The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

31. Set in a workplace

A workplace is a place of employment. For this prompt, pick a book that is set where the character (or characters) work. You may choose a book with a more traditional workplace, such as an office or factory, or pick someplace specifically unique to the world in which your book is set. This prompt could also feature a character who works from home, a memoir of a successful entrepreneur, an expose on the clothing industry, a character who runs their own business, a murder mystery in shop, an office romance, etc. While the entirety of the book doesn’t have to be set in a workplace, the primary setting for this novel should be easily identified as such.


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Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

I read The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Run Time

I just finished The Beach Escape by Rachel Magee for another prompt but it would work well for this one. The female MC is a veterinarian and the male MC works at a turtle rescue center.

I read The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. It is one of my BOTMs from 2021. Happy to read a book on my shelf!

I read Magic Dark and Strange by Kelly Powell, 4 Stars. Set in both a watchmaker's shop and a typsetter's office for a newspaper.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus — LOVED IT! Fun, spirited, sassy, feminism, historical fictional romance… and her dog Six-Thirty is my new favorite animal character in a novel. The whole book is practically written in the main character’s workplace(s).

I am about to read 'What happened on floor 34?' by Caroline Corcoran, just been to a book event in local bookstore and am very excited about reading this!

I loved reading The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan for this workplace prompt. Rosie and her friend work in the village Sweet shop. This delightful Christmas story is filled with love, friendship, and a promised Christmas Surprise. Enjoy !

The Other Black Girl

Murder in the Oval Office, by Elliott Roosevelt

I also read The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood and this has been one of my favorite reads ever! Adored it very much <3

I read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, set in Bletchley Park during WWII.

I’m reading The sun down motel by Simone St. James

The Dress shop of dreams by Menna Van Praag

The Nature of Ice is a contemporary fiction set in Antarctica by Australian author Robyn Mundy. It shifts back and forth between the story of Freya, a photographer spending the summer in Antarctica and a recount of the 1912 exhibition by Douglas Mawson, including excerpts from his diaries and letters exchanged with his fiancé Paquita. Freya’s story is one of creativity, self-discovery and romance and is set at the Davis research station. Mawson’s story is one of courage, extreme adventure and heartache. Here is my review

I read Book Lovers by Emily Henry for this one.

The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi

I read Sign Here by Claudia Lux. The workplace is hell and it wasn’t as interesting as I was hoping but ymmv.

I read The Maid by Nita Prose. The author had a very different take on the whole "found a body in the hotel room" that was the highlight of the book.

The Maid 4/5. Very good.

I just finished Lessons in Chemistry. I loved it hard to put down

The Paris Bookshop by Kerri Maher

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
It takes place on a cross-country train journey that the main character is working on.
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2023...

For this prompt, I chose to read The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason. In addition to being an outstanding writer, Mason is a physician, and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, where he teaches courses in both humanities and medicine. This novel tells the story of a young medical student who enlists in the Austrian army during WWI and serves as a doctor at a front-line field hospital.

Cat Daddy by Jackson Galaxy A large portion of the book takes place in the animal shelter where Jackson worked. 5 stars.

I read this book The Autobiography of F.B.I. Special Agent Dale Cooper: My Life, My Tapes

The Wolf Den - Elodie Harper

I’m going to read The Maid too!

I READ Chef's Kiss in March

Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Key

This is my second book for this prompt.

I read Sign Here by Claudia Lux

I'm going to count The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers for this prompt. The novel is set on a spaceship. The crew earns money by boring wormholes between different points in space that can be used for travelling. The main character is hired as a clerk.

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

Just finished Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. Wow what an interesting, sometimes funny, thought provoking and enlightening read. I'd like to thank her personally some day for de-spookifying a subject that has filled me with terror since I was a child. She spares absolutely nothing, which I found immensely comforting. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs is #15 in the Temperance Brennan series. I like book Brennan better than TV Brennan (Bones).

I chose The Maid by Nita Prose for this prompt! It was a quick enjoyable read. 4 stars!

Midnight at Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

I read Take My Hand

Quitter: Closing the Gap Between your Day Job & Your Dream Job, by Jon Acuff

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I am reading Before Your Memory Fades for This Prompt

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

"The Green Mile" by Stephen King

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Carol wrote: "I read The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. It is one of my BOTMs from 2021. Happy to read a book on my shelf!"
Thanks for mentioning this one. I have the book, but didn’t know much about it. Help me get one more Read on the list.

I read The Astronaut and the Star by Jen Comfort.