Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

2020 Reading Goals
Physical books 52/30
Audiobooks 58/52
Graphic Novels 18/15

ATY 51/52
Popsugar 49/50
Modern Mrs. Darcy 12/12
Tournament of Books 16/18 (+2 DNF)
Tournament of Tournament of Books 12/16 (+4 DNF)

Badges

2020 Books Read Covers

2020 Stats

Fiction 86%, Nonfiction 14%
Female 66%, Male 32%, Nonbinary 2%
White 59%, BIPOC 41%
Author's Birth Countries: 23
English Written 93%, Translated 7%
Average Rating: 4.3 stars

ATY Progress

X 1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y Spinning Silver
X 2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
X 3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019 Foundation and Empire
X 4. A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live Moon of the Crusted Snow
X 5. The first book in a series that you have not started Sleeping Giants
X 6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover Little Fires Everywhere
X 7. A book set in the southern hemisphere A Long Petal of the Sea
X 8. A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The" The Unpassing
X 9. A book that can be read in a day Convenience Store Woman
X 10. A book that is between 400-600 pages A God in Ruins
X 11. A book originally published in a year that is a prime number Waking Gods
X 12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people The Deep
X 13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge Oona Out of Order (A book with a name in the title)
X 14. A book by an author on the Abe List of 100 Essential Female Writers The Dutch House
X 15. A book set in a global city The Sacrament (Paris)
X 16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area The Orchard
X 17. A book with a neurodiverse character Convenience Store Woman
X 18. A book by an author you've only read once before Long Bright River
X 19. A fantasy book Highfire
X 20. The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.] Lanny (20th place book in 2019 GR Choice Awards for Fiction)
X 21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1719 The Sisters Brothers
X 22. A book with the major theme of survival The Road
X 23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
X 24. A book with an emotion in the title Saudade
X 25. A book related to the arts Optic Nerve
X 26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards Book Love
X 27. A history or historical fiction A Mercy
X 28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
X 29. An underrated book, a hidden gem or a lesser known book The Governesses
X 30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year Nothing to See Here
X 31. A book inspired by a leading news story Midnight Son
X 32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan Convenience Store Woman
X 33. A book about a non-traditional family A Girl Returned
X 34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name We Cast a Shadow (Satire)
X 35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover Your House Will Pay
36. A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim
X 37. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #1 Fever Dream
X 38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2 Waking Gods
X 39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce Displacement: A Travelogue by Lucy Knisley
X 40. A book with a place name in the title Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
X 41. A mystery Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
X 42. A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World’ A Visit from the Goon Squad (Pulitzer)
X 43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse All This Could Be Yours
X 44. A book related to witches The Year of the Witching
X 45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018 How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman (The Ocean at the End of the Lane
X 46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire" Looking for Alaska by John Green (Alabama)
X 47. A classic book you've always meant to read A Christmas Carol
X 48. A book published in 2020 Sharks in the Time of Saviors
X 49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win Optic Nerve (a book originally written in a language other than your native tongue, english)
X 50. A book with a silhouette on the cover We Cast a Shadow
X 51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title Spinning Silver
X 52. A book related to time Luisa: Now and Then

Popsugar Challenge

2020 Challenge - Regular prompts
X 1. A book that's published in 2020 Highfire
X 2. A book by a trans or nonbinary author Gender Queer
X 3. A book with a great first line Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn ("When I close my eyes we're all still alive and it becomes obvious then what the gods want from us.")
X 4. A book about a book club The Bromance Book Club
X 5. A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics The Sacrament (Paris)
X 6. A bildungsroman A Girl Returned
7. The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed
X 8. A book with an upside-down image on the cover Luisa: Now and Then
X 9. A book with a map The Best We Could Do
X 10. A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club The One Hundred Nights of Hero (Modern Mrs. Darcy)
X 11. An anthology A Literary Christmas: An Anthology
X 12. A book that passes the Bechdel test Fever Dream
X 13. A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it Saudade
X 14. A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (cow)
X 15. A book about or involving social media American Housewife
X 16. A book that has a book on the cover Book Love
X 17. A medical thriller Follow Me to Ground
X 18. A book with a made-up language Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
X 19. A book set in a country beginning with "C" Moon of the Crusted Snow (Canada)
X 20. A book you picked because the title caught your attention The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made
X 21. A book published the month of your birthday Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
X 22. A book about or by a woman in STEM Your House Will Pay (pharmacist)
X 23. A book that won an award in 2019 Girl, Woman, Other
X 24. A book on a subject you know nothing about Optic Nerve (art history)
X 25. A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics So You Want to Talk About Race
X 26. A book with a pun in the title Midnight Son
X 27. A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins All This Could Be Yours
X 28. A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character Sleeping Giants
X 29. A book with a bird on the cover A God in Ruins
X 30. A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
X 31. A book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title Spinning Silver
X 32. A book by a WOC The Unpassing by Chia-Chia Lin
X 33. A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads Little Fires Everywhere
X 34. A book you meant to read in 2019 On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
X 35. A book with a three-word title Long Bright River
X 36. A book with a pink cover Golden State by Ben H. Winters
X 37. A Western The Sisters Brothers
X 38. A book by or about a journalist The Bromance Book Club
X 39. Read a banned book during Banned Books Week A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
X 40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Topics of Conversation (a book with unusual chapter headings)

2020 Challenge - Advanced prompts
X 1. A book written by an author in their 20s An Age of License: A Travelogue
X 2. A book with "20" or "twenty" in the title This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work
X 3. A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (a nod to 20/20 vision) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
X 4. A book set in the 1920s Ella's Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella
X 5. A book set in Japan, host of the 2020 Olympics Convenience Store Woman
X 6. A book by an author who has written more than 20 books Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
X 7. A book with more than 20 letters in its title The Magical Language of Others
X 8. A book published in the 20th centuryHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
X 9. A book from a series with more than 20 books Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
X 10. A book with a main character in their 20s Such a Fun Age

Tournament of Books

My rankings:

1.Lost Children Archive Read 6/30/19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2.Girl, Woman, Other Read 2/3/20 ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐
3.Optic Nerve Read 1/9/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4.We Cast a Shadow Read 1/14/20 ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐
5.On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Read 1/18/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6.Nothing to See Here Read 2/20/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7.Your House Will Pay Read 1/23/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8.Fleishman Is in Trouble Read 11/3/19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9.All This Could Be Yours Read 1/4/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10.Normal People Read 11/20/19 ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐
11.Saudade Read 1/7/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
12.The Water Dancer Read 10/17/19 ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐
13.Golden State Read 1/12/20 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
14.Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen Read 1/27/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
15.The Testaments Read 9/15/19 ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐
16.Trust Exercise Read 7/23/19 ⭐ ⭐⭐
17.Oval DNF 1/13/20
18.Overthrow DNF 1/17/20

Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge

X A book published the decade you were born The Mitten
X A debut novel Such a Fun Age
X A book recommended by a source you trust The One Hundred Nights of Hero (Modern Mrs. Darcy)
X A book by a local author On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
X A book outside your (genre) comfort zone Foundation and Empire (science fiction)
X A book in translation Optic Nerve
X A book nominated for an award in 2020 Such a Fun Age (Booker)
X A re-read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
X A classic you didn’t read in school A Christmas Carol
X Three books by the same author (1) Displacement: A Travelogue
X Three books by the same author (2) An Age of License: A Travelogue
X There books by the same author (3) French Milk

Tournament of Tournament of Books

2006: Cloud Atlas Read 10/14/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2007: The Accidental Read 7/24/20 ⭐⭐⭐
2008: The Road Read 8/19/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2009: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao DNF 10/7/20
2010: A Mercy Read 2/27/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2011: Wolf Hall DNF 10/7/20
2012: A Visit from the Goon Squad Read 8/31/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2013: The Orphan Master's Son DNF 9/30/20
2014: The Good Lord Bird Read 9/14/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2015: Station Eleven Read 12/31/18 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2016: The Sellout DNF 9/14/20
2017: The Underground Railroad Read 9/4/19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2018: Fever Dream Read 2/24/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2019: My Sister, the Serial Killer Read 11/7/19 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2020: Normal People Read 11/20/19 ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐

2020 Goodreads Choice Awards

Fiction
Vote: Such a Fun Age
Finals (4/10) +1 DNF
The Glass Hotel ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Anxious People ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Transcendent Kingdom ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Such a Fun Age ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Dark Vanessa DNF
Kicked out in Semi-Finals:
If I Had Your Face ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oona Out of Order ⭐⭐⭐

Mystery & Thriller
Vote:
Finals (1/10) +1 DNF
Long Bright River ⭐⭐⭐
The Sun Down Motel DNF
Kicked out in Semi-Finals:
Blacktop Wasteland ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Historical Fiction
Vote: A Long Petal of the Sea
Finals (1/10)
A Long Petal of the Sea ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kicked out in Semi-Finals:
The Night Watchman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Romance
Vote: Beach Read
Finals (2/10) +1 DNF
Beach Read ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One to Watch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Switch ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Happy Ever After Playlist DNF

Horror
Vote: The Only Good Indians
Finals (1/10) +1 DNF
The Year of the Witching ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Only Good Indians DNF

Graphic Novels
Vote: Check, Please!, Book 2: Sticks & Scones
Finals (0/10) +1 DNF
I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf DNF
Kicked out in Semi-Finals:
The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures DNF
The Sacrifice of Darkness ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Almost American Girl ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Debut Novel
Vote: The Year of the Witching
Finals (2/10) +1 DNF
Such a Fun Age ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Year of the Witching ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One to Watch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Dark Vanessa DNF

YA
Vote: Felix Ever After
Finals (2/10)
Clap When You Land ⭐⭐⭐
Felix Ever After ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Picture Books
Vote: The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Semi-Finals (9/10)
The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just Like Me ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Cool Bean ⭐⭐⭐
This Book Is Gray ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bird Hugs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Serious Goose ⭐⭐⭐
Kicked out in Semi-Finals:
book:Bedtime Bonnet|51326665] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Grandma's Gardens ⭐⭐
We Are Water Protectors ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Available Books
Own The Vanishing Half Historical Fiction
12/7 Tweet Cute YA - Library
11/26 Check, Please!, Book 2: Sticks & Scones Graphic Novel - Libby

Books on Hold
Dewdrop Picture Book - Hoopla
The Times I Knew I Was Gay Graphic Novel - Libby
Fangirl, Vol. 1: The Manga Graphic Novel - Libby
I Am Every Good Thing Picture Book - Libby
The Guest List Mystery & Thriller - Libby
The Pull of the Stars Historical Fiction - Libby
One by One Mystery & Thriller - Libby
Sweet Child o' Mine Picture Book - Library
The Midnight Library Fiction - Library
Plain Bad Heroines Horror - Library
Mexican Gothic Horror - Library

January Update

I had a great reading month to start the year with 19 books read, in large part due to the Tournament of Books. So many great books on their shortlist. I've got two more to read in February before the March Madness of reading starts.

Favorite Book ⚡


5 Star Reads:
Spinning Silver 🎧
All This Could Be Yours
Optic Nerve 🎧
Such a Fun Age 🎧
We Cast a Shadow 🎧
Displacement: A Travelogue
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Your House Will Pay 🎧

4 Star Reads:
Saudade
Golden State
Book Love
Foundation and Empire 🎧
Midnight Son 🎧
Tinaca Jones 🎧
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again 🎧
Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
Sleeping Giants 🎧

3 Star Reads:
Moon of the Crusted Snow 🎧
Red Winter

DNF's:
The Paragon Hotel 🎧
Oval
Overthrow 🎧

February Plans

Let's see how much of my reading plans I actually stick with for the month. I only have one of my ATY reads planned for the month. Need to figure out the other prompts.

Currently Reading:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Girl, Woman, Other
Children of Blood and Bone 🎧
Long Bright River 🎧 (30% done, but considering DNF'ing)

Books I Might Read:
The Unpassing 🎧 (ATY #8)
Nothing to See Here
Topics of Conversation
Good Night, Mr. Tom
The One Hundred Nights of Hero
King Lear
The Governesses
19 Love Songs

February Update

Thanks to the read-a-thon, I've beat January by two books for a total of 21 books this month! I finished my TOB reading too which was great. There were so many amazing books on the shortlist. Excited for the brackets to start next month. Now onto reading to complete the ToTOB.

Favorite Book ⚡


5 star reads:
Girl, Woman, Other
Little Fires Everywhere 🎧
The Governesses
Highfire 🎧
Nothing to See Here
What to Do When I'm Gone: A Mother's Wisdom to Her Daughter
The Best We Could Do
A Mercy 🎧
The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made 🎧

4 star reads:
The Unpassing 🎧
The One Hundred Nights of Hero
Gender Queer
A Long Petal of the Sea 🎧
How to Train Your Dragon 🎧
Convenience Store Woman 🎧
Topics of Conversation
Fever Dream 🎧
American Housewife 🎧

3 star reads:
Long Bright River 🎧
The Great Alone
An Age of License: A Travelogue

DNF:
Children of Blood and Bone 🎧
19 Love Songs

March Planned Reads

The Heart's Invisible Furies
If You Leave Me
Waking Gods
The Road
The Sun Down Motel
A Girl Returned
The Glass Hotel
A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home
The Magical Language of Others
From Lone Mountain
Luisa: Now and Then
Oona Out of Order
The Resisters

COVID Reading Slump Update (aka March-August)

For multiple reasons, I went from averaging 20 books a month to about 2 books a month once quarantine started in mid-March. I'm finally getting back to a healthy reading habit, but because of my 6 month slump, I've had to adjust my reading challenges. I have decided to... double dip within my challenges. Gasp! The Horror! But I've gotta do what I gotta do, and I don't see any other way to complete the challenges if I don't. TBH I've enjoyed seeing how many categories I can fit a book into and might continue the double dipping next year. Now, onto the books that I read from March - August.

Favorite Book ⚡


5 star reads:
A God in Ruins 🎧
How to Talk to Girls at Parties
A Girl Returned
War and Peas: Funny Comics for Dirty Lovers
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
So You Want to Talk About Race 🎧
The Road 🎧

4 star reads:
Waking Gods 🎧
Luisa: Now and Then
Lanny
Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës
The Magical Language of Others
The Dutch House 🎧
The Deep 🎧
The Orchard 🎧
Sharks in the Time of Saviors 🎧
French Milk
The Sacrament 🎧
The Night Watchman 🎧
A Visit from the Goon Squad 🎧

3 star reads:
Oona Out of Order 🎧
The Resisters
Conversations with Friends 🎧
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 🎧
The Accidental

2 star reads:
Everything Is Beautiful, and I'm Not Afraid: A Baopu Collection

September Planned Reads
The Sisters Brothers
The Good Lord Bird
The Bromance Book Club
Looking for Alaska
The Orphan Master's Son
The Sellout
Interior Chinatown
Wolf Hall

September Update

I enjoyed getting back into reading this month. I definitely think I've officially gotten out of my reading slump. I'm not reading as many books as I was pre-COVID, but I'm now reading at a more balanced pace. Though I did get a few extras in thanks to the read-a-thon. And I've checked off some prompts for the challenges this month!

Favorite Book ⚡


5 Star Reads:
The Sisters Brothers 🎧
The Good Lord Bird 🎧
Looking for Alaska

4 Star Reads:
Interior Chinatown 🎧
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
Follow Me to Ground 🎧

3 Star Reads:
The Bromance Book Club 🎧
Hallowe'en Party 🎧

October Planned Reads
Anxious People
Cloud Atlas
Wolf Hall
We Ride Upon Sticks
Transcendent Kingdom
The Lying Life of Adults

October Update

Favorite Book ⚡


5 Star Reads:
Anxious People
Transcendent Kingdom
Cloud Atlas 🎧
Death in Her Hands 🎧
The Glass Hotel
Beach Read
Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work

3 Star Reads:
Clap When You Land 🎧
Indelicacy 🎧

November Update

Favorite Book ⚡


5 Star Reads:
The Year of the Witching 🎧
Felix Ever After 🎧
One to Watch

4 Star Reads:
If I Had Your Face 🎧
The Switch
Almost American Girl
The Sacrifice of Darkness
Blacktop Wasteland 🎧
A Children's Bible 🎧
Exciting Times 🎧
Check, Please!, Book 2: Sticks & Scones
Luster 🎧
Pizza Girl 🎧

December Updates

Favorite Book ⚡


5 Star Reads:
A Christmas Carol 🎧
Piranesi

4 Star Reads:
Real Life
A Literary Christmas: An Anthology

3 Star Reads:
In a Holidaze 🎧