Emily’s Comments (group member since Jan 04, 2017)

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

NancyJ, The Orphan Master's Son was one of the best books my book club has ever read! And I also really liked The Luminaries (it felt much shorter than it actually was).

dalex, Behold the Dreamers was so wonderful. It was the first book I read that really made me feel like I was experiencing the 2008 financial crash (for better or worse), and to do it through the eyes of immigrants... heartbreaking but so beautifully done.

I have read the ToB shortlist the last couple of years so I'm selfishly very glad this prompt got in so that I can use it for the shortlisted books. This year reading in order was a bit of a challenge since I had to squeeze in 12 ToB books before March and they only fit a few prompts (surprisingly, the less than 2024 ratings had the most ToB options lol).

NancyJ wrote: "Note: Disappearing Earth has many votes on the listopia, but if memory serves, it was set over the course of a year with one chapter per month. (Winter is long there, so those chapt..."

I'm pretty sure I added Disappearing Earth because I remember it being cold all the time lol. I don't like cold books (which is something I've discovered about myself through my challenges), but I did love this one.

Yes, the anniversary list was comprised of one prompt from each year's list. For 2025, we went with the highest-voted prompt in our yearly polls, which put that prompt on the list twice.

The anniversary list is a bonus challenge as well, so don't feel the need to do those if you don't want to!

The Tournament of Books is an annual literary contest in which 16 books are put against each other in a head-to-head tournament bracket. The winner is always a surprise!

Our read-a-thon winner Megan chose this prompt, saying, "I read through the ToB short list for the first time this year and it was so much fun! I found myself interested in books I would have otherwise never picked up because of it. I think it would be a great way to push people out of their comfort zones."

Spreadsheet with all of the Longlists throughout the years (note that everything on the shortlist was also on the longlist): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
More about the Tournament: https://www.tournamentofbooks.com/about

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and what year was it longlisted?

Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Louisa May Alcott.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Taylor Jenkins Reid.

What do these authors have in common? They all chose to use three names as their author names for their books.

This week, you are going on a scavenger hunt through your TBR for authors who use three names. You can make this a bit easier by including intials (think F. Scott Fitzgerald), or you can make it harder by looking for an author who has written under three different psudonyms (Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes as Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle).

Some Goodreads shelves to help you along:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt?

Another scavenger hunt for our anniversary list prompts! This time, we are diving into both the title and author's names to see if we can find all five vowels (used in the English language).

If you're looking to make this a bit tougher, aim for all five vowels being either in the title OR the author's name, and if you typically read in a language that is not English, feel free to sub in your own set of vowels.

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and how does it fit?

It's been a long year so far, and sometimes, we just need a comforting book. For some people, that means a light and fluffy rom com. For others, that means getting lost in a good mystery. For others, it could be whatever they can get off of their shelves to pare down the stacks. Whatever comfort means to you, this is the week to lean into that.

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and how does it fit?

Oh Charlsa, I really enjoyed Adelaide. Picked it up on a whim and liked it a lot. And it was good on audio.

You might be asking yourself why we are reading a book set in winter in the month of June.

Well, for our southern hemisphere friends, winter is just kicking off! And for the rest of us, sometimes during those sweltering summer days, it's nice to be transported to an icy setting.

Winter Book Lists: https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/wi...
Cozy Up with a Good Book: https://sclibrary.bibliocommons.com/l...
16 Page Turners Set in the Snow: https://strongsenseofplace.com/2023/0...
Top 25 Best Winter Books of All Time: https://theliterarylifestyle.com/best...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and how does it fit?

One of the Book of the Month Club challenges every year is the Debut Darling, so I'll likely choose from my BOTM picks for this prompt (mostly because it's labeled for me and I don't have to dig for it lol)

Thanks, NancyJ. I've updated the first post with your links!

As the days get shorter (in the northern hemisphere) and the weather gets colder (in the northern hemisphere), we often to turn to fire as a source of warmth and comfort.

This week, you are looking for a book related to fire. Maybe it's on the cover or in the title. Maybe it's an important plot point. Maybe it's a metaphorical fire with a slow burn romance.

Fire on Cover: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
Books about Fire:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/fires
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Books with Firefighters: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Slow Burn Romance: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Books with dragons: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Explosions and eruptions:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
The desert: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and how does it fit?

We are throwing it back to 2018, with a prompt that is all about an author's first book. Whether you choose a new up-and-coming author, or you dive into a favorite author's backlist, this is a great opportunity to discover the very beginning of an author's career.

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt?

Hey Karin, thanks for the reminder. I'm a GR librarian and periodically go through our listopias to remove duplicates.

It's been 40 years since the iconic movie The Breakfast Club was released, cementing some character tropes into the mainstream - the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal.

While the terms may not be the ones we would use today, these characters are often found in literature. This week, you're finding a book that contains that contains a protagonist that could fit into one of these categories.

Brain: a character who is smart, nerdy, or a high-achiever
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Athlete: a character who practices a sport, a jock
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

Basket Case: a character who has a hard time functioning in society, maybe they're a nervous wreck, or overwhelmed or struggling with their mental health. Can also be a socially withdrawn or alienated character
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

Princess: can be a literal princess in a fantasy or memoir or a character who is popular, spoiled, or from a privileged background
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

Criminal: a rebellious character or one who engages in criminal activity
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and how does it fit?

I may look to the Warwick Prize for books for this prompt!

We love a good title scavenger hunt, and this week, in celebration of our 2017 list, we are looking for books with titles that don't contain an E!

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

This week, we are going for a book in translation (maybe!). For those of us who primarily read in English, this is a chance to look for books that were not originally published in the language. For those of us who read in other languages, here's a chance for you to take advantage of that fact!

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and how does it fit?

The 2016 List
1. A book you meant to read in 2015, but didn't
2. A book set in a different continent
3. A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2015 (winner or nominated)
4. A book by an author you discovered in 2015
5. A book with a title beginning with the 1st letter of your name
6. The highest rated on your TBR
7. A book about books
8. A classic book with less than 200 pages
9. A book that was mentioned in another book
10. A book by an author you feel you should have read by now
11. A book from the Rory Gilmore challenge
12. A childhood classic
13. Reader’s Choice
14. A book with one of the five W’s -or H in the title (Who/What/Where/When/Why/How)
15. A book set in the past (more than 100 years ago)
16. A book from the top 100 mystery novels
17. A book with a beautiful cover
18. A book on a summer/beach reading list
19. A non-fiction book
20. A book with a first name in the title
21. A book from the Goodreads Recommendations page
22. The first book in a new to you series
23. The next book in a series you are reading
24. A ""between the numbers"" book of a series (0.5, 1,5, 2.5, etc.)
25. A book whose main character is in a profession that interests you
26. A book everyone is talking about
27. A book with a beautiful title (in your own opinion)
28. A biography, autobiography, or memoir
29. A book by an author who writes under more than one name
30. A fairytale from a culture other than your own
31. A work of young adult fiction
32. A historical fiction book
33. The 16th book on your TBR
34. A book about mental illness
35. An award winning book
36. An identity book - a book about a different culture, religion or sexual orientation
37. A book that you've seen the movie of but haven't read
38. A book about an anti hero
39. A previous suggestion that did not make it into the list
40. A novella from your favorite genre
41. A book about a major world event (fiction or non-fiction)
42. A top 100 fantasy novel
43. A book about a thing that goes bump in the night
44. A book you're embarrassed to read in public
45. A book related to a hobby or passion you have
46. A crime story
47. A book with a type of food/drink in the title
48. A dystopia
49. A book with a great opening line
50. A book originally written in a language other than English
51. A short story from a well-known author
52. A book published in 2016