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 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.

Note: We are including the 5 close call prompts that have not made it to the final list in this poll. These are the first five prompts on the list, and thus, we will only be taking 10 new suggestions.

Moving on to Voting:
1. A book where the main character has an occupation that didn't exist before 1900
2. A book with a title that contains the name of a professional sports team
3. A book that is not a novel
4. A book that takes place in a country/place along the path of totality for the 2026 solar eclipse
5. A book about a family or family relationships
6. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026
7. A book with a missing person
8. A book about nature, climate, or the environment
9. A science fiction or fantasy book published after 2020
10. A book whose title does not contain the first letter of your name
11. A book about a woman crossing barriers, borders, and boundaries
12. A book related to the phrase "smoke and mirrors"
13. A book with a character with a disability or chronic health problem
14. A book with a character who is an astronaut
15. A book you want to read because of something you read in 2025

To Be Seconded:
- A book connected in some way to a public broadcasting service
- A book with this, that, these or those in the title

A book about nature, climate or the environment

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/nature
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/envi...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/clim...

A science fiction or fantasy book published after 2020.

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/scie...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/fantasy

A book whose title does not contain the first letter of your name.

Could be your first name, last name, nickname, etc. So it won't be too hard for people whose names start with common letters.

A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Women crossing barriers, borders and boundaries

Ideas
pioneers
world travelers
women in unexpected careers
women fighting for causes
female explorers
women who broke records
Mary Shelley - books by or about her or her mother Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft
Jane Goodall - books by or about Jane Goodall.

Books
Lessons in Chemistry
Atmosphere
Remarkable Creatures
Leaving Coy's Hill (fiction on the life of Lucy Stone, suffragist)
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (she has a new book coming out as well)
These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
The Friday Night Club: A Novel of Artist Hilma af Klint and Her Creative Circle
River Sing Me Home
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Circe
Where the Crawdads Sing
The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel
The Frozen River
The Dictionary of Lost Words

Here are the links from poll 10 in case someone else is also planning on helping Nike.

Woman Adventurers: https://heyimreading.com/2022/05/21/b...

Women in Science: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...

Women in Sports: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...

Women in Politics: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...

Female Astronauts: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Resilient Women: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Women Trailblazers: https://electricliterature.com/8-nonf...

Women Fighting for a Just Society: https://electricliterature.com/9-nove...

Women Overcoming Societal Barriers: https://booktrib.com/2023/04/26/10-no...

I'll second ATY

A book with a missing person

Could be a missing person mystery, a book about grief, a series book where a beloved character is missing from the story, empty nesters, etc.

suggesting: a book related to the phrase "smoke and mirrors"

i'll second a book with a missing person.

I’ll second a book about nature, climate or the environment

I'll second sci-fi or fantasy after 2020.

I’ll second a book which does not

I’ll second “Women crossing barriers…”

I'll second "smoke & mirrors"

I’ll second women trailblazers

I’ll second a book title that doesn’t contain the first letter of your name.

Patricia, you can suggest or second something else!

3 spots remaining

A book connected in some way to a public broadcasting service

A book with a character who is an astronaut. I will add lists later.

A book you want to read because of something you read in 2025.

A book with a character with a disability or chronic health problem.

A book with this, that, these or those in the title.

Rosemary wrote: "I’ll second a book title that doesn’t contain the first letter of your name."

Thank you!

I will second character with a disability…

Charlsa wrote: "A book with a character who is an astronaut. I will add lists later."

I will second astronaut

1 spot remaining!

Can we change number 11 to either "A book about women crossing barriers..." or "A book about a woman crossing barriers..." please? I'm twitching at "a women."

Yes haha

Thank you.

I'll second a book I want to read because of something I read in 2025

DONE

Lightning round!

I will post the voting thread in a couple of hours when I get to my work desk. If you're going to update lists, please put them in a new post and I will take them all into account before the voting thread opens.

MJ wrote: "A book you want to read because of something you read in 2025."

I will second this suggestion.

Lists for the Astronauts prompt


https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Wow, that suggestion session was early and quick! I missed it entirely.

Voting thread is posted!

Patricia wrote: "A book with a character with a disability or chronic health problem."

Patricia do you have any links or examples ?