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2018 Plans > Beccas book bash

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message 1: by Rebecca (last edited Dec 20, 2018 12:24AM) (new)

Rebecca | 168 comments The 2018 List

52 weeks, 52 books.
52 down, 0 to go.

1. A book with the letters A, T & Y in the title
Around the World in Eighty Days - Completed 17/1

2. A book from the first 10 books added to your To Be Read list
Second Chances - Completed 8/2

3. A book from the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards
Beartown - Completed 2/3

4. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #1 Earth
The Sunburnt Country - Completed 1/8

5. A book about or inspired by real events
Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea - Completed 22/1

6. A book originally written in a language other than English
The Cherry Orchard - Completed 4/1

7. A gothic novel
Villette - Completed 18/12

8. An "own voices" book
The Sun Is Also a Star - Completed 27/3

9. A book with a body part in the title
In His Eyes - Completed 7/1

10. An author's debut book
Cold Comfort Farm - Completed 7/3

11. A literary fiction
Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish - Completed 20/5

12. A book set in Africa or South America
Hope in a Ballet Shoe: Orphaned by war, saved by ballet: an extraordinary true story - Completed 25/3

13. A book with a plot centred around a secret
The Secret History of the World - Completed 21/10

14. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #2 Fire
Kinglake-350 - Completed 30/1

15. A book with an unique format/writing structure
Family Skeleton - Completed 12/2

16. A narrative non-fiction
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Completed 2/8

17. A book you expect to make you laugh
How I Became a Famous Novelist - Completed 24/10

18. A book with a location in the title
Mount Buggery to Nowhere Else: The stories behind Australia's weird and wonderful place names - Completed 31/8

19. A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand master author
*WILDCARD* The Call Of The Weird: Travels In American Subcultures - Completed 14/11

20. A book rated 5 stars by at least one of your friends
The Hunger Games - Completed 24/6

21. A book written in first person perspective
The Fault in Our Stars - Completed 6/9

22. A book you have high expectations or hope for
Romeo And Juliet - Completed 26/2

23. A medical or legal thriller
Zac and Mia - Completed 19/1

24. A book with a map
The Map Thief - Completed 21/4

25. A book with an antagonist/villain point of view
Lolita - Completed 9/5

26. A book with a text only cover
The Road - Completed 10/6

27. A book about surviving a hardship
Tobruk - Completed 29/4

28. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #3 Water
Brother Fish - Completed 28/1

29. A book with a "Cluedo" weapon on the cover or title (lead pipe, revolver, rope, candlestick, dagger, wrench)
Lonesome Dove - Completed 18/4

30. A short book
84, Charing Cross Road - Completed 10/5

31. A book set in a country you'd like to visit but have never been to
Paris Time Capsule - Completed 5/1

32. An alternate history book
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Completed 16/2

33. A book connected (title, cover, content) to a word "born" in the same year as you
The Score - Completed 28/10

34. A suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call
Riders of the Purple Sage - Completed 14/1

35. A book featuring a murder
Scam Chowder - Completed 10/2

36. A book published in the last 3 years (2016, 2017, 2018) by an author you haven't read before
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between - Completed 21/4

37. A Women's Prize for Fiction winner or nominee
Horse Heaven - Completed 2/12

38. A science book or a science fiction book
A Brief History of Time - Completed 15/3

39. A book with a form of punctuation in the title
The Toll-Gate - Completed 6/1

40. A book from Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales - Completed 9/8

41. A book by an author with the same first and last initials
Leaves of Grass - Completed 10/6

42. A book that takes place on, in, or underwater
Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them - Completed 16/3

43. A book with a title that is a whole sentence
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? - Completed 30/4

44. A ghost story
A Christmas Carol - Completed 20/12

45. A book that intimidates/ scares you
Carrie - Completed 27/9

46. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #4 Air
Into Thin Air - Completed 5/6

47. A book where the main character (or author) is of a different ethnic origin, religion, or sexual identity than your own
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books - Completed 5/7

48. A book related to one of the 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth)
The Hippopotamus - Completed 12/10

49. A book from one of the Goodreads Best Books of the Month lists
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Completed 25/1

50. A book with a warm atmosphere (centred on family, friendship, love or summer)
A Man Called Ove - Completed 11/7

51. An award-winning short story or short story collection
Me Talk Pretty One Day - Completed 17/7

52. A book published in 2018
The Lucky Galah - Completed 23/5


The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey The Toll-Gate by Georgette Heyer In His Eyes (Blemished Brides #1) by Peggy L. Henderson Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts Nothing to Envy Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1) by Robin Sloan Brother Fish by Bryce Courtenay Kinglake-350 by Adrian Hyland Second Chances (Starting Over, #2) by Evan Grace Scam Chowder (A Five-Ingredient Mystery, #2) by Maya Corrigan Family Skeleton by Carmel Bird A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare Beartown (Beartown, #1) by Fredrik Backman Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking Moby-Duck The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them by Donovan Hohn Hope in a Ballet Shoe Orphaned by war, saved by ballet an extraordinary true story by Michaela DePrince The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry The Map Thief by Michael Blanding Talking as Fast as I Can From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham Tobruk by Peter FitzSimons Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan The Lucky Galah by Tracy Sorensen Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer The Road by Cormac McCarthy Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris The Sunburnt Country by Fiona Palmer Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks Mount Buggery to Nowhere Else The stories behind Australia's weird and wonderful place names by Eamon Evans The Fault in Our Stars by John Green Carrie by Stephen King The Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry The Secret History of the World by Jonathan Black How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely The Score (Off-Campus, #3) by Elle Kennedy The Call Of The Weird Travels In American Subcultures by Louis Theroux Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley Villette by Charlotte Brontë A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens


message 2: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca | 168 comments In 2018 I am approaching this challenge with a new tactic. For the past 2 years I have picked one book per topic at the start of the year and read that particular book for this challenge, even if there was other books I read that would fit into one of these categories, I wouldn't count it and still read the original pick. The problem with this is that sometimes you don't feel like reading certain books at a certain time, or you just can't get your hands on it. So for this year I'll be reading off my TBR (360 books) and putting them where they fit as I go. Can't wait to get started!


message 3: by Katie (new)

Katie | 2360 comments Sounds like a good approach! Good luck.


message 4: by Jody (new)

Jody (jodybell) | 3477 comments That was pretty much my approach for this year's challenge, and it worked really well for me. I wish you lots of luck and happy reading!


message 5: by Rebecca (last edited Mar 27, 2018 04:00AM) (new)

Rebecca | 168 comments Okay, I'm doing my quarterly update a few days early as I will be going camping over Easter and I wont read more off this list before then.

During this first three months I've read 22 books, a cracking pace I won't keep up, largely because I participated in a two month long team reading challenge at the start of the year.

So far my favourite book has been Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea and my least favourite Second Chances


message 6: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca | 168 comments Quarterly update being done late because I went on holidays :)
I read 13 books for this challenge over the 3 months
My favourite was Tobruk, least favourite Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish

All up I've finished 35 books
Favourite: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Least favourite: Second Chances

Have read some ripping books for this challenge this year and there are a heap more I look forward to reading.


message 7: by Pam (new)

Pam (bluegrasspam) | 3839 comments I really like your list and added several to my TBR from it and your Favourites list! I can’t always find Australian authors, though, through the library. I didn’t realize that Lonesome Dove, which I’m reading, has a rope/lasso on it (kind of obvious). That helps me with that prompt! Look forward to seeing your remaining books. We have some of the same ones left.


message 8: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca | 168 comments Doing my quarterly undated early because I'll be away this weekend (yay!)

I only read 9 books off this list over the last 3 months, my favourite being A Man Called Ove and I actually didn't read one that I disliked.

Overall I have read 44 books so far and my favourite and least favourite haven't changed.


message 9: by Rebecca (last edited Dec 20, 2018 12:36AM) (new)

Rebecca | 168 comments Today as I drove down to my Christmas holiday I listened to my last book.

So overall;
Favourite fiction book - The Score
Favourite nonfiction book - Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea
Favourite book I would never have read if not for this challenge - Into Thin Air
Most disappointing book - Horse Heaven


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