Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

What's in a name? You'll find out this week. Your on the hunt for a book with a name in the title. It should be a pretty easy find.

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Suggestions:


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Optional Questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

I'm looking forward to AJ Pearce's Dear Mrs Bird. I've seen it recommended to those who enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which is one of the few books I reread. Hope I'm not disappointed.

This is a super simple prompt; I have multiple dozens of books on my TBR List that would work. I've decided to use a book that qualifies four times - Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper.

I have a few classics on this list, but, if I'm being honest, I'll probably end up reading one of the more contemporary books for this prompt.

Emma by Jane Austen
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

So many to choose from!
Rebecca
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead
My Name Is Venus Black
Jane Steele
Anne of Green Gables

And some others that I highly recommend (not already mentioned by Emily):
A Man Called Ove
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
The Death of Mrs. Westaway
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Ruth
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Jude the Obscure
Adam Bede
Franny and Zooey

I'm going to read Frederica by Georgette Heyer. It's #10 on my TBR. I need to read it or delete it!

Going to do Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

I've got so many on my TBR that could fit this, but only one I can double-dip with PS so far - Goldie the Dollmaker, a nostalgic book from my childhood. I may change it if I have another double-dip option!

I was really glad that this category won, so that with "number in title" I don't have to choose, I can read both of these books, one for that category and one for this category:

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

I have three to choose from for this category, all of which I really want to fit in for 2019. So it's going to be hard to narrow down but at least I don't have to worry about finding something.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Laura wrote: "I have three to choose from for this category, all of which I really want to fit in for 2019. So it's going to be hard to narrow down but at least I don't have to worry about finding something."

You could use Eleanor for "nominated for a prize." (It might be on the New York Library staff lists and the NPR lists, also.) And I think Harry Potter fits for "children's classic." So if you use those books for those prompts, it narrows down your selections to just one title.

Some options:

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - this was fun
The Other Miss Bridgerton - quite a few on this series with a name in the title
Judas Kiss

I'm so glad that most of these topics I can plug in my 50/50 books.

I'm going with Rebecca

Finishing The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot! (Sorry. No link since I’m using the app on my phone!) An excellently written book! I have literally inhaled it! (Also works for STEM-related book.)

Lynn wrote: "Finishing The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot! (Sorry. No link since I’m using the app on my phone!) An excellently written book! I have literally inhaled it! (Also works for STE..."

Thanks Lynn. I wasn't at all excited for the STEM related book week but I am now after your suggestion for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Thank you!

I've chosen The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho for this challenge.

I just finished reading My Name Is Lucy Barton for this prompt. It wasn't bad, but I much preferred Olive Kitteridge by the same author.

Karen wrote: "I just finished reading My Name Is Lucy Barton for this prompt. It wasn't bad, but I much preferred Olive Kitteridge by the same author."

I read this one at the end of the year last year, and I wasn't super impressed either.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I have wanted to read this book since i heard Anne Bogel talk about it on her podcast.

What are you reading for this category?
Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison by M.C. Beaton
This is number 19 in a series I always find amusing

Courtney wrote: "What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I have wanted to read this book since i heard Anne Bogel talk about it on her podcast."

Courtney, I really enjoyed that one. A bit less than some of Moriarty's other books, but it moved really quickly and had an interesting premise.

I just finished reading The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. It was a really interesting read, and checked off categories in a few other challenges that I'm doing as well!

I have read Emily by Valerie Wood

I read Robin by Dave Itzkoff

I'm reading East of Eden for this one. I know Eden isn't used as a person's name in this particular title, but it's still a name, so I'm sticking with it!

I read Anne of Green Gables but I am not a huge fan, the book is a bit too dated for me, I prefer something more recent.

I just finished The Mystery of Agatha Christie for this one. Three stars from me--not one of those sleek biographies that reads particularly well, but enough fun nuggets of information to make it worth reading if you're a Christie fan.

Read Washington Black for is one

Since I'm trying to use books I already own for these prompts, I'll probably read either Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell or The Last Equation of Isaac Severy for this.

What are you reading for this category?
Bridge of Clay, by Markus Zuzak



(Clay is short for Clayton, the book’s major character - I think this counts...)

I read Circe, really enjoyed it.

I read Maggie O'Farrell, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox for this category. Couldn't put it down! I was captivated by everything about the book: the plot, the way it was presented, the different styles of writing. Another brilliant read from O'Farrell, in short.

MN wrote: "I read Maggie O'Farrell, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox for this category. Couldn't put it down! I was captivated by everything about the book: the plot, the way it was presented, the different s..."

I really liked this book also! (I used it for the Shakespeare prompt; Lennox is a character in Macbeth.) It's my second read by O'Farrell and I promptly added more of her books to my TBR.

dalex wote: I really liked this book also! (I used it for the Shakespeare prompt; Lennox is a character in Macbeth.) It's my second read by O'Farrell and I promptly added more of her books to my TBR.
I picked up This Must Be the Place on the off chance, loved it, and hot-footed it to the library to see what else I could find. Esme Lennox was the outcome, together with The Distance Between Us which I plan to read over the weekend. O'Farrell's such a wonderful writer! Which of hers did you read first?

MN wrote: "O'Farrell's such a wonderful writer! Which of hers did you read first?"

I read The Hand That First Held Mine last year and plan to read Instructions for a Heatwave later this year.

dalex wrote: "MN wrote: "O'Farrell's such a wonderful writer! Which of hers did you read first?"

I read The Hand That First Held Mine last year and plan to read [book:Instructions for a Heatwave|..."

I found The Hand that First Held Mine in the local library today - and snaffled it ...

I'm thinking of doing Senlin Ascends for this one.

other thoughts:
Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer
Katherine
Scaramouche

I read Ella Enchanted for this prompt

There are lots of great books for this prompt, but I went with Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby. I heard it was made into a movie, which was positively reviewed, and as often, I thought I should read the book first.

I read The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Volume II. It included 4 of the adventures and some were made up the short stories.

For this topic, I read Adriana Trigiani's latest novel, TONY'S WIFE. I've read almost all of Trigiani's novels - a really good story teller, who also has a sense of humor.

Pulling double duty with this one - my daughter had to write a report on a book that was started and finished this week. We started Stuart Little on Monday, and we're finishing it up tonight. It's a cute story, and I love some of the dated references in the book.

What are you reading for this category?

The Gift of Asher Lev

What are you reading for this category?
I read George by Alex Gino

What are you reading for this category?
I read Dipy Singh. Private detective by Ketan Joshi.

I ended up abandoning my first choice, Frederica, a regency romance that's been on my TBR for a long time. I guess I'm not interested in it any more. Cross that one off...

Instead I'm reading Less by Andrew Sean Greer which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018. "Less" is the main character's last name - Arthur Less! It's funny so far.

I finally finished I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Sadly the book was written to make Malala sound boastful rather than like a girl with an important story to tell. It took me 6 months to get though this one due to the writing style. What a sad outcome for such an important story.

I listened to an audiobook of Nancy Wake by Peter FitzSimons - 3.5★

I had quite a few options of books with names on my TBR, but liked the sound of this when I was looking at various audiobooks.

"Murder in the morning and costumes at night, cryptic notes and burned butlers..."

I read The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton for 2019's prompt #34 "A book with a person's name in the title".



Like a good Agatha Christie novel, this is a good one to read on a rainy day. The premise reminds me of the movie Happy Death Day or Netflix's Russian Doll, both of which I enjoyed, but more people might recognize Groundhog Day as a reference. Plus there is an element of tv show Quantum Leap mixed in. Each day happens over and over at a secluded country house preparing for a masquerade party and by the end of each day someone is murdered. The difference in storytelling is that the point of view is of another character who keeps reliving each day trying to save this person from being murdered. BUT each day for eight days that character awakes in the body of a different guest at the party. AND he is in competition with 2 other people experiencing the same thing all while trying to solve a murder. It's a crazytown concept but makes it really interesting and fun to read. I couldn't wait to see what happened the next day or how it would end. In fact I couldn't put this down because not only do you have to find out what happens next with the murder plotline but you are also figuring out what the hell is going on (in a fun way) with the body swapping plotline. I really enjoyed the first 2/3rds of the book but it got a bit goofy at the end. Still, I'm glad I read it and 4 stars for creativity.

What are you reading for this category?
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren