Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

For those of us who are planners, this prompt is to ease the pain of having 17 possible books for one prompt... then only reading one book of the 17. You can choose a prompt ahead of time and decide what you will read, or you can find a book you've been dying to slot in somewhere that may fit other prompts on the list.

No lists for this one!

What are you reading for this prompt, and which prompt was your favorite?

History and historical fiction are two of my favourite genres, which means my favourite prompt is 10: A history or historical fiction book .

I'm reading Age of Anger: A History of the Present, which as the title suggests, links history to current times and on a much gentler note The Grand Sophy. A friend raves about Georgette Heyer, a childhood favourite, so I'm having a go at what is meant to be one of her best books.

(For the actual prompt 10, I'm reading The Collaborator’s Daughter: and Cuddy).

Well, I'm going with "A book that fits a prompt that didn't make the list" then using "A book that fits a prompt from a previous ATY list" and using "A book related to a word given by a random word generator. And the word I came up with is CONTROL.

That's a long connection thread, Kendra lol. I love it.

I'm doing "A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list" a second time.

Right now, the two books I have selected are:

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Rejected prompts that fit - A book with a body part in the title; A book related to "civil rights"; A book that has a character with a non-traditional name; A book related to X marks the Spot (set during era of Generation X); A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists; A book nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award; A book with a character who is marginalized; A book with a hot topic; A book featured on a list for a media or celebrity book club

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Rejected prompts that fit - A book with twins; A book with a hand on the cover; A book that plays with perceptions of reality; A book related to fire; A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists; A book nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award; A book another ATY group member gave 5 stars; A book that is between 400-600 pages; A book by a female author which won an award

I'll probably use this prompt for the Canada/Australia/NZ author prompt and read an author from one of the countries I didn't select. For early planning purposes, I will go with NZ and read either The Luminaries or Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. My other choice is Faces in the Water by Janet Frame, if I can find a copy.

My favourite prompt is A suggestion that didn't make the final list. There are so many good prompts that don't make it, it seems a waste to miss out on them. I double up on prompts that do make it anyway, if I have good options.

From the prompts that didn't make it I chose A prompt from a past ATY Challenge, which I was sad didn't make it into the final list.

I didn't choose it until I saw the final order of the list though, when I realised that I could use the 2022 prompt Two books with the same word in the title to read The Hike by Susi Holliday and The Hike by Lucy Clarke, right after my choice for prompt 47, The Hike by Drew Magary. I can't explain how satisfying I find this!

Wow Marie - that is some creative maneuvering to be able to get your trio of “The Hike” - well done!

I also can't resist all the great options from "a suggestion that didn't make the final list." I've been reading through my lengthy TBR list to see if I can find three titles that connect into poems. Here are two I'm considering (without the subtitles):

Roadside Picnic
Picnic Comma Lightning: The Experience of Reality in the Twenty-First Century
Hurricane

What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal
The End of Men
There Is Only Us (Volume 21)

One of my favorite prompts! I'll use prompt 3: "A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list", which will then be "A book on a banned books list (Poll 3)". I will likely read Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo.

I'm planning to read The Red Tent. I chose it for A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y. I like the thought of reading a bible retelling and the book has a high rating on Goodreads.

I'm keeping this one open, to use as a catch-up on any book I've highlighted as a choice for another prompt but which I haven't got to by this point in the year.

I used a book nominated for a GR award and listened to Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond by Henry Winkler which won the 2023 Humorous book award.

Oops! I should’ve posted on #3 A suggestion that didn’t make the list! I’m so used to this prompt making the list.

My favorite prompt is related to Raining Cats and Dogs because I want to read several books about cats this year. I'm going to read a non-fiction book called Literary Cats about famous cats in literature (think the Cheshire cat) or cats owned by writers

For this prompt, I read:

Sailing the Graveyard Sea: The Deathly Voyage of the Somers, the U.S. Navy's Only Mutiny, and the Trial That Gripped the Nation by Richard Snow - 4* - My Review (a book related to sea is my favorite prompt)

I read More Than Cake: 100 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure and Community by Natasha Pickowicz for this prompt. It's a cookbook featuring unusual desserts, some not even sweet. My favorite prompt this year is the book set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world.

Stacey wrote: "I read More Than Cake: 100 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure and Community by Natasha Pickowicz for this prompt. It's a cookbook featuring unusual desserts, some n..."

That sounds cool! I'll have to look for it

Jackie wrote: "Stacey wrote: "I read More Than Cake: 100 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure and Community by Natasha Pickowicz for this prompt. It's a cookbook featuring unusual d..."

The recipes are pretty complex, but sound amazing, Jackie. Let me know what you think of the book and any treats you decide to whip up.

I read Far North by Marcel Theroux, for the "involving travel" prompt

I also redid prompt #1- A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y. I read the third book of the Maggody series: Much Ado in Maggody by Joan Hess. This prompt got me to read a book that had been on my TBR for quite some time. These books are set in a fictional town not far from where I grew up, but I had just never gotten around to reading them.

Favorite prompt: #41 Book with a Chilling atmosphere

This book has both the danger kind of chilling atmosphere, along with the blizzard kind of chill!

✔ – 08Apr24
Free Fire – C J Box – 3***
Book number seven in the mystery series featuring Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. Gosh but I love Pickett. He’s an astute observer, keeps his cards close to the chest, doesn’t take unnecessary changes, but doesn’t hesitate to go into dangerous situations when it’s called for. There are some hidden agendas regarding ecoterrorism, deals cut with major bioengineering firms, and possible drug dealing. Can he sort it out and discover the “real” culprit before a natural disaster occurs to wipe out all evidence?
LINK to my full review

The book I chose for this prompt


short and sweet review: 5.0
This story had me in an up roar. Like what type of mom was Rozelle! She was so spiteful it’s insane. And to use the kids as property and gain pissed me tf off! This is one story I will NEVA forget. Those girls suffered!! Now this is what you call a narcissist.

I am reading Somewhere Someday by Josephine Cox. It fits the aty prompt a book title ending in a t or y. This is one of my favourite prompts as it appears every year in a different theme.

I had left this prompt open in my planning to see what book I still really wanted to read that was for a prompt already spoken for. For now I'm using a book that someone in my IRL book group picked that fits a prompt I already had plans for that I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy. If I find I'm not enjoying that planned book I'll move this book to that prompt and choose again here.

The prompt I'm using (for now) is 43. A book by an Edgar Award-winning author (which is involving a genre I don't normally gravitate toward). The book I read was Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. It was actually interesting in that I got to see a perspective different than mine re: school busing. And there were some high action moments which are not normally present in the books I mostly choose, so a bit more heart racing than usual for me.

Update: I'm moving some things around and this will now be the actual book read for 43. A book by an Edgar Award-winning author, rather than the second book for a favorite prompt. Be back later with what I actually use for this prompt.

I read Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg for this topic. It was my initial pick for the "Related to the Lyrics of What a Wonderful World" topic. But when I realized it was book two in the series, I wanted to read the first book first.

So, I read the first book for Wonderful World topic, the second for that same topic. The third for the 'Book Related to Travel' topic and the fourth for the 'Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream' topic.

Great Series.

lexiskat wrote: "The book I chose for this prompt


short and sweet review:
This story had me in an up roar. Like what type of mom was Rozelle! She was so spiteful it’s insane. ..."

Okay - but did you like the book? Are you glad you read it? I have it, so I am curious. I'm planning on reading it probably in June.

Favorite prompt - A history or historical fiction book

I read The Keepers of the House. This is actually a reread since I chose it for my IRL book club. I was almost as powerful as the first time.

I chose #45, a book that is not a novel, and read non-fiction.
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson
It was an excellent narrative of the period right before and including the start of the U.S. Civil War. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot!

While I've kept the same favourite prompt, #10, because I enjoy reading history books and historical fiction, I have changed it about and about more than any other prompt.

I think I have ended up with Knowledge of Angels and The Book of Forgotten Authors, which I originally used for PopSugar.

The first is set on an imaginary Mediterranean island, anytime from the late Middle Ages to possibly the 17 th century. A lovely sense of place, but an ultimately sad story about dogma and intolerance.

Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May detective series always includes mention of obscure books, but here he is looking at obscure authors, whose time has passed. Some I had never heard of - a few of those sounded worth chasing up- and others I didn't think were forgotten like Jean Plaidy (but that's probably my age.

I read Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink for the prompt (10) a history or historical fiction. This is another reread - the first time I read this was probably sometime in the 1960s.

Kendra wrote: "Well, I'm going with "A book that fits a prompt that didn't make the list" then using "A book that fits a prompt from a previous ATY list" and using "A book related to a word given by a random word..."

This is so funny. You did an amazing job "controlling" the use of prompts to get to the prompt you wanted, which turns out is a prompt about letting go of control! Well done :)

So, my original plan was to use a book determined by my IRL book club (a book that fit the Edgar Award Winning Author) because I already had a book slotted for that. But because mysteries aren't something I read a lot of, I decided just to use that book for the original prompt, and not the extra use of the prompt.

But we have a theme! My IRL book group chose another book that I already had a choice for, and that I'm reading next, so now I'm using Still Life by Sarah Winman for my 2nd (even though read first) use of "#30 - A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea". I LOVED this book, so even though prompt #30 wasn't technically by favorite prompt (I do like it though), the book was so great that I needed to include it in my "official" reading!


Could also be used for:
Cover with Wings
Character in Education (but not a strong connection)
Senior Character
Historical Fiction
Wonderful World lyrics

For this prompt, I read: The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman. If I attempt to summarize it, I can only say that the author is a genius: a genius at observing things that most people don't and a genius at expressing those things in ways that most people can't.

My review here: 4.5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The favourite prompt I used for this choice was a book with a senior citizen character . This book could also fit under the following prompts:

- a book that is not a novel (novella)
- a book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Tracy wrote: "So, my original plan was to use a book determined by my IRL book club (a book that fit the Edgar Award Winning Author) because I already had a book slotted for that. But because mysteries aren't so..."

I'm planning on reading Still Life for the "art" related prompt in 2025 list, so glad to see you recommend it.

Jillian wrote: "Tracy wrote: "So, my original plan was to use a book determined by my IRL book club (a book that fit the Edgar Award Winning Author) because I already had a book slotted for that. But because myste..."

Don't know what kind of books you like to read, so I hope you like it.

I read Annie Bot as a second book for prompt 17 A book involving intelligence. I had a good time looking for books that fit this prompt so thought it would be fun to do it again.

Finished by Jenny Erpenbeck (winner of the International Booker Prize 2024) a couple of days ago. When checking whether it fits one of the prompt, I found the prompts "A book where a main character is a writer, a librarian or a bookseller". One of the two "lovers" is a writer.

I read One Perfect Couple

It fits the prompt - A book related to Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads, or Jimmy Buffett which was one of my top 3 prompts that we dreamed up last year.

The book I originally read for the prompt fit the ballads and Jimmy Buffet part. This book fits the boats and beaches part.

I read Pharaoh by Wilbur Smith for this topic to mirror topic 20 Book With Single Word Title (Read Sept 6th;4*)

My favorite prompt is Raining cats and dogs because I like books about cats and with cats on the cover. I read From A Cat's View by Robin Praytor, which I moved here from a different prompt

I read Can't Spell Treason Without Tea. It fits # 37 A book in a series.

I used the prompt
author name contains one of letters used least frequently JKXZ

and read The 6th Target

I read The Holy Thief by Ellis Peters This was historical fiction

2nd time through I read:
All Roads Lead to Whitechapel by Michelle Birkby

Prompt: 24. A book with a secondary color on the cover (orange, green or purple). Not necessarily my favorite prompt, but the book fit.

REJECT: A book with a fictional famous character (Sherlock Holmes)

Finished: 10/26/2024
Rating: 4 stars

There are two new detectives at 221b Baker Street - Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Watson. Aided by the Baker Street Irregulars, they tackle a case of blackmail and murder. Very enjoyable.

I came full circle on this prompt, ha!

So, my favorite read this year was hands-down Villette by Charlotte Brontë, which I read in the spring for the "character in education" category. I immediately penciled in the rest of my unread Bronte canon: Shirley into the "single word" prompt and The Professor here, Charlotte's first, rejected book, unpublished in her lifetime, the general gist of which she later reshaped into the gorgeous Villette. And then, suspecting there was no way The Professor would not be a disappointment, I promptly discarded the idea.

Well, here we are at the end of the year, and I'm starting my final book for the challenge, and it just HAS to be The Professor, my last Bronte book which has been put off for far too long. I don't care if it turns out to be a disappointment, as it provides the perfect cap to an ambitious and successful reading year, if I may say so myself.

ETA: For clarity, I'm reading this for the "character in education" prompt -- not my favorite prompt per se, but as it led to my favorite read of the year I'm counting it as such!