The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

29. Published In A Year Of The Dragon

What is the “Year of the Dragon"? The Year of the Dragon relates to the Chinese calendar. Dragon is the fifth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. 2024 is the “Year of the Dragon.” This occurs every twelve years.

For this prompt, we are specifically looking for a book published in a Year of the Dragon. The book does not have to relate to Chinese culture or be set during a Year of the Dragon – but you’re welcome to add that on as a bonus challenge if you like. You may choose any Dragon year from any time in history.

Some examples of more recent Years of the Dragon include: 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024. A book originally published during any of these years will count toward this prompt.

Note: If you are unable to read 52 books in a year and have chosen to double up your prompts, this prompt will double nicely with the prompt “Published in 2024.”


Click here for our Goodreads List of suggestions

1952 East of Eden by John Steinbeck

1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024

I really liked

Too Loud a Solitude 1976
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity 2012
Flight Behavior 2012
The Bean Trees 1988
A Single Man 1964
A Man Called Ove 2012
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry


I want to read
2012 - Tell the Wolves I'm Home
2012 - The Chaperone
1940 - The Invention of Morel, The Ox-Bow Incident
1952- East of a Eden (I found it hard to get into when I was younger, but maybe now is the time.)
1964- A Moveable Feast
1928- Orlando
2000 - The Blind Assassin
2012- The Investigation by Jung-myung Lee

I'm using this as an opportunity to read Jennifer Lynn Barnes next book, The Grandest Game, Due to be published in July of 2024.

I plan to read Food of Ghosts by Marianne Wheelaghan, the first in a series set in the country of Kiribati (part of my reading the world challenge). Published in 2012.

The Alchemists by Paulo Coelho

I'll wait to see what 2024 brings before making a choice here.

I will be listening to Unholy Night by Seth Graham-Smith, since the audiobook was published in 2012.

I just added to the StoryGraph a few books- titles in Spanish and English years 2000 and 2012

Swimming Home by Deborah Levy

I plan to read “Roses areRed” by James Patterson (2000).

I'm thinking of either Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick (2012) or The Earth Is the Lord's by Taylor Caldwell (1940). That last one will also fill #18 (apostrophe in title) & 34 (takes place in landlocked country).

This is a great page to use for this one. Just select the year for inspiration: https://www.goodreads.com/book/popula...

East of Eden

Going with The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna



middle eastern folklore and legend mixed with magical realism and features a storytelling jinn whose job is to tell the stories of the dead

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trsil by Cheryl Strayed

I plan on reading Faerie Tale by Raymond E Feist.

Cats Eye

My book choice is Astray by Emma Donoghue

I will be reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Published in 2000

Planning on: Calico Joe (1983)

My book for this prompt is The Selection. It is available on KU, and it will crossover to cover several prompts for me.

I'm interpreting this a little differently as last year (2023) was the year of the dragon for me with the Fourth Wing books and the release of Murtagh.
I was gifted a copy of Murtagh for Christmas and plan on reading it for this challenge (after re-reading the series).

I'm going to read Caribbean Mystery

I’m reading The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. It was published 2012.

I'll be reading "The Cat Who Sniffed Glue" by Lilian Jackson Braun (published 1988). I've had this book for a while and love all of her books so this works purr-fectly. :-)

I'm thinking The Sandcastle Girls (2012)

I read The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler, published this year. It was really good, and only 112 pages, so if you want a quick read I recommend it!

I just finished "The old man and the Sea" by Hemmingway. Really good book, excellently written. Loved this book

For this prompt, I read The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson which was published 2012. (read 21stJan; 4*)

What did you think of this book. I have started it a couple times and can't seem to get going. I'm anxious to hear.

For this prompt I’m reading Throne of Glass by Sara J Mass, I couldn’t stick with ACOTAR so we’ll see if I enjoy this one.

As I'm trying to use books I already own, I'm reading The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in 1892.

I love a short book...

I already checked out The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie(1928)

I read The Red Pole of Macau by Ian Hamilton (2012)
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2024...

For this prompt I've read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, published in 2012. I may read a few more for this prompt. . . .we'll see how it goes.

My choice: THE CATCH by Amy Lea

I’ve been working through the many Harlan Coben series(s) on Netflix, so I gave myself the added challenge of choosing one of his novels that was published in a year of the dragon and has been made into a series for the read it watch it mini challenge: Stay Close (2012).

The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa, published in 2000.

I read The Women by Kristen Hannah

I read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

I could have used quite a few books for this one already, but I'm waiting for the Read it, Watch it, mini-challenge to roll around. I can't remember if it is the summer or fall slot. As of now I've chosen The Princess Diaries. But if another title with a film counterpart part presents itself, I'm open. I would love suggestions.

SPY×FAMILY 11 by Tatsuya Endo
4/5
Honestly, I just finished Prompt 33 - An Abrupt Ending, and this one could go with that prompt too. Of course, I didn't know that at the time.😅I just know I really like this series and with two volumes being released in 2024, it was a no brainer to have one of them be my Prompt 29 - Published in the Year of the Dragon, or my Prompt 52 - Published in 2024. I just find it funny that I finished two books for two different prompts on the same day, and despite being completely different, they both have astounding abrupt endings.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn

What a marvellous writer, and a series I am certainly going to finish.

I really love David Lodge's work so I read Nice Work

“The Golden Gate” by Alistair MacLean was published in 1976 (a Year of the Dragon). It is a very exciting thriller.

I think I'm going to try White Teeth by Zadie Smith. I've never read one of hers. It was published in 2000. Has anyone read it and what did you think?

I read The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson. It was published in 2012.

I read The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
about Alexandre Dumas' father. Interesting book. Happy discovery that it was published in 2012!