bamaace83 ’s
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(group member since Dec 31, 2016)
bamaace83 ’s
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from the Around the Year in 52 Books group.
Showing 1-20 of 47
dalex wrote: "I’m currently contemplating doing one author (Paula McLain) with books set on three different continents. The Paris Wife - Europe
Circling the Sun - Africa
[book:W..."
I'm totally borrowing your idea. I've been wanting to read The Paris Wife and the other books just look good.
Alison wrote: "bamaace83I am so sorry that I am a bit late in posting this!
I took a peek at your GR profile and we share a lot of the same interests in books :)
In Historical Romance, I would recommend 2 tha..."
Thanks for all the recommendations! I think I decided to read Bringing Down the Duke because my library had it available but I'm going to put the rest of the books on my to be read list so that I can try those out in 2020. At some point, I may also need to work on knocking books off that to be read list. Hmm, we will see when that happens.
Monkiecat wrote: "not sure which one I'll go for... House of Leaves looks most intriguing, but I've got a ton of end-of-year reading to get to before I can tackle a 700 page book. decisions, decisions... :))"I know, that book looks interesting to me, but I'm not sure if I won't to tackle the 700 pages this close to the end of the year. I think I'm going to put that on my reading list for January. That's also why I tried to find a variety of page numbers because it's the holidays. :)
Lol, I was working on trying to update my book challenges tonight and decided I better get this done before I get distracted with work and real life. I told myself in 2020 that I was going to be better about keeping on track and finishing the challenges that I sign up for because I struggled in 2019.
Monkiecat,I hope these recommendations work for you. I went off a couple goodreads lists, google, and crossing my fingers.
The Institute by Stephen King (On my own TBR lis, looks good, won goodreads 2019 award for horror)
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (on several lists, on your TBR list, but also super long)
Ring by Kōji Suzuki (these movies scared the crap out of me, on your TBR, not many pages so hopefully a fast read because of the holidays)
If none of these work, let me know, and I'll go back to the drawing board. :)
No problem, I'm going to see what I can find for you Monkiecat. I got this! Off to stalk your read list for ideas....
1. What genre would you like a recommendation for? Romance2. Is this a genre that’s new to you or one of your favourites? Favorite!
3. What genre(s) would you be able to give a recommendation for? Romance, Thriller, Suspense
4. Is there anything the person recommending a book for you should know about the type of books you like (for instance you dislike books with violence in, you don’t want to read a very long book, you can’t get new release books from your library, etc)? I'm open to anything!
Winter Reading Challenge TasksDECEMBER
1. Winter
Brrrr. Time to break out the hats, scarves and gloves as the coldest time of the year approaches (in the northern hemisphere at least). On the other hand, cold weather is the perfect excuse to curl up under a blanket with your latest book. And, however cold you are, at least you can be glad your home town is warmer then Antarctica, where the lowest temperature on Earth was recorded: an icy −89.2°C (−128.6 °F).
1. Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in WINTER (you can use or ignore a, an or the)
2. Read a book with snow, snowflakes or a snowman on the cover OR a book with a person wearing winter clothing (scarf, hat, warm coat etc) on the cover.
by Sarah Morgan 12-2-193. Read a book that is between 89 and 128 pages long (you can ignore the 100 page requirement for this task).
2. December birthdays: Ann Patchett
The American novelist Ann Patchett was born on 2 December 1963. She has published eight novels, including Bel Canto, winner of the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award and the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her debut novel, The Patron Saint of Liars, was published in 1992 and her latest book, The Dutch House, was one of the most anticipated books of 2019.
1. Read a book published between 1992 and 2019 (inclusive).
2. Read a book by Ann Patchett or another author named Ann or a close variation (eg Anne, Anna, Annie etc)
by Ann Patchett 12-12-193. Read a book that has won or been nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award or the Women’s Prize for Fiction
3. Christmas
It’s the most wonderful time of the year... Time for decorating the Christmas tree, singing carols, wearing a novelty Christmas jumper, and hopefully waking up on Christmas morning to find the new release you’ve been excited to read waiting under the Christmas tree for you to unwrap. Merry Christmas!
1. Read a book that was recommended to you in our Christmas book recommendations game
Please make sure you have signed up here by 14 December if you’d like to participate
2. Read a book that has one of the gifts referred to in The Twelve Days of Christmas shown on its cover (ignore the numbers - eg a book with a gold ring works, you don’t need a book with five gold rings!)
3. Read a book on one of the following Christmas reading lists:
🎁 Oprah magazine: 35 best Christmas books of all time
🎁 Bustle: 9 classic Christmas books for adults
🎁 Stylist: 50 best Christmas books
by David Baldacci 12-6-194. Winter sports: yukigassen
Imagine if someone turned snowball fighting into an official sport with rules, a referee, a court and a snowball making machine. That’s yukigassen! Created in Japan in 1988, there are now competitions all over the world. Teams of seven players battle to capture each other’s flag, while trying to avoid being hit by a snowball and eliminated from the game. Preparation for a match involves making 270 snowballs, no wonder they invented a snowball making machine!
1. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in YUKIGASSEN.
2. Read a book in a series that is at least 7 books long
3. Read a book set in a country where yukigassen is played (Japan, Armenia, Canada, China, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, or Slovakia).
JANUARY
1. Happy New Year!
Happy 2020! Here’s to a great year of reading. Around the world people will be welcoming the new year while watching fireworks displays, drinking champagne and singing Auld Lang Syne.
1. Read a book by an author who is new to you.
by Søren Sveistrup 12-3-192. Read a book from a genre that is new to you (you can use a sub-genre, eg urban fantasy, historical romance, etc if you already read books from most genres).
3. Read a book in which all the words in the title have the same number of letters (eg The Bat, Ninth House, The Old Man and the Sea).
by Leigh Bardugo 12-11-192. January birthdays: A.A. Milne
A.A. Milne was born in London in 18 January 1882. He is most famous for his Winnie the Pooh books which are among the most popular children’s books ever published and have been translated into numerous languages, including Latin!
1. Read a book by an author who is usually known by their initials (eg J.K. Rowling, J.D. Salinger, L.M. Montgomery)
2. Read a book by an author who was born in a capital city (for this task, a capital city means the capital of a country rather than a state or province)
3. Read a book that has been translated into Latin. (There are several short children’s books and picture books on the list, it’s up to you if you want to count them for this challenge.)
3. New Year Resolutions
Millions of people see January 1st as an opportunity to set goals for the year ahead and the practice of making new year resolutions has a long history. In Babylonia new year was a time to promise the repayment of debts and return of borrowed items. And Romans are believed to have made sacrifices and promises to the god Janus, who is depicted as having two faces - one looking to the past and one to the future. Given that history, whether you keep or break your own resolutions this year, you’re probably in good company!
1. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS (the title must be at leat three words long for this option)
2. Read a book that looks into the past (historical fiction, history, etc) or a book that looks into the future (science fiction, fantasy, etc).
3. Read a book that will help you keep one of your New Year resolutions OR if you don’t make resolutions then read a book related to one of the top ten New Years resolutions. Tell us what your resolution is when recording this task as completed.
4. Winter sports: bobsleigh
Bobsleighing originated in the Swiss town of St Moritz in the 19th century. Holidaymakers looking for entertainment in the cold winters hit on a plan to adapt delivery sleds into racing sleds and compete in races down the steep roads of the town. While undoubtedly entertaining for holidaymakers, the high speed sled races became immensely unpopular with residents of the town who, not unreasonably, objected to being mown down on their own streets by out of control sleds. In order to restore calm, a local hotel owner constructed an ice half-pipe track outside the town where the sled races could continue, and the sport of bobsleighing was born.
1. Read a book set mostly in a location that begins with a letter in SWITZERLAND.
2. Read a book in which a conflict between characters is a major part of the plot. Tell us what the conflict was (using spoiler tags if necessary) when recording the task as completed.
3. Read a book that appears on one of these lists of fast-paced books:
🛷 Bookbub: 16 fast-paced books to read in a day
🛷 Business Insider: 25 fast-paced thrillers
🛷 Bustle: 11 fast-paced books
FEBRUARY
1. Valentine’s Day
February 14th is celebrated around the world as Valentine’s Day. It was originally a feast day honouring an early Christian saint and only became associated with love and romance in the 14th century. Fun fact: Cadbury first began producing heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in 1868. Buying overpriced novelty chocolates as a token of love has a long history!
1. Read a book with Romance listed as one of the top five genres on its Goodreads page.
2. Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in VALENTINE’S DAY.
3. Read a book written in or set in the Medieval period (usually defined as the 5th to 15th centuries).
2. February birthdays: Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison was born on 18 February 1931. After becoming the first Black female editor at Random House (a position she used to champion the writings of Black authors), she began writing novels and became one of the most admired writers of her time. Her debut novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970 and in total she published eleven novels as well as several children’s books, plays and short fiction. In 1993 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
1. Read a book with a colour in the title OR a book with a cover that is mostly blue.
2. Read a book that was first published in the 1970s.
3. Read a book by Toni Morrison or another author who has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
3. Winter sports: Ski jumping
Ski jumping has featured in every Winter Olympics since 1924. Athletes ski down a specially designed ramp and compete against each other to see who can make the longest jump. The current world record is over 253 metres. It was set by Austrian ski jumper, Stefan Kraft, who perhaps predictably is known by the nickname Air Kraft.
1. Read a book that is at least 253 pages long.
2. Read a book published in a year in which the Winter Olympics took place (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
3. Read a book where the plot “jumps” about (a non-linear narrative as it’s normally called). These lists might be useful as inspiration but your book doesn’t have to appear on one to work for this task:
🎿 Wikipedia: nonlinear narrative m
🎿 Goodreads: popular non-linear narrative books
4. Leap year
People born on 29th February technically only have a birthday every fourth year. This unusual situation is at the heart of Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera, The Pirates of Penzance. Frederic, the lead character, believes he is freed from his apprenticeship to a gang of pirates when he is 21 years old, only to find that actually his apprenticeship lasts until his 21st birthday and as he was born in a leap year that won’t be until he’s 88 years old! Fortunately most people today who are born on 29th February simply celebrate their birthday a day early.
1. Read a book that is part of a series and that has a series umber that is a multiple of four (4, 8, 12 etc).
2. Read a book in which the numbers 2 and 9 appear in the number of pages.
3. Read a book with a word from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major-General Song in the title or subtitle. (Words must be at least four letters long to count).
I really got behind in the autumn challenge and couldn't catch back up. I'm in for the winter full force!
Congrats Dalex! Great job to everyone finishing challenges. I'm already looking forward to the autumn challenge.
I'm so looking forward to the autumn/fall challenge and I'm so planning my books better because I ran out of time this summer to complete the third round but I did just post my first and second rounds so I'm happy to complete 2/3 and aim to do all of them next challenge. Great challenge and so much fun!
Second Round Complete 12/12JUNE
☀️ Read a book that appears on one of the Goodreads staff summer reading lists
. Read June 2, 2019☀️ Read a book that was first published in June, July or August of any year.
. Read June 16, 2019 (published July 17, 2018)☀️ Read a book by an author who has the same first and last initials
Read July 31, 2019 (Violet Vaughn-author)☀️ Read a book with the sun, sea or a swimming pool on the cover OR a book with a mostly yellow or blue cover
Read July 6, 2019JULY
☀️ Read a book first published in the 1960s or set in the 1960s
Read August 25, 2019 (1969 publication year)☀️ Read a book with a map on the cover or in the book
Read: August 13, 2019 (Map at the beginning of the book)☀️ Read a book you added to your TBR in 2018
Read August 2, 2019 (TBR: Dec. 27, 2018)❄️ Read a book from one of these winter reading lists:
⛄️ Best books to read when the snow is falling (Book 5 on list)
Read August 10, 2019AUGUST
☀️ Read a book where an event that’s important to the plot takes place at night
Read August 10, 2019 (Major events happen involving two types of vampires happens at night because only one set can walk outside during daylight)☀️ Read a book by a favourite author
Date Read: July 27, 2019 (Catherine Coulter-favorite author)☀️ Read a book where the characters drink beer or visit a bar.
Read July 17, 2019 (firefighters drink beer after shifts)☀️ Read a short book, defined as 200 pages or less.
Read August 19, 2019 (Page count 128)
First Round Complete 12/12JUNE
☀️ Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in SUMMERTIME
. Read June 15, 2019☀️ Read a book by an author whose first or last name starts with J or A.
Read 6-7-19☀️ Read a book with a main character whose name begins with a letter in LEOPOLD BLOOM
Read June 8, 2019 (Benji main character)☀️ Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title appears in BEACH or SWIMMING POOL
. Read June 5, 2019JULY
☀️ Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in SUMMER IN THE CITY
Read July 11, 2019 (Samantha Christy)☀️Read a book set in a country other than the one you currently live in
Read July 21, 2019 (England)☀️ Read a book with a main character whose name begins with N or M.
Read July 18, 2019 (character named Mathias)❄️ Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title appears in WINTER WONDERLAND
Read July 10, 2019AUGUST
☀️ Read a book published in a year that includes any two of the numbers 1, 9, 7, 8 (eg 1955, 2017, 1802, etc)
Read July 20, 2019 (published March 26, 2019)☀️ Read a book in a series you enjoy
Read July 18, 2019 (series: Happily Inc.)☀️ Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title appears in INTERNATIONAL BEER DAY
Date Read: August 5, 2019 (all letters appear)☀️ Read a book by an author who is new to you
Read June 24, 2019
Thanks, I haven’t read that one yet. Just placed a hold at the library so hopefully I won’t have to wait too long for it.
1. To AutumnTo Autumn by John Keats is one of the most admired poems in the English language. Keats composed the poem on 19 September 1819 after taking a walk on an autumn evening.
🍁 Read a book with a title that includes any word of four or more letters that appears in the poem
(keep)Date Read: 10-12-19
🍁 Read a book first published in a year that includes at least two of the numbers 1, 8, and 9 - eg 1899, 1920, 1975, 1998, 2018
(published 6-11-19) Date Read: 9-3-19
🍁 Read a book by an author named John or a reasonable variation - eg Jonathon, Johnson, Jon etc (either first or last name works)
2. Fall into Autumn
This season is known as autumn in most English-speaking countries, except for the US where the word fall is used instead. English emigrants in the 17th century took the word fall with them and continued to use it while in Britain the word autumn gradually replaced fall in the 18th century.
🍁 Read a book by an author whose first or last name starts with A or F
(author last name free) 11-1-19🍁 Read a book that has been published under at least two different titles (translations don’t count), eg:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone // Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Northern Lights // The Golden Compass
Cider With Rosie // The Edge of Day.
(Also The Killing Place)Date Read: September 20, 2019
🍁 Read a book with a title that includes a word that is spelled differently in British and American English. (This list might be helpful but the word doesn’t have to appear on this list to count for this task)
3. Rugby World Cup
Taking place in Japan this Autumn, the tournament sees the top international teams compete to win the Webb Ellis Cup. The Cup is named after William Webb Ellis who is (somewhat dubiously) reputed to have invented the game of rugby.
🍁 Read a book set in any of the 20 countries who have qualified for the tournament
🍁 Read a book by an author with a three word name - eg Gabriel García Márquez, Louisa May Alcott, Alexander McCall Smith
(author Shelley Shephard Gray)Date Read: October 6, 2019
🍁 Read a book where the main character is a professional sportsperson (nonfiction books about a sportsperson or team would also count)
(NFL player main character)Date Read: October 2, 2019
4. Abbey Road
This album by The Beatles is 50 years old this year, having been released on 26 September 1969. It’s widely considered one of the greatest albums ever and its cover image has prompted generations of Beatles fans to visit and attempt to recreate the iconic zebra crossing scene. It also includes one of the first examples of a hidden track.
🍁 Read a book with a cover image that shows four or more people
🍁 Read a book by an author who has the same initials as a member of The Beatles (George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr)
🍁 Read a book where a secret or hiding place is important to the plot (Please say what the secret is when registering this task as complete, but if it’s a plot spoiler than please be sure to use spoiler tags in your post.)
(main character is a secret assassin) 10-31-19October
1. Poem in October
This beautiful poem by Dylan Thomas is set in the Welsh village of Laugharne where the poet lived at the time.
🍁 Read a book with a picture of any living thing, setting or object mentioned in the poem on the cover (eg birds, sailing boat, harbour, owls, garden)
(car is mentioned several times)Date Read: 10-9-19
🍁 Read a book set in a location that begins with a letter found in the word LAUGHARNE
🍁 Read a book by a Welsh author
2. Dictionary Day
Dictionary Day is celebrated on 16 October in honour of Noah Webster who compiled the first American English dictionary.
🍁 Read a book with the number 1 or 6 in the page count (eg 150, 256, 621, etc)
(page numbers 368)Date Read: September 22, 2019
🍁 Read a book in which one of the most frequently looked up words appears anywhere in the text. (Please quote the sentence when registering this task as completed.)
🍁 Read a book with a title or subtitle that includes a word of 10 letters or more.
(Housekeeper) Date Read: 11-10-193. The Booker Prize
One of the most prestigious literary awards, the Booker Prize is awarded to what the judges consider the best novel written in English and published in the UK. The 2019 winner will be announced on 14 October.
🍁 Read a book first published in October (of any year)
🍁 Read a book by an author whose initials appear in BOOKER PRIZE
🍁 Read a book that has won or been included in the shortlist for the Booker Prize
(2017 shortlist)Date Read: 11-9-19
4. Halloween
Halloween is celebrated around the world on 31 October. Traditional Halloween activities include trick or treating, apple bobbing, telling ghost stories, and watching horror films. Usually followed by lying awake in bed all night convinced that every sound you hear is a ghost.
🍁 Read a book where the first letter of every word in the title appears in TRICK OR TREAT (titles must be at least two words long to count for this one)
🍁 Read a book with a cover that is mostly orange or black OR that has a a pumpkin, skull or witch on it
🍁 Read a book that appears on one of these lists:
🎃 Goodreads: Best Books to Read for Halloween
🎃 31 Books to put you in the Halloween Spirit
🎃 15 Scary Halloween Books
November
1. No sun, no moon! No morn, no noon ... November!
This humorous short poem was written by Thomas Hood, a nineteenth century English poet and author. He lived in London where he wrote for literary magazines and complained about the city’s weather through the medium of verse.
🍁 Read a book whose title begins with a letter in NOVEMBER (A, An and The may be ignored)
🍁 Read a book set in or first published in the nineteenth century (1800 - 1899 inclusive)
🍁 Read a book of poetry.
2. George Eliot
One of the leading novelists of the Victorian era, George Eliot was born on 22 November 1819. After working as an editor and literary critic under her given name Mary Ann Evans, she later published seven novels under the pen name George Eliot.
🍁 Read a book with a repeated number in the page count (eg 115 pages; 422 pages, 338 pages, etc)
(page count 336)Date Read: October 14, 2019
🍁 Read a book by an author who has published at least seven novels.
(lots of books!)Date Read: 10-11-19
🍁 Read a book published under a pen name or pseudonym (please give the author’s real name and pen name when registering this task as complete)
3. NaNoWriMo
November is National Novel Writing Month. Participants in the project aim to write a novel of at least 50,000 words during the month of November. Since the project was launched in 1999 thousands of writers have participated and over 400 novels have been published, including The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
🍁 Read a book first published in 1999 or later.
(published 2003) 10-28-19🍁 Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title appears in NANOWRIMO (title must be at least two words long to count for this option)
🍁 Read a book that began as a NaNoWriMo novel
4. The Longest Journey
Towards the end of Autumn many species of birds migrate to warmer climates where they will spend the winter. The longest journey of all is taken by the Arctic tern which is thought to make a round trip of up to 56,000 miles a year.
🍁 Read a book in which a main character goes on a long journey (please say where they travelled to when registering this task as complete)
🍁 Read a book where all the letters in ARCTIC TERN can be found in the title and/or subtitle
🍁 Read a book from one of these lists of popular travel books:
🌍 Goodreads: Popular travel books
🌍 Best travel memoirs to inspire Wanderlust
🌍 BookRiot: 30 of the best travel memoirs
Anybody have any good recommendations for books set in Africa or written by an African author? I'm also looking for a book that from the 1960's or set in the 60's. I'm slowly making my way through all these prompts. I hope to have two rounds complete but would love to knock out all three. I got a few days left. I think I can, I think I can.
I've been saving up also. It was just easier for me. I'm working on finishing round 2 also. I'm having some trouble finding books for a couple prompts but I'm determined to get at least 2 rounds complete before the end of the month.
1. How many books did you finish? How many pages did you read?8 books . 2450 pages
2. Did you meet your reading goals? What were your biggest distractions?
Work got in the way at times. Yes, I was able to mark off some books to catch up on the around the year challenge.
3. Did you have fun? What were your favorite parts?
Yes, it was good to focus a week on reading lots of books. I even got one done that I had been dreading! I liked the individual day challenges.
4. What was your favorite read of the read-a-thon?
Us Against You
5. Do you have any suggestions for how to make the read-a-thon better for next time? What would you like to see more of in future read-a-thons?
I think it was ran very well this time. I don't see any changes.
6. Do you plan to participate in future group read-a-thons?
Yes, thanks for hosting these.
Good job everyone! I really liked this challenge. It was quite fun!
I updated the spreadsheet. I did the disney and the emoji challenges. I got stuck on both of those. I also updated my pages.
