Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Mod Corner
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Group Rules and Member Introductions
Hi everyone - I am Sally and I live in Australia and plan to do the 2019 challenge.Just a quick question (rule related) Is there any limit to the number of a pages a book must have - not usually an issue but a Hugo Award book I plan on reading for task 1 is
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor - my version has 96 pages will this be acceptable?
The only page rule involves the 500+ prompt this year. We encourage 📚 of all sizes, genres, shapes etc. The more the merrier. 😉
All three Binti books together probably equal the page length of a regular novel, if you're really worried about page count. I kind of wish she'd just published them all together, myself. The second one, in particular, I don't think stands alone very well, I felt like I had to immediately start reading Masquerade. They're all good, I just think it'd have flowed better if they'd been edited to be three parts of one book.
This discussion is probably better suited for the dedicated topic 😉 (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) but I agree with you Sheri, books 2 and 3 should have at least been published together.
Sally906 wrote: "Hi everyone - I am Sally and I live in Australia and plan to do the 2019 challenge.Just a quick question (rule related) Is there any limit to the number of a pages a book must have - not usually ..."
Welcome Sally, just wanted to say I live in Australia too :)
Bec wrote: "Sally906 wrote: "Hi everyone - I am Sally and I live in Australia and plan to do the 2019 challenge.Welcome Sally, just wanted to say I live in Australia too :) ..."
Waving back :)
Hi everybody! I'm Vittoria, from Italy, and I look forward to reading many, many books with all of you! Can’t wait to start planning for the 2019 challenge!
Welcome Vittoria, I hope you’re going to like reading with us!Where in Italy are you living? I’m a neighbour from Switzerland 😉 Don’t hesitate to recommend Italian books, I’d love to discover new authors!
Sophie wrote: "Welcome Vittoria, I hope you’re going to like reading with us!Where in Italy are you living?”
Ehi Sophie, thanks! I live in Verona ^^
Hi! My name is Deena I work a t a school library in Amman, Jordan. I have gotten of the reading wagon a few years ago and am trying to get back on by doing this challenge and the Pop Sugar Challenge.
Welcome Deena --We have people in this group from all around the world, but I'm not sure if you are the first from Jordan or not. I'm sure someone will know!
Hello readers! My name is Tami and I've been doing the popsugar challenge the past 2 years and thought I would add this one as well. Which is totally crazy because I think I read too much, if there is such a thing. I have quite a few titles that will fit in both places, so hopefully I am not over-extending myself too much.
Hello hello,I'm willing to test out a book group and see how it goes but I have no idea how it works.
I'm Caroline by the way.
I doubt I will be able to read a book per week this 2019 but it doesn't hurt to try. Are we supposed to create a post of the book we are reading (if it isn't read by someone else who made a post about it) and then say how we are doing etc. Or do we only do a post once we have finished the book?
Let's see how this group goes :) x
Hi Caroline, welcome to our group! I definitely see what you mean, it can be quite intimidating to see all those threads and folders and stuff when you arrive in a new group 😉First off, you'll see that this challenge is very flexible, the important thing is to have fun! So if you don't think you'll be able to read one book a week, either you can select prompts that you find interesting and try to fulfil them or you can just read and see how it goes throughout the year.
This post gives you an overview of how the group works, have you read it already? I don't want to copy everything Zaz explained back then, so feel free to answer with specific questions and I'll gladly answer them 😉
Hi.Thanks for the comforting message. I had read the beginning where it is presented but didn’t really get it to be honest. I tried reading the comments but I felt even dumber so I stopped before I became too diffident to even engage 😬
Oh I'm sorry you felt that way! Let me sum it up for you hoping that would help to understand the gist of it:- Each person chooses their own list of books to read based on the 52 prompts we all voted in together that you can find here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
- If you want, you can create a topic of your own to share your reading in this folder: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group.... Just copy-paste the list from the link above and write down the books you want to read. Feel free to check out other people's plans for inspiration!
- If you need recommendations to find books for each prompt or if you want to share what your choice is, this folder is where you'll find one topic per prompt: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
- Finally, discussions for a particular book take place in what we call the "A to Z" folders. There's one folder for each letter of the alphabet in which we create one topic per book. Check first if a topic already exists (when you use the search feature on the desktop version of Goodreads, you can click on "search in topic only", which is going to look only in topic titles). If not, create one respecting the "Title, by Author" format.
There's no obligation to use either of those means of sharing your reads with the group, in fact, we have many "silent members" who complete the challenge without actually interacting (or maybe they don't complete it, who knows 😉).
The Goodreads app is pretty rubbish so if you access the website from a mobile device, I highly recommend you do it from your browser, it's much easier.
Let me know if you have more questions!
You were so helpful!! 😇🙌 Thank you! That is much clearer to me! Now I just need to pick what I want to read for each prompts and hopefully I’ll do it before 2018 is over 😬
Thanks again so much 😘😘😘
You're welcome, that's what us mods are here for 😉And don't fret too much about your reading list, some of us have lists of options and others just read whatever they want and slot the books in the prompts. Also some people read in order while others read out of order.
As I said, the challenge is really flexible, just find what works for you! 😃
yeah thanks Sophie. I have been here for a year and a half and didn't know how to search by topic. Therefore I have not posted comments on a lot of what I read. From now on I will. Always something to learn.
It's probably one of the most asked questions, but I understand that 13 pages of comments are definitely not a GoodRead 😂
Oh wow thanks! I never added/participated in any of my books discussion because I got too frustrated trying to search for whether or not there was a thread already. Didn’t know about the “only topic” thing!
Hi everyone,I decided to join the group, 'cause I think it might be nice way to find new books and I like this challenge's idea :D. Although I'm pretty sure I will fail it (life gets too much in the way of reading :<) I'm excited to join the fun in 2019.
Welcome! It is a nice way to discover new books, you won't believe who my to be read list has grown since I've been reading with this group! 🙈Don't worry about finishing the challenge, a lot of members know they won't be able to read 52 books. Either you can choose your favourites or you can read whatever you want and try to fit the books in the prompts. Don't put too much pressure, the most important thing is to have fun! 😃
Yes of course! You can re-read novels, but also count graphic novels, picture books, plays, poetry, everything except newspaper I guess haha
Hello everyone! After a few years of reading the PopSugar and BookRiot "Read Harder" challenges, I wanted to level up my game, and stumbled across ATY. (The topics look so much more fun than the 3rd challenge I tried during 2018...)
I'm a planner, so I'm digging into my G-sheet to see what books will carry across my 3 challenges and which won't. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
The community sheet here has been super-helpful in finding links to the various award lists that are called out in categories, but I do have one newbie question: where can I find out about the "polarizing/close call votes"? I have no idea how to figure out that category.
I'm a planner, so I'm digging into my G-sheet to see what books will carry across my 3 challenges and which won't. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
The community sheet here has been super-helpful in finding links to the various award lists that are called out in categories, but I do have one newbie question: where can I find out about the "polarizing/close call votes"? I have no idea how to figure out that category.
Welcome Sherri!
For the polarizing/close call votes, you can check out this thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
It shows all of the prompts that were suggested for our list, and distinguishes which ones were close calls (almost had enough votes to make the list) and which ones were polarizing (a lot of up votes and a lot of down votes). You can scroll through there to choose which prompt you'd like to use!
For the polarizing/close call votes, you can check out this thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
It shows all of the prompts that were suggested for our list, and distinguishes which ones were close calls (almost had enough votes to make the list) and which ones were polarizing (a lot of up votes and a lot of down votes). You can scroll through there to choose which prompt you'd like to use!
Thanks so much, Emily! I'll head over to start my plan thread soon. :)
Hi all - Another newbie here, from Lakewood, OH (just west of Cleveland). A running friend mentioned the 2019 PopSugar challenge to me last week. Then I also found this challenge! Planning to participate in both. I am completely geeked out at finding others who love reading and lists as much as I do. I am also a bit embarrassed I did not know about these online reading challenges before last week. My Want-To-Read list on Goodreads is 1,200+ and growing. I love the idea of a community that can help me focus on reading things outside of the Scandinavian mysteries I’ve been mildly obsessed with over the past year and counting. I will read pretty much anything so long as a dog is not hurt (yet murder mysteries are a favorite of mine - go figure). Looking forward to reading with you all in 2019.
Welcome to the challenge! Completely agree with you about the dogs haha. Same with movies.
I'm a bit jealous that you have the joy of discovering challenges. I remember how fun it was for me in 2015.
I'm a bit jealous that you have the joy of discovering challenges. I remember how fun it was for me in 2015.
I don't know where else to say this but I want the mods to see it: the new banner art is so pretty!! I don't know who does it but I love the new wintery cross stitch design!
Thanks for pointing it out Jackie, I hadn’t noticed it yet, it’s absolutely gorgeous! Great job eleen!
Hi everyone! I'm Shannon and I am from Canada. I have never done one of these reading challenges but this year I rediscovered the love I had for books when I was in high school. I am now in my third year of university and it is super busy, but reading is my downtime, and my motivation to finish my work so that I can start a new book! I can't wait for 2019!!
Welcome Shannon! Reading for pleasure can be hard while at uni, but it’s great that you’re taking the time to unwind this way! Much healthier than Netflix haha
Hello all! My name is Karen, and I'm from Canada. I've never participated in this particular challenge, but I stumbled across it and thought it sounded like fun. I will be doing the Popsugar challenge as well this year, so I look forward to reading lots of great books!I'm also looking forward to seeing what other people are reading, and following everyone's progress as the year goes on. Happy reading everyone!
Hi everybody! I am brand new here, and I'm excited to start off 2019 as a more active reader. Unlike many of you, I don't read nearly as much as I would like, but I am eager to start. I feel like this group might be a great way to do just that. I look forward to seeing what the next year holds for me and getting to know many of you through the discussion threads. Now, on to my first book of the year!
Welcome Kyle! I’m sure participating in this challenge with us is going to help you read as much as you’d like, you wouldn’t believe how many of us massively upped our reading since we joined! Check back in a year hihi. Merry Christmas and happy reading!
And I got three dog books for Christmas. People think because I have dogs I like reading about them in a sad way. NOT
OMG a librarian tried to recommend A Dog’s Purpose to me years ago. And failed. I all but broke down crying at the checkout desk while trying to explain to her that I cannot read those types of books. And then had to go back to work 😂I did manage to find a series of books featuring a dog K-9 unit that are fairly light reads and nothing bad happens to the dog (Paw Enforcement series by Diane Kelly).
Anyone else have ‘safe’ dog book recommendations? (Like I need more books on my to-read list!)
Hello everyone! I am new here and I'm quite excited to participate in this challenge. I tried to do it on my own this year and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be (I read over 100 books). Also, I am studying at uni full-time, which is why I thought I wouldn't manage more than a book per week. So I figured, why not join a group and challenge myself more? I am very excited for next year and I'm looking forward to getting to know many of you in the discussions and seeing what you all are reading!
So, I've already introduced myself, but I'm going to do it again, because I have a question. My name is Kyle, and I'm really just getting started with consistent reading this year (2019). I had originally signed up for several groups and was planning to take part in several challenges, but I found myself a little overwhelmed. After spending some time in each, I have decided that this is my favorite group, and I want to focus all of my attention here for now.My question is is there anything currently going on in this group that I should be aware of for 2019, besides the main topic challenge? Any side events or group events, or anything of the such, that I might be missing? I know, from now on, I can just keep up with the discussion boards, but I just wanted to make sure I was starting fresh.
Thank you so much, and I really look forward to getting to know you all better in the discussions!
Hello everyone! I'm Laura, also new here. I am super excited to try this out this year and am already prepping my list. Knowing myself, I like some flexibility, so I'm probably only going to plan a month in advance cause every so often I'm in the mood to just pick something off my shelf and read that instead of sticking to regimented plan. I like that there is also a bit of flexibility in this, because I can be an erratic reader and often have more than one book on the go at any given time.
Welcome to all the new members!
Kyle, the group is definitely based around the 52-week challenge. You can post your own personal plan, provide your weekly picks in the weekly topics section, and discuss specific books in the A-Z sections.
We do quarterly read-a-thons that are basically seasonal. Our final read-a-thon of 2018 is happening right now: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
There are other activities (buddy reads, books of the month) but those tend to be a bit quiet.
The group begins working on a new challenge list around June of every year and people tend to get very engaged in that process. Our 52 prompts are purely a result of that process.
Kyle, the group is definitely based around the 52-week challenge. You can post your own personal plan, provide your weekly picks in the weekly topics section, and discuss specific books in the A-Z sections.
We do quarterly read-a-thons that are basically seasonal. Our final read-a-thon of 2018 is happening right now: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
There are other activities (buddy reads, books of the month) but those tend to be a bit quiet.
The group begins working on a new challenge list around June of every year and people tend to get very engaged in that process. Our 52 prompts are purely a result of that process.
Books mentioned in this topic
Hamnet (other topics)Like Water for Chocolate (other topics)
It (other topics)
Invisible (other topics)
The Leavers (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nnedi Okorafor (other topics)William Saroyan (other topics)
Hamlin Garland (other topics)







I have recently joined this group and am planning on doing this challenge in conjunction with the popsugar one. (I have nearly read over 70 books this year so far and there is quite a bit of o..."
I didn't, that might be a fun thing to do, thanks for the idea