Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

It's time for our next round of suggestions!

Just a reminder that you can find a full list of prompts already on the 2025 list in the third post on this thread.

How Suggestions Work:
- The topics for the 2025 reading challenge list will be determined by a series of mini-polls, the number of which depends on the number of prompts winning in each mini-polls
- Suggestions for each poll will be opened until 15 suggestions are received and “seconded”.
- The voting thread will open the day after suggestions go live. You can find the schedule here.

Rules:
- Each member can only suggest OR second one prompt
- Suggestions close after 15 total seconded prompts

When suggesting and seconding, feel free to provide examples and descriptions that may help other members understand the prompt better. These descriptions and examples will be copied over to the voting thread for further discussion.

As always, please express any and all feedback (respectfully, of course), either here or in The Wild Discussion.


Moving on to Voting:
1. A book that fits three other prompts on this list
2. A monster book
3. A book with any connection to a song
4. A book with a lucky or unlucky symbol on the cover
5. A book connected in some way to a game show
6. A book at least 25 years old
7. A book that involves migration
8. A book written by an author who is at least 65 years old at time of publication
9. A book with a Y connection
10. A book with illustrations
11. A book with a character who works in law enforcement
12. A book with a protagonist who is a different gender than the author
13. A book involving science
14. A history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925
15. A book with yellow on the cover

To Be Seconded:
- A book featuring a character with a compulsion
- A book related to weddings
- A book related to the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis)
- A book with a cowboy

A book that fits three other prompts on this list.

A KIS option is to count "Reader’s choice" from the 2016 list and only fit your book to two other prompts.

Examples:

Translated novel from Asia, coastal setting, fantasy or sci-fi by a woman Kiki's Delivery Service

Art, music, etc., Irish author, secrets, lies, or deception The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best book of the month thread 2024, waves on the cover, reader’s choice from 2016 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Related to fire, title with ten or fewer letters, suggestion that didn’t make the list (set before 1900) Jane Eyre

I’ll second a book that fits 3 other prompts.

A book featuring a character with a compulsion (shopping, gambling, drugs/alcohol, sex, overworking, eating, could even extend to serial killers/stalking, etc)

A book related to weddings.

A book with any connection to a song (posting for Barbara)

This can be a personal connection, such as a favorite song, or a song related to an important date, person, or event in your life. Or it can just be a connection you like between a book and a song.

Top Ten songs by year since 1950: http://www.aandadj.com/Top-Ten-Songs-...
Same Titles: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Songs based on Books: https://www.buzzfeed.com/katherinepic...
Songs that retell stories: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Songs inspired by books: https://www.toledolibrary.org/blog/so...
https://www.librarything.com/topic/14...

A book at least 25 years old.

A monster book

Either a chunky tome or a book about a monster (human or imaginary)
I liked that the Oxford dictionary definition of monster uses this as an example:
"this is a monster of a book, almost 500 pages"

Long books (an ATY list):
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Serial killers:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Human monsters:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Best monster books:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Monster heroines:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

A book that involves migration.

Examples: animal/bird migration, migrant workers, asylum seekers, historical migration from any period, interplanetary travel, someone relocating for reasons of work/romance/crime.

a book related to the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis)

I’ll second a monster book

A book with a lucky or unlucky symbol on the cover.

Lucky: 4 leaf clover, horseshoe, penny, ladybug
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Unlucky: black cat, broken mirror, the number 13
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Jennifer W wrote: "A book with a lucky or unlucky symbol on the cover.

Lucky: 4 leaf clover, horseshoe, penny, ladybug
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Unlucky: black cat, broken mirror, the numb..."

Jennifer, I get the same list of lucky symbols with both links above.

A book with a Y connection

It could be:
- a book by a Generation Y (millennial author)
- a book about a fork in the road (a Y junction)
- a book related to science or math (solving for Y or the Y-axis)
- a book about a double life (Y is both a consonant and a vowel)

or any other Y connection you want

A book with a protagonist who is a different gender than the author

I'll second a book connected to a song

I'll second lucky/unlucky

A book connected in some way to a game show (title or concept)

Game shows: Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right , Deal or No Deal, The Dating Game, Tattletales, Match Game, Mad Dash, $ 25,000 Pyramid, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Family Feud, Press Your Luck

https://www.goldderby.com/gallery/bes...

KIS Option: Include reality shows

Reality Shows: The Amazing Race, The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, Survivor, Hell's Kitchen, Nailed It, (Country's) Got Talent

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?ti...

Although the examples above are typically American, game shows from any country count.
Also, books relating to the concept of game shows also apply:

Game, race, challenge, competition, excitement, audience, contender, player, hopeful, favourite, finalist, applause, prize, win or lose

I'll second game show - 10 spots remaining!

A book written by an author who is at least 65 years old (at time of publication)

Bad luck symbols, trying again!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Jennifer W wrote: "Bad luck symbols, trying again!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..."

Love this - there are so many great options good & bad!

Got it, Jennifer W!

I second a book at least 25 years old.

I second a book involving migration!

I'll second A book written by an author who is at least 65 years old (at time of publication)

A book with illustrations

I’ll second migration.

A book with a character who works in law enforcement.



These types of jobs include (not a full list, and may not include terms used in countries outside the US. List is just to give you the range of possibilities to consider):


- Correctional Officer

- Border Patrol Agent

- Deputy Sheriff

- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

- Federal Air Marshall Service

- Paralegal

- Court Reporter

- Forensic Science Technician

- Police Officer (incl. Deputy, Chief of Police, etc.)

- Criminal Investigator

- FBI Agent

- Detective (Homicide or otherwise)

- Bailiff

- State Trooper

- Crime Analyst

- Fraud Investigator

- Probation Officer

- Intelligence Analyst

- Secret Service

- Private Investigator

- Crime Scene Investigator

- Attorney

- Fish and Game Warden

- Emergency Services Dispatcher (911 or 999, etc., operator)

- Campus Safety Officer

- Park Ranger

- Airport Public Safety Officer

- Animal Control

- District Attorney Investigator

- Attorney General

- Hostage Negotiator

- Parking Enforcement Officer (previously known as “meter maid”)


Of course these characters primarily lend themselves to Mystery, Suspense, True Crime and Thriller books, but I could see them sneak into Romance, Memoir, or even General Fiction (where a crime is not the main focus and just happens to be the job of a character).


Listopias to help: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8...

Oops! I’ll second Y connection instead .

I’ll second a book with a Y connection.

I'll second a book with illustrations

A book involving science
A book with a science topic or character.
Any science fields - physical, natural or social sciences -
Biology, neuroscience, medicine, physics, psychology,
Topics such as genetics, evolution, extinction, climate change, ecology, ecosystems, trees, plants, fungi, etc.
Fiction, nonfiction, memoir

Second — Law enforcement

I’ll second protagonist different gender to author

3 spots remaining

Second Science

I would like to second a book involving science

Katie, that was already seconded... feel free to suggest or second something else

2 spots remaining

Instead
I would like to suggest

A history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925.

Second history before 1925

I second history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925

1 spot remaining

Shannon SA, you can suggest or second something else!

I’ll second history/ historical fiction prompt

Lindsay, you can suggest or second something else!

Suggest: a book with yellow on the cover

A book with a cowboy.
Literal or figurative
This might be an old time Western, and modern western, or a character who acts like a cowboy.

second book with yellow on the cover