Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Reject Challenges - Favorite prompts that didn’t make it in
52 week Challenge
Seasonal challenges
Monthly tags
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Reject challenges

List 1 by Dixie - Science, social issues, and a sense of place
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

1. A book that includes a “forbidden” topic in polite conversation, such as sex, money, religion, politics, or personal issues. (Poll 13)
2. A book featuring a feat of engineering (Poll 15)
3. A book that takes place in a country/place along the path of totality for the 2026 solar eclipse: Spain, Portugal, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic, and the Atlantic Ocean (Poll 14)
Burial Rites by Hanna Kent
4. A book related to observation, experimentation, or inquiry (Poll 13)
5. A book that relates to a river (Poll 12)
6. A book about wildlife or nature conservation (Poll 9)
7. A book related to medical science or health, or a medical memoir (Polls 8 and 11)
8. A fiction or non-fiction book that could be considered a microhistory (Poll 10)
9. A book about women crossing borders, boundaries, or barriers (Poll 10)
10. A book related to psychology, mental health, or neuroscience (Poll 10) The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains
11. A book set in a country bordering the Indian Ocean (Poll 7)
12. A book with a “green” topic or character (Poll 2)

13. A book connected to the Middle East in some way (Poll 2)
My Friends by Hisham Matar
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammond

14. A book nominated for an award that values peace, cultural understanding, and related social issues (Poll 6)
15 A book related to a planet other than earth (Poll 7)
16. A book about perceptions of reality or alternate realities (Poll 12)

List 2 - Awards and lists
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

1. A book nominated for an award that values peace, cultural understanding, and related social issues - Dayton Literary Peace Prize or Orwell.
2. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award
3. A book that won an international literary award -Booker, Dublin, Pen, others
4. A book that was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in any year
5. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026
6. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists .
7. A book on one of Obama’s reading lists
8. A book listed in any ‘Best Books’ list of 2024 or 2025.
9. A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year.
10. A book from any widely recognized list of your choice.

Additional prompts
27. A book tagged by Goodreads readers as Literary Fiction
28. A book about a social, political, or environmental issue you care about
29. A book involving a fork in the road or a life changing decision
30. A book about a family or family relationships
31. A book with a character that has been orphaned, adopted or abandoned
32. A book with a character who isn’t alive
33. A magical realism or magical book
34. A book set in one of the world’s great cities
35. A book that includes the "fish out of water" trope [immigrant or migrant]
36. A book related to performance (3 devs- music, acting in life, gen performance)
37. A book with a character who is passing (or passing for something else)

More
(view spoiler)[
37. A book with a character who is passing (or passing for something else)
A book with a main character who has power(s)
A book related to a National park
A book about books
A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
A book exploring personal or cultural identity
A Bildungsroman (coming-of-age) book
A book suggested by one of the song titles from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
A book that deals with REM's It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I feel fine).
A book set in an alternate history or an imaginary world/universe
A book set in or near the Caribbean
A book with a desert setting
A book related to the phrase "smoke and mirrors"
A book with a main character who is a teacher, instructor, or professor
A book featuring a lawyer, politician or member of the clergy
A book with a musician character or author
A book that has been made into a movie
A poetic book
A book that may pair or connect to a certain architectural style
A sapphic story
A book that could fit the quote: “May you live in interesting times.” (History book)
A book with a title that contains the name of a professional sports team
A book connected to a Time's person of the year
A page turner
A book with a love story
A book with a missing Person
A book involving pirates, puppies, parrots, penguins, or pachyderms
A book related to one of the five basic tastes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami/savory)
A book with a main character who is an outsider
A book with a challenge or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign
A book set at a school, college, or university
A book about science
A science fiction or fantasy book published after 2020
A biography or memoir
A book about nature, climate, or the environment
A book with a character with a disability or chronic health problem
A book featuring a writer or the craft of writing
A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre

(hide spoiler)]

R

2026 ATY PLAN - only for completed books

1. A book from a genre that starts with A, T, or Y
2. A book with a primarily red, green or blue cover
3. A book that fits a prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the list
4. A book by a new-to-you author
5. A book you want to read because of something you read in 2025

6. A book related to blood, sweat, or tears
7. A book with a character who appears in more than one book
8. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia
9. A book with a number, ordinal, or iterative numeral in the title

10. An award winning book
11. A history or historical fiction book
12. A book with cover text that is NOT black or white
13. An author's second/sophomore book
14. A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh

15. A book you've wanted to read for a long time
16. A book featuring a character with a similar occupation to one of the Clue/Cluedo characters
17. A book set in the wellness or beauty industries
18. A book with a location in the title

19. A book related to yesterday
20. A book related to today
21. A book related to tomorrow
22. A book by a Korean or Korean-diaspora author

23. A book with a road trip or long journey
24. A book that is either frothy or gothy
25. A book from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list
26. A book with a Z in the title and/or author name
27. A nonfiction book

28. A book related to a resistance, rebellion, or revolution
29. A vacation book
30. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Frontlist Book
31. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Backlist Book

32. A novella of 100-250 pages
33. A book with an Indigenous character or author
34. A book with a window on the cover
35. A book where all or part of the action takes place in a library, a museum, a school, or another public building
36. A book with a primary character who is a woman over 40

37. A book that includes a science topic
38. A book that's part of a series
39. A book connected in some way to the "Queen of Crime", Agatha Christie
40. A book that has a punctuation mark in the title

41. A mystery or true crime book
42. A book set in an isolated location
43. A book involving survival
44. A book with a symbol of death on the cover

45. A book connected to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
46. A book that is not a novel
47. A book with "this", "that", "these", or "those" in the title
48. A book with something edible in the title
49. A second book for your favorite prompt

50. A book with a bird on its cover
51. A book published in 2026
52. A book related to the name of one of Santa's reindeer

PLAYGROUND - IDEAS - for ATY 2026 Plan


1. A book from a genre that starts with A, T, or YⓂ️ (can double with reject challenge or others)
Art , Alternate history, Alternate universe, alternate world , Animals, Apocalyptic, *American history, American Revolution, Adventure, action, Artificial intelligence, Afrofuturism, africanfuturism, Anthropology, archeology, acting , adult fiction
*Time travel, *Travel, Technology, Techno thrillers, transhumanism, Thriller, Tragedy,*True Crime, *translated, theatre,
*Young adult

Alternate history - Wolf by Wolf
American History - The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement
Animals - Other Minds
Art - The Artist
True Crime- No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson
Travel
The Road to Tender Hearts

2. A book with a primarily red, green or blue cover (🌱double with a rejected prompt)
3. A book that fits a prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the listⓂ️
4. A book by a new-to-you author
5. A book you want to read because of something you read in 2025
- China , tob, tech, octopus, aI, intelligence. 🌱
Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China
Red Memory: The Afterlives of China's Cultural Revolution
Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President
Martyr!
My Friends
Audition
River East, River West
Other Minds

6. A book related to blood, sweat, or tears
7. A book with a character who appears in more than one book
8. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia -Ⓜ️all 3
I plan to read all 3 continents. Possibilities:
Africa
All the Glimmering Stars
The History of a Difficult Child
The Devil That Danced on the Water: A Daughter's Quest
Asia
Sparks: China's Underground Historians and their Battle for the Future
Wanting
The Gift of Rain
Australia
Dancing with Dragons
Other Minds
The Yield

9. A book with a number, ordinal, or iterative numeral in the title🌱
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad. (This is an option for other prompts as well.)
Three Apples Fell from the Sky
One Good Turn
Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong
Seven Perfect Things
The Five Wounds
Twelve Years a Slave
Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution
A Million Junes

10. An award winning bookⓂ️
11. A history or historical fiction book
12. A book with cover text that is NOT black or white🌱
13. An author's second/sophomore book
Wellness by Nathan Hill
Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman
All Over Creation by Ruth Okeki (My year of meats was her debut)
A Million Junes by Emily Henry
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
The Summer Before the War
The Poppy Fields
Enter Ghost

14. A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh

15. A book you've wanted to read for a long timeⓂ️
Don't Let Me Go by Catherine Ryan Hyde - since 2016
The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin since 2017
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni since 2018
The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia since 2019
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood since 2019
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau since 2021
Wellness by Hill since 2023
East of Eden by John Steinbeck since 2017 (I don’t own it)
There There by Tommy Orange since 2018 (i don’t own it)

16. A book featuring a character with a similar occupation to one of the Clue/Cluedo characters - gender switch
Military officer,
Clergy (UK), business (US). Corrupt
Academic, professor.
Domestic servant (maid, housekeeper, cook, etc)
Widow, socialite.
Female solicitor
A femme fatale.

17. A book set in the wellness or beauty industries
Wellness,
Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health
meditation
These might not be about the “industries” so I’ll keep looking

18. A book with a location in the title
For this prompt, I decided to read a book about China after the cultural revolution.
Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in Xi Jinping's China
Sparks: China's Underground Historians and their Battle for the Future
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos
Red Memory: The Afterlives of China's Cultural Revolution

19. A book related to yesterday
The Director

20. A book related to today
21. A book related to tomorrow
22. A book by a Korean or Korean-diaspora author

23. A book with a road trip or long journey🔅
24. A book that is either frothy or gothy
🔅25. A book from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list🌱
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Lover
Midnight’s Children
The Little Prince
Animal Farm
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia
The Blind Assassin
The Death of Ivan Ilych - medical
Stranger in a Strange Land - outsider
The Stranger
The God of Small Things india


26. A book with a Z in the title and/or author name - John Scalzi
27. A nonfiction book🔅Ⓜ️

28. A book related to a resistance, rebellion, or revolution (and activism)Ⓜ️🌱
29. A vacation book - summer trip or a place I want to travel

30. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Frontlist Book
31. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Backlist Book
John Scalzi
Elif Shafak- There Are Rivers in the Sky
Lisa Genova- new- More or Less Maddy,
Amy Harmon- The Outlaw Noble Salt
Louise Penny - The Grey Wolf, new- The Black Wolf

🔅32. A novella of 100-250 pagesⓂ️🌱
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Poor Deer
Night
Passing
My Brilliant Life
The Lover
The Invention of Morel
The Little Prince
Three Apples Fell from the Sky
A couple of these might also be on the 🔅1001 list.

33. A book with an Indigenous character or author
The Yield
There There
Wandering Stars

34. A book with a window on the cover🌱
35. A book where all or part of the action takes place in a library, a museum, a school, or another public building🌱

36. A book with a primary character who is a woman over 40

37. A book that includes a science topic (nf or science in fiction tag)Ⓜ️

38. A book that's part of a series
Jacqueline Winspear
Sujata Massey
Louise Penny
John Scalzi

39. A book connected in some way to the "Queen of Crime", Agatha Christie.
40. A book that has a punctuation mark in the title. (Nonfiction)🌱
We don’t have a “you read what?” title prompt this year, but sone of these books were selected with that attitude in mind.
Hi Honey, I'm Homo!: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President
Don't Let Me Go
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Strange Case of Jane O.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
Martyr!

41. A mystery or true crime book🌱
42. A book set in an isolated location ]
October, Octoberby Katya Balen 4.36 avg rating
Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan. 4.23 avg
A Superior Death by Nevada Barr
Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei
Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night by Jón Kalman Stefánsson
To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold (Goodreads Author)
The Water Is Wide by Pat Conroy
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Independent People by Halldór Laxness

43. A book involving survival ]
In an Instant this also fits the rejected prompt- a character who is not alive.
Heartwood - woman over 40
Saltcrop
Endling
Isola

44. A book with a symbol of death on the cover🌱
Scythe

45. A book connected to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
46. A book that is not a novel
47. A book with "this", "that", "these", or "those" in the title
48. A book with something edible in the title
49. A second book for your favorite prompt

50. A book with a bird on its cover🌱
51. A book published in 2026
52. A book related to the name of one of Santa's reindeerⓂ️🌱
Dancer - Dancing with Dragons by Jenni Ogden
Watch Us Dance by Leïla Slimani
Vixen - The Fox Wife
Donner - Thunder Bay
Blitzed - Lightning Strike
Cupid - Love in a Cold Climate
Rudolph - Red Memory: The Afterlives of China's Cultural Revolution
- Red Scarf Girl

R

Backup PLAYGROUND - IDEAS - for ATY 2026 Plan
(view spoiler)[

1. A book from a genre that starts with A, T, or YⓂ️ (can double with reject challenge or others)
Art , Alternate history, Alternate universe, alternate world , Animals, Apocalyptic, *American history, American Revolution, Adventure, action, Artificial intelligence, Afrofuturism, africanfuturism, Anthropology, archeology, acting , adult fiction
*Time travel, *Travel, Technology, Techno thrillers, transhumanism, Thriller, Tragedy,*True Crime, *translated, theatre,
*Young adult

Alternate history - Wolf by Wolf
American History - The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement
Animals - Other Minds
Art - The Artist
True Crime- No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson
Travel
The Road to Tender Hearts


2. A book with a primarily red, green or blue cover (🌱double with a rejected prompt)
3. A book that fits a prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the listⓂ️
4. A book by a new-to-you author
5. A book you want to read because of something you read in 2025
- China , tech, octopus, intelligence. 🌱

6. A book related to blood, sweat, or tears
7. A book with a character who appears in more than one book
8. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia -Ⓜ️all 3
9. A book with a number, ordinal, or iterative numeral in the title🌱
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad. (This is an option for other prompts as well.)
Three Apples Fell from the Sky
One Good Turn
Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong
Seven Perfect Things
The Five Wounds
Twelve Years a Slave
Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution
A Million Junes

10. An award winning book
11. A history or historical fiction book
12. A book with cover text that is NOT black or white🌱
13. An author's second/sophomore book
Wellness by Nathan Hill
Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman
All Over Creation by Ruth Okeki (My year of meats was her debut)
A Million Junes by Emily Henry
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
The Summer Before the War
The Poppy Fields
Enter Ghost

14. A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh

15. A book you've wanted to read for a long timeⓂ️
Don't Let Me Go by Catherine Ryan Hyde - since 2016
The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin since 2017
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni since 2018
The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia since 2019
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood since 2019
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau since 2021
Wellness by Hill since 2023
East of Eden by John Steinbeck since 2017 (I don’t own it)
There There by Tommy Orange since 2018 (i don’t own it)

16. A book featuring a character with a similar occupation to one of the Clue/Cluedo characters - gender switch
Military officer,
Clergy (UK), business (US). Corrupt
Academic, professor.
Domestic servant (maid, housekeeper, cook, etc)
Widow, socialite.
Female solicitor
A femme fatale.

17. A book set in the wellness or beauty industries
18. A book with a location in the title

19. A book related to yesterday
20. A book related to today
21. A book related to tomorrow
22. A book by a Korean or Korean-diaspora author

23. A book with a road trip or long journey
24. A book that is either frothy or gothy
🔅25. A book from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list🌱
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Lover
Midnight’s Children
The Little Prince
Animal Farm
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia
The Blind Assassin
The Death of Ivan Ilych - medical
Stranger in a Strange Land - outsider
The Stranger
The God of Small Things india


26. A book with a Z in the title and/or author name - John Scalzi
27. A nonfiction book🔅Ⓜ️

28. A book related to a resistance, rebellion, or revolution (and activism)Ⓜ️🌱
29. A vacation book - summer trip or a place I want to travel

30. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Frontlist Book
31. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Backlist Book
John Scalzi
Elif Shafak- There Are Rivers in the Sky
Lisa Genova- new- More or Less Maddy,
Amy Harmon- The Outlaw Noble Salt
Louise Penny - The Grey Wolf, new- The Black Wolf

🔅32. A novella of 100-250 pagesⓂ️🌱
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Poor Deer
Night
Passing
My Brilliant Life
The Lover
The Invention of Morel
The Little Prince
Three Apples Fell from the Sky
A couple of these might also be on the 🔅1001 list.

33. A book with an Indigenous character or author
34. A book with a window on the cover
35. A book where all or part of the action takes place in a library, a museum, a school, or another public building

36. A book with a primary character who is a woman over 40

37. A book that includes a science topic (nf or science in fiction tag)Ⓜ️

38. A book that's part of a series
Jacqueline Winspear
Sujata Massey
Louise Penny
John Scalzi

39. A book connected in some way to the "Queen of Crime", Agatha Christie.
40. A book that has a punctuation mark in the title. (Nonfiction)🌱
We don’t have a “you read what?” title prompt this year, but sone of these books were selected with that attitude in mind.
Hi Honey, I'm Homo!: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President
Don't Let Me Go
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Strange Case of Jane O.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
Martyr!

41. A mystery or true crime book🌱
42. A book set in an isolated location ]
43. A book involving survival ]
book:In an Instant|51037979] this also fits the rejected prompt- a character who is not alive.
Heartwood
Saltcrop
Endling
Isola
44. A book with a symbol of death on the cover🌱

45. A book connected to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
46. A book that is not a novel
47. A book with "this", "that", "these", or "those" in the title
48. A book with something edible in the title
49. A second book for your favorite prompt

50. A book with a bird on its cover🌱
51. A book published in 2026
52. A book related to the name of one of Santa's reindeerⓂ️🌱
Dancer - Dancing with Dragons by Jenni Ogden
Watch Us Dance by Leïla Slimani
Vixen - The Fox Wife
Donner - Thunder Bay
Blitzed - Lightning Strike
Cupid - Love in a Cold Climate
Rudolph - Red Memory: The Afterlives of China's Cultural Revolution
- Red Scarf Girl
(hide spoiler)]

Rejects challenge Worksheet for ideas and links
- prompts that didn’t make the list.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
*Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2001), PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction nominee , *California Book Award for Fiction (Gold) (2000), *New York City Book Award for Fiction (2000), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (2000)

Martyr! Award Winner
*Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction (2025), Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Fiction (2025), National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (2024), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction and for Debut Novel (2024), *Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize for Fiction (2024), The Rooster -- The Morning News Tournament of Books Nominee for Shortlist (2025), The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Nominee for Longlist (2024), Dublin Literary Award Nominee (2025), She Reads Best of Award Nominee for Book of the Year, Debut, and Literary Fiction (2024), Audie Award Nominee for Literary Fiction & Classics (2025),

My Friends - Award winner,
Booker Prize Nominee for Longlist (2024), *Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2024), *National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction (2024), National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (2024), Jhalak Prize Nominee for Longlist (2025), The Rooster -- The Morning News Tournament of Books Nominee for Longlist (2025)

My friends Hisham

Black Butterflies - nominee
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2025), Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Shortlist (2023)

Spring
Orwell Prize Nominee for Political Fiction for Longlist (2020), Europese Literatuurprijs (2020), *The Highland Book Prize (2019)

Summer
*Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2021), Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist (2021), Europese Literatuurprijs Nominee (2021), The Highland Book Prize Nominee (2020)


🔹Reorder lists
1) 2026 Awards and Lists
2) Dixie’s challenge
3) others

1. A book nominated for an award that values peace, cultural understanding, and related social issues - Dayton, Pulitzer, …
2. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award
3. A book that won an international literary award -Booker, Dublin,
4. A book that was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in any year
5. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026

6. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
7. A book on one of Obama’s reading lists
8. A book listed in any ‘Best Books’ list of 2024 or 2025
9. A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year
10. A book from any widely recognised list of your choice

✴️A biography or memoir
✴️A biography, memoir, or autofiction
✴️A medical memoir
✴️A book related to medical science or health
✴️A book related to psychology, mental health or neuroscience

✴️ A book tagged by Goodreads readers as Literary Fiction
✴️A book about science
✴️A book involving a fork in the road or a life changing decision
✴️A book that includes the "fish out of water" trope
✴️A book with a main character who is an outsider
✴️A book about women crossing borders and boundaries
✴️A book about wildlife or nature conservation
✴️A book exploring personal or cultural identity

=============
✴️A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
🔆A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page

====
🎸 A book suggested by one of the song titles from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
🎸 A book that deals with REM's It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I feel fine)
🎸 A book related to performance - music, acting in life, performance mensures
🎸 A book with a musician character or author
🌏 A book with a “green” topic or character
🌏 A book about nature, climate, or the environment
🌏 A book about a social, political, or environmental issue you care about
🌏A book that includes a “forbidden” topic in polite conversation
🌏 A book connected to the Middle East in some way
🌏 book set in or near theCaribbean
🌏 book with a desert setting

✴️A book with a challenge
or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign
🔆A book set at a school, college, or university
✴️A science fiction or fantasy book published after 2020
✴️A book set in an alternate history or an imaginary world/universe
✴️A book about a family or family relationships
✴️A book with a character that has been orphaned, adopted or abandoned in any way
✴️A book with an orphaned or adopted character
✴️A book with a character with a disability or chronic health problem
✴️A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
🔅A book featuring a feat of engineering
🔅A book featuring a writer or the craft of writing

R

2026 suggestions that didn’t make it.
PRE-POLL - Poll 8
(view spoiler)[
UNDESIGNATED
✴️A book with a main character who is an outsider
✴️A biography or memoir
🔅A book with a main character that has a pet
✴️A book involving a fork in the road or a life changing decision

POLL 1
BOTTOM
🔅A traditional or contemporary western
A book set primarily underground
UNDESIGNATED
A book based on or related to a "legend"
🔆A book you would consider a classic
🔅aA book with a title that includes a family relationship word
🔅A book with an urban setting
A book about people trapped together
🔆A book about something that gets your heart racing
✴️A book about science
✴️ book set in or near the Caribbean
A book title that includes a piece of clothing

POLL 2
BOTTOM
🔆A book set during the time of the American Revolution. (1775 - 1783)
🔆A book with a character dealing with birth or rebirth
🔅book related to the Declaration of Independence

UNDESIGNATED
🔅A book with the word friend in the description
🔅A book with a desert setting
🔅A book that has to do with a favorite animal
✴️A book with a “green” topic or character
A book with the word "and" or "or" in the title
✴️A book connected to the Middle East in some way
✴️A book that deals with REM's It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I feel fine)
🔆A book set at a school, college, or university
A book by an author who shares one of


POLL 3
BOTTOM
A book with a fraction in the title
A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering
A book from a publishing company, the logotype of which depicting a tangible thing

UNDESIGNATED
✴️A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
🔆A book written in or set in the eighteenth century
🔆A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page
🔅A mystery without a murder or death
X A book with a symbol of death on the cover
A book with an alliteration in author name or title
✴️A book with a challenge or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign
A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation
A book connected to iron
A book featured as a Book of the Month Club pick


POLL 4 - MULTIWEEK
CLOSE CALL
✴️❇️2 Weeks: Two books where the first word of the second title is the same as the last word of the first title

UNDESIGNATED
2 Weeks: Two books where the last name of one author is the first name of the other
✴️❇️2 Weeks: One book related to hot and one book related to cold
2 Weeks: A book written by a male author that includes a love story, and a book written by a female author that DOES NOT include a love story
3 Weeks: One book related to a sharp musical note, one book related to a flat musical note, and one book related to a natural musical note
✴️❇️3 Weeks: One book related to planes, one book related to trains, and one book related to automobiles
2 Weeks: Two books, where the second book's title provides a response to or continuation of the first book's title
3 Weeks: One book related to the lion, one book related to the witch, and one book related to the wardrobe
2 Weeks: Two books where the second book's title contains a sequential number from the first book's title
✴️❇️2 Weeks: A book related to water, and a book related to earth
3 weeks: A book related to rock, a book related to paper, and a book related to scissors
✴️2 Weeks: A book connected to RIGHT, and a book connected to WRONG
✴️❇️3 Weeks: A book set in the N+W hemisphere, a book set in the S+E hemisphere, and a book set in the S+W hemisphere



POLL 5


BOTTOM
✴️❇️A poetic book
✴️❇️A book that may pair or connect to a certain architectural style

CLOSE CALL
❇️A book with a title that contains the name of a professional sports team

POLARIZING
A book about obsession or desire
A modern retelling of an old story, myth, or fairytale
A book related to a current movie or television show

UNDESIGNATED
A book set in the opposite hemisphere from where you reside
A book with a writing implement on the cover
A book where someone's head or face is on the cover, but you can't see their eyes
A book with the name of a month in the title or in the author's name
A book with a lock or a key on the cover
A book with an author or character with a gender neutral name
A book with a title that contains a gemstone or jewel or by an author whose name contains a gemstone or a jewel
A book related to penguins


POLL 6


BOTTOM
A book with a horse as a character

CLOSE CALL
A book where the main character has an occupation that didn't exist before 1900
X

UNDESIGNATED
❇️🔅A book where one of the characters is a ghost, a spirit, an angel, or an imaginary being
✴️A book nominated for an award that values peace, cultural understanding, and related social issues
A book by the author who shows up most on your TBR but is so far unread by you
❇️🔅A book related to a national park
X A book related to a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe
A book with an adult main character who is NOT in paid employment
A book which features royalty as main characters
❇️🔅A book related to “soul”
X
A book that's title and author's first or last name start with the same letter
❇️🔆A book relating to television [as a medium of social change] - Hi Honey, I'm Homo!: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture


POLL 7


BOTTOM
A book written in the present tense
A book that features a horse in the title or on the cover

UNDESIGNATED
❇️🔅A book where being on a boat is important to the story
🔅A book set primarily somewhere creepy or scary
❇️🔅A book whose title follows the "______ of ______" pattern
🔅A sapphic story
❇️🔅A book that could fit the quote: “May you live in interesting times.”
❇️🔅A book related to a planet other than earth
✴️❇️A book set in a country bordering the Indian Ocean
✴️❇️A book set in one of the world’s great cities
🔅A book related to the song “Singin’ in the Rain”
A book with a six word title
🔅A book with an economically disadvantaged protagonist


Mod
POLL 8


BOTTOM
✴️A medical memoir
✳️🔅A book that starts and ends in different settings
A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country


CLOSE CALL
On list? A book with a character who appears in more than one book

UNDESIGNATED
A book with both black and red on the cover
A book that is the last in a series
❇️🔅A hot book
A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"
🔅A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
✴️A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award
🔅A multi-genre or genre-blended book
✴️❇️A book with a musician character or author (hide spoiler)]

Rejected prompts
POLL 9 -end
(view spoiler)[
BOTTOM
X A book inspired by or related to the Charlie’s Angels franchise
CLOSE CALL
On list - A book that includes a science related topic

UNDESIGNATED
A book with an immortal character
🔅A book set in a desert environment
🔅A book that has to do with a favorite animal
✴️A book related to one of the five basic tastes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami/savory)
A book by a 2026 debut author
✴️❇️A book with an orphaned or adopted character
🔅A book about wildlife or nature conservation
✴️✴️A book tagged by Goodreads readers as Literary Fiction
A book with a character who has a trait related to one of Dorothy’s companions in the Wizard of Oz


Poll 10

Close Call
On list - A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh

Undesignated
A book that is one of the first 20 books on your Goodreads "want to read" list
✴️❇️A book suggested by one of the song titles from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
🔅❇️A Bildungsroman (coming-of-age) book
🔅A book for which all of the words in the title start with one of the letters in OLYMPICS
🔅❇️A fiction or non-fiction book that could be considered a microhistory
✴️❇️A book that includes the "fish out of water" trope
✴️❇️A book about women crossing borders and boundaries
🔅A book whose character has the same hobby or pastime as you
✴️❇️A book related to psychology, mental health or neuroscience


Poll 11

Bottom:
❇️A book with the name of a planet or their moons in the title
A book with a title that contains a pun, a dad joke, or other word play
❇️A book exploring personal or cultural identity

Polarizing:
🔅Ⓜ️A book title that contains the name of a professional sports team

Undesignated
❇️A book with twins, doppelgängers, or mistaken identity
❇️A book with a rebel
❇️A book with a trial
❇️🔅A book with a character who is searching for knowledge, love, courage or a way home
✴️✴️A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026
✴️❇️A book about wildlife or nature conservation
✴️❇️A book exploring personal or cultural identity
✴️✴️❇️A book related to medical science or health
A book related to baking


Poll 12

Bottom:
❇️🔅A book featuring a lawyer, politician or member of the clergy
❇️🔅A book that has been made into a movie

Undesignated
✴️❇️A book that relates to a river
A book with a cat on the cover
A book written in or set in the 1700s
A book with a character list or family tree.
✴️❇️A book about perceptions of reality or alternate realities
🔅❇️A book set in the west (however you define it)
A book set in an Olympics host city
✴️✴️❇️A book on one of Obama’s reading lists
✴️A biography, memoir, or autofiction


Poll 13

Bottom:
🔅❇️A book considered a space opera
🔅A book that could earn you a Goodreads bookmark

Close Call:
🔅A book that is not a novel
Undesignated
🔅A book that could fit three prompts on the list.
🔅❇️A book set in a NEW Place
❇️A book related to one of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
A book with a photographic element on the cover.
❇️A book that includes a “forbidden” topic in polite conversation - religion, politics, sex or money.
✴️A book that was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in any year
A book whose cover is divided or split in half
❇️A book with a word for a family member in the title
✴️❇️A book related to observation, experimentation, or inquiry


POLL 14

BOTTOM
A book with a First Responder as a featured character
A book with a character with one of the jobs in the song 40 Hour Week (for a livin') by Alabama

CLOSE CALL
❇️A book that takes place in a country/place along the path of totality for the 2026 solar eclipse

POLARIZING
An epistolary novel

UNDESIGNATED
❇️🔅A book involving pirates, puppies, parrots, penguins, or pachyderms
❇️🔅A book with a main character who is a teacher, instructor, or professor
A book related to iron or steel
A book related to a park, such as a national, state, provincial, urban, castle, amusement or skate park
✴️❇️A book with a main character who has power(s)
A book that quotes or references another work in its title
A book where the main characters are siblings
A book featuring a party or festival
✴️❇️A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
✴️❇️A book about books


POLL 15

BOTTOM
✴️❇️A book with a character who is passing
A book you read in a -ber month

UNDESIGNATED
✴️A magical realism or magical book
✴️A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026
✴️A book about a family or family relationships
A book that is either frothy or gothy
✴️A book that won an international literary award
A book with characters in a club
✴️❇️A book that includes a “forbidden” topic in polite conversation
✴️A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
🔅A book featuring a feat of engineering
🔅A book featuring a writer or the craft of writing
A book that includes a single parent
✴️❇️A book set in an alternate history or an imaginary world/universe


POLL 16


BOTTOM
A book with a character that's in the public domain
✴️✴️A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year

POLARIZING
A book that fits a suggestion that was in the bottom of its poll

UNDESIGNATED
✴️A book listed in any ‘Best Books’ list of 2024 or 2025
🔅A book that would fill a favorite prompt from last year's list

✴️A book with a character that has been orphaned, adopted or abandoned in any way
A book published at least 50 years ago
🔅A book with antonyms in the title
X. A book that would fit the 26th prompt from any ATY52 year
🔅A book that was banned or challenged
🔅A book with a character pretending to be something or someone else
🔅A rainbow book


POLL 17


BOTTOM
A book where the main character has an occupation that didn't exist before 1900
✴️❇️A book with a character with a disability or chronic health problem
🔅A book with a character who is an astronaut

CLOSE CALL
✴️A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026

POLARIZING
🔅A book that takes place in a country/place along the path of totality for the 2026 solar eclipse

UNDESIGNATED
🔅A book with a title that contains the name of a professional sports team
✴️A book about a family or family relationships
🔆A book with a missing person
✴️❇️A book about nature, climate, or the environment
✴️A science fiction or fantasy book published after 2020
X A book whose title does not contain the first letter of your name
Repeat. - ✴️A book about a woman crossing barriers, borders, or boundaries
🔅A book related to the phrase "smoke and mirrors"


Poll 18
2.🔆 A book with a character who isn’t alive
4. A "cozy" book
5.✴️A book related to performance
6. A book connected to a Time's person of the year
7. 🔅A page turner
8. 🔆A book with a love story
✴️ 9.A book from any widely recognised list of your choice
10. A book where the main character is experiencing a transition
11. A book that features a chef or baker
✴️❇️12. A book about a social, political, or environmental issue you care about.
13. A book featuring a holiday that you don't celebrate
14. ✴️A book read by another ATY member in 2026
🔅15.book with a challenge or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign
(hide spoiler)]

Extra rejected prompts
(view spoiler)[

A book with a character who isn’t alive
A book with a character who is passing (or passing for something else)
A book with a main character who has power(s)
A magical realism or magical book
A book related to a National park
A book related to the phrase "smoke and mirrors"
A book with a main character who is a teacher, instructor, or professor
A book with a character who is an as book featuring a lawyer, politician or member of the clergy
A book that has been made into a movie
A poetic book
A book that may pair or connect to a certain architectural style
A sapphic story
A book that could fit the quote: “May you live in interesting times.”
A book set in one of the world’s great cities
A book about books
A Bildungsroman (coming-of-age) book
A book with a title that contains the name of a professional sports team
A book with a missing Person
A book connected to a Time's person of the year
A page turner
A book with a love story
A book involving pirates, puppies, parrots, penguins, or pachyderms
A book related to one of the five basic tastes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami/savory)


(hide spoiler)]

I’ll keep adding to this list.

Award Winners, and finalists, long list, nominees.

1. A book nominated for an award that values peace, cultural understanding, and related social issues - Dayton, Orwell, Pulitzer

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - award winner
*Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2001), PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction nominee ,*California Book Award for Fiction (Gold) (2000), *New York City Book Award for Fiction (2000), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (2000)

Martyr! Award Winner
*Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction (2025), Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Fiction (2025), National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (2024), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction and for Debut Novel (2024), *Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize for Fiction (2024), The Rooster -- The Morning News Tournament of Books Nominee for Shortlist (2025), The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Nominee for Longlist (2024), Dublin Literary Award Nominee (2025), She Reads Best of Award Nominee for Book of the Year, Debut, and Literary Fiction (2024), Audie Award Nominee for Literary Fiction & Classics (2025),

My Friends - Award winner
Booker Prize Nominee for Longlist (2024), *Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2024), *National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction (2024), National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (2024), Jhalak Prize Nominee for Longlist (2025), The Rooster -- The Morning News Tournament of Books Nominee for Longlist (2025)

Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2025), Nero Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2024)

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row nominee
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2019), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Memoir & Autobiography (2018), NAACP Image Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2019)

Salt Houses
Arab American Book Award for Fiction (2018), Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction (2018), Chautauqua Prize Nominee (2018), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2017), Aspen Words Literary Prize Nominee for Longlist (2018)
Original title
Salt

The Picnic: A Dream of Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain - award winner
Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2024

Black Butterflies - nominee
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2025), Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Shortlist (2023)

Spring
Orwell Prize Nominee for Political Fiction for Longlist (2020), Europese Literatuurprijs (2020), *The Highland Book Prize (2019)

Summer
*Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2021), Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist (2021), Europese Literatuurprijs Nominee (2021), The Highland Book Prize Nominee (2020)

The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2020), *Aspen Words Literary Prize (2020)

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
National Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2021), *Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction (2022), *National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction (2021), Kirkus Prize Nominee for Fiction (2021), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction and for Debut Novel (2021), NAACP Image Award Nominee for Debut Author (2022), Aspen Words Literary Prize Nominee for Longlist (2022), The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2021), PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Nominee for Shortlist (2022)

Men We Reaped: A Memoir
*Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction (2014), Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2014), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Autobiography (2013), Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2014), Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Nonfiction (2014)

Red Memory: The Afterlives of China's Cultural Revolution
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2024), *Cundill History Prize (2023)

The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2024), History Prize (2023)


OTHER AWARDS
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2020), *Aspen Words Literary Prize (2020)

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning - award winner, Korean author, NF
*National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography (2020), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2020), Reading Women Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2020)



Rejects challenge list #1
1) 2026 Awards and Lists Challenge

1. A book nominated for an award that values peace, cultural understanding, and related social issues - Dayton, Orwell, Pulitzer,
2. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award
3. A book that won an international literary award -Booker, Dublin,
4. A book that was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in any year
5. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026
6. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
7. A book on one of Obama’s reading lists
8. A book listed in any ‘Best Books’ list of 2024 or 2025
9. A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year
10. A book from any widely recognised list of your choice

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