different set of possibilities.
Book 11 - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonFits prompts:
4. A book with a criminal character (a murderer)
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (horror)
46. A book with a (mostly) black cover
This chilling story creeped me out at the same time it drew me in, showing people at their everyday worst. And how could you not love Merricat? Yet how could you love her?
Book 12 - Convenience Store WomanFits prompts:
3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y (Sayaka Murata)
49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country (translation from Japanese author, set in Japan)
This novel explores how rigid, gender-related expectations in Japanese culture are creating psychological distress among young adults there. Sometimes the story is sad, sometimes funny, sometimes just bizarre. Because the characters seemed overdrawn and almost cartoonish, it made me wonder whether it might not have been better presented as a graphic novel - I think then I would have accepted the jumps between unusual and psychopathic behavior as standard cartoon exaggeration. As it was, I expected to end up understanding the characters or culture better, but instead I ended up not knowing what kind of people I was dealing with.
Book 13 - The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie SchumacherFits prompts:
5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare
12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer
37. A book set in a school or university
I like Schumacher's witty writing style, but overall the book comes across as rather mean-spirited. The characters and the institution are so exaggerated that they might be funny in a short SNL skit but not in a full length book.
Book 14 - Artificial Condition by Martha WellsFits prompts:
4. A book with a criminal character (thief, murderer)
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (science fiction/fantasy)
17. A speculative fiction
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character (murderbot)
43. A book related to STEM
50. A book that includes a journey (physical and also a journey of discovery of one's past)
This is such a fun series - be sure to start with the first book, All Systems Red. The story is fast paced and the murderbot is such an interesting character with its blend of human and non-human characteristics. The world building is great - lots of detail that lends credibility without weighing down the story. I love the pronoun "ter."
Book 15 - Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile ParkinFits prompts:
20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country (Tutsi and Hutu)
47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.)
50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title
Generally I'm not interested in feel-good books with homespun wisdom, but I gave this one a pass because it was set in Rwanda and helped concretize that country's troubled past for me. The characters' stories read like a list of Africa's woes - genocide, broken families, trauma, hunger, AIDS, malaria, rape, female mutilation - and I would not have gotten through them all without the author's light touch and hopeful presentation. In the end it was an oddly uplifting book.
Book 16 - They Saw the Elephant: Women in the California Gold Rush by JoAnn LevyFits prompts:
18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements (gold)
50. A book that includes a journey (women's journeys to California)
The author obviously did copious research and presented it in an organized fashion, with chapters on women's journeys to California and various occupations on arrival. There are lots of stories, mostly as quotations from sources strung together with transitional comments. What is lacking is any sort of deeper analysis. The bibliography is also extensive, but with no footnotes it would be hard to find the source of some statements in the book. For example, on p. 103 the author claims, "In the earliest days of the gold rush, washing could cost twenty dollars a dozen because no one wanted to do it. Men often sent their dirty shirts to the Sandwich Islands and even China to be laundered, their garments sometimes three to six months upon the sea." Really? How fascinating! But since the book doesn't cite a source, I don't know where that information came from or how to learn more.
Cheri wrote: "Book 6 - Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan DidionI thought this one was excellent, too! Also thought We Have Always Lived in the Castle was a great little story. Love your thoughts after each reading selection!
Tammy wrote: "Cheri wrote: "Book 6 - Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan DidionI thought this one was excellent, too! Also thought We Have Always Lived in the Castle was a great little ..."
Oh, good! We must have similar taste. :) I always try to write a little something when I finish reading to serve as a reminder about the book.
Book 17 - Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly SujoFits prompts:
1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy (Macavity nominee for Best Mystery Nonfiction (2010), Edgar nominee for Best Fact Crime (2010))
4. A book with a criminal character (forger, con man)
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (crime/mystery)
21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes (a book about the arts)
A fascinating glimpse into the art world, but I especially enjoyed the analysis of the con man and the affect he had on the people he took in. The authors are master story tellers, revealing information at just the right time.
Book 18 - The Bird King by G. Willow WilsonFits prompts:
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (fantasy)
10. A book featuring an historical figure (the last sultan of Spain and his mother)
13. A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list (Spring 2019)
15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country (Spain)
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character (many jinn and a leviathan)
46. A book with a (mostly) black cover
50. A book that includes a journey (both physical and spiritual)
51. A book published in 2019
This is a wonderful fantasy, a story about stories and about knowing oneself. G. Willow Wilson's beautiful prose and humane perspective made the book for me. The first three quarters were full of adventure and the last quarter, which I found less compelling, was slower and, for want of a better word, more spiritual.
Book 19 - What the Moon Saw by Laura ResauFits prompts:
2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, What, Where, When, Why)
14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term
16. A book told from multiple perspectives (Clara, Helena)
20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country (Mixtecans of Oaxaca, Mexico)
23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old (ancient traditions)
30. A book featuring an elderly character (Helena, aka abuelita)
39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life (rural Oaxaca)
45. A multi-generational saga
50. A book that includes a journey (physical and spiritual)
I hadn't realized this was a young adult book until I started reading it, but I think my 11-yr-old self would have enjoyed it. It flirted too much with magic and spirits for my adult self to be satisfied, but I did like watching Clara become open to understanding the world, her family, and herself in deeper ways.
Book 20 - Tuck Everlasting by Natalie BabbittFits prompts:
4. A book with a criminal character (the man in the yellow suit)
30. A book featuring an elderly character (the Tucks)
31. A children’s classic you’ve never read
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet
34. A book with a person's name in the title
What an unusual story! I think it would be great for middle grades - interesting writing, but mostly it raises lots of moral questions with no clear answers.
Book 21 - American Spy by Lauren WilkinsonFits prompts:
6. A book with a dual timeline
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (crime/mystery)
10. A book featuring an historical figure (Thomas Sankara, former president of Burkina Faso)
38. A book not written in traditional novel format (a letter to the narrator's kids to read when they are grown up)
50. A book that includes a journey (to Burkina Faso, to Martinique)
51. A book published in 2019
Seeing the FBI from a female African-American agent's perspective in the 1980s was thought provoking and gave American Spy a depth and moral ambiguity that many spy novels don't have. Unfortunately, the book went from an action-packed opening to a very slow moving, detailed, introspective story with unclear motivations: (view spoiler) Moreover, the book is supposed to be what the narrator, Marie, wrote for her children to read as adults, but the tone kept changing from being a letter to being a straight narrative.
Book 21 - Lethal White by Robert GalbraithFits prompts:
4. A book with a criminal character (murderer)
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (crime/mystery)
32. A book with more than 500 pages (has 650 pages)
41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards
I've liked all the books in this series, but Lethal White is my favorite (so far anyhow!). It's extremely well plotted, with good characters and just enough social conscience.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Lethal White (other topics)Lethal White (other topics)
Lethal White (other topics)
Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art (other topics)
American Spy (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert Galbraith (other topics)Lauren Wilkinson (other topics)
Natalie Babbitt (other topics)
Laura Resau (other topics)
G. Willow Wilson (other topics)
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Weekly prompts completed: 48
Books read to date: 22
I was overwhelmed by too many challenges last year, so this year I'm trying a new strategy - only the ATY52 challenge and my on-going Trip Around the World challenge. I'm going to count a book that fulfills more than one week in all weeks where it fits. Once my list is full, I'll go back as time permits until each prompt is uniquely filled. I'm hoping that will take some of the pressure off. My yearly goal is 75 books total, but I like to be able to read new books, gifts, etc., as I get them. I'm hoping this will help me do that and also meet all the challenge goals! I'm also curious to see which prompts have big clusters and which have one lone book...
1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy - Educated (Reading Women Award for Nonfiction); Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia (National Book Award Finalist, non-fiction, 1995); Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art (Macavity nominee for Best Mystery Nonfiction, 2010; Edgar nominee for Best Fact Crime, 2010)
2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (who, what, where, when, why) - Why Homer Matters; What the Moon Saw
3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y - Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler; Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
4. A book with a criminal character (i.e. assassin, pirate, thief, robber, scoundrel etc) - The Library Book (arsonist, thieves); We Have Always Lived in the Castle (murderer); Artificial Condition (thief); Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art (forger, con man); Tuck Everlasting (the man in the yellow suit); Lethal White (murderer)
5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare - Vinegar Girl (Taming of the Shrew); The Shakespeare Requirement
6. A book with a dual timeline - The Library Book; American Spy
7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1 - The Library Book (related to library and books)
8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2 - Educated (related to library and books)
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (romance/erotica, crime/mystery, religious/inspirational, science fiction/fantasy or horror) - We Have Always Lived in the Castle (horror); Artificial Condition (sci fi/fantasy); Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art (crime/mystery); The Bird King (fantasy); American Spy (crime/mystery); Lethal White (crime/mystery)
10. A book featuring an historical figure - Why Homer Matters (Homer); The Bird King (the last sultan of Spain and his mother); American Spy (Thomas Sankara, former president of Burkina Faso)
11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject) - Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia (snake); Lethal White (horse)
12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer - The Library Book; Educated; The Shakespeare Requirement
13. A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list - Educated (Winter 2018, adults); The Bird King (Spring 2019, adults)
14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term - Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun; What the Moon Saw
15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country - Why Homer Matters (Greece, Medit. islands, Spain); The Bird King (Spain)
16. A book told from multiple perspectives - The Cellist of Sarajevo; What the Moon Saw
17. A speculative fiction (ie fantasy, scifi, horror, dystopia) - Artificial Condition
18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements - They Saw the Elephant: Women in the California Gold Rush
19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR - Vinegar Girl (two other books by Anne Tyler on TBR); The Nigerian-Nordic Girl's Guide to Lady Problems (another book by Faith Adiele on TBR)
20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country - Baking Cakes in Kigali (Tutsi and Hutu); What the Moon Saw (Mixtecans of Oaxaca, Mexico)
21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes - Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art (a book about the arts)
22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover
23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old - Vinegar Girl (based on 400 yr old play); What the Moon Saw (ancient traditions are taught)
24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New - A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed - The Library Book (books borrowed)
26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue - Educated (author gets very depressed)
27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list
28. A book related to something cold (could be theme, title, author, cover) - Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun
29. A book published before 1950
30. A book featuring an elderly character - Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun; What the Moon Saw (abuelita); Tuck Everlasting (the Tucks)
31. A children’s classic you’ve never read - Tuck Everlasting
32. A book with more than 500 pages - Lethal White (650 pages)
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet - The Cellist of Sarajevo; Tuck Everlasting
34. A book with a person's name in the title - Why Homer Matters; Tuck Everlasting
35. A psychological thriller
36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list - The Library Book; Educated
37. A book set in a school or university - Vinegar Girl (bride a pre-school teacher, groom an academic); Educated (BYU, Cambridge, Harvard); The Shakespeare Requirement (fictional university)
38. A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc) - Slouching Towards Bethlehem (essays); A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers (as dictionary entries); American Spy (letter to narrator's kids)
39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life - The Cellist of Sarajevo, Slouching Towards Bethlehem; What the Moon Saw
40. A book you stumbled upon - The Nigerian-Nordic Girl's Guide to Lady Problems
41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards - Educated (for memoir & autobiography); Lethal White (mystery & thriller)
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character - Why Homer Matters (many Homeric monsters); Artificial Condition (murderbot); The Bird King (several jinn and a leviathan)
43. A book related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) [fiction or nonfiction] - Artificial Condition
44. A book related in some way to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed (same topic, same era, book appeared in the show/movie, etc.) - Vinegar Girl (movie Kiss Me Kate)
45. A multi-generational saga - What the Moon Saw
46. A book with a (mostly) black cover - We Have Always Lived in the Castle; The Bird King
47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.) - Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun; Vinegar Girl; Baking Cakes in Kigali
48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year - Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia (1995 finalist for non-fiction)
49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country - A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers (Chinese author); Convenience Store Woman (Japanese author, set in Japan)
50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual) - The Library Book (one librarian walks across the US); Educated (both physical and spiritual); Artificial Condition (physical travel plus journey to learn about past); Baking Cakes in Kigali; They Saw the Elephant: Women in the California Gold Rush (journeys to California); The Bird King (physical and spiritual); What the Moon Saw (physical and spiritual); American Spy (to Martinique and Burkina Faso)
51. A book published in 2019 - The Bird King; American Spy
52. A book with a weird or intriguing title - Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun; A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers; Baking Cakes in Kigali