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

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

January 1:

Many members find it difficult to update their challenge shelf for the groups. Here are detailed instructions:

1. Click 'My Books' at the top of the page
2. 'Add shelf' on the left (it should be at the bottom list of your existing shelves.
3. A blank text box should automatically appear. Type in the title of the shelf you want to use for the challenge. I use "around the year 2021" for mine.
4. Return to the Around the Year" group (Community < Groups < Around the Year in 52 Books)
5. Under "CHALLENGES" > Enter 52 into the little box for the number of books you want to read (or whatever your goal is if you're doing a partial challenge). Then you have to enter the shelf name you entered before (when you created the new one).

Note: Be sure when you finish a book, you check that shelf. Shelves are found in the same place that you choose "Read", "Currently Reading", and "Want to Read". You also have to enter the date you finished a book so it knows it was read in 2021.

It's 2021, y'all! I really don't think I've ever been so happy to ring in a new year. Since our group is driven by a yearly challenge, a new year also means a fresh, new challenge. Today we get to kick off a focus on new prompts, in addition to the excitement of setting general reading goals.

You can find a list of all of the 2021 prompts here.

Go to the 2021 plan section to create your plan for for the year if you haven't already.

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Year-End Survey

I, for one, do not even want to speak of the year that has passed so we're going to just call it the year-end survey. Check out results from the survey to see which books and prompts group members loved (and disliked) the most. It may even inspire some additions to your TBR or an expansions of your reading goals.

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Best of [The Year That Shall Not Be Named]

We all love a good book award. While some awards may overlook the true gems, turning into a bit of a popularity contest, some of the best come from the average reader. That means the ATY "Best Of" Awards are a great opportunity to discover some stand-out books. It's also the perfect time to reflect on what good actually came from [----].

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2021 Group Spreadsheet

Who doesn't love a good spreadsheet? And we know if it's coming from Mod Emily then it's a good spreadsheet. If you're looking for another way to organize your 2021 reads then head over and claim your spot. Note: This is the new, final spreadsheet link. If you had previously bookmarked the page in some way, be sure to update it!

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Group Map and Timeline

Both the Group Map and Timeline are now up to date so check them out to see which locations/years the group read the most... and the least. It is exciting that our Southern Hemisphere prompt led to a bit more discovery of that part of the world. If you're looking for some additional ways to expand your reading then why not pick a part of the map or an era in history that is a bit neglected in popular reading?

We will be continuing both of these projects in 2021 so continue to update your entries within the new Map and Timeline

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Discussions

This year we will be doing a single, ongoing discussion thread in place of the monthly threads from last year. Head on over to the 2021 thread to talk about how you are doing with your challenge, books you're excited to read, book hauls, etc.

As always, feel free to create a dedicated post if you wish to talk about a book or reading-related topic more in-depth. You can also discuss any day-to-day activities or life events/updates here.

Make sure you also tell us about your favorite book of December so we can all grow our TBR! There's even a prompt for these books in the 2021 challenge so add your picks to help out the other members!

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Winter Reading Challenge

The Winter Reading Challenge is now in full swing! The format is a bit different than the previous challenges so be sure to check it out.

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Happy New Year from the ATY Mod Team!!

I went a bit wild with my holds and checkouts for the elibrary so I now have so many options that I really don't know where I want to start.

My current loans:

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Robin P wrote: "Laura wrote: "-Queenie
- Candice Carty-Williams
- 5 stars
- Format: eBook
- This book has some of the best character development I have seen. The racial/gender micro-aggressions por..."

Yes, it definitely had darker themes. But I knew that going in, based on the reviews so that probably made a difference for me. I also work in therapy, with a very similar population so I think that also affects my tolerance level. I found many parts very humorous (mainly her convos with "The Corgis" but still far from a Bridget Jones feel.

Hannah, I haven’t finished on time in a very long time. I’m still working on prompts from 2017-2020. I essentially look at it as one giant challenge. But I am hoping to finish 2021 during the actual year this year and put the others on the back burner. I can definitely see the appeal of just letting it go and starting with a clean slate but I haven’t been able to do that myself.

BEST ADULT FICTION
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams


BEST YA FICTION
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead


BREAKOUT READ
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid


MOST RECOMMENDED
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (Others are a bit too graphic or potentially triggering to widely recommend them)


BIGGEST PUSH
Any Man by Amber Tamblyn


BEST LGBTQIA+
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston


TAUGHT A LESSON
Any Man by Amber Tamblyn (very hard to pick just one)


BEST BOOK CLUB PICK
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams


MOST TIMELY
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid


BEST CHARACTERS
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams


BEST DRESSED
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett


BEST PLACE
The Silence by Tim Lebbon


MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams


BEST SHOCK
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager


BEST FEELINGS
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle


BEST FLUFF
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Robin P wrote: "Steve wrote: "Very interesting data! Definitely agree that it blows my mind that so many people read 200+ books! I feel so accomplished hitting 75!"

75 still puts you in the top 1% of Americans (..."

I've definitely noticed that on YouTube. Many people set goals to read 12. That aways makes me feel much more accomplished since I have yet to hit my 75-book goal.

-Queenie
- Candice Carty-Williams
- 5 stars
- Format: eBook
- This book has some of the best character development I have seen. The racial/gender micro-aggressions portrayed were maddening and I was begging for her to seek help very early in the book. I loved how she was so no-nonsense despite having such low self-esteem. It depicts mental health (especially seeking support) very realistically, including the impact of culture on views towards therapy. I would highly recommend but with the warning that it does depict sexual interactions pretty graphically.

We noticed that conversations were sometimes cut short when migrating to a new month in 2020. So for 2021, we will have a single, ongoing reading discussion location. This is place for all reading-related conversations.

How are you doing with your reading challenges? What do you have your eye on reading this month? Did last month (or 2020) live up to your expectations? Drop a line below!

Wowza, you had quite the stressful 2020, Manda. I am happy to hear that many of those things were good, though. Congrats on the wedding and the new job!

One of the most beautiful things about reading is its ability to take us to new places. A truly great author can truly make a setting come to life.

Reading Map 2021 (Last Updated 1/29/21)

Interactive Version: https://infogram.com/world-map-1h0n25...

Object:

Read at least one book set in every country around the world, as a group. We will also be breaking down the United States into each of the 50 states.

It became pretty evident in 2019 that some of the areas of the world are a bit (or a lot) more neglected in our reading habits. In order to really highlight those destinations that tend to be ignored, all new locations will be noted each time the map is updated.

If you're the (awesome) member who reads a book from one of those neglected locations then you will earn a special badge (see more info about Badges here.

Rules:

Only submit the books you've finished reading.
Sure, a lot of us have our reading plans solidified for the whole year but plans have a way of changing even when we don't expect them to. It is for this reason we ask that you only submit books that you're done reading. This way, if that book you thought you'd love ends up in your did-not-finish pile or you take an unexpected hiatus from the group, we won't have to go back and try and figure out what was or wasn't read and we can end the year with a pretty accurate record.

Around the Year Challenge books only, please.
We're going to limit this to books for the main challenge to keep things simpler.

Fiction, non-fiction, doesn't matter.
As long as the book is set in or references events that occurred in a real location we can include it.

Multiple locations:
We know that there are many books set in multiple locations. If that is the case, pick one as the main setting. If you feel like there is no distinct main setting for the book (like road trip books, time travel books, part fantasy world/part real world, etc.) then feel free to post your situation here and we can troubleshoot as a group.

What do the different colors mean?
If you see that someone else has already mapped a country, submit your book anyway. The map color will change as we read more and more books set in a country.

Locations Still Needed
These are locations that have not been completed since the start of the Group Reading Map Project (2016).

Andorra
Aruba
Bahamas
Bahrain
Belize
Bermuda
Bhutan
Brunei
Burundi
Cameroon
Cayman Islands
Chad
Comoros
Curaçao
Djibouti
El Salvador
Eritrea
Fiji
Guadeloupe
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Honduras
Kosovo
Latvia
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Mayotte
Micronesia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Nauru
Niger
North Macedonia
Reunion
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
San Marino
Seychelles
South Sudan
St. Helena
Suriname
Swaziland
São Tomé and Príncipe
Tajikistan
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos
Tuvalu
Uzbekistan
Western Sahara

Reading can not only transport us to different locations or even worlds. They often also take us to other times. This project is dedicated to creating a timeline of the group's 2021 reads.

Rules:

Only submit the books you've finished reading.
Sure, a lot of us have our reading plans solidified for the whole year but plans have a way of changing even when we don't expect it. It is for this reason we ask that you only submit books that you're done reading. This way, if that book you thought you'd love ends up in your did-not-finish pile or you take an unexpected hiatus from the group, we won't have to go back and try and figure out what was or wasn't read and we can end the year with a pretty accurate record.

Around the Year Challenge books only, please.
We're going to limit this to books for the main challenge to keep things simpler. If you want to create your own timeline, the mods would be happy to send you the info on the site used.

Fiction, non-fiction, doesn't matter.
As long as the book is provides reasonable information about the dates in which it takes place, you can share all books read. Some books let us know a general idea of setting (i.e. present time). This timeline is only going to provide books by the decade (with specific years when possible) so a general idea is likely fine.

Multiple years/decades:
For now, you can feel free to include multiple years for a single book. As you will see in the early books added (Recursion, for example), we can list a book once within a decade even if there are multiple years represented. Just keep in mind, your book will likely not be the "Featured Book" for the displayed decade.

Special requests?
I have created a preliminary timeline based on predicted decades. Please just post your book's info in the comments and I can expand the timeline if needed (i.e. before or after current decades)

The software allows the timeline to be updated as soon as I enter data in the source spreadsheet. Just click the link below to see the current graphic. Note, the source spreadsheet will be updated when possible, likely once per month.

The timeline link will be available after the first update.

The timeline is now fully updated!

If you have any final additions for 2020, please be sure to add them in the next few days :)

The map is now fully updated!!

We're finishing off the year with these new locations:

Sri Lanka
Venezuela
Gabon
Bulgaria
Croatia
Indonesia
Cambodia
Mozambique

If you have any remaining 2020 locations, be sure to submit them in the next few days :)

Wow, I'm blown away that so many people read over 200 books! That's truly astounding to me.

I actually haven't heard much about The House in the Cerulean Sea but that may be because I'm not a big fantasy. I'm definitely no surprised by the other popular books.

December (Reserved)

November (Reserved)

October (Reserved)

September (Reserved)

August (Reserved)