Emma’s Comments (group member since Jan 05, 2017)

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

I'm going with Toni Morrison for this one. I read a few of her books in high school, but for some reason, I have never been back to her.

I'm currently reading Sula, and while the subject matter is incredibly difficult, her writing beautiful, and I certainly didn't appreciate it at a younger age!

I'm thinking of The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hessler.

It is about the recent Arab Spring mostly, but he talks about both Nassar and the Suez Canal crisis, which get mentions in separate parts of the song.

I'm 1/3 of a book away from finishing the challenge! I found it MUCH easier to fit books into categories this year, and was able to read books I loved for the most part.

Favorites:


Meh/Not For Me:


Now I'm on to see if I read at least 100 books by the end of the year.

italics = In Progress
bold = Finished

1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or - Home by Marilynne Robinson

2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable - Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh

3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019 - Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

4. A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live - Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

5. The first book in a series that you have not started - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin's

6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover - Rough Magic: Riding the World's Loneliest Horse Race by Lara Prior-Palmer

7. A book set in the southern hemisphere - Queen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood

8. A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The" - The Alienist by Caleb Carr

9. A book that can be read in a day - Just Kids by Patti Smith

10. A book that is between 400-600 pages - The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson

11. A book originally published in a year that is a prime number - Swimmer Among the Stars: Stories by Kanishk Tharoor

12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people - Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge - 2016 - A classic book under 200 pages - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff


14. A book by an author on the Abe List of 100 Essential Female Writers - Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

15. A book set in a global city - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area - Andy Catlett: Early Travels by Wendell Berry

17. A book with a neurodiverse character - The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

18. A book by an author you've only read once before - My Neck of the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich

19. A fantasy book - In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

20. The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.] - The Plover by Brian Doyle

21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1720 - An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

22. A book with the major theme of survival - Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure by Ryan North

23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author - On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor

24. A book with an emotion in the title - This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Phillips

25. A book related to the arts - Reading In Bed: Brief headlong essays about books & writers & reading & readers by Brian Doyle

26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards - A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

27. A history or historical fiction - For All the Tea in China: Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World's Favourite Drink by Sarah Rose

28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author - Death by Water by Kerry Greenwood

29. An underrated book, a hidden gem or a lesser known book - Living and Dying Without A Map by Nancy Ewert

30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year - The Library Book by Susan Orlean

31. A book inspired by a leading news story (The Timber Wars) - The Overstory by Richard Powers

32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan - Game Changers: The Unsung Heroines of Sports History by Molly Schiot

33. A book about a non-traditional family - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name (A Novel of Manners AND my actual name) - Emma by Jane Austen

35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover -

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

36. A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim - The New World by Aleš Kot

37. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #1 - If Women Rose Rooted: The Power of the Celtic Woman by Sharon Blackie


38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2 - When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams

39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce - Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga

40. A book with a place name in the title - Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

41. A mystery - The Jazz Files by Fiona Veitch Smith

42. A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World’ - The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse - The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (the pale horse symbolizes pestilence and death, and this really was an apocalypse for the gay community

44. A book related to witches - Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018 - Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire" - The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hessler

47. A classic book you've always meant to read - Sula by Toni Morrison

48. A book published in 2020 - The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré

49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win (link) - Poll 11 - A book about someone who is looking for a job, is jobless or quits their job - Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

50. A book with a silhouette on the cover - Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin


51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title - Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate by Rose George

52. A book related to time - How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin

(1) A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

(2) A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, What, Where, When, Why) - What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons

(3) A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y - An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

(4) A book with a criminal character (i.e. assassin, pirate, thief, robber, scoundrel etc) - Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

(5) A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare - Mama Day by Gloria Naylor

(6) A book with a dual timeline - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

(7) 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1 - Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

(8) 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2 - White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

(9) A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (romance/erotica, crime/mystery, religious/inspirational, science fiction/fantasy or horror) - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

(10) A book featuring an historical figure - The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan

(11) A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject) - Rat Queens: Deluxe Edition, Volume 1 by Kurtis J. Wiebe

(12) A book about reading, books or an author/writer - Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper

(13) A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list - Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

(14) A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term - The Revolution of the Moon by Andrea Camilleri

(15) A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country - The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan

(16) A book told from multiple perspectives - The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

(17) A speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy, scifi, horror, dystopia) - The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

(18) A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements - Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder by James Mahaffey

(19) A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR - The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson


(20) A book featuring indigenous people of a country - Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot

(21) A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes (A book with a interesting or beautiful spine/A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Goodreads/A book by an author from an island) - Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori

(22) A book with a number in the title or on the cover - Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga

(23) 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old - The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

(24) 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New - Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

(25) 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed - The Expanse: Origins by James S.A. Corey

(26) 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue - Home by Nnedi Okorafor

(27) A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list - The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith

(28) A book related to something cold (i.e. theme, title, author, cover, etc.) - The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

(29) A book published before 1950 - We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich

(30) A book featuring an elderly character - To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

(31) A children’s classic you’ve never read - Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle

(32) A book with more than 500 pages - Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

(33) A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

(34) A book with a person's name in the title - The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

(35) A psychological thriller - My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

(36) A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list - The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

(37) A book set in a school or university - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

(38) A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc) - S. by J.J. Abrams

(39) A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life - Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

(40) A book you stumbled upon - Hearth: A Global Conversation on Identity, Community, and Place by Annick Smith

(41) A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards - Circe by Madeline Miller

(42) A book with a monster or "monstrous" character - Rat Queens Deluxe Edition Volume 2 by Kurtis J. Wiebe

(43) A book related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) [fiction or nonfiction] - The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson

(44) A book related in some way to a TV show/series or movie you enjoyed (same topic, same era, book appeared in the show/movie, etc.) - Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood

(45) A multi-generational saga - Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

(46) A book with a (mostly) black cover - Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

(47) A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.) - Flavor: The Science of Our Most Neglected Sense by Bob Holmes


(48) A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year - Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild

(49) A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country - Severance by Ling Ma

(50) A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual) - Becoming by Michelle Obama

(51) A book published in 2019 - Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey

(52) A book with a weird or intriguing title - The Truffle Underground: A Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and Manipulation in the Shadowy Market of the World's Most Expensive Fungus by Ryan Jacobs

A lobster

- What are you reading for this category?

I chose The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern



- What is its connection to astronomy?

Night is in the title, and while that is technically not "astronomical", the cover also has stars on it, and many of the internal pages feature constellations, so I think it qualifies

I read this for Challenge # 12 in 2019 (A book about reading, books or an author/writer ) and I LOVED it!

I picked this for #38 (A book not written in traditional novel format) in 2019. I am still in the process of reading it, and while I can't say I love the Ship of Theseus itself, it is a fun read.

I am reading the pencil notations, insets (when not clearly marked as going with a specific comment) and some of the earlier back and forth comments along with the text, and then I plan to go back and reread the comments in chronological order.

This was my pick for Challenge #2: A book with one of the 5 W's in the title. I am liking it so far, but haven't gotten too far into it.

I am reading Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper. I figure a book about writing dictionaries will fit this prompt, and I am excited about this book in particular!

I am reading What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons for this prompt. I am only a little of the way in, but so far I am liking it.

This book fits a few of the 2019 prompts, but I picked it for #1: A book that was nominated for or won a prize in a genre you enjoy, as it won the Pulitzer Prize.

I really liked it. It was beautiful. My only qualm as I think about it now is that I might have loved it more had the stories either stayed closer to Olive herself or been described as a book about a town in Maine rather then titled Olive Kitteridge

- What are you reading for this category?

I am starting with Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, which won the Pulitzer Prize. I am starting by reading in order for now, and this was one I had easily accessible on my shelves.

Johanne wrote: "I have never read a complete Shakespeare play - only excerpts for school and quotes in different places. So I think this is it. But where is a good place to begin? I have read plays before, so I fe..."

You can get some great versions meant for actors that have in depth explanations of the plot as well as modern interpretations of some harder words. My favorites are the Oxford School Shakespeare Series, but there are quite a few other versions out there.

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

I chose Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang, which won a PEN prize as well as a local LA prize.

- Why did you choose this short story or collection?

I chose it because I have been hearing about it, and I was having a really hard time finding award winning short story collections that were availible at my local library, so this was wort of the only option.

- Short story fan, share the short stories and collections you liked the most!

I do really like short stories, although I usually prefer essays. I LOVED What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah, which is probably the best short story collection I have ever read.

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

by Mary Doria Russell

- Why did you choose this book?

I had been meaning to read it, and I wasn't feeling like reading a mystery book at the moment. It is stretching it a bit because it only has bullet holes in the cover, but I figured it was close enough.

- Have you played this game before? Do you like it? Has this topic prompted you to bust it out of the cupboard?

I actually LOVE Clue!

Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?

I read
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

- When did you add the book your TBR? (date listed under 'date added')

October of 2012

I picked it up for the "on or under water category" this year, and really enjoyed it!

I picked Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant, which is a book about a team of scientists searching for killer mermaids.

Despite the premise, it was fascinating, terrifying and really fun!