The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

WEEKLY CHECK-IN
March 4, 2024 -- Week 10

For this week's discussion, let's create a helpful thread for prompt 30, "Pick a book without reading the blurb."

In the comments, drop some of your favorite book titles (maybe ones that you don't see as often here in the group) but don't say anything about the plot. If you're still looking for a book to fill prompt 30, scroll through the comments and try one of these!

My suggestions:

VenCo
Yak and Gnu
Soulless
Starling House
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Nor Crystal Tears
Dead in the Dining Room

Never Let Me Go
Neverwhere
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
The Samurai's Garden
Kindred

Boyfriend Material
Where the Forest Meets the Stars
Wayward
Mexican Gothic
A Study in Emerald

What I did: put the latest book by one of my favorite authors on pre-order without reading the blurb!

Till We Have Faces
Life After Life
Pastoral
Tell Me What Really Happened
Some Desperate Glory
Girlfriend on Mars

I'm Glad My Mom Died

Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening

The Four Agreements

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World

I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Just Listen and Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

The right to arm bears
Deep freeze (of which there are a few)
A long time until now

No Land To Light On
The Direction of the Wind
One Day
Life After Life

I loved Life After Life if anyone is looking for a good book. It's on both Denise's and Lucilla's list.

Racso and the Rats of Nimh by Jane Leslie Conly

I bought it because it was a sequel.

Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, Shauna Robinson

Blacktop Wasteland, SA Cosby

To make it easy pick up the next book in a series you are enjoying or the latest book by an author that never disappoints. I would find it very difficult to pick a book from someone else's list without reading the blurb.

- The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
- Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
- Out by Natsuo Kirino
- The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton
- Chlorine by Jade Song

These are some books that I enjoyed last year and continue to think about often. When I'm ready to do this prompt I plan on going to the library and just picking a book cover that I like.

I've thought about this one, but haven't planned for it yet. I have reservations about just picking a book by an author I like because that seems rather safe, but of course, "your challenge, your rules," right? Since I'm already halfway through the challenge, I'm forcing myself to slow down, and I'll get to this one when I get to it. Maybe take a chance and go down the stacks of my library and grab something that catches my attention.

Where Can I Flee by A.M. Heath

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull is one of my favorites that I don't see talked about very often, if at all

Ashtyn wrote: "Fablehaven by Brandon Mull is one of my favorites that I don't see talked about very often, if at all"

I have read all the Fablehaven books as an adult and then passed the copies to the grands. Some liked them; some not so much. I enjoyed them, especially learning fairy lore like not keeping a fairy locked up overnight. I have a birdcage/fairy house and the door is always open!

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Here is sampling of Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, and Non-Fiction

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup
Book Boyfriend by Claire Kingsley
The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders
Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work by Reshma Saujani
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman

Paula wrote: "Here is sampling of Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, and Non-Fiction

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes
[book..."

I adore Fred!

Anything by Guy Gavriel Kay or Daniel Abraham.

This is difficult for me, reading a book without first knowing what it is about. I own many books that I have yet to read and I forget what some are about so I will choose one of those and try to remember to not read the blurb.

Some ideas for others here are:
Light to the Hills - Bonnie Blaylock;
This Is It, Lark Harnish - Laura Best;
Pluck - Donna Morrissey;
The Midwife’s Touch - Sue Harrison;
Sold on a Monday - Kristina McMorris;
A Place to Hang the Moon - Kate Albus

Cemetery Boys
XOXO
Moon Chosen (this whole series really)
Looking for Alaska
The Walls Around Us
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

the women by Kristin Hannah