Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

SUGGESTIONS THREAD

It's time for our next round of suggestions!

Just a reminder that you can find a full list of prompts already on the 2026 list in the third post on this thread.

A little reminder of how things are done around here:

How it works:
- The topics for the 2026 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.
- The poll will be posted after the voting thread is opened for 24 hours, and will remain open for three full days.
- Each user has 8 votes to spread between their favorite (top) and least favorite (bottom) prompts
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list (between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)

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 with a title that contains the name of a professional sports team
2. A book about obsession or desire
3. A book set in the opposite hemisphere from where you reside
4. A book with a writing implement on the cover
5. A poetic book
6. A modern retelling of an old story, myth, or fairytale
7. A book involving survival
8. A book where someone's head or face is on the cover, but you can't see their eyes
9. A book with the name of a month in the title or in the author's name
10. A book with a lock or a key on the cover
11. A book that may pair or connect to a certain architectural style
12. A book related to a current movie or television show
13. A book with an author or character with a gender neutral name
14. A book with a title that contains a gemstone or jewel or by an author whose name contains a gemstone or a jewel
15. A book related to penguins

To Be Seconded:
- A book with a blurb from an author you love

A book set in the opposite hemisphere from where you reside
(East/West, North/South)

a book title that contains the name of a professional sports team

for example:

NHL
Ducks
The Lightning Thief

PWHL
The Siren (Kiera Cass)
The Poetry of Robert Frost
Who's in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain

NFL
When we Were Vikings
Where Eagles Dare
Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache)

CFL
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
A Lion Among Men (Wicked #3)
The Red and the Black (Stendhal)
There is a lot of cowboy romance searching under "roughrider"

NBA
The Color of Magic
Practical Magic
Jazz (Toni Morrison)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

WNBA
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty (Hillary Clinton)
A Storm of Swords
Onyx Storm
The Fever Code (Maze Runner)

MLB
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Red, White and Royal Blue
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (Malcom Gladwell)

None of these books are sports books, but you could probably find a sports book for every team if that is something you like to read.

I'll second a book title that contains the name of a professional sports team.

Go Texas Rangers!!!

a book about obsession or desire
Basically books that center on intense longing, fixation, or compulsion - whether emotional, romantic, intellectual, or even pathological. It can encompass stories of female desire or yearning, narratives about obsessive love or heartbreak, or characters consumed by a person, place, object, or idea. Think thrillers with detectives obsessed with solving a case, stalkers fixated on their targets, characters with OCD or ones who simply can’t let go of something - or someone. It also opens the door to memoirs and nonfiction that delve into personal or unusual obsessions. Examples and lists:
All Fours
Sky Daddy
The Safekeep
You
Misery
Madonna in a Fur Coat
Wuthering Heights
Moby-Dick or, The Whale
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck

https://beta.thestorygraph.com/readin...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/...

I suggest

A poetic book

This prompt includes
-books with collections of poems, an epic, or book written in verse
-books that are mainly prose with poems(s) interspersed in the text, such as Alice in Wonderland or The Lord of the Rings
-books that do not have poems per se, but have lyrical descriptive writing or beautiful imagery. See listopia https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

Charlsa wrote: "I'll second a book title that contains the name of a professional sports team.
Go Texas Rangers!!!"

That's a mighty US-centric list. I guess UK teams do sometimes have names nowadays, but not in the same way.

A book with a lock or a key on the cover

I’ll second a prompt on obsession or desire.

L Y N N wrote: "A book set in the opposite hemisphere from where you reside
(East/West, North/South)"

I’ll second this.

‘A book with a writing implement on the cover’

Could be anything from a quill to a computer.

Juliet wrote: "‘A book with a writing implement on the cover’

Could be anything from a quill to a computer."

Second.

I'll suggest:

A book where someone's head or face is on the cover, but you can't see their eyes.

Could be because they're turned away / in silhouette, their eyes are closed, they're wearing sunglasses or some other reason.
Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Suggestion:

Read a modern retelling of an old story, myth, or fairytale.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/rete...

I suggest a book that may pair or connect to a certain architectural style. For example:
Gothic Architecture
- Key traits: pointed arches, darkness, drama, spiritual intensity
Book match: Gothic fiction, horror, dark fantasy

Brutalism
Key traits: raw, minimalist, concrete, unornamented
Book match: Dystopian fiction, existentialist novels, modernist literature

Mid-Century Modern
Key traits: clean lines, functionality, integration with nature
Book match: Contemporary literary fiction, suburban drama, character studies

Moorish Architecture
Key traits: intricate patterns, arches, domes, spiritual depth
Book match: Magical realism, philosophical fiction, Middle Eastern/Sufi literature

Cottage / Vernacular / Rustic
Key traits: cozy, organic, handmade, regional
Book match: Cozy mysteries, pastoral fiction, folk tales, slice-of-life novels

Art Deco
Key traits: bold, glamorous, geometric, forward-looking
Book match: Jazz Age fiction, noir, glamorous historical fiction

Postmodern Architecture
Key traits: playful, ironic, referential, diverse
Book match: Metafiction, satire, postmodern literature


Examples are non-exhaustive, there are a lot of other architectural styles that the reader may connect to the literary genre.

I nominate a book with the name of a month in the title or in the author's name.

Examples:

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

April Witch by Majgull Axelsson

September by Rosamunde Pilcher

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Red Room by August Strindberg

Colors of Goodbye: A Memoir of Holding On, Letting Go, and Reclaiming Joy in the Wake of Loss by September Vaudrey

I'll second the poetic book prompt.

Suggesting:

A book involving survival.

This would be good for fiction or nonfiction.

Could be surviving a cult, an abusive relationship or divorce, a severe illness, a shark or wild animal attack, a plane crash, a shipwreck, being lost in the woods, stranded like the Donner Party, a war, a pandemic, financial ruin, natural disaster,

OR

some lighter/sarcastic things like high school, gossip, vacation with family, zombie attack…

I second "A modern retelling of an old story, myth, or fairytale"

I will second survival

A book related to a current movie or television show


It's been a long time since we've had this one!

https://www.imdb.com/news/ni65380165/...
https://mariethethird.com/2025/07/04/...

Suggestion:

A book with an author or character with a gender neutral name

See suggestion list from different parts of the world:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisex_...

I will second A book where someone's head or face is on the cover, but you can't see their eyes.

A book with a blurb from an author you love

Trish wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "I'll second a book title that contains the name of a professional sports team.
Go Texas Rangers!!!"

That's a mighty US-centric list. I guess UK teams do sometimes have names nowada..."

People in the wild discussion began doing European teams (the nominator doesn't happen to know them). My team is Norwich- who are nicknamed The Canaries so there's Canary Girls, Murder at Canary Wharf, etc. Arsenal fans could read books related to weapons, Tottenham Hotspur would related to Harry Hotspur and War of the Roses or just an angry person.

I'll second the name of month prompt!

6 spots remaining

Robin P wrote: "I will second survival"

Thanks Robin P!

I second book with lock and key

I second architectural style.

I second the tv show

Emily wrote: "I'll second the name of month prompt!"

Thank you Emily!

3 spots remaining

I'll suggest

A book with a title that contains a gemstone or jewel or by an author whose name contains a gemstone or a jewel.

Mie wrote: "Suggestion:

A book with an author or character with a gender neutral name

See suggestion list from different parts of the world:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisex_..."

I cannot second this idea (since I already suggested), but I love it! I also appreciate the link to international gender-neutral names, as this allows so many more books to fit :)

Becky wrote: "I will second A book where someone's head or face is on the cover, but you can't see their eyes."

Thanks, Becky!

Kathy wrote: "L Y N N wrote: "A book set in the opposite hemisphere from where you reside
(East/West, North/South)"

I’ll second this."

Thanks!

A book related to penguins.

Mie wrote: "Suggestion:

A book with an author or character with a gender neutral name

See suggestion list from different parts of the world:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisex_..."

I'll second this one.

2 spots remaining!

Deborah wrote: "I'll suggest

A book with a title that contains a gemstone or jewel or by an author whose name contains a gemstone or a jewel."

I’ll second this one

I second penguin!

CLOSED

Voting thread will come whenever I get out of the pool!

Deborah wrote: "I'll suggest

A book with a title that contains a gemstone or jewel or by an author whose name contains a gemstone or a jewel."

This is a link to a great list of jewels and gemstones.

https://www.gemsociety.org/gemstone-e...

I'll vote for penguins, but I have no idea what to read for it.

Jillian wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I'll suggest

A book with a title that contains a gemstone or jewel or by an author whose name contains a gemstone or a jewel."

I’ll second this one"

Thanks!

Trish wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "I'll second a book title that contains the name of a professional sports team.
Go Texas Rangers!!!"

That's a mighty US-centric list. I guess UK teams do sometimes have names nowada..."

Yes it is! Let's add some names and nicknames from the UK's Premier League (soccer):
Arsenal: The Gunners
Aston Villa: The Villains
AFC Bournemouth: The Cherries
Brentford: The Bees
Brighton & Hove Albion: The Seagulls
Chelsea: The Blues
Crystal Palace: The Eagles
Everton: The Toffees
Fulham: The Cottagers
Liverpool: The Reds
Manchester City: The Citizens, The Sky Blues
Manchester United: The Red Devils
Newcastle United: The Magpies
Nottingham Forest: Forest
Southampton: The Saints
Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs, The Lilywhites
West Ham United: The Hammers
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Wolves
plus one I particularly love from the Championship League:
Ipswich Town: The Tractor Boys

Lots to work with there!

Shelley wrote: "A book related to penguins."

Thank you Shelley 🙂, I wasn't sure if I would suggest it or not so I suggested something else. I'm glad you did! 🐧

Deborah wrote: "Jillian wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I'll suggest

A book with a title that contains a gemstone or jewel or by an author whose name contains a gemstone or a jewel."

I’ll second this one"

Thanks!"

I thought about suggesting it, but I wasn’t sure what the exact wording was for it so I’m glad you suggested it.