Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Weekly Topics 2019
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7 and 8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme
I´m goingt to read two books related to Auschwitz. The Pharmacist of Auschwitz: The Untold Story will be the first.
What are you reading for this category?For week 7 I am reading Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by by Dani Shapiro and for week 8 I am reading The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King
How are they connected?
They are both Memoir/ Biography type books.
I had to change my original plan since I read one of the books in December!- What are you reading for this category? (Both books)
I'm currently reading both A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
- How are they connected?
Both have a medieval setting with knights in armor & jousting, etc. (One has the word Knight in the title and the other has a knight on the cover.) Plus, they have similar pen & ink illustrations. It's rare that I read a non-children's book with illustrations and now I'm reading 2.
What are you reading for this category? (Both books)I read A Dinner to Die For and Cherringham - Episode 25-27: A Cosy Crime Compilation both by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards
How are they connected?
From the same series. The Compilations are actually 3 books in 1.
Mod
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint
Inspector Imanishi Investigates by Seicho Matsumoto
The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan (this one is set in Canada with a Muslim detective, so it might be an interesting pair to a book set in Asia)
Malice by Keigo Higashino"
If you're looking for Asian mysteries, you might want to check out Colin Cotterill's Dr Siri mysteries. They're excellent. https://www.goodreads.com/series/4971...
For this one, I'm thinking of Twelve Angry Librarians, Miranda James and Reading Up a Storm, Eva Gates. Both are mysteries with librarians as the main character, and both authors use pseudonyms.
What are you reading for this category? Dissolution by C.J. Sansom and You Will Know Me by Megan AbbottHow are they connected? Both murder mysteries. Other than that, couldn't be more different. One set in a medieval monastery and one set in the brutal world of top-level gymnastics.
Emily wrote: "Y'all apparently know me so well! I loved Lilac Girls and Challenger Deep, and I have The Power on my list to read next month!Here's the pairings I..."
Emily, I know I'm late here and that you selected some other books for your theme, but I loved Children of Paradise. Try to read it if you get the chance.
Since it's such a hot topic, I picked the theme of American Immigrants: exploring their experiences, then and now.Then: Button Man - historical fiction
Now: American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures - non-fiction story collection
I tried to time my reading consecutively, but the NYPL wasn't havin' it. So I'm starting off with Button Man, about immigrants in NYC's Lower East Side in the 1920's and '30s. This is near and dear to my heart, as my father's family emigrated to these shores about 100 years ago. American Like Me is a contemporary collection of stories lovingly presented by America Ferrara, as related to her by prominent folks growing up between cultures.
I'm reading As Old As Time and Part of Your World for this. They're both fairytale retellings and Written by the same author, possibly part of a series
Just finished The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory for the first book in this combined prompt. Not normally the type of book I read. Had hopes it would be a bit more 'fun' and the type of book I'd want to read on the beach with a fruity cocktail in hand. The story just fell flat for me. And it was surprisingly sexually graphic - which was completely unexpected! Not that it bothered me, just wasn't what I thought it would be.Hoping The Royal We will be a bit more my speed.
For this topic I read All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld and The Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland by Nicolai Houm. Both novels are literary fiction that feature women who are away from home and dealing with obstacles while reflecting on tragedies from earlier in their lives.I really enjoyed All the Birds, Singing, which is about a woman from Australia who is living in England where she feels like an outcast and who is struggling with the ongoing slaughter of her sheep by an unknown person. There is also a lot of backstory about some truly horrid things that happened to her in Australia. It's grim and unsettling but very well written and engrossing.
The other book, The Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland, is about an American woman who goes to Norway and gets lost in the mountains during a storm. Most of the story focuses on the tragic event that occurred that led to her trip to Norway. I had a really weird disconnect with this book; everything felt really removed and distant and I couldn't get into the story at all.
-What are you reading for this category? (Both books)The Dark City and In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland's Torso Murders
- How are they connected?
Eliot Ness and Cleveland are my connections. The Dark City is a fictional crime novel about Eliot Ness after he came to Cleveland. In the Wake of the Butcher is a book of true crime about the Cleveland Torso Murders, the investigation of which was led by Eliot Ness.
Janet wrote: "Just finished The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory for the first book in this combined prompt. Not normally the type of book I read. Had hopes it would be a bit mo..."And The Royal We was a winner!
Why is it that last week I listened to 4 books that were ALL connected!! 3 had women whose mothers were no longer around (died, abandoned, never there) and two were connected through Jane Austen. Figures! Now I'm trying to figure out what to read...I like the idea of Fiction and Non-Fiction, but I'm traveling next week and know I'd be lost in a non-fiction book unless it was a memoir or something.....I'd love to do romance or historical fiction or something. Any suggestions? And one needs to be audio, but the other can be an actual book since I'll finally have time to read!!!Edited to add: Figured it out!! Went through all the audiobooks I already have downloaded and matched up a few pairs, but one I'm going to do:
Nonfiction: Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History
Fiction: The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Ok, I am reading two books which are not only on the same theme, but the first two books in a trilogy (and I will read the third later in the year, for a different challenge/week). So, I have read The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan for 7, and will read The Novice for 8 (soon).
Mod
I like the idea of nonfiction/fiction pairing. I'm a school teacher and will be reading two books about school shootings - include "A Mother's Reckoning" by Sue Klebold.
I am reading Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters by Anne Boyd Rioux and Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Graphic Novel: A Modern Retelling of Little Women by Rey Terciero. As you can see, they share a title and they are both works that came about because of Louisa May Alcott's classic, Little Women.
I think I'll use the theme of Russian folklore - I've been reading the Winternight trilogy this week, so I'll pair the last book, The Winter of the Witch, with The House with Chicken Legs.
I plan on reading two books about the same field of biology, possibly genetics. The Gene and A Crack in Creation maybe.
My books are related by the theme of motherhood. One is fiction and the other is non-fiction. I just finished my first book for this - Motherland: Interviews with Mothers and Daughters, by Ann McFerran.I wont labour this review, as I'm pretty sure this book is no longer in print. But this was an interesting read which featured a range of women from different backgrounds, cultures and family units. I enjoyed how honest a lot of the participants were, even those with high profile. It was poignant to note how different motherhood is perceived and experience by almost every woman interviewed for this book, proving that there really is no "perfect mother" or right way to do it. As a mother of sons I did find that a majority of observations the interviewees made about raising daughters were not unique according to gender. I don't know if that is telling of the passage of time since this book was published, or just that most of the mothers had only daughters. As a mother who doesn't always feel like she's doing the right thing, this was a comforting read.
- What are you reading for this category? (Both books) Red Rising and Golden Son- How are they connected? They are the first two books of a series. I always have problems fitting in series books in my plan so this was a good way for me to do so.
I read Murder on Sisters' Row by Victoria Thompson and Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen. They are both historical mysteries with female protagonists.
I read The Plot Against America by Philip Roth and The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon.They're both alternative histories, written by male Jewish Pulitzer Prize winning novelists, with history having been changed in the 1940s, focusing on the impact of that on Jews in America and having a male protagonist. My copies were both around about 400 pages long as well, just to add in another connection.
I love everyone's ideas. I thought about going the fiction/non-fiction route with these two: The Handmaid's Tale and Fear: Trump in the White HouseIn the end I chose these two: The Two Towers and The Return of the King
- What are you reading for this category? Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right and Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win- How are they connected? It's basically how Trump is connected to Russian money and then how American money set up the situation for him to get there. Dark Money was published in Jan 2016. This combination was a bit rough to get through bu t I'm very glad I did.
“Week #6” still shows up on the main “Group Description” page for 2019 Weekly Reading Challenge. Aren’t on week 8 now?
Mod
The mods haven't updated the group's description to match it, but the shelf tracker is on schedule, if you use that to track your progress. We are on Week 8 though!
An excellent nonfiction pairing would be The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row & Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.The Sun Does Shine is a memoir of an innocent man who spends 30 years on death row. Just Mercy is a memoir written by the lawyer who helps free him and his many experiences as legal counsel for inmates on death row.
Katie wrote: "An excellent nonfiction pairing would be The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row & Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.The Sun Does..."
Excellent idea, Katie. I would have done this if I hadn't read The Sun Does Shine last year.
- What are you reading for this category? (Both books)The Silence in the Garden and The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty
- How are they connected?
Both are set in Ireland during the 1920s and both are literary fiction.
Thank you Emily and Katie! I see Week #8 now 😊👍
What are you reading for this category? (Both books)I’m reading Making Sense of the Troubles: A History of the Northern Ireland Conflict, by David McKittrick and David McVea
And
I Hear the Sirens in the Streets, by Adrian McKinty
How are they connected?
They are both about or set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The first is a non-fiction historical account of the conflict, while the second is a fictional detective story about a detective in Belfast.
My books are related by the theme of motherhood. One is fiction and the other is non-fiction. I've finished my second book for this - I Loved You All, by Paula Sharp.I bought this book a long time ago, and like many others it has sat on my shelves since then - not a reflection of the book, I just get distracted by new and shiny things and my reading hasn't always been as voracious as it now is. When I bought this I was keen to read books with abortion in the plot, as I was fairly new to the debate and keen to have my two passions of reading and reproductive freedom come together. I am still very much of that mind, and I wish I'd read this back then instead of letting it languish on my bookcase.
The characters in this novel are what really sold it to me. Penny, the narrator who recalls the happenings of the summer when she was 8, is perfect. She is wild but observant, and tells the story as she saw it, but with touches of hindsight from her older perspective. Her innocence adds a level of compassion, particularly to the fanatical anti-choice Isobel, that my reading and personal opinion benefitted from. To begin with, I was wanting a more abhorrent character than Isobel, as I wanted someone I could be angry at. I also wanted a more dramatic storyline. I'm glad now that I didn't get that. The mixed feelings towards Isobel that the rest of the well-rounded cast hold mirrored my own and made this book a really rich experience. And the smaller scale of the anti-choice actions meant that this story didn't depend on sensationalism or exploitation to make its point.
Given the subjects of parental alcoholism, religious fanaticism and abortion, this novel is actually quite gentle in many ways. It strives for balance whilst making a powerful statement about self-righteousness and the danger of patriarchal involvement in the reproductive choice debate.
I feel like I am way overthinking this one but I can't decide on a good pairing - everyone's ideas seem so cool I keep wanting to come up with something totally creative and keep coming up empty ... and the month is getting away from me (mind you I am still working away at Clockmaker's Daughter for Week 6).
Mod
Clockmaker's Daughter took me forever! You'll come up with something fun (and if you can't, there are so many good suggestions here!)
- What are you reading for this category? (Both books)The Last Painting of Sara de Vos
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
- How are they connected?
Both are about Dutch paintings that were painted in the 1600's
- What are you reading for this category? (Both books)Ghosted
Leave No Trace
- How are they connected?
Someone goes missing
OK I finally finished Clockmaker's Daughter this weekend and now need to catch up (I am trying to do the challenge in order and roughly on time). After much deliberating, I have started Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton and to go with it, I'm planning on reading Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. One is a true life memoir of a female chef in NYC (now owner of Prune restaurant), and the other is a fictional story of a young woman in the restaurant business in NYC.
I have wanted to read Hamilton's memoir for a while now, and had it out from the library, and then looked for something to tie it in with for the challenge. A few chapters into the first one and so far it's interesting.
I was going to go with dystopian in Brave New World and Slaughterhouse 5 but then I read Circe. Now I will read The Odyssey to compliment it :)
I'm going to read Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn by Henri Miller for this challenge. Both books are from the same author reflecting his thoughts about living in Paris (Cancer) and New York (Capricorn).
I'm reading two books about the experience of being incarcerated, though in very different circumstances:The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner is about a woman serving two life sentences in California, while One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is about life in a forced labor camp under Stalin. The social and political contexts are very different, but they are both about the day-to-day details of imprisoned life.
What are you reading for this category?I read The Brass Verdict and Nine Dragons
How are they connected?
They were both written by Michael Connelly
What are you reading for this category?I decided to read Will to Live by Matthew Ames and Unstoppable: The Incredible Power of Faith in Action by Nick Vujicic
How are they connected?
Both are written by men who have no limbs (one was born like that, one lost his limbs as a result of an infection) and about dealing with adversity. One (Nick's) is from an overtly Christian base, the other (Matthew's) more of the physical and mental hurdles.
I've read Will to Live and am looking forward to Unstoppable.
I planned to read a fiction and a non-fiction on WWII for this prompt, but ended up reading two novels: A.J. Pearce, Dear Mrs Bird and Mary Wesley, The Camomile Lawn. I chose the Wesley over a non-fiction, as an abridged version, read by Sian Phillips, is currently being re-broadcast on BBC R4 Extra. (I heard it - and loved it - the first time round too.)
I was disapponted by Dear Mrs Pearce - it didn't seem to me to warrant the hype it's been given; but I think The Camomile Lawn is excellent.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Institute (other topics)Call Down the Hawk (other topics)
Hello, Universe (other topics)
Freak the Mighty (other topics)
After the Kiss (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Maggie Stiefvater (other topics)Stephen King (other topics)
Rodman Philbrick (other topics)
Erin Entrada Kelly (other topics)
Aimee Molloy (other topics)
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I wanted to get creative with the theme, and also soak up some books I already own but hadn't read/finished, so I made a game of going through my bookshelves and finding the pairing with the most unusual thing in common, which was fun.
Came up with "Speculative fiction prominently featuring trains by socially conscious authors": The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and Railsea by China Miéville.