Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

I have no plan and I'm just going with the flow, but I'm back for another year 😊

ATY 2020

11/52

✔ 1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
Find Me Gone by Sarah Meuleman ⭐⭐⭐

2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable

3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019

✔ 4. A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live
Jorden Synger by Vanessa Curtis ⭐⭐⭐⭐

5. The first book in a series that you have not started

✔ 6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover
by Ilmar Taska ⭐⭐⭐⭐

7. A book set in the southern hemisphere

8. A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The"

9. A book that can be read in a day

✔ 10. A book that is between 400-600 pages
Hypnotisøren by Lars Kepler ⭐⭐

11. A book originally published in a year that is a prime number

✔ 12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people
Paganinikontrakten by Lars Kepler ⭐⭐⭐

13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge (Link)

14. A book by an author on the Abe List of 100 Essential Female Writers (link)

15. A book set in a global city

16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area

17. A book with a neurodiverse character

18. A book by an author you've only read once before

19. A fantasy book

20. The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.]

21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1720

✔ 22. A book with the major theme of survival
Kvinden i buret by Jussi Adler-Olsen ⭐⭐⭐⭐

23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author

✔ 24. A book with an emotion in the title
Folk med angst by Fredrik Backman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

25. A book related to the arts

26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards

✔ 27. A history or historical fiction
Øen by Victoria Hislop ⭐⭐⭐

28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author

29. An underrated book, a hidden gem or a lesser known book

30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year

31. A book inspired by a leading news story

32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan

33. A book about a non-traditional family

34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name

35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover

36. A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim

37. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #1

38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2

✔ 39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce
Kør din plov over de dødes knogler by Olga Tokarczuk 27/02/20 ⭐⭐⭐

40. A book with a place name in the title

✔ 41. A mystery
Sandheden om Harry Quebert-sagen by Joël Dicker ⭐⭐⭐⭐

42. A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World’ (link)

43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse

✔ 44. A book related to witches
Det tredje tegn by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir ⭐⭐

45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018

46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire"

47. A classic book you've always meant to read

48. A book published in 2020

49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win (link)

50. A book with a silhouette on the cover

51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title

52. A book related to time

Reading Europe 2020

🌍 = setting
🤓 = author

10/54

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
✔ Belgium: Find Me Gone by Sarah Meuleman 🌍🤓
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
✔ Denmark: Kvinden i buret by Jussi Adler-Olsen 🌍🤓
✔ England: Det tavse vidne by Elly Griffiths 🌍🤓
✔ Estonia: Pobeda 1946 by Ilmar Taska 🌍🤓
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
✔ Greece: Øen by Victoria Hislop 🌍
Hungary
✔ Iceland: Det tredje tegn by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 🌍🤓
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
✔ Latvia: Jorden Synger by Vanessa Curtis 🌍
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia)
Northern Ireland
Norway
✔ Poland: Kør din plov over de dødes knogler by Olga Tokarczuk 27/02/20 🌍🤓
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Scotland
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
✔ Sweden: Folk med angst by Fredrik Backman 🌍🤓
✔ Switzerland: Sandheden om Harry Quebert-sagen by Joël Dicker 🤓
Turkey
Ukraine
Vatican City
Wales

Monthly overview

January
Books read:


Pages: 2020
Average rating: 3,4

February
Books read:


Pages: 3267
Average rating: 3,2

March
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

Monthly overview

April
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

May
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

June
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

Monthly overview

July
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

August
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

September
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

Monthly overview

October
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

November
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

December
Books read:

Pages:
Average rating:

Welcome back, Marina! :)

And now I'm all set, I just need to add the books I've read already!

I've been away from the group for some months. I needed a break from too many challenges and I had things in life I needed to focus on. But now everything is slowly falling into place, so there's more time and energy for books and challenges.

I've still lowered my goals this year. I've read 100+ books the last 5 years, but this year I've set a goal of 50 books, so I don't expect to finish ATY or my other main challenge: Reading Europe 2020.
I'm hoping for a fun year of reading so I'm also trying to pick books I actually want to read and not just because the fit a challenge.

Nothing is set in stone though. I've learned the last years that my decisions regarding books and reading tend to change a lot during a year 😀
But for now, I'm ready and we'll see what happens!

24. A book with an emotion in the title
Folk med angst by Fredrik Backman

How it fits:
Directly translated the title means People with anxiety. I think the English version of the book is called Anxious People.

What did I think?
I'm a huge fan of Fredrik Backman, so he had a lot to live up to. I didn't think this was one of his best books, but even though I thought it was a bit confusing in the beginning he still managed to drag me in with these whimsical characters that are just as complex as you and me. And that's one of the things I like most about his books.
So all in all I'm still a fan and can't wait to read his next book.

22. A book with the major theme of survival
Kvinden i buret / The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen

How it fits:
The politician Merete disappears and is presumed dead, but we learn in the beginning of the book that she has been kidnapped and is being held captive and is trying to survive in air-pressurized chamber.

What did I think?
I think this is a great first book in the series about Carl Mørck and Assad in Department Q.
Department Q is a newly established department in the Danish Police Headquarters that are supposed to look into cold cases. I've heard others saying the story moves slow, but I didn't think that was a problem. I actually thought it felt right considering this is a cold case.
I like the main characters and there's a lot of humour in the book, at least if you're Danish. It's a bit dry and subtle but it's there.

I'm reading this series as part of the NordicNoir buddyreads on litsy, so I'm looking forward to continuing with the books.

10. A book that is between 400-600 pages
Hypnotisøren / The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

How it fits:
585 long pages

What did I think?
This was long and I didn't really feel interested in the plot. At first I found the plot interesting, but then it took a turn and the story about the hypnotist and all parts about hypnosis didin't do anything for me.
The characters was a bit blah. Erik was annoying but Joona who is the main character in this series, I didn't feel like I got to know at all.
The writing didin't work well for me either. Maybe it's because it's written by two authors, but it felt clumsy and abrupt. This book felt really slow to me, so I could have settled for lesser pages.

This is another series we're reading as part of the NordicNoir buddyreads, so I'm hoping they'll

6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover
Pobeda 1946 by Ilmar Taska

How it fits:
On the cover we see a Pobeda, a Russian car produced in the Soviet Union from 1946. Pobeda also means victory.

What did I think?
This was set in Estonia under the Soviet occupation after WWII and even though I've read several books about the time during and after WWII, I don't think I've read any set in Estonia. It seems like the Baltic countries are often forgotten.
The story is told through 5 different characters all connected in one way or the other. Most interesting and powerful was the chapters seen from a very young boys POV.

I don't think I would have found this book if it wasn't for the fact that I searched for a book set in Estonia, but I liked it so I'm glad the Reading Europe challenge gave me a push in this direction.

41. A mystery
The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker

How it fits:
In Harry Quebert's garden the body of a young girl, Nola, who disappeared 33 years ago is disovered. With the body they also find the original manuscript of Harry Quebert's first novel, which made him famous.
Everything points in Harry's direction, but what really happened to Nola? Marcus Goldman decides to solve the mystery and write a book about it at the same time.

What did I think?
I've read this once before some years ago, but got it as a gift for Christmas and I couldn't remember all that happened, so decided to read it again.
This is one of those rare cases where I don't really like any of the characters, but still enjoyed reading the book. There are so many twists and turns which is probably why I couldn't remember it all too well, so it was fun reading it again.

44. A book related to witches
Det tredje tegn / Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

How it fits:
The body of a young German student is discovered at a university in Reykjavik. His eyes has been cut out and there are strange symbols carved into his chest. Because the family doesn't believe the police has arrested the right person, the attorney Thora is hired to investigate together with Matthew, who has been working for the family for a long time.
They discover that the student was obsessed with Iceland's history of torture and witch hunts and begin to wonder if there could be a connection.

What did I think?
Meh... I didn't really enjoy reading this one.
To me Iceland has the perfect setting for mystery and crime novels and there are som descriptions of the scenery, but it just wasn't enough to make this a great mystery novel. The Icelandic witchcraft was also really interesting, but I just felt like the writing didn't do it justice. And I thought the whole story lacked of suspense, danger, excitement just something that made this feel like a book you don't want to put down.
I didn't connect with the main characters at all, so I don't think I'll continue with this series. The author has wrote another series I might give a go because I really like the setting in Iceland, but if that's not a success either I think I'll move on to other Icelandic authors.

4. A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live
Jorden Synger / The Earth is Singing by Vanessa Curtis

How it fits:
This is set during WWII just after the Russian occupation, when the Nazi's invade Latvia.

What did I think?
Second book this year related to WWII and both set in a Baltic country and told from a young person's POV.
Hanna is a young girl, a student at a ballet school, who lives with her Jewish mum and grandmother after her dad has been taken by the Russians. When the Nazi's invade Latvia their lives changes and they live in danger.
There wasn't anything surprising in this book, but it's well told and once again powerful coming from a young girl.

This was also I book I wouldn't have discovered if I hadn't been actively searching for a book set in Latvia, but it was a good pick.

12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people
Paganinikontrakten / The Nightmare by Lars Kepler

How it fits:
Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of the husband and wife author team Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril.

What did I think?
Well, it's a step up from the first in the series about Joona Linna, but I'm not feeling the love.
I liked parts of this story, but I felt there were too many side stories, which just made the book feel loooong.
I'm not sure if I like Joona Linna as a main character, but Saga Bauer is interesting.
The writing is still annoying me, but this series has had so many praises so I'm still hanging in with the buddyread on litsy.

27. A history or historical fiction
Øen / The Island by Victoria Hislop

How it fits:
It tells the real story about the island of Spinalonga, which was used to send people with leprosy to live there, but with fictional characters.

What did I think?
I discovered this book some time ago and found out it was set partially on Spinalonga, an island I remember visiting once on a holiday in Greece. It's probably 20 years ago but I can still remember how it made an impression, so I knew I wanted to read this book.
I had high hopes, but I think I was a little disappointed. The description of the Greek community, leprosy and both Spinalonga and Crete is very accurate and the author has clearly done her research. I just felt the writing lets it down. I thought it was overly descriptive and every thought or emotion was spoon fed to you. The story didn't flow and I sometimes wondered who the main characters really were.
That being set it's still an interesting subject and story. I know this was the author's debut novel, so I think I'll give her another chance.

1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
Find Me Gone by Sarah Meuleman

How it fits:
Well, I guess it's obvious 😁

What did I think?
Uhmm, honestly I'm not really sure. This book has an average rating of 2,94 so my expectations weren't high. And I guess I sort of understand why it has low ratings, but I'm still giving it 3 stars myself.
Sometimes the book felt like a mess. It jumped in time, had several POV and storylines and it was difficult to keep track of everything. I do think it was all tied together in the end, the only problem is getting there.
I listened to the audiobook read by Cassandra Campbell and I think she did an excellent job. I would be tempted to try other books read by her just because I like the way she told the story.