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

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

OUTSIDE CHALLENGES


BOOK OF THE MONTH
JANUARY: ✔️The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
FEBRUARY: The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune; Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson; ✔️Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
MARCH: ✔️Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven; ✔️Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley; The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
APRIL: Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson; Gifted & Talented by by Olivie Blake
MAY: The Names by Florence Knapp; ✔️My Friends by Fredrik Backman
JUNE: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
JULY: Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee
AUGUST:
SEPTEMBER:
OCTOBER:
NOVEMBER:
DECEMBER:


A NOVEL BUNCH BOOK CLUB
✔️JANUARY: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (Erin)
✔️FEBRUARY: The Forest of Stolen Girls by Jane Hur (Kate)
✔️MARCH: Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (Trisha)
✔️APRIL: Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby (Emily)
✔️MAY: Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews (Megan S)
✔️JUNE: Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas (Emily)
✔️JULY: The Favorites by Layne Fargo (Lauren)
AUGUST: When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward (Alyssa)
SEPTEMBER: The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (Megan K)
OCTOBER: The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards (Abby)
NOVEMBER: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Katherine)
DECEMBER: Holiday Rom-Com


12 BOOKS FROM 12 FRIENDS
All in Her Head by Elizabeth Comen
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
✔️The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb
A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria E. Schwab
The Family Experiment by by John Marrs
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
✔️Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib
✔️Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna


TOURNAMENT OF BOOKS
✔️Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
✔️The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa
✔️The Book of George by Kate Greathead
✔️The Book of Love by Kelly Link
✔️Colored Television by Danzy Senna
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft
✔️Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham
✔️Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
✔️The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck
✔️James by Percival Everett
✔️Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
✔️Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
✔️Orbital by Samantha Harvey
✔️Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
✔️Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu

✔️All Fours by Miranda July
✔️Liars by Sarah Manguso
✔️The Wedding People by Alison Espach

2025 ATY PROGRESS POST

1. A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y
✔️Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle


2. A prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the list
✔️Orbital by Samantha Harvey
A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence

3. A book connected to something mentioned in the Do Re Mi song
✔️Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
Far, a long, long way from home

4. A book set underground, under sea or in an underworld
✔️The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

5. A book with a weird or intriguing title
✔️Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

6. A book with a serpentine element on the cover
✔️Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu


7. A book by an author that uses 3 names

8. A collection of short stories or novellas, essays, poetry, or a mix of various brief writings
✔️Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte

9. A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year
✔️Colored Television by Danzy Senna

10. A book about witches, goddesses or nuns
✔️Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Nuns, witches

11. A book set in a fictional location

12. A book by an Irish author

13. A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family
✔️Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

14. A science fiction or fantasy novel written by a woman
✔️The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa

15. A book of secrets, lies, or deception
✔️Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

16. A book that fits a prompt from the 2016 ATY list
✔️How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
A memoir, biography, or autobiography

17. A history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925
✔️The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman
1924

18. A book set primarily in nature
✔️Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

19. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape
✔️Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland

20. A book with an animal, vegetable (plant), or mineral in the title
✔️Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

21. A book connected in some way to any collective noun for animals
✔️All Fours by Miranda July

22. A translated novel from Asia

23. A book that involves art, music, dancing or acting
✔️My Friends by Fredrik Backman

24. A book with a main character who is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal
✔️Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Basket Case

25. A book with waves on the cover

26. A book by an author with a common noun in their name
✔️The Book of George by Kate Greathead

27. A book set in the winter

28. Two books with a pair of opposites in their titles: Book 1

29. Two books with a pair of opposites in their titles: Book 2

30. A monster book

31. A book with a coastal setting

32. A mystery or true crime book

33. A book by an author you enjoyed but haven't gotten around to reading again for some time

34. A book title that could be a country song

35. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists

36. A book with a common household object on the cover

37. A book featuring adult friendships

38. Two books with a connection from different genres: Book 1

39. Two books with a connection from different genres: Book 2

40. A book you'd consider a comfort read

41. A book that involves digging up the past

42. A book set in a manor, mansion, or estate

43. A book whose title has ten or fewer letters

44. A haunting book

45. A book by an author whose publishing career spans at least ten years

46. A book related to one of the traditional full moon names

47. A book relating to fire

48. A book with a character dealing with death

49. A book that deals with time travel, alternate universes, or alternate timelines

50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2024 or 2025

51. A book published in 2025

52. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover

THE ANNIVERSARY LIST

2016: A book originally written in a language other than English

2017: A book whose title doesn't contain the letter "E"

2018: An author's debut book

2019: A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements

2020: A book with an emotion in the title

2021: A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

2022: A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name

2023: A book whose author has published more than 7 books

2024: A book that has been on your TBR for over a year

2025: A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family

2025 BOOKS BY RATING


FIVE STARS
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu
Swept Away by Beth O'Leary


4.5 STARS
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros


FOUR STARS
All Fours by Miranda July
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros


3.5 STARS
The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa
Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
The Book of George by Kate Greathead
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan


THREE STARS
Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer


2.5 STARS
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Colored Television by Danzy Senna


2 STARS


DNF

COVER COLLAGE

In 2024, I read in order... and it was fine. I haven't quite decided if I'm going to read in any sort of order, or if I'm just going to wing it. We will see how I feel when January hits.

2024: Read in list order
2023: Read however I want (and had a baby!)
2022: Read in list order
2021: Read however I want, completed the challenge twice
2020: Pulled prompts from a jar randomly and read in that order
2019: Read in list order
2018: Read however I want
2017: First attempt, just get it done!

Also:
My 40 Before 40 List: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Tracking Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

CURRENT COUNT
Total Books Read: 28
ATY: 35/52

40 Before 40: 0/4

May have opened up the 2025 Plans folder a bit early 🤫

It has become a traditional at Around the Year in 52 Books to include a prompt that involves A, T, and Y in our first prompt of the year. This year, we are leading with a prompt that includes a bit of a cover scavenger hunt! You're looking for items that begin with an A (apple, artwork, astronauts), T (trees, tent, telephone), or Y (yachts, yarn, ymaka). We welcome creativity, and you can check out the ATY listopia for more inspiration.

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

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

Beautiful, thanks Jillian. This actually seems pretty fun, and it gives some flexibility, since each poll has at least two options... you can read them in any order, really, since they were voted in the same poll.

I wasn't going to read in order next year but I like this lol. It's even manageable since the 2025 prompt didn't get in until Poll 1 (instead of the pre-poll like usual) so you have a bit of wiggle room to get a January publication in.

I don't want to make them sound averse - they voted the genre into our list, so they definitely want to read it. I just know April is a busy month for all of us, and I was hoping to go with something not so literary. I should maybe look for some of the options you mentioned, Robin... a lot of us read and enjoyed Oona, The Echo Wife, Annie Bot, The Husbands... I think I was thinking a bit too strictly of the genre, so I appreciate you broadening my idea of it.

Though I will check out Orbital, because they don't mind literary if it doesn't drag out too much haha!

Oh Sherri, that's a fun idea! Definitely take a screenshot or copy the list from the 2024 Plans tab on the spreadsheet... that will make it easier. I will be reordering that tab to fit the final list order on Wednesday when we post the 2025 list.

You could also look at the listopia thread for the list order as well, though I will likely be reordering it as well (it's not as high of a priority as the spreadsheet though).

Can confirm that the 2025 anniversary prompt is in that list. It was the only prompt in the entire voting season to hit above 100 net votes. None of the prompts on this poll will hit that milestone.

This is the longest voting season we have had in a few years. We do have about 65% of the voting in (assuming the same number of people vote on this poll as previous), but there's still a tight race between a few different prompts as to what will make it in the top 2.

But never fear. I've been working hard to get the final list ready to slot in these last two prompts and post the final list on Wednesday!

(Also, it neatly falls the day after the final tax deadline, so I'll have an easy day at work for Wednesday)

My book club picked our genres for next year's books, and I've been assigned science fiction in April (well... I assigned it to myself since no one else wanted it).

I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I want to make sure what I pick is accessible to a group that is quick to quit something too literary (especially in the busy month of April).

Here's what I've checked out from the library to read a sample of before deciding. Feel free to give me any recommendations or opinions on these books!

Archangels of Funk
The Stardust Grail
Glass Houses
The Mimicking of Known Successes
Beautyland
Hum

Starting to work on the weekly threads, and I'd love to see more thoughts and ideas in this thread!

Voting is open for Poll 18!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Voting is open!

https://forms.gle/q4tTy6AV4tVJiLAm6

Yes, I removed any that had logged less than 10 books. At this point in the year, I assumed people had forgotten about the spreadsheet and were not updating, so I wanted a more accurate count of where the group stood.

THOUGHTS & IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

1. A book that fits three other prompts on this list
A KIS option is to count ""Reader’s choice"" from the 2016 list and only fit your book to two other prompts.

Examples:
Translated novel from Asia, coastal setting, fantasy or sci-fi by a woman Kiki's Delivery Service
Art, music, etc., Irish author, secrets, lies, or deception The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best book of the month thread 2024, waves on the cover, reader’s choice from 2016 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Related to fire, title with ten or fewer letters, suggestion that didn’t make the list (set before 1900) Jane Eyre

2. A monster book
Either a chunky tome or a book about a monster (human or imaginary)
I liked that the Oxford dictionary definition of monster uses this as an example:
"this is a monster of a book, almost 500 pages"

Long books (an ATY list): https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Serial killers: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Human monsters: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Best monster books: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Monster heroines: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

3. A book with any connection to a song
This can be a personal connection, such as a favorite song, or a song related to an important date, person, or event in your life. Or it can just be a connection you like between a book and a song.

Top Ten songs by year since 1950: http://www.aandadj.com/Top-Ten-Songs-...
Same Titles: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Songs based on Books: https://www.buzzfeed.com/katherinepic...
Songs that retell stories: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Songs inspired by books: https://www.toledolibrary.org/blog/so...
https://www.librarything.com/topic/14...

4. A book with a lucky or unlucky symbol on the cover
Lucky: 4 leaf clover, horseshoe, penny, ladybug
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Unlucky: black cat, broken mirror, the number 13
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

5. A book connected in some way to a game show
Game shows: Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right , Deal or No Deal, The Dating Game, Tattletales, Match Game, Mad Dash, $ 25,000 Pyramid, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Family Feud, Press Your Luck

https://www.goldderby.com/gallery/bes...

KIS Option: Include reality shows

Reality Shows: The Amazing Race, The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, Survivor, Hell's Kitchen, Nailed It, (Country's) Got Talent

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?ti...

Although the examples above are typically American, game shows from any country count.
Also, books relating to the concept of game shows also apply: Game, race, challenge, competition, excitement, audience, contender, player, hopeful, favourite, finalist, applause, prize, win or lose

7. A book that involves migration
Examples: animal/bird migration, migrant workers, asylum seekers, historical migration from any period, interplanetary travel, someone relocating for reasons of work/romance/crime

9. A book with a Y connection
It could be:
- a book by a Generation Y (millennial author)
- a book about a fork in the road (a Y junction)
- a book related to science or math (solving for Y or the Y-axis)
- a book about a double life (Y is both a consonant and a vowel)

or any other Y connection you want

11. A book with a character who works in law enforcement
These types of jobs include (not a full list, and may not include terms used in countries outside the US. List is just to give you the range of possibilities to consider):


- Correctional Officer

- Border Patrol Agent

- Deputy Sheriff

- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

- Federal Air Marshall Service

- Paralegal

- Court Reporter

- Forensic Science Technician

- Police Officer (incl. Deputy, Chief of Police, etc.)

- Criminal Investigator

- FBI Agent

- Detective (Homicide or otherwise)

- Bailiff

- State Trooper

- Crime Analyst

- Fraud Investigator

- Probation Officer

- Intelligence Analyst

- Secret Service

- Private Investigator

- Crime Scene Investigator

- Attorney

- Fish and Game Warden

- Emergency Services Dispatcher (911 or 999, etc., operator)

- Campus Safety Officer

- Park Ranger

- Airport Public Safety Officer

- Animal Control

- District Attorney Investigator

- Attorney General

- Hostage Negotiator

- Parking Enforcement Officer (previously known as “meter maid”)


Of course these characters primarily lend themselves to Mystery, Suspense, True Crime and Thriller books, but I could see them sneak into Romance, Memoir, or even General Fiction (where a crime is not the main focus and just happens to be the job of a character).


Listopias to help: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8...

13. A book involving science
A book with a science topic or character.
Any science fields - physical, natural or social sciences -
Biology, neuroscience, medicine, physics, psychology,
Topics such as genetics, evolution, extinction, climate change, ecology, ecosystems, trees, plants, fungi, etc.
Fiction, nonfiction, memoir

It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may have regarding the prompts, do some research, or ask for recommendations.

Voting will open in the morning of Saturday, October 12 and results will be posted in the morning of Wednesday, October 16 (CST time).

How it works:
- When the voting opens, follow the link to the mini-poll that will be added at the end of this post
- You have a total of 8 votes this poll to spread across your favorite and least favorite prompts (you can also use less than 8 votes)
- You can find examples of acceptable voting practices on the Introduction thread.
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list

We are asking people to include their Goodreads profile address when they vote. To find this, just go to your own profile and then copy the URL/web address. If for some reason you can't link to your Goodreads profile, please post your full Goodreads name with enough identifiable information that we'll be able to access your profile.

Poll Prompts:
1. A book that fits three other prompts on this list
2. A monster book
3. A book with any connection to a song
4. A book with a lucky or unlucky symbol on the cover
5. A book connected in some way to a game show
6. A book at least 25 years old
7. A book that involves migration
8. A book written by an author who is at least 65 years old at time of publication
9. A book with a Y connection
10. A book with illustrations
11. A book with a character who works in law enforcement
12. A book with a protagonist who is a different gender than the author
13. A book involving science
14. A history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925
15. A book with yellow on the cover

Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.

VOTE HERE: https://forms.gle/q4tTy6AV4tVJiLAm6
NOTE: There are only two slots left on our 2025 list! Only the top two prompts from this poll will make it in.

CLOSED