Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

THE 52 TOPICS OF THE 2025 ATY READING CHALLENGE

1. A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y - Full Throttle
✅2. A prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the list - Poll 8 - A book where someone is fighting for their rights - Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
3. A book connected to something mentioned in the Do Re Mi song - Dreamcatcher
4. A book set underground, under sea or in an underworld - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
5. A book with a weird or intriguing title - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
✅6. A book with a serpentine element on the cover - Sunrise on the Reaping
7. A book by an author that uses 3 names - Ordinary Grace
8. A collection of short stories or novellas, essays, poetry, or a mix of various brief writings - Skeleton Crew
9. A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year - Nothing to See Here
10. A book about witches, goddesses or nuns - The Nature of Witches
11. A book set in a fictional location - Needful Things
✅12. A book by an Irish author - Foster
13. A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family - The Winners
✅14. A science fiction or fantasy novel written by a woman - The Grace Year
✅15. A book of secrets, lies, or deception - The Housemaid's Secret
16. A book that fits a prompt from the 2016 ATY list - A book originally written in a language other than English
17. A history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925 - The Red Tent
18. A book set primarily in nature - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
✅19. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape - The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
20. A book with an animal, vegetable (plant), or mineral in the title - Iron Gold
✅21. A book connected in some way to any collective noun for animals - We Solve Murders
✅22. A translated novel from Asia - If Cats Disappeared from the World
✅23. A book that involves art, music, dancing or acting - If You Would Have Told Me
✅24. A book with a main character who is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal - The Housemaid
25. A book with waves on the cover - Duma Key
✅26. A book by an author with a common noun in their name - Revival
27. A book set in the winter - Cold Mountain
28. Two books with a pair of opposites in their titles: Book 1 - The Dead Zone
29. Two books with a pair of opposites in their titles: Book 2 - The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
30. A monster book - It
31. A book with a coastal setting - Locked Doors
32. A mystery or true crime book - The Colorado Kid
✅33. A book by an author you enjoyed but haven't gotten around to reading again for some time - Snow Bound
34. A book title that could be a country song - Lonesome Dove
35. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists - There There
✅36. A book with a common household object on the cover - Legends & Lattes
✅37. A book featuring adult friendships - The Wives: A Memoir
38. Two books with a connection from different genres: Book 1 - Girl in the Blue Coat
39. Two books with a connection from different genres: Book 2 -
40. A book you'd consider a comfort read
✅41. A book that involves digging up the past - The Housemaid Is Watching
42. A book set in a manor, mansion, or estate -The Women in the Castle
✅43. A book whose title has ten or fewer letters - Red Rising
44. A haunting book
✅45. A book by an author whose publishing career spans at least ten years - Elon Musk
✅46. A book related to one of the traditional full moon names - Bad Summer People
47. A book relating to fire - The Fireman
✅48. A book with a character dealing with death - Final Girls
✅49. A book that deals with time travel, alternate universes, or alternate timelines - The Hike
50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2024 or 2025
51. A book published in 2025
52. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover - Under the Dome

20/52

This list was suggested, voted on, and chosen by ATY group members.

THE ANNIVERSARY LIST
In honor of ATY's 10 year of reading challenges, we have put together an anniversary list made up of member-chosen prompts. Each prompt comes from that year's respective list and was chosen by the members of the group.

2016: A book originally written in a language other than English - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
2017: A book whose title doesn't contain the letter "E"
2018: An author's debut book - Still Alice
2019: A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements - The Escape Room - author's name has gold in it
2020: A book with an emotion in the title - Love the One You're With
2021: A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet - The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
2022: A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name - Sleeping Beauties
2023: A book whose author has published more than 7 books - Dolores Claiborne
2024: A book that has been on your TBR for over a year - Fatherland
2025: A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family

2024/2025 Winter Challenge


The Prompts:
Find a book that...
✅- Fits one of the last 4 prompts on the 2024 list - Remarkably Bright Creatures
✅- Fits one of the first 4 prompts on the 2025 list - The Grace Year
✅- Has a mostly white cover - The Housemaid Is Watching
- Is on a Best of 2024 list
- Is set in the snow
✅- Is by an author you've read before - The Housemaid's Secret
✅- Features a winter holiday - Gwendy's Final Task
✅- Is nonfiction - Elon Musk
✅- Is written by an author whose first or last initial can be found in WINTER - The Historian
✅- Has a mostly blue cover - The Housemaid
✅- Is a speculative fiction novel - The Hike
✅- Features family drama - From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir
- Has fire on the cover
✅- Is written by a BIPOC author - James
✅- Is a love story - The Housemaid's Wedding

Spring 2025 Challenge

The Phrases
✅1. springtime - Snow Bound
✅2. bloom - Bad Summer People
✅3. sun shining - Sunrise on the Reaping
✅4. baby animals - Legends & Lattes
5. eggs - Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
6. tulips
✅7. jellybeans - If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos
✅8. rainstorm - Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions - cover looks like rain
✅9. sprout - Foster - farm on cover - things are sprouting
✅10. warming - We Solve Murders
✅11. spring break - Revival
12. raincoat - The Cabin at the End of the World
✅13. green - Red Rising
14. earth day
15. pastels

How to Fill the Prompts
1. Phrase contains BOTH letters of the author's name (ignore middle initial)
2. Phrase contains the first letter of the title (ignore or include A, An, and The)
3. Phrase is exemplified on the cover (your interpretation)

Stephen King Books

✅1. Carrie (1974)
✅2. ‘Salem’s Lot (1975)
✅3. The Shining (1977)
4. Rage (1977)
5. The Stand (1978)
6. The Long Walk (1979)
7. The Dead Zone (1979)
8. Firestarter (1980)
9. Roadwork (1981)
✅10. Cujo (1981)
11. The Running Man (1982)
✅12. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982)
✅13. Christine (1983)
✅14. Pet Sematary (1983)
✅15. Cycle of the Werewolf (1983)
16. The Talisman (1984)
17. Thinner (1984)
18. It (1986)
✅19. The Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
20. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
✅21. Misery (1987)
22. The Tommyknockers (1987)
23. The Dark Half (1989)
24. The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
25. Needful Things (1991)
26. Gerald’s Game (1992)
27. Dolores Claiborne (1992)
28. Insomnia (1994)
29. Rose Madder (1995)
✅30. The Green Mile (1996)
31. Desperation (1996)
32. The Regulators (1996)
33. The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
34. Bag of Bones (1998)
35. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)
36. Dreamcatcher (2001)
37. Black House (2001)
38. From a Buick 8 (2002)
39. The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
40. The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)
41. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)
42. The Colorado Kid (2005)
✅43. Cell (2006)
44. Lisey’s Story (2006)
45. Blaze (2007)
46. Duma Key (2008)
47. Under the Dome (2009)
✅48. 11/22/63 (2011)
49. The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
50. Joyland (2013)
51. Doctor Sleep (2013)
52. Mr. Mercedes (2014)
✅53. Revival (2014)
54. Finders Keepers (2015)
55. End of Watch (2016)
✅56. Gwendy’s Button Box (2017)
57. Sleeping Beauties (2017)
✅58. The Outsider (2018)
✅59. Elevation (2018)
✅60. The Institute (2019)
✅61. Later (2021)
62. Billy Summers (2021)
✅63. Gwendy's Final Task (2022)
✅64. Fairy Tale (2022)
✅65. Holly (2023)

I got this list off of the internet. I've read some short stories of his that I noticed weren't on this list. I think they were originally included in other books. Which yes I just did the research and figured out what short story collections they were in. I'll have to come back to this later and put the short story collections in order. I think I'm missing some. It really is amazing all he has written when you look back at it. Also, all of the movies that were generated from his books. Just completed the short story collection research finally.

Short Story Collections
Night Shift - 1978
Different Seasons - 1982 includes:
✅The Body
✅Apt Pupil
Skeleton Crew - 1985 includes:
✅The Mist
Four Past Midnight - 1990 includes:
The Sun Dog
Nightmares and Dreamscapes - 1993
Hearts in Atlantis - 1999
Everything's Eventual - 2002
Just After Sunset - 2008
Stephen King Goes to the Movies - 2009
Full Dark, No Stars - 2010 includes:
✅1922
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams - 2015
✅If It Bleeds - 2020
✅You Like It Darker - 2024

✅On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft isn't on his list of novels I noticed. I read that this year.

2025 Summer Reading Challenge Prompts

Chips and Dip - 100 points
1a. A book in a series
1b. A book with water on the cover
1c. A book released in 2024 or 2025
1d. A book by a new to you author
1e. A humorous book

Drinks Station - 200 points
Author's initials are in:
2a. FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMONADE
2b. UNSWEETENED ICED TEA
2c. ROOT BEER SODA
2d. FRUIT PUNCH
2e. SPARKLING WATER

Burger and Hotdog Toppings - 300 points
3a. Ketchup: A book with red on the cover
3b. Relish: A book by a favorite author
3c. Mustard: A book with a military character (serving, retired, or adjacent)
3d. Pickles: A book title that includes a word starting with the letter P
3e. Cheese: A sentimental book

Desserts - 400 points
4a. A book with a child main character
4b. A book with a wedding
4c. A book that has been nominated for an award
4d. A book with a cafe, bakery, or restaurant as an important setting
4e. A book originally written in a language other than English

The Sides - 500 points
5a. Potato salad - A book with more than one point of view
5b. Mac n' cheese - A book by an author with 10 or more books
5c. Corn bread - A book originally published before 1900
5d. Deviled eggs - A book with challenging subject matter
5e. Watermelon - A book over 500 pages

Reserved

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For 2025 - I decided I would go back to planning. I tried to throw as many Stephen King books as I could. I'm stuck on a few prompts but I'm sure books will arise during the year for them.

I said I'd go back to planning but I'm not feeling it. I'm not going to finish out the 2024 challenge. I've pretty much just decided to read what I feel like and then seeing if there is a slot. I'm more going to use the list as an inspiration of what to read next if I don't have any ideas.

I have ideas written next to my prompts that I must have done over a month ago and a lot of those books I'm not feeling a connection with.

Excited for 2025!!

I love the beginning of the year because I feel like I can pick any book I want and it will slot somewhere. The Hike - I'm reading now. It was difficult for me to slot but ultimately it was published in 2016 so it's going in the 2016 prompt. It is quite a weird book!

I finally started trying to attempt the winter challenge. At the end of 2024 I didn't want to concentrate on anything besides the annual challenge. I just slotted the books I read in December. The white cover prompt has me. I'll have to scour for that. I feel like I have blue ones so that should be a problem.

Completed my first book of 2025. Took me longer than I thought. Work has been a little crazy. I read The Hike which was a crazy ride of a horror book that was kind of speculative fiction. I don't want to give much away on it. It had a lesson in it and I didn't completely see the last page coming. I kind of saw some things that led up to it but that has to be one of my favorite endings. I'm normally pretty hard on endings of a book. This one I liked. I rated it 4 stars.

I have decision paralysis on what to start next. For one of my book clubs we are going to read Mistborn: The Final Empire which is really long and not feeling like I want to start that yet. Might look for another quick one before I start Mistborn. With how busy I am at work - any book is going to take awhile.

1/52

I finished listening to Elon Musk. I found it interesting. All I knew about Musk before was that he owned Tesla and he got involved with politics and tweeted some dumb stuff. I honestly didn't know he was the brains behind the products. I learned a lot. Love him or hate him but he has done so much for technology. I used it for the prompt for an author that has been around more than ten years. I was going to use it for the brain, athlete or other characters but it seemed like that should be a fiction book.

I don't think I'll be able to complete the winter challenge. Just too much going on at work. I usually read a lot in January but I've been kind of slower with my books. The Musk book was 688 pages and 21 hours of listening. I should be able to complete The Grace Year tonight. This has been a fun book to read and I'll probably read something like it next. I don't need anything too heavy while I'm so busy. I wanted to read Mistborn: The Final Empire with my online bookclub but I think it's too much for me to get into right now.

2/52

I found The Grace Year a fun read. I rated it 4 stars. I was looking for something easy since work is so busy. It was kind of like The Handmaid's Tale meets The Hunger Games. It was a fun diversion that I was looking for. I don't think I've read a YA book in a bit.

I'm not sure what to read next. I usually read a lot in January and that hasn't been the case so far. I'm kind of tempted to read Tell Me Lies. I'm supposed to be reading Mistborn: The Final Empire but I'm just not feeling the commitment to reading it right now. Maybe I'll start it and take it in bits. I do think a fantasy series could be fun and I've been wanting to read a fantasy series but like I said the commitment isn't there for me right now.

3/52

I completed listening to The Wives: A Memoir. I actually enjoyed it. From the reviews it seemed as if you either loved it or hated it. I didn't agree with her thinking all of the time but to me that's why you're supposed to read books. You're supposed to gain another's perspective to make you have more empathy. At least for memoirs. I rated it 4 stars. I wasn't expecting to read it this year. I was just looking at the Goodreads runner ups and it was on there and my library had it.

I'll most likely complete The Housemaid this weekend. It's a fun book to read. I'm busy at work so I'm not looking for anything too complicated but something to entertain me and it's delivering so far. I think I'm a third of the way through.

4/52

I completed my 5th book for the year so far. I read The Housemaid. I was looking for an easy read quick read and it delivered. I rated it 4 stars but probably really a 3.5 star. I am going to continue with the series. I thought it was fun enough. I was given the whole series for Christmas. So I'm reading The Housemaid's Secret next. I got away from reading thrillers but I like to read them every once in awhile to break things up.

5/52

I completed listening to If Cats Disappeared from the World. It was a fun one to listen to but I thought the beginning was much better than the end. I rated it three stars but that is pretty much rounded up from a 2.5 star.

6/52

I completed reading The Housemaid's Secret. This series is what I'm in the mood for lately. Suspenseful and not too complicated since I'm so busy at work. I rated this one three stars but rounded down from a 3.5 star rating. I do like the main character of the books. I'm going to continue with the series. I was given the whole series as a Christmas gift.

7/52

Well I'm not going to complete the winter challenge. I ended up getting the flu last week which has put me behind at work. I couldn't read much while I had the flu. I was too miserable. I did watch a bunch of TV though and caught up on some stuff.

I just competed The Housemaid Is Watching. It's been awhile since I read a series straight through. I was given them for Christmas and since I was so busy they were easy reads and I enjoyed the main character. I rated this one 3 stars. The story tied up nicely.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next. Maybe back to Stephen King. I need to read the short story of The Monkey before I see the movie so maybe that is next on my list.

I currently have to run off to the office to catch up on this nice Sunday but I wanted to read my book and drink some coffee before I ran out of the house. Glad I got to complete a book this weekend.

I'm also listening to The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis on audio. I have to look to see where I can slip this into the challenge.

8/52

I completed listening to The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis. It was really good. It was narrated by George Stephanopoulos. They had some other recordings in there as well that were interesting. I learned a lot. I'd highly recommend. I ended up rating it 5 stars.

9/52

I completed my 10th book of the challenge. I thought the story was interesting. It wasn't as riveting as I was expecting it to be. I rated it 3 stars.

10/52

I listened to Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions. I found several of the stories really interesting, sad and frightening. I rated it 4 stars but it's more like a 3.5 stars. It's crazy how people can get convicted for a crime they didn't commit. It was a good book to listen to on the drive to and from work.

I started Bad Summer People. I was in a little bit of a rut with what to read next.

11/52

I just completed Bad Summer People. I thought it was a fun read and it was what I was in the mood for. I haven't wanted to read anything too serious this year - not counting some of the non-fiction I read. I've been busy at work so I haven't been wanting complicated stories when I read. I think it's starting to slow down so it will be interesting to see what I pick to read in April. This book had mixed reviews. I rated it 4 stars. I had fun reading it. The characters were deplorable but they were supposed to be. I wasn't a fan of the ending but it was something I didn't expect.

Not sure what I'm going to read next. I haven't made that much progress this year. I haven't even looked into the spring challenge. I just haven't been in the mood.

12/52

I listened to We Solve Murders. It is a really good audio. I borrowed it from the library and also got the physical copy. There was a lot going on so felt like I also needed the hard copy to keep up. I rated it 4 stars but that was probably rounded up from a 3.5. The characters were very good but towards the end some of them started to get a little annoying. I figured out halfway through who was involved but not all of it.

Finishing up Sunrise on the Reaping next!

13/52

I finally finished Sunrise on the Reaping. I was really enjoying it. I just haven't had time to read much. I loved being back in The Hunger Games world. This book was much better than the last book about Snow. I love Haymitch. I wasn't as emotional as I was with the other books but it was a good book. Some things that were tied in with the first books kind of annoyed me. I'm sure it's what the fans wanted but I just felt like if it wasn't mentioned in the first part of the series then it shouldn't have been tied in. However, maybe it was and I missed it so I'm contemplating re-reading The Hunger Games.

I have no idea what I'm going to read next. I'm not in the mood for anything for some reason. I don't think I've even been to a book store in over a month which is odd for me. Since this is my mood I'll probably pick something light next and not too heavy or too many characters to follow.

14/52

I'm in a book slump. I'm currently 2 behind in the challenge. I am listening to one now that I should be able to complete next week and I should finish another one today or tomorrow. I normally read romance this time of year but just haven't been in the mood for them. I'll probably read a bunch of short books and get back on track. I have a bunch of thick Stephen King books that I want to get to. Since I've been in a slump I haven't wanted to pick up a thick book.

I completed my 15th book for the challenge. I read Legends & Lattes, It was a cute fun book that I rated four stars but that's rounded up from a 3.5. I loved the characters! It was a feel good book.

I'm not sure what I want to read next.

15/52

I caught up a little bit. I'm only one book behind in the challenge now. I have Foster on hold at the library. That should be a quick book to knock out over the weekend.

I just finished listening to If You Would Have Told Me. I liked it a lot more than I thought I was going to. I didn't realize he did a lot of theater. it fit perfectly in the prompt for a book that involves music, acting, dancing or art. I had forgotten that he is a drummer and plays with The Beach Boys a lot. I thought the book was pretty heart warming especially when he talks about looking up to older actors. He really seems to give people respect. I rated it a 4 out of 5 stars. It gave me a lot to think about how I want to do some things better in my life.

16/52

I completed another Stephen King book. I took a break on him for awhile. Now I want to read all of them again. I still have a lot to go. I just completed Revival. It was a different story that I thought it was going to be. For some reason I thought the Netflix show Midnight Mass was based off of the book. It was a different story so maybe the book just inspired it. Stephen King gave glowing reviews of the Netflix series though. I enjoyed reading Revival. As always with Stephen King his characters are wonderful. The story ramped up it's creepiness at the end.

Contemplating finishing Skeleton Crew. I had started reading it and stopped. I think it's just my copy is so old. The print is tiny. I already read The Mist which is featured in it. The copy I have is an old pocketbook copy - while its nostalgia is great the print is too condensed and small for me - lol.

17/52

I got Foster at the library and I read that today. It helped me catch up on the challenge although I think when tomorrow comes I'll be a book behind again. it was a quick read and done in one sitting. Her writing is pretty but I guess I don't like it as much as everyone else. The book reminded me of Anne of Green Gables a little bit. I rated it 3 stars. I'll probably read her other books. I'm probably being a little hard in my review since everyone loved it and I was expecting more from it.

18/52

I'm re-reading some books in series so I remember where I'm at. I just re-read Red Rising. I've read the first three already and I have no idea where it left off for the fourth so I thought I better re-read them. I am enjoying the journey of it so far. I just completed Red Rising. It's a 3 star book for me rounded down from a 3.5 star.

I've only read 20 books so far this year. That's not like me. We'll see how the rest of the year goes. One book I haven't counted towards this challenge. The way my year is going I may have to count it in the end.

I started reading Final Girls. The beginning is pretty good so far.

19/52

I finally completed Final Girls (see what I did there?). It was ok. I rated it 3 stars. I think thrillers at times bore me if there are too many twists because it makes it less believable for me. There was a point in time I couldn't put it down but at the last 30 pages or so I was done.

I didn't complete the spring challenge. I'm definitely in a slump. I went to my favorite used book store today and I came home with one book but usually I'm trying to decide over books and it wasn't like that today. I'm not enthused like I was. The only thing I really want to read is Stephen King lately but the length of the books is off-putting right now. I did pick up his new book last week. It's only 400 pages so I'm sure I'll read that within the next month or so.

20/52