Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Every year, I try to accomplish things like reading fifty-two books, but not always does life go according to plan. There is always room for a Plan B! Let's see what 2026 has in store. Happy reading, everyone!

𝓜𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓼:
✤ Around the Year in 52 Books 2017: 01/18
✤ Around the Year in 52 Books 2026: 25/52

𝓣𝓪𝓰𝓼:
🔠: Ahern, Allende, Blanchard, Burnett, Edwards, Esquivel, Evaristo, Ferrante (x3), Guimarães, Hustvedt, John, Lispector, Murray, O'Donnell, O'Sullivan (x2), Paasilinna, Reid, Santos, Steinbeck, Van Allsburg, Woods, Zauner

𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰:
❌❌❌❌❌:
❤️️🖤🖤🖤🖤:
❤️️❤️️🖤🖤🖤: 1
❤️️❤️️❤️️🖤🖤: 7
❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️🖤: 12
❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️: 5

𝓒𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼:

reserved

reserved

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 4. A book by a new-to-you author
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

The Summer Without Men started as a damp summer afternoon, when you feel dizzy and moist, with nowhere to go but indoors or anywhere under a big shade. It was slow, and I was not able to follow through Mia's thoughts. But something in her voice, the way of seeing life despite the challenges, her willingness to be welcomed and to engage her pupils to express themselves, made me feel at ease. Not to mention digging up the past and seeing how it could reflect in her life so many years after it had happened. And then Mia shook me up. Or the author did. And I felt loved and seen. And the remainder of the summer, my summer with Mia, suddenly turned into a breezy and warm end to the muggy days, and I ended the book as if I was waving goodbye to an aunt after we had spent a couple of weeks sipping iced tea and reflecting on how lovely it is to be alive.

“A book is a collaboration between the one who reads and what is read and, at its best, that coming together is a life story like any other.”

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 2. A book with a primarily red, green or blue cover
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★☆☆

I do not recommend reading The Year of the Hare in the year of the horse. But in fairness, I enjoyed this book as much as I expected to. Based on the reviews, I thought it could have been worse, but no. In fact, I am sure that I would have liked it more had I read it; the audiobook was hard to engage with, and a few times I simply had to go back a couple of chapters because I was thinking about something else. The reading does make you wander and reflect on your own life so profoundly that you might start writing to-do lists, ringing your second cousin for a chat, or reflecting on human evolution.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 3. A book that fits a prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the list
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

So, it seems like I read the 3rd book and skipped the 2nd book entirely. Now I realise why so many things didn't make any sense, but well....
I need a break from this, or as a friend said, "you need a break in Naples." Oh well...

Whoever Elena Ferrante is, they are each woman's mind collapsed on paper and ink, they are billions of lives that share experiences and trauma and transform the sadness and fear into a raw novel. They could be anyone, and sometimes I think they could even be me.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 19. A book related to yesterday
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★★

Atmosphere took my breath away and brought to the surface so many wounds that were never healed. This book has one of the most touching love stories in literature, as well as philosophical reflections about life and the universe. Nothing I write will do justice to this story.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 5. A book you want to read because of something you read in 2025
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

There are so many layers in The House of the Spirits that I don’t think a simple review can capture the feeling of experiencing this book for the first time. All the female characters are magical in their own way. Nivea, Clara, Blanca, and Alba carry names that bring light into dark times. My favourite, Clara, is a woman who understood the meaning of love, duty, and purpose before anyone could fully understand her. She was a puzzle that could never be solved. This masterpiece resonates with current events and reminds us that the past never truly disappears, it repeats itself in different forms. The question is: who will dare to bring light into the darkness?

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 1. A book from a genre that starts with A, T, or Y
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★☆☆

1st Review: ★★★★☆ This book is so cute! I remember watching the movie, 10 years ago (or even more than that!). I remember that I loved that movie, and reading the book, I discovered new things.
This is my second book in English (I am Brazilian), and it was funny when I first read a phrase in Yorkshire English. "DO THEY TALK LIKE THAT??" I thought. With the Caps Lock on.
By the end of the story, I was reading the phrases like a Yorkshire person! I had so much fun!
About the story, I have only good things to say. My rate is 4 because at the beginning it took some time to understand everything, and I thought Mary was really annoying. By the end, I was in love with her!
This book is awesome, and now I want all the books from Barnes & Noble!

Favorite Character: Susan Sowerby - look at my Susan. Thanks, brain! Since the beginning, she was a cute and nice woman:


2nd Review: ★★★☆☆ Ten yers later, here we are. And what can I say but that my first review made me giggle? I love how much I have improved since 2016. And my enthusiasm for this book has changed since then.
Was it warm and lovely? Yes! Were the characters very charismatic? Absolutely! Is Susan still my favourite character? No, I wish the book could have been written from the robin's perspective. Apart from that, it was a lovely experience to come across a story that brought me so much nostalgia.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 14. A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

Li A Hora da Estrela há muitos anos, quando ainda era uma jovem adulta. Lembro de guardar na memória a beleza daquela triste história e de como lê-la me transformou, por um ínfimo instante, em uma estrela, juntamente com Macabéa. Hoje percebo que a estrela é unicamente ela, que é lida e descoberta por nós. Ela mesma já implodiu há muito e não sabe de sua importância na existência de tantos.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 7. A book with a character who appears in more than one book
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★★

After I had a Freudian slip and skipped the second book entirely, I shyly came back to it, only to have one of the best reading experiences. I am not a huge fan of the series so far, but I can’t deny that Elena Ferrante is one of a kind. And it doesn’t matter that the Neapolitan Novels are set in Italy, they resonate with so many people, including me, in a way that makes it possible to imagine being part of the story.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 11. A history or historical fiction book
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

I enjoyed everything about this series, but I can't say I appreciate this book. It was really hard for me to go through this story, but extremely necessary. Elena Ferrante, or whoever wrote this series, deserves all the praise and great reviews.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 6. A book related to blood, sweat, or tears
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

Foi uma excelente experiência ler Fabiane Guimarães através de Como se Fosse um Monstro, porque não só percebi uma autora fenomenal, como também tive uma leitura muito reflexiva. O livro não contempla um tema fácil, não tem personagens que nos cativem a ponto de termos compaixão por eles, mas esta leitura, mesmo que breve, impacta. Impacta ao ponto de querer ler mais Fabiane e conhecer melhor as visões dela sobre tomas complexos.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 25. A book from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

I got this book years ago after reading The Grapes of Wrath, and it has been sitting on my bookshelf ever since. I finally decided to read it after seeing a teenager reading it intensely at the airport. I did wonder whether she had to finish it in time for an assignment, but she inspired me to finally pick up this classic. It carries John Steinbeck’s signature literary style. It is raw, it is sad, and it feels deeply true. Without a doubt, it is worth reading, whether for school assignments or not.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 9. A book with a number, ordinal, or iterative numeral in the title
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

I was only mildly interested in the book at first, but it was Murray’s narration that really sold it to me. Her voice is very soothing and clear, and that made a big difference. I sometimes struggle with history audiobooks, especially when there are too many facts and it becomes hard to keep up. But in this case, everything was easy to follow. The chapters were quite short, but still engaging enough to keep me interested and excited for the next one.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 12. A book with cover text that is NOT black or white
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★☆☆

The other books in this series were so funny that I had high expectations for The Great Eggscape!, but it was not as funny as the others. The narrator is great — and yes, shame on me, I listen to fifteen-minute audiobooks to help achieve my reading goals — so I guess I will give the book an extra star for that.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 18. A book with a location in the title
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★☆☆☆

I will base this review more on my own preferences than on the quality of the writing itself. But let’s start with the good bits. Tania Blanchard is a wonderful writer, and I had no issue listening to the audiobook narrated by Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood with Bolinda.

My issue was with the romance within the book, and how much I expected it to be something else. The main character’s struggles involved romance and her relationship with her parents more than the war itself. So it was disappointing to me when Lotte became more and more naive instead of growing with the storyline.

I am a huge fan of Historical Fiction, but this one had so many clichés that I thought I was listening to a Brazilian soap opera (I was going to say Mexican, but I do not wish mis hermanos to feel bitter toward me). That being said, I nearly put this book aside, so back to the narration, it was so well done that I decided to stay for the experience and finish it.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 31. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Backlist Book
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★★

I started reading Hungry when BorrowBox made Poor available to me. It took me a few days to start listening to the audiobook, and soon both books started to merge and became one unique experience.

I feel like giving Katriona the highest praise for Poor because it takes more than courage to put her life experiences into words. I think a person has to have a deep sense of self-love to understand their own worth and how their experiences could resonate with others.

The hardships she has been through are, to me, deeply heartbreaking, as they are very profound and sad. But Katriona, the pissy-pants, the doctor of psychology, the mother, the daughter, the brave, all the Katrionas, including the broken one, are part of a woman who has faced life with courage and determination.

She is an example of what we could become, with the right tools, in this mad world that works against us and in favour of repeating endless cycles.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 30. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Frontlist Book
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

I read Hungry while listening to Poor, and I finish audiobooks much faster than physical ones. So, somehow, the books merged, and at a certain point, I thought I was listening/reading to the same thing. I was disappointed at first until the title Hungry struck me, and I understood its meaning. It was much deeper than only being hungry for food, it also covered the depths of having body issues, being abused, bullied, and neglected. In this book, Katriona O'Sullivan brings to us what it means to hate your own body to a point that risking your life is a minor issue if you reach the ideal body shape.

Katriona is not only brave but also honest. In a world where we fake how we are feeling, it is such a relief to come across women who share their life experiences without the layers of artificiality.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 34. A book with a window on the cover
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★★

I was not expecting a Middle Grade book to be so sweet and profound. The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker has something that one hardly ever finds in children’s books, it shows life as it is, its losses and its sad moments. Alberto is caring and honours everyone who has made their passage to the afterlife, Tito is a sparkle of happiness in moments of darkness, and Fia is the touch of magic we all need to seek. Together, they find meaning in life despite the hardships and find in their friendship a land where they can feel safe and seen.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 8. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★☆☆

It is an interesting book, and I hope to continue the series, but I think there was very little mention of King Tut himself.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 13. An author's second/sophomore book
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★☆☆

I absolutely adored how this audiobook was portrayed. It was such a delight to follow Rosie and Alex's story through so many different forms of communication, from being kids and using walkie-talkies to teenagers sending letters and postcards, then SMS, instant messages, and then phone calls. Each one subtly showed the passage of time, making it fascinating to see how both technology and their relationship evolved over the years.

However, their friendship and romance were the negative aspects of the story for me. As people grow older, you expect them to become more capable of expressing their feelings, not simply because they have access to better technology, but because maturity should help them communicate more openly and honestly. Unfortunately, I did not feel that Rosie and Alex grew enough in that matter. While the methods of communication evolved and became more modern, their inability to express themselves remained the same, which became frustrating at times.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 27. A nonfiction book
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

Não se engane pelo tamanho do livro. Embora seja apresentado como um pequeno manual de comunicação não violenta, o adjetivo “pequeno” não abrange a grandeza e a riqueza de detalhes desta leitura.
Gostaria de tê-lo lido há vinte anos, assim, teria aprendido muito não só sobre como me comunicar melhor, mas também sobre até que ponto insistir nessa abordagem ou quando agir de forma a me libertar da necessidade constante de compreender e ser compreendida.
Elisama Santos deixa bem claros os limites da comunicação, de forma simples e acessível. Em vários momentos, parecia que eu estava ouvindo uma boa amiga.
Já indiquei este livro para algumas pessoas ao meu redor e continuarei indicando, porque sinto que foi muito importante tê-lo comigo neste momento.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 10. An award winning book
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

Nesting is an unforgettable reading. From beginning to end, I felt entangled in its branches and knots, wondering what would happen next. It made me think, as a woman who bears no children, about how to support women who struggle to rebuild their lives after a toxic relationship, while raising their children and working to make ends meet.

I was already enjoying the book despite its difficult topic when, surprisingly, my hometown was mentioned. I think the author wrote a Brazilian male character beautifully, but I wish they had hired a Brazilian to help the narrator pronounce the sentences more clearly.

Nonetheless, this is a future Irish classic!

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 43. A book involving survival
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★☆

A huge impact for so few pages, this novella is a perfect cutout of the struggles endured by teens who are raised with few opportunities. The system eases their choices towards easy money and makes it harder for them to break through. This is a letter from a boy trying to find his voice and himself in the midst of violence and poverty.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 26. An adventure book (2017)
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★★★

Deeply emotional, a wonderful classic.

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 22. A book by a Korean or Korean-diaspora author
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★☆☆

I had high expectations for this book, but it started to feel bland halfway through, like unseasoned ramen.

I'm usually very excited to learn about cultures I'm not familiar with, and I appreciated reading about the author's journey to find her identity. I was also glad to Google her afterwards and discover how authentic she really is — she's got the sauce!

My only real issue was the amount of information that slowed the story down. Like the saying, "This meeting could have been an email," I often found myself thinking, "This chapter could have been a sentence."

Overall, I think the book was longer than necessary, but beautifully written.

The bittersweet duality!

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮: Around the Year in 52 Books
𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽: 48. A book with something edible in the title
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮: ★★★☆☆

A dear friend recommended this book to me, and I was very excited to read it. I am always excited to get to know the people I love through the books they cherish, so I immersed myself in this story, only to find that there was no breathable oxygen for me within its pages.

Everything felt shocking in a way I couldn’t quite comprehend: the drama, the lovers, the entanglements. For me, it was simply too much chilli and family drama. I did enjoy many of the characters, including the broken ones, but the whole story lacked something I can’t understand. Something bland, like white flour, or touching grass.

If Goodreads could only make an adjustment in their rating system, this book would be a solid 3,5, but I had to round it down due to how the book ended.