Angie Embraces Optimism--2017 Plan - DONE

[Angie]

This is my first attempt at doing the Around the Year n 52 Books Challenge. Hopefully I've done everything properly. I've tried to give myself several options, but I might tweak it a little as I go.

Completed: 52/52

.Week 1: A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (06/09/2017) ****

Week 2: A book with at least 2 perspectives (multiple POVs)
And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie (06/20/2017) ****

Week 3: A book you meant to read in 2016
In Cold Blood - Capote (01/17/2017) ****

Week 4: A title that doesn't contain the letter "E"
Animal Farm by George Orwell (06/17/2017) *****

Week 5: A historical fiction
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (06/29/2017) ****

Week 6: A book being released as a movie in 2017
Live by Night by Dennis Lehane (11/11/2017) ***

Week 7: A book with an animal on the cover or in the title
Woof at the Door by Laura Morrigan (07/14/2017) ****

Week 8: A book written by a person of color
The Woman Who Fell from the Sky: Poems Joy Harjo (06/18/2017) ****

Week 9: A book in the middle of your TBR list
A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie (12/14/2017) ***

Week 10: A dual-time line novel
Sleepy Hollow: Children of the Revolution - DeCandido (06/24/2017) **

Week 11: A category from another challenge
Audiobook - Trapped by Kevin Hearne nar. by Luke Daniels (07/11/2017) ****

Week 12: A book based on a myth
Norse Mythology - Gaiman (02/20/2017) ****

Week 13: A book recommended by one of your favorite authors
Winesburg, Ohio - Anderson (06/01/2017 ) ***

Week 14: A book with a strong female character
Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane (09/02/2017) *****

Week 15: A book written or set in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland)
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen (11/04/2017) ****

Week 16: A mystery
Whose Body? - Sayers (01/08/2017) ***

Week 17: A book with illustrations
Through the Woods - Emily Carroll - (01/03/2017) ***

Week 18: A really long book (600+ pages)
The Given Day - Lehane (05/29/2017) *****

Week 19: A New York Times best-seller
Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris (11/10/2017) **

Week 20: A book that you've owned for a while but haven't gotten around to reading
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (12/17/2017) *****

Week 21: A book that is a continuation of a book you've already read
Tricked - Hearne (01/09/2017) *****

Week 22: A book by an author you haven't read before
Buried Child by Sam Shepard (06/21/2017) *****

Week 23: A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list
Great Expectations - Dickens (06/15/2017) ****

Week 24: A book written by at least two authors
Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews, husband-wife team (12/24/2017) ***

Week 25: A book about a famous historical figure
The Last Days of Night - Moore *****

Week 26: An adventure book
Kidnapped - Stevenson (01/13/2017) ****

[Angie]

And here is the second half.

Week 27: A book by one of your favorite authors
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King (10/15/2017) *****

Week 28: A non-fiction book
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss (04/02/2017) ***

Week 29: A book published outside the 4 major publishing houses (Simon & Schuster; HarperCollins; Penguin Random House; Hachette Livre)
Faked To Death by Dean A. James (01/14/2017) ***

Week 30: A book from Goodreads Top 100 YA Books
The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan (07/20/2017) ****

Week 31: A book from a sub-genre of your favorite genre
The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson (08/20/2017) *** - steampunk

Week 32: A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding subtitle)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling (02/14/2017) ****

Week 33: A magical realism novel
WILD CARD - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (11/18/2017) ****

Week 34: A book set in or by an author from the Southern Hemisphere
Possum Magic by Mem Fox (11/10/2017) ***

Week 35: A book where one of the main characters is royalty
The Young Elites by Marie Lu (01/04/2017) ***

Week 36: A Hugo Award winner or nominee
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (02/05/2017) *****

Week 37: A book you choose randomly
Fated - Jacka (07/15/2017) ***

Week 38: A novel inspired by a work of classic literature
The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase by Greg Cox (07/16/2017) ****

Week 39: An epistolary fiction
Carrie by Stephen King (07/01/2017) ****

Week 40: A book published in 2017
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (02/04/2017) *****

Week 41: A book with an unreliable narrator
The Remains of the Day - Ishiguro (01/11/2017) ****

Week 42: a best book of the 21st century (so far)
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (06/26/2017) ***

Week 43: A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold)
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson (11/03/2017) *****

Week 44: A recommendation from "What Should I Read Next"
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (11/18/2017) ***

Week 45: A book with a one-word title
Macbeth - Shakespeare (01/20/2017) *****

Week 46: A time travel novel
Kindred - Octavia E. Butler (09/13/2017) ****

Week 47: A past suggestion that didn't win
A book of themed short stories - The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (07/09/2017) ****

Week 48: A banned book
And Tango Makes Three - Justin Richardson (06/12/2017) ****

Week 49: A book from someone else's bookshelf
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes (09/30/2017) ****

Week 50: A Penguin Modern Classic
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (10/20/2017) ***

Week 51: A collection (e.g. essays, short stories, poetry, plays)
Live or Die by Anne Sexton (06/22/2017) *****

Week 52: A book set in a fictional location
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (04/12/2017) ****

[Nivedita]

Awesome selection! I'm a big Agatha Christie fan and both And Then There Were None and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd are excellent.

[Angie]

Nivedita wrote: "Awesome selection! I'm a big Agatha Christie fan and both And Then There Were None and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd are excellent."

Thanks! I've only read one by her (Murder on the Orient Express) and am looking forward to reading more.

[Zaz]

Good to see Kindred in your plan, I loved it. The Night Circus is another favorites of mine for 2016, so I hope you'll find some place for it. There is an active team Gaiman here, so if you pick his books, you won't have difficulties to find people for discussions :)

[Angie]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear that there are some Gaiman lovers around here. I look forward to some discussions with my fellow fans. :)

[Marina]

I'm one of the Gaiman fans, and I would be glad to discuss his books with you.
I'm also reading Kindred next year. I've only heard good things about it, so looking forward to reading it and hear what others think.

[Anastasia]

The Alienist by Caleb Carr gets my vote. It may be a large book but it does not read that way. I loved how he portrays Teddy Roosevelt.

[Angie]

Anastasia wrote: "The Alienist by Caleb Carr gets my vote. It may be a large book but it does not read that way. I loved how he portrays Teddy Roosevelt."

I'm glad to hear good things about The Alienist. It keeps popping up on my Goodreads recs as if to say "Read Me!"

[Angie]

Katie wrote: "You've given yourself lots of options, Angie - I did the same thing :) If you decide to go with Austen for the author you haven't read before, I can recommend Pride and Prejudice: it's a great read :)"

Having only one option for some of these categories would be scary, lol! I've heard great things about Pride and Prejudice. I think I will read it.

[Angie]

Finished my first book, Through the Woods, for Week 17. Now I think it's on to either The Remains of the Day or In Cold Blood!

[Sophie]

What did you think of Through the Woods?

[Angie]

Sophie wrote: "What did you think of Through the Woods?"

I liked it but not as much as I had hoped. While I enjoyed the artwork and loved the idea of the book, I wanted a little more from the stories themselves. I gave it three stars.

[Sophie]

Oh shoot! The artwork really interest me though, so I'm still adding it to my TBR...

[Angie]

Sophie wrote: "Oh shoot! The artwork really interest me though, so I'm still adding it to my TBR..."

I definitely think it's worth a read.

[Angie]

Well, I'm over halfway done now! Favorite books so far: Born to Run by Springsteen, Carrie by King, and The Given Day by Lehane.

I'm still struggling to come up with a book that features a main character who is royalty (week 35). Does anyone have a suggestion for me? Something they've read and enjoyed? I've consulted the lists in the suggestion thread, but nothing has really jumped out at me.

[Anastasia]

Shakespeare is full of royalty and some fantasy books too. I noticed you have read the first Percy Jackson book. That could count as royalty as he is the son of a God.
Try looking in the thread to see the other books people have read for the prompt or you could check people's lists to see what they are choosing since some do not post in the progress posts.
HTH

[Angie]

Anastasia wrote: "Shakespeare is full of royalty and some fantasy books too. I noticed you have read the first Percy Jackson book. That could count as royalty as he is the son of a God.
Try looking in the thread to..."

I hadn't thought of the Percy Jackson book counting. Good idea!
Shakespeare is a good idea, as well. Thanks, :)

[Angie]

Ah, I think I found one on my already read list that will work!

[Anastasia]

Glad you found something :)

[Angie]

DONE! I've finished with a couple of weeks to spare!

[Jody]

Congratulations!! 🎉

[Angie]

Thanks!

[Anna]

Congratulations, Angie!

[MJ]

Congratulation!!

[Angie]

Thanks!

[Tracy]

Congrats Angie!!

[Pam]

Congrats! Now, on to 2018...

[Zaz]

Congrats :)