Laura’s Comments (group member since Oct 05, 2015)

Laura’s comments from the Around the Year in 52 Books group.

A badge for the first read-a-thon of 2021 has now been posted above :)

It might not be a new game but it's always a favorite. The premise is simple. Unscramble the book title. All titles included are celebrating Black History Month for February so are books written by Black authors.

1. ons vntaie
2. fo lnosmoo gons
3. lal olsdhu ew eb isfmnetis
4. oalredp lwfo clabk dre
5. kbalc lewl arde lirg
6. het nsbeo gslvaae
7. wsertfhrea
8. bgedrgnreai
9. oyu aclp nlda ewnh
10. crande het tware

As always, please use spoiler code and do not tag the book for your answers in your comments

Sarah wrote: "Why, oh why did I have to be reading Unbirthday? :D

Something red or pink: Uvula :D
Romantic movie: Up (the beginning's romantic at least!)
Something sweet: Upside down cake
An act..."

haha yours got me a chuckle. And Up definitely counts! That beginning gets all the feels.

We always try to bring back old favorites. So today’s game is simple. Use the first letter of your current book in order to fill in each of the questions/categories. You can skip A, An, and The, and try to come up with ones that haven't been used yet!

I'll start: Anxious People

Something red or pink: ace of hearts
Romantic movie: About Time
Something sweet: apple pie
An act of kindness: ask if someone needs help
A feeling: anxious
A thing you love: art
Kind of flower: African Violet
Something with a heart: aardvark
Love song title: All This Time
Ways to ruin a date: Accidentally send him a text where you’re complaining about him

Welcome Darlene!

Whether you love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is all about matches. That means it's the perfect day for a book tag.

1. Favorite Book Couple
2. The book that other people love but you haven’t read yet
3. The book(s) you would like to give as a gift to someone else?
4. A character with no romantic interest who is awesome all the same
5. An overrated romance you wish people would stop talking about
6. An auto-buy/read author
7. A place or person you go for recommendations or review
8. The first book of a series that made you want to finish the series ASAP
9. A book series you "broke up" with or didn't finish
10. An unforgettable character

Kim wrote: "Can you use the same book for both the Individual challenge and the team challenge?"

Yes, that's totally fine!

Good morning, everyone!

I didn't end up finishing The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer yesterday and have over 100 pages left so I'll be starting off with that one.

Here's all the covers for my planned options:


I could use Mara Dyer and Anxious People for the two books with two people on the cover. Which might make the most sense since I plan on those being my first two books.

FEBRUARY 13-21

CURRENTLY READING:
💗 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (160/320)
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

BOOKS COMPLETED:
💗 The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

TBR:
💗The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
💗The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
💗If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
💗The Project by Courtney Summers
💗The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
💗The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
💗The Searcher by Tana French

1. What are your goals for the read-a-thon?
I'm a bit behind this month so really I just want to get a bunch of reading done.

2. Are there any books you're dying to start or finish?
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer took a very patronizing, corny teen lit turn while I was reading last night but I'm still interested in the story so I'm interested in finishing it.

I have a lot of loans out right now, many of them ones I had on hold for a long time. Since Anxious People has technically expired and I only have it by being in airplane mode, I'll probably read that one next. Some standouts for after that:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
The Project by Courtney Summers
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Searcher by Tana French

3. Are you participating in the team or individual challenges?
Team Daisy!

4. Where will you be doing most of your reading?
Likely the couch. I also have a new daybed so may mix it up there.

5. Is there anything that's going to stand in the way of your reading this week? Let us cheer you on!
I started providing consults for Teladoc (yay pandemic mental health needs...) so my schedule is pretty full now.

Barbara wrote: "Weird, I can't see the message I left for Traci, but here it goes: Traci, thanks for taking your time to help me out! Unfortunately I won't be able to use one of the books, since there are only 25 ..."

The event runs from when you wake up on the 13th to when you go to bed on the 21st.

Jillian wrote: "I cannot think of any read-a-thon where we have actually switched prompts around even though we always discuss the option.

Off topic, I really wish my spell check would stop changing read-a-thon t..."

😂 I hear ya. It really is a miracle that I’ve never accidentally posted a new topic for a read-a-thin event.

Barbara wrote: "I have a question: should I start a new book ar could I finish the ones I am already reading? I was planning to finish 2 reading this weekend, which are:
[bookcover:Too Much and Never Enough: How M..."

We can count books you’re already reading as long as they have 100 pages left. If not, we could still count the pages read, just not towards the specific prompts.

I agree, Ellie! It's a great one to make me look forward to spring.

I'm reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer right now. It's been perfectly mindless for me so I'm speeding through it. Not sure what I will have left of it in the morning.

I also am working through Anne of Green Gables. I thought it would be a quick read but is actually taking me a while. I think it has themes related to self-love and counts as "warm and fuzzy". It's also a fresh start, the character moves to a new home, has one person on the cover, is written by a female, and has a theme of friendship.

Anyone watch the new Netflix show, Firefly Lane? I started it over the weekend and blew through the whole thing in 2 days. I kept thinking the narrative would make a great book and then realized it's actually based on the book by Kristin Hannah - Firefly Lane

I'm really hoping it gets renewed for a second season given the ending.

1. Medium
2. 2-3
3. EST
4. Yes
5. No

Yes, the team will work together on all prompts. But if you have a speed reader in the group, then one person can technically read multiple books in a category.

Inspiration
Your connections can include things outside of these ideas. These are simply here to spark inspiration.

BFF
- A book about friendship or with a core theme related to friendship;
- A book recommended by a friend
- A book that features siblings as the main characters

Be Mine
- A romance
- A book you already own
- A book you purchase during the event

One I Love
- A book by an author you enjoyed
- A book from your favorite genre
- A book with a cover that you love
- A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads

Stay Cool
- A book by a notorious/famous author
- A classic book; A book in a cold setting
- A book with a "suave" character
- A cover that reminds you of winter
- A book you associate with a specific season or time of year
- A book connected to ice

My Man
- A book by a male author
- A romance

You Shine
- A book on a 'best' list
- A book with a metallic cover
- A book with stars on the cover

Dream Big
- A book related to a personal dream that you have
- A coming-of-age novel
- A book where the character pursues a dream
- A book related to sleep/dreaming/nightmares
- A book related to the future

Be My Icon
- A book by a prolific or famous author
- A book by an author you consider to be an icon
- A book with a crush
- A nonfiction/memoir about a cultural icon
- A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum
- A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read
- A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years

Crazy 4 U
- A thriller about a stalker
- A romance
- A book by a favorite author
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads

Top Dog
- A book that has won an award or is on a 'best' list
- A bestseller
- A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years

Smile
- A book with a smile on the cover
- A book that makes you laugh/a comedy
- A book you consider comfort reading

Magic
- A magical realism book
- A fantasy book (with magic)
- A book with elements of magic

Write Me
- A book with letters or text messages
- Freebie option - A book ;)

Nature Lover
- A book set in the outdoors
- A book related to travel
- A book with a natural cover/with natural elements
- A book with animal characters
- A book with flowers or greenery on the cover

One & Only
- A debut novel
- A book by your favorite author
- A love story

Ur a Star
- A book related to fame
- A book by a bestselling author
- A book with a star on the cover

Girl Power
- A book by a female author
- A book with a female villain or antagonist
- A book with a strong female character
- A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation

Miss You
- A book related to grief
- A book by an author who hasn't published in x number of years
- A book with a long distance friendship/relationship

My Hero
- A book about first responders
- A superhero
- A book by an author or with a character you look up to

New Love
- An author or book everyone is raving about
- A love story
- A book published in 2021
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
- A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author

Sunshine
- A book with a bright cover
- A book with the sun on the cover
- A book that makes you happy

Look Good
- A book with an attractive cover

Be True
- A personal development or coming-of-age book
- A nonfiction book (including true crime)
- A book based on a true story
- A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir

Awesome
- A bestseller
- A book on a 'best' list
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads

Do Good
- A book with a hero
- A book with first responders
- A book about racism or race relations

The event will begin when you wake up on Saturday, February 13. Info is posted now for planning purposes.

If team games aren’t your thing, or you’re just looking for some additional challenge for the week, this read-a-thon has some solo fun for you! There's few things more associated with Valentine's Day than the candy heart. The unique sayings create the perfect opportunity for cook connections.

Object: Read a book that is somehow connected to each of the candy hearts on the board. What you consider a "win" is up to you. If you want to take on a big challenge then go for a full card. If that's a bit much for you, then go for some of the other Bingo patterns: 4 down/across, 4 corners, postage stamp, etc. You can even choose a color and read a book for each heart of that color.

How can my book connect to the image? The connection can be anything that you can reasonably explain. See the first comment for some examples. Be creative!

What about pages? Our typical "rule" is a book that is over 100 pages. That includes books that you started before the event - if there are at least 100 pages remaining at the start of the event then you can count it :)

I read Concrete Rose and liked it. It should be a good quick read to balance out some of those other, heavier options. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as THUG but it was nice to see a prequel.