The 52 Book Club's 2024 Challenge
The 2024 reading challenges are starting to pop up!! This is a book-a-week kind of challenge, so I will not be counting each book for more than one prompt. (Graphics and printables are available on the 52 Book Club website.) I will be updating this post throughout the year.
Magical realism - When the Moon Was Ours
Nominated for the Booker Prize - Master and Commander - A Guilty Thing Surprised - Cat's Eye - Possession - Number9Dream - The Amber Spyglass - Cloud Atlas - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - A Tale for the Time Being - The Bone Clocks - The Moor's Account - Swing Time - The Underground Railroad - Milkman - The Overstory - Such a Fun Age - Booth - The Discomfort of Evening - The Bee Sting - James - Playground
An author "everyone" has read except you - The Fault in Our Stars - Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
Title matches lyrics from a song - Running for Shelter - Someone to Watch Over Me
1. About finding identity - Last Night at the Telegraph Club
4. Hybrid genre - Notes on an Execution
5. A buddy read - The Keeper of Stories
6. An apostrophe in the title - I'm Just A Person
8. A grieving character - Snow, Glass, Apples
9. An omniscient narrator - Argylle
11. Published by Hachette - We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence
13. By a neurodivergent author - Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere
14. A cover without people on it - One's Company
17. More than 40 chapters - Miss Eliza's English Kitchen
18. Set in a landlocked country - Metzengerstein
22. Title starting with the letter "L" - Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life
23. Has futuristic technology - The Mimicking of Known Successes
24. Picked without reading the blurb - The Cat Who Saved Books
25. Part of a duology - Vita Nostra
28. Locked-room mystery - The Murders in the Rue Morgue
29. Timeframe spans a week or less - Bridge of Souls
30. Featuring Indigenous culture - Daughters of the Deer
34. Told in non-chronological order - Saving Noah
39. A revenge story - This Isn’t Happening
41. Includes a wedding - Recipes for Love and Murder
42. Palindrome on the cover - The Diamond Eye
44. At least four different POV - The Day the Crayons Came Home
45. A sticker on the cover - The Midnight Library
46. The word "secret" in the title - Viva Durant and The Secret of the Silver Buttons
47. Related to the word "Wild" - Owl Babies
48. A character-driven novel - Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead
51. Includes a personal phobia - Witchy Whiskers
57. An abrupt ending - The Weirdies Get Weirder
58. Lowercase letters on the spine - Bridge to Terabithia
62. Women in STEM - Orbital
63. Published in a Year of the Dragon - Two Bad Ants
64. Bibliosmia: a smelly book - Lavender House
65. Self-insert by an author - Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World
66. Published in 2024 - Nightwatching
79. Set in a city starting with the letter "M" - Mango, Mambo, and Murder
80. Features the ocean - An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
82. Set during a holiday you don't celebrate - The Fury
96. An academic thriller - A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons
134. Nonfiction recommended by a friend - Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman
141. Title starting with the letter "K" - Killingly
149. Chapter headings have dates - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
150. Written by a ghostwriter - As Fast As Her: Dream Big, Break Barriers, Achieve Success
184. Author debut in second half of 2024 - We Used to Live Here
209. A musical instrument on the cover - Break Shot: My First 21 Years
215. Two books with similar plots - book 1 - The Wife of the Kenite By Agatha Christie
237. Two books with similar plots - book 2 - Book of Judges
238. A yellow spine - The Pot Thief Who Studied Calvin
Magical realism - When the Moon Was Ours
Nominated for the Booker Prize - Master and Commander - A Guilty Thing Surprised - Cat's Eye - Possession - Number9Dream - The Amber Spyglass - Cloud Atlas - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - A Tale for the Time Being - The Bone Clocks - The Moor's Account - Swing Time - The Underground Railroad - Milkman - The Overstory - Such a Fun Age - Booth - The Discomfort of Evening - The Bee Sting - James - Playground
An author "everyone" has read except you - The Fault in Our Stars - Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
Title matches lyrics from a song - Running for Shelter - Someone to Watch Over Me
1. About finding identity - Last Night at the Telegraph Club
4. Hybrid genre - Notes on an Execution
5. A buddy read - The Keeper of Stories
6. An apostrophe in the title - I'm Just A Person
8. A grieving character - Snow, Glass, Apples
9. An omniscient narrator - Argylle
11. Published by Hachette - We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence
13. By a neurodivergent author - Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere
14. A cover without people on it - One's Company
17. More than 40 chapters - Miss Eliza's English Kitchen
18. Set in a landlocked country - Metzengerstein
22. Title starting with the letter "L" - Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life
23. Has futuristic technology - The Mimicking of Known Successes
24. Picked without reading the blurb - The Cat Who Saved Books
25. Part of a duology - Vita Nostra
28. Locked-room mystery - The Murders in the Rue Morgue
29. Timeframe spans a week or less - Bridge of Souls
30. Featuring Indigenous culture - Daughters of the Deer
34. Told in non-chronological order - Saving Noah
39. A revenge story - This Isn’t Happening
41. Includes a wedding - Recipes for Love and Murder
42. Palindrome on the cover - The Diamond Eye
44. At least four different POV - The Day the Crayons Came Home
45. A sticker on the cover - The Midnight Library
46. The word "secret" in the title - Viva Durant and The Secret of the Silver Buttons
47. Related to the word "Wild" - Owl Babies
48. A character-driven novel - Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead
51. Includes a personal phobia - Witchy Whiskers
57. An abrupt ending - The Weirdies Get Weirder
58. Lowercase letters on the spine - Bridge to Terabithia
62. Women in STEM - Orbital
63. Published in a Year of the Dragon - Two Bad Ants
64. Bibliosmia: a smelly book - Lavender House
65. Self-insert by an author - Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World
66. Published in 2024 - Nightwatching
79. Set in a city starting with the letter "M" - Mango, Mambo, and Murder
80. Features the ocean - An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
82. Set during a holiday you don't celebrate - The Fury
96. An academic thriller - A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons
134. Nonfiction recommended by a friend - Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman
141. Title starting with the letter "K" - Killingly
149. Chapter headings have dates - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
150. Written by a ghostwriter - As Fast As Her: Dream Big, Break Barriers, Achieve Success
184. Author debut in second half of 2024 - We Used to Live Here
209. A musical instrument on the cover - Break Shot: My First 21 Years
215. Two books with similar plots - book 1 - The Wife of the Kenite By Agatha Christie
237. Two books with similar plots - book 2 - Book of Judges
238. A yellow spine - The Pot Thief Who Studied Calvin
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My road trip snacks are light and sweet. A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Perfect ValentineAnd my road trip buddies are the whole family. Saving Noah
I finished all three February mini-challenge prompts.
By a Black author in your favorite genre: How It Ends by Rachel Howzell Hall
Be Mine, Valentine: A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Perfect Valentine
By an author born in a leap year: This Isn’t Happening by Anna Snoekstra
My road trip vehicle is a 1970 VW Beetle. A book published in the 1970s: Bridge to TerabithiaMy road trip sights to see are famous artwork. A book with famous artwork on the cover: The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
My road trip took a detour! A book I've been avoiding: The Midnight Library
No progress on the road trip in April, and I only got two of the three mini-challenge prompts. But the mini-challenge instructions specifically say that the prompts do not have to be completed within the month, so I'm rolling that one over to May.1. Never gonna give you up - Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World
2. Never gonna let you down -
3. Never gonna desert you - Orbital
I'm still stalled on the road trip and the April mini-challenge, and I'm also rolling over one of the May mini-challenge prompts to June.1. Author's last name starts with "M" - The Fury
2. A is for Alpha - Z Is for Zombie: An Illustrated Guide to the End of the World
3. An interrogative word in the title -
No mini-challenge or road trip progress in June, but I made a really good start on the Summer 2024 challenge, which is Olympic-themed. There are 8 categories, each with 3 medals (bronze, silver, gold). I am trying to do all the bronzes, then all the silvers, then all the golds, but I find myself needing to jump around a bit. I finished nine books in June, so I'm just a little ahead of schedule.3. OPENING CEREMONIES: Gold - Going for gold! - Owl Moon
7. BOXING: Bronze - A strong opening hook - The Spy Coast
16. ROAD CYCLING: Bronze - Time period without modern transportation - The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
17. TEAM PURSUIT: Silver - Featuring a group of friends - Is He Dead?
18. CROSS-COUNTRY: Gold - Related to the word "endurance" - Everyone Is Watching
19. HANDBALL: Bronze - Author shares the same last name as an Olympian - Diavola
21. FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Gold - Double-letter word in title - Slow Time Between the Stars
22. CLOSING: Bronze - At least four Olympic ring colors on the cover - A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons
23. CLOSING: Silver - Author hasn't released a book in the past four years - Quacko and the Elps
I am caught up on mini-challenges!April 2. Never gonna let you down - (will update later)
May 3. An interrogative word in the title - (will update later)
September 1. Professor Plum - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
September 2. In the kitchen - Bites, Frights, and Other Delights: A Spook-tacular Cookbook
September 3. With a revolver - The Three Monarchs
October 1. A beverage on the cover - The Night Guest
October 2. Book pairs with a favorite sweater - Spirit of a Nation
October 3. A cozy read - In the Event of Murder
Just a few more medals to win for this summer's challenge! Here's what I finished in July and August:4. 100M SPRINT: Bronze - A short story collection - Bliss Montage
8. WRESTLING: Silver - A heavy read - The Call of the Wild
9. FENCING: Gold - Dialogue with witty banter. Touche! - Pride, Prejudice and Poison
10. BALANCE BEAM: Bronze - About finding balance in life - Living Lagom: A Swedish Guide to a Balanced Life
11. UNEVEN BARS: Silver - Series with an uneven number of books - Secrets of the Greek Revival
12. RINGS: Gold - Jewelry on the cover - Against the Currant
14. WATER POLO: Silver - A book that made a splash - What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?
And I read these five in September and October:
2. OPENING CEREMONIES: Silver - Flame on the cover - Muse of Fire
5. LONGJUMP: Silver - Audiobook is 15+ hours - Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
6. STEEPLECHASE: Gold - Character is a spiritual leader - Vespertine
15. BUTTERFLY: Gold - Plot featuring the "butterfly effect" - Oona Out of Order
24. CLOSING: Gold - Memoir/biography about an Olympian - As Fast As Her: Dream Big, Break Barriers, Achieve Success
I'm behind on the mini challenges again. November had four prompts instead of the usual three, and I am really struggling with the last one. I may have to roll that one over to next year.1. Related to the word "Intergalactic" - The Intergalactic Collection of Knowledge and Records
2. Set in a country bordering at least five other countries
3. Set in 2000-2010
4. 800-900 pages
In December I finished one more November mini challenge and two of the three December mini challenges.Set in a country bordering at least five other countries - The Laws of the Skies
December captured on the cover - Faux Ho Ho
Holiday harmonies -
Features festive flavors - Apple Cider Slaying
1. Pick your destination.
2. Pick your road trip buddies.
3. Pick your road trip vehicle.
4. Pick your road trip snacks.
5. Pick your road trip tunes.
6. Pick your road trip sights to see.
7. Pick your road trip mishap.
8. Pick your road trip conclusion.
In January I got moving towards my new destination...In the woods! Red Hood