Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2019 Plans
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Tammy's Take on 2019 - ATY & Rejects
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Reserve for 2019 Rejects1) Three books published in 3 different decades in a row (1930)
The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos (1930)
✔️2) Three books published in 3 different decades in a row (1940)
The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (1944) 4.5 Stars
✔️3) Three books published in 3 different decades in a row (1950)
East of Eden by John Steinbeck 4.5 Stars
✔️4) A book with an animal in the title, an animal on the cover, or where an animal is central to the story
The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami3.75 Stars
✔️5) A Man Booker Prize Winner or Nominee.
The White Book by Han Kang 3.75 Stars
✔️6) A book with a type of metal (gold, silver, bronze, brass, iron, etc) or something made from metal in the title.
Ironweed by William Kennedy 5 Stars
✔️7) A book related to your zodiac sign
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse 3.75 Stars
8) A book written by an author that has the same birthday (not including year) as you.
Timbuktu by Paul Auster
✔️9) A book that was written by a Nobel Laureate
Frog by Mo Yan 4.25 Stars
✔️10) A book with a page count that is a prime number
Underworld by Don DeLillo 5 Stars
✔️11) A book with at least one word in the title that can be found in our group name (AROUND scrambled)
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin 3.5 Stars
✔️12) A book with an epigraph
The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin 3 Stars
✔️13) A book with an ugly cover
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen 3.25 Stars
✔️14) A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on GR
The Europeans by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 4 Stars
15) A book about someone that you'd like to have dinner with
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
✔️16) An author's last book
Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky 3.5 Stars
✔️17) A book linked to one of your favorite songs or artists
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro 4 Stars
✔️18) A book that's sad, depressing, devastating or dark
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka 3.5 Stars
19) A book that takes place (mainly) on a mode of transport
Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon
✔️20) A book published in a special-to-you year (birth, graduation, marriage, child born, etc.)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 3.5 Stars
✔️21) A book that has some kind of controversy around it
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie 5 Stars
22) A play that won either the Pulitzer for Drama or the Tony for Best (non-musical) Play
Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon
✔️23) A work of social/political satire
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman 3.5 Stars
✔️24) 3 books published in 3 consecutive years (2001)
The Body Artist by Don DeLillo 4.5 Stars
✔️25) 3 books published in 3 consecutive years (2002)
Nowhere Man by Aleksandar Hemon 4.25 Stars
✔️26) 3 books published in 3 consecutive years (2003)
Vernon God Little1220306] by D.B.C. Pierre 4.5 Stars
27) A Bildungsroman (coming-of-age story)
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding
28) 2 books - one inspired by the word high and one inspired by the word low (LOW) The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
29) 2 books - one inspired by the word high and one inspired by the word low (HIGH)
Carol by Patricia Highsmith
✔️30) A book that is “good for you
Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin
✔️31) A 20th century classic
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole 4.5 Stars
32) A book that names a drink in its title
Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos
✔️33) A book in which music plays a role
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 3.5 Stars
✔️34) A book that spans a week or less
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4 Stars
✔️35) A book you think you should read
Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville 4.25 Stars
✔️36) A book published in the 1960s
The Group by Mary McCarthy 3.5 Stars
✔️37) 2 books, a book written by an author when they were under 30 and a book written by an author when they were over 60 (Under 30)
Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories / Letting Go by Philip Roth 4 Stars
✔️38) 2 books, a book written by an author when they were under 30 and a book written by an author when they were over 60 (Over 60)
Exit Ghost by Philip Roth 3.5 Stars
✔️39) A book related to an "obscure or unusual" holiday
The Children Act by Ian McEwan 3.5 Stars
✔️40) A book you have completely judged by its cover
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy 4.75 Stars
✔️41) A book related to a deck of playing cards (i.e. king, queen, hearts, spades, etc.)
Oscar And Lucinda by Peter Carey 4.5 Stars
✔️42) A book related to the arts
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin 4 Stars
43) A book by a writer with addiction issues
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
✔️44) A book in which faith or religion play a role in a main character's life or decision making
J.B.: A Play in Verse by Archibald MacLeish 4 Stars
✔️45) A book you were assigned to read that you either didn’t read, didn’t finish, or didn’t like but which you think deserves a second chance
The Fellowship of the Ring J.R.R. Tolkien 4 Stars
✔️46) A book that none of your goodreads friends have read
Being There by Jerzy Kosiński 4.5 Stars
47) Three books related to Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n Roll (Sex)
Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or My Life As a Fabulous Ronette by Ronnie Spector
✔️48) Three books related to Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n Roll (Drugs)
Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 by Ryan H. Walsh 3 Stars
✔️49) Three books related to Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n Roll (Rock 'n Roll)
Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop by Vikki Tobak 4.5 Stars
✔️50) A book you can connect to the game of Monopoly (i.e. a property, utility, railroad, set in a hotel, about buying a house, tokens, etc.)
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith 4 Stars
✔️51) A book with a title that contains an allusion or a quote from another literary work
Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee 5 Stars
52) A book recommended by a favorite author
Wittgenstein's Mistress by David Markson
Reserve for 2019 Book Quilt!ATY
REJECTS
SONGS
Your lists are always a resource for me, Tammy! I enjoyed Bonjour tristesse also, and loved I Capture the Castle. I'll be reading Rabbit, Run by Updike for the Zodiac prompt too.
Kathy wrote: "Your lists are always a resource for me, Tammy! I enjoyed Bonjour tristesse also, and loved I Capture the Castle. I'll be reading Rabbit, Run by Updike for..."Kathy, I'm so glad you stop in to get ideas. That's what I like best about the group...checking out the lists and getting good ideas for the old to be read list.
It is always good to hear that people enjoy a pick! I will look even more forward to reading Bonjour tristesse now. Kathy, Ive tried the Rabbit series before and I put it down. I guess it's about time to give it a try again! We'll have to share our thoughts on that one.
Great list Tammy! I added Celestial Harmonies to my TBR. I need a book set in Hungary for a different challenge. It’s perfect for the astronomical prompt!
Pam wrote: "Great list Tammy! I added Celestial Harmonies to my TBR. I need a book set in Hungary for a different challenge. It’s perfect for the astronomical prompt!"Well I hope it isn't too awful, Pam. I chose it pretty randomly just based on the title! I'm glad it will work for two different challenges for you. I didn't even know it was set in Hungary.
I am thinking of finally reading Rabbit, Run for the Chinese Zodiac prompt as well.I love that you are reading Flowers in the Attic for Monstrous character! Is it a re-read or will it be your first time. I devoured that series when I was younger and have been wanting to go back and re-read.
I have never read the Flowers series. I don't know how I missed it because it was wildly popular when I was a kid. Everyone talked about it.
Tammy wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Your lists are always a resource for me, Tammy! I enjoyed Bonjour tristesse also, and loved I Capture the Castle. I'll be reading Rabbit, Run..."I tried Rabbit, Run when I was in my 20s and didn't get very far. I'm ready to try Updike again.
I think I read Flowers in the Attic in high school and then my daughter made me watch the made-for-tv movies with her a few years ago. Disturbing but hard to put down (or to stop watching!)
I finally entered my full rejects list. Looks like I am ready to start checking them off tomorrow!
I love your reject list also! You have a few I’m planning on reading - Augie March, LoTR series, and Waiting for the Barbarians. I really liked On The Beach. I’ve been trying to find the movie but have had no luck!
I think the LOTR series is going to be my most difficult hurdle. I have been putting it off for 30 years!
Me, too, Tammy! I finally read The Hobbit this year.
Bless me readers, for I have sinned...It has been 56 days since I've updated my thread and I have only read 5 books in the last two months (and only 3 off of this list). Moll Flanders and Play It as It Lays were both deliciously debauched. I'm off to a very slow start, but hoping to get back into the swing of things soon. I've just started Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids which could win for most inappropriate title ever!
Welcome back, Tammy! I have missed seeing you around. I’m very keen to see how you like Flowers in the Attic when you get to it - I was Virginia Andrews obsessed when I was a teen, and I felt so *adult* reading that series. I read the Heaven series as well, plus My Sweet Audrina (which I loved). I often wonder how they’d hold up now, so you can be my yardstick. 😉
I actually already have Flowers in the Attic checked out and ready to start over the weekend, Jody! I can remember it being all the rage when I was a kid.
Thanks to the Read-a-thon I am rapidly getting back on track. I started out the month something like 15 books behind schedule. After finishing Flowers in the Attic I am only 5 books below target. And Jody, I think my 14 year old self would have loved FITA, but my 40 something self thought it was pretty silly! I hope I'll be ahead of the schedule by the end of the month. Hurray!
Tammy wrote: "Thanks to the Read-a-thon I am rapidly getting back on track. I started out the month something like 15 books behind schedule. After finishing Flowers in the Attic I am only 5 books be..."Glad you're getting back on track Tammy! Like Jody, I was a totally V.C. Andrews obsessed as a tween/teen. I have been toying with the idea of re-reading Flowers in the Attic but I was worried it wouldn't hold up. I think I may just keep it in the memory bank!
Rachel, I think I’ll do the same and just keep that book as a glorious teenage memory. There are too many others to read to go back, I think. Tammy, are you going to read the whole series now? 🤣
I could have easily blown through Petals in the Wind, but decided against plowing through the series. The book really feels like it is geared to 14 - 17 year old girls. While the themes are shocking, the writing is very tame and old fashioned by today's standards. The last 100 pages flew by and I did almost take the plunge into the series. I'm just too far behind on my lists!
I think you’re right about the age - I’m pretty sure I was smack bang in the middle when I read them too! It brings back happy reading memories - even though I’d read about a hundred crappy teen romance books (hello Sweet Dreams books!) and the entire Trixie Belden series, it was those books that really made me realise that I loved reading. I have no idea why it took me so long to realise that!
Whoa! I have gone from being 15 books behind schedule to 1 ahead of schedule! I am ripping it up. Now I haven't read too many chonkers (as I have heard one lunatic reader calling them...hee hee 🤣), but I'm on the upswing and I've read some really fantastic books since last week.
Lunatic reader ... I feel like I’ve been summoned. 😂
BOOKS COMPLETED IN MARCH:This March I accomplished something I didn't quite manage last year. I read 31 books in 31 days for a total of 8,822 pages. I don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon because it was an insane amount of reading...March Madness indeed! I think our read-a-thon kicked me into high gear.
Marvelous in March
All Quiet on the Western Front
Waiting for the Barbarians
Ironweed
Train Dreams
Being There
The Razor's Edge
The Vegetarian - I know one of our reader's really didn't like this book (Katie) but I really did. Definitely a weird one.
EXPECTED MORE (But still good...3.5 to 3.75 Stars)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The Hate U Give
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Portrait of a Lady - 4.25 Stars
The Last Picture Show - 4 Stars
Being There - 4.5 Stars
The Hate U Give - 3.5 Stars
Oranges are Not the Only Fruit - 4 Stars
All Quiet on the Western Front - (BINGO) 4.75 Stars
Foundation - (BINGO) 3.5 Stars
The Buddha in the Attic - 3.5 Stars
The Elephant Vanishes - 3.75 Stars
Flowers in the Attic - 2.5 Stars
Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats and Joyce - 3.25 Stars
Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles - 2.75 Stars
Ironweed - 5 Stars
What the Hell Did I Just Read - 3.5 Stars
The Little Prince- 4 Stars
The Art of Fielding - 4.5 Stars
The Razor's Edge - 4.5 Stars
The Vegetarian- 4.75 Stars
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began - (BINGO) 5 Stars
Station Eleven - 3.5 Stars
Train Dreams - 4.5 Stars
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - (BINGO) 3.5 Stars
Waiting for the Barbarians - 5 Stars
The Fellowship of the Ring - (BINGO) 3.75 Stars
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters & Seymour: An Introduction - 4 Stars
A Passage to India - 4 Stars
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - (BINGO) 3.5 Stars
Essential Dickinson - (BINGO) 2 Stars
The Europeans - 4 Stars
Scoop - (BINGO) - 3.75 Stars
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - 3 Stars
That's insane!!! I don't understand how it's even possible reading one book per day? 😮 Don't you sleep? 😁
Marina H wrote: "That's insane!!! I don't understand how it's even possible reading one book per day? 😮 Don't you sleep? 😁"Honestly, Marina, no, I don't sleep very much. I get an average of 5 hours of sleep per night and I have been doing that since I was a kid. It is probably killing me. 11PM - 1AM is a very productive reading time for me. I don't think I'd be able to do that many books prior to adding audio books during my commute!
Tammy, I think you’re my kindred spirit. I’ve never slept much either, and I don’t think it’s good for me! I love that time between 11pm-1am. It’s my time!
Jody wrote: "Tammy, I think you’re my kindred spirit. I’ve never slept much either, and I don’t think it’s good for me! I love that time between 11pm-1am. It’s my time!"Hurray! It's nice to know that you love the wee small hours like I do. Sometimes when I let the dogs out at 2AM, I look at all the dark houses and I think, "Lame."
I knew sleeping was getting in the way of my reading! Why do I like to sleep so much?
I had to sit back and take a look at my various challenges and projects and I've come to the realization that I probably will not finish them all. I currently have 92 books (14 for ATY, 29 for my ATY Rejects, 9 for Classics Bingo, and 40 from my 60 songs that tell a story) left to read by the end of the year. I just don't see being able to finish 23 books a month for 4 months straight! I have at least 12 books left that Jody would call chonks. Sigh. Looks like I bit off a bit more than I can chew this year!My goal for next month will be to finish out my ATY challenge and complete a few from my BINGO challenge. Then I will start working on my rejects. My songs will just have to be a long term goal.
It can be a huge relief admitting defeat and taking a step back - and nothing wrong with changing something to a long term goal! Glad to see you’re still aboard the chonk train. Toot toot!
I take on way too much (reading-wise... and in other areas in my life haha) and even in the planning stages I realize I won't finish them all. I'm impressed that you're going to finish ATY next month but I probably shouldn't be because earlier in this thread you read 31 books in 31 days. THAT'S impressive. I'm at home sick yesterday and today and I'm binge-reading the Divergent trilogy. The first one fit a challenge prompt but number two and three don't. I have no idea what your "60 songs that tell a story" challenge is, but it sounds interesting. Oh. And I was SO into VC Andrews when I was a teen! And I shall never reread one of those books. I think they are best where they are, in my memories! :)
Jody wrote: "It can be a huge relief admitting defeat and taking a step back - and nothing wrong with changing something to a long term goal! Glad to see you’re still aboard the chonk train. Toot toot!"I think if I hadn't admitted defeat I would have killed myself trying to complete all of the challenges for the next few months. And we all know that that is crazy. I'm behind you on the chonk train. I'm 9 down and 15 to go. Keep on chonkin, lady!
MJ wrote: "I take on way too much (reading-wise... and in other areas in my life haha) and even in the planning stages I realize I won't finish them all. I'm impressed that you're going to finish ATY next mon..."
MJ...I picked a song from each year from 1940 - 1999 and then built a theme based on the song. I assigned a book for each theme. It was super fun.
I’m chonking along nicely! 14/26 done, working on #15!
Tammy wrote: "Jody wrote: "I picked a song from each year from 1940 - 1999 and then built a theme based on the song. I assigned a book for each theme. It was super fun"That sounds intense!
One more book to go on my ATY in 52 list (I think I have about 20 on the rejects list). I've made up some ground this month but I still regret my slow start this year!
I managed to complete my final 14 books of my ATY Challenge in August. HURRAY!!!1. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World 4 Stars
2. Milkman 4.5 Stars
3. The Wife Between Us 2 Stars
4. The Rosie Result 3 Stars
5. I Capture the Castle 3.75 Stars
6. Frog 4 Stars
7. Ghostwritten 4.25 Stars
8. Rabbit, Run 4.5 Stars
9. The Finishing School 4 Stars
10. A Confederacy of Dunces (2nd Reading) 4.5 Stars
11. Gulliver's Travels 3.75 Stars
12. Leaden Wings 3 Stars
13. The Children Act 3.5 stars
14. Bonjour tristesse 4 Stars
15. Oscar and Lucinda 4.5 Stars
16. The Mayor of Casterbridge 4.75 Stars
17. The Age of Innocence 4.25 Stars
18. The Return of the Native 4.5 Stars
19. The Colorado Kid 3.5 Stars
20. Agnes Grey 3.75 Stars
21. Vernon God Little 4.5 Stars
22. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? 3.75 Stars
23. The Group 3.5 Stars
24. The Autumn of the Patriarch 3 Stars
25. The Buried Giant 4 Stars
26. Kidnapped 4 Stars
27. Less 3.75 Stars
AWESOME IN AUGUST:
The Mayor of Casterbridge - I am a Hardy fan girl!
A Confederacy of Dunces - People love or hate this one. I listened to it on audio this time (2nd reading) and would highly recommend going the audio route.
Milkman - I don't think I've read anything quite like this book. Unique, funny, sad all rolled up in one.
Oscar and Lucinda - This book read like a good old fashioned classic. I can't believe it was published in 1988.
Rabbit, Run - I don't have to like a main character to enjoy a book, which is good because boy oh boy, that Rabbit sure is a piece of work.
Honorable mentions in August:
David Mitchell's first novel, Ghostwritten; the 2nd Hardy book I read this month, The Return of the Native; Vernon God Little; and Wharton's The Age of Innocence.
I've had A Confederacy of Dunces on my TBR for some time. Thanks for the recommendation of listening to it on audio. I'll probably try that within the next year.Congrats on finishing, Tammy!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed Oscar and Lucinda! That ending! 😥
I was chugging right along this month and sadly hit a wall about 8 days ago. Oh well, still made excellent progress and knocked out almost 3 (75 pages of Cloud Atlas left) chonks. 1) Where the Crawdads Sing 2 Stars
2) A Gentleman in Moscow 4 Stars
3) Invisible 3.75 Stars
4) The Satanic Verses 5 Stars
5) Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 3 Stars
6) Austerlitz 4 Stars
7) The Code of the Woosters 3.75 Stars
8) NW 4.25 Stars
9) Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 4.25 Stars
10) The Nightingale1.5 Stars
11) Exit Ghost 3.5 Stars
12) Underworld 5 Stars
13) Black Dogs 3.75 Stars
14) The Danish Girl 3.25 Stars
15) The Hustler 4.75 Stars
16) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 4 Stars
17) Notes from Underground 2.75 Stars
18) Jazz4.25 Stars
19) Strangers on a Train 3.75 Stars
20) Cloud Atlas 4 Stars
SPECTACULAR IN SEPTEMBER
The Satanic Verses - This had one of the best beginnings I've ever read. I would recommend audio on this one. It's a tough read.
Underworld - I can't put my finger on what I love about DeLillo, but I like pretty much all of his books.
The Hustler - I had no idea that I would love this scrappy little pool hall story as much as I did. I saw the movie 30 years ago (ugh...I hate saying that), so even though I knew the basic story-line I was still able to enjoy it.
Jazz - Toni can do no wrong in my book. I'm so sad that she isn't with us anymore.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
NW, The Code of the Woosters, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
SEPTEMBER STINKERS:
The Nightingale - This book has an overall rating of 4.57 on GR. Suite Francaise, a very similar, and much better, story written by a woman who actually lived through the German occupation of France and who was killed in the camps is rated 3.83. Something is wrong there.
Where the Crawdads Sing - This is another GR book with an inflated rating that boggles the mind. I hated the end and the rest was just silly. But this was still better than The Nightingale
Notes from Underground - Oh Dostoevsky, we do have a little love hate thing going on, don't we? This book was an unpleasant reading experience for me.
Love how you rate your books with .25, .5, .75. There really is that much of a difference often I think.
Kathy wrote: "Love how you rate your books with .25, .5, .75. There really is that much of a difference often I think."It drives me completely bonkers that GR does not let you at least rate on the half. I have a really hard time fairly rating books because a lot of it just depends on my mood. I often wonder if people second guess their ratings as much as I do.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Enduring Love (other topics)Lord Jim (other topics)
The Vicar of Wakefield (other topics)
Under the Volcano (other topics)
Cloud Atlas (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Malcolm Lowry (other topics)Paul Auster (other topics)
Ryan H. Walsh (other topics)
Salman Rushdie (other topics)
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (other topics)
More...
✔️1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides 3 Stars
✔️2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, what, where, when, why)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 3.5 Stars
✔️3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y
There There by Tommy Orange 3.25 Stars
✔️ 4. A book with a criminal character (i.e. assassin, pirate, thief, robber, scoundrel etc)
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe 4.5 Stars
✔️5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare
The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare 4.25
✔️6. A book with a dual timeline
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee 3.25 Stars
✔️7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1
The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard 4.25
✔️8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson 3.25 Stars
✔️9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (romance/erotica, crime/mystery, religious/inspirational, science fiction/fantasy or horror)
The Colorado Kid by Stephen King 3.5 Stars
✔️10. A book featuring an historical figure
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller 5 Stars
✔️11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject)
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly 3 Stars
✔️12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer:
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern 2.5 Stars
✔️13. A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list:
The Library Book by Susan Orlean 3.25 Stars
✔️14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term I
Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard 4.5 Stars
✔️15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country
Bonjour tristesse by Françoise Sagan 4 Stars
✔️16. A book told from multiple perspectives
Ghostwritten: A Novel in Nine Parts by David Mitchell 4.25 Stars
✔️17. A speculative fiction (ie fantasy, scifi, horror, dystopia)
Foundation by Isaac Asimov 3.5 Stars
✔️18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements
Leaden Wings by Zhang Jie 3 Stars
✔️19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR
Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles by Jeanette Winterson 2.75 Stars
✔️20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown 3.75 Stars
✔️21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes (less than 200 pages)
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson 4.5 Stars
✔️22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover
Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami 3.5 Stars
✔️23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift 4 Stars
✔️24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New
Milkman by Anna Burns 4.5 Stars
✔️25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed
Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats and Joyce by Colm Tóibín 3.25 Stars
✔️26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman 3 Stars
✔️27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach 4.5 Stars
✔️28. A book related to something cold (could be theme, title, author, cover)
From Cold War to Hot Peace: The Inside Story of Russia and America by Michael McFaul
✔️29. A book published before 1950:
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster 4 Stars
✔️30. A book featuring an elderly character
The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes 4.5 Stars
✔️31. A children’s classic you’ve never read
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 4 Stars
✔️32. A book with more than 500 pages
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins 4.5 Stars
✔️33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet
Rabbit, Run by John Updike 4.5 Stars
✔️34. A book with a person's name in the title
The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion 3 Stars
✔️35. A psychological thriller
The Wife Between Us 2 Stars
✔️36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list
The Vegetarian by Han Kang 4.75 Stars
✔️37. A book set in a school or university
The Finishing School by Muriel Spark 4 Stars
✔️38. A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc)
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman 5 Stars
✔️39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 3.75 Stars
✔️40. A book you stumbled upon
The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian 2 Stars
✔️41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
✔️42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews 2.75 Stars
✔️43. A book related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) [fiction or nonfiction]
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov 3.5 Stars
✔️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.)
Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion 4.25 Stars
✔️45. A multi-generational saga
The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee 4.25 Stars
✔️46. A book with a (mostly) black cover
What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong 3.5 Stars
✔️47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.)
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson 4 Stars
✔️48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year
The Moviegoer by Walker Percy 4 Stars
✔️49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 2.5 Stars
✔️50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual)
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 4.5 Stars
✔️51. A book published in 2019
Grace: Based on the Jeff Buckley Story by Tiffanie DeBartolo 2.5 Stars
✔️52. A book with a weird or intriguing title
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami 4.25 Stars