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

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

July
1.Let's Play:
Whether it's your summer or winter, it's always a good time to have some fun
a. First letter of the book's title is in HORSE AROUND
b. Includes a character who plays a sport
c. Published in a year ending with 3 - Harvest

2. Travel Season:
Armchair travelling is definitely the cheapest, but exploring in real life is nice too!
a. Set in multiple countries
b. A book with a map
c. Cover has vehicle (car, plane, boat, train, hang glider, etc) The Unsinkable Greta James

3. Halfway there!
a. Book with an even number of pages
b. The next book in a series - A Trail Through Time
c. An author's second book

4. Turn Up the Radio:
Invented in the 1890s and probably much more fun now
a. Book featuring or about musicians
b. Set in the 19th century
c. Author's initials can be found in GUGLIELMO MARCONI - Fed to Red Birds

JUNE plan

1. Father's Day:
111 countries around the world celebrate Father's Day, with the most common date being the third Sunday in June, which was started by Sonora Smart Dodd in Spokane, Washington in 1910.
a. Book whose main character is a father
b. Biography or history nonfiction book
c. Author's initials can be found in PATERNITY - The Bay by Allie Reynolds

2. Estival Solstice:
For the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice on June 21st is the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year
a. Book with a title that is 5 or more words - Before the Coffee Gets Cold
b. Cover has plants on the cover
c. Book is set in the Northern Hemisphere

3. Hibernal Solstice:
For the Southern Hemisphere the winter solstice on June 22nd is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year.
a. Book that is at least 400 pages long - The Sun Sister (845pp)
b. Book with fire on the cover
c. Book is set in the Southern Hemisphere

4. Pride Month:
A month celebrating LGBT+ communities and their history which was started following the 1969 Stonewall Riots
a. Written by an author who identifies as LGBTQIA+
b. A banned or challenged book
c. A coming of age novel - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I'm reading in order again too. I found it very fun last year!

My January reads:
1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
Runt (set Australia)
2. A book by an author you read in 2022
The Book of Two Ways
3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list
Resurrection Bay (won an Australian book award)
4. A book with an interracial relationship
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

One of the earliest I recall is The Magic Faraway Tree. But I don't even remember what my daughter's first book was and that was only 4 years ago. I wish I'd made note of it!

- Title
Burn
- Author
Patrick Ness
- Rating
5 star
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
Connected to here be dragons
- Brief reason why it was the best
A rare trifecta of exciting plot, great characters, and thought provoking issues

- Title
Project Hail Mary
- Author
Andy Weir
- Rating
5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
Non human character
- Brief reason why it was the best
Super fun, positive, exciting. Lots of love for science. Great characters

I voted for To Paradise in fiction, which was one of my favourite reads of the year. But it should be in science fiction not general fiction!

I had read a few of the historical nominees and had a tough decision between Violeta and Lessons in Chemistry (I went with the latter)

I voted for How High We Go in the Dark in sci fi and debut

I haven't read anything in any other categories. I do try to read a lot of new releases, but most of them are by Australian authors so they don't make this list.

- Title
The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World

- Author
Abigail Tucker

- Rating
4.5 stars

- Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
ebook

- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
related to fauna

- Brief reason why it was the best
It's an overview of our relationship with cats, taken from various scientific and non-science sources. My favourite part was about how cats tricked us into domesticating them - they are the only domestic creature who get more from us than we do from them.

So many I liked returning, and a few good new ones. I think I'll have 8 upvotes.

The suggestions go so quickly! I find it impossible to get in

Ooh lots of good ones this round!

I didn't manage to finish my last book, but I put in a lot of audio hours. Had my earbud in while playing "salon" with my 4 year old for 2 hours. I still have playdoh in my hair but hopefully it was worth it for those acorns :D

I found voting hard this time. There were two I really like: colonialism and the arts, but I don't feel strongly about any others

🥕 Edamame: A translated book
The Bird Tribunal✔︎

🥕 Potatoes: A book with an animal on the cover
The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World✔︎

🥕 Peppers: A book set in the Southern Hemisphere
Mullumbimby✔︎

🥕 Cucumber: A mystery, thriller, or horror book
My Best Friend's Exorcism✔︎

The book I'm reading now would work for yellow cover or 400 pages

I randomly read The Ophelia Network which works for several options. I've put it as red cover for now since that seems the most in need.

Bec wrote: "I was telling my daughter last night that I was doing a read-a-thon so to let me read (13 year old putting off going to bed). She thought the idea of a read-a-thon was the funniest thing she had ev..."

LOL

I think for the dystopia category, I've got the only planned book. I have ordered one from the library but won't get it until Friday. 99% sure that will be fine, but I would feel safer if there was a backup plan!

I've found an audio novella i want to read with fruit on the cover. I'll start it today

Looks like we've got 3 acorns and our first cornucopia!

Louise - random question - was We Had to Remove This Post set in the Netherlands? I need a book set there for another challenge.