Sarah's 2020 ATY reading list

[Sarah]

I failed miserably at reading in order in 2019 so I'm not sure if I'll try that again

[Sarah]

1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
Eric
2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable
Golden Son
3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019
The Toll
4. A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live
Mao's Last Dancer
5. The first book in a series that you have not started
Dreadnought
6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover
Kon-Tiki
7. A book set in the southern hemisphere
Kon-Tiki
8. A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The"
The Kingdom
9. A book that can be read in a day
Artificial Condition
10. A book that is between 400-600 pages
Straight On Till Morning
11. A book originally published in a year that is a prime number
Wuthering Heights
12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people
Cursed: An Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales
13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge
The Silence of the Girls
15. A book set in a global city
Tunnel of Bones
16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area
On the Banks of Plum Creek
17. A book with a neuro-diverse character
Spellwright
18. A book by an author you've only read once before
So, This Is Love
19. A fantasy book
Spellwright
20. The 20th book
All Systems Red
21. A book related to Maximilian Hell
Two on a Tower
22. A book with the major theme of survival
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author
Every Heart a Doorway
24. A book with an emotion in the title
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
25. A book related to the arts
Curtain Up
26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards
Finale
27. A history or historical fiction
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World
28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author
Silverwing
29. An underrated book, a hidden gem or a lesser known book
Lightning Mary
30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year
Annihilation
31. A book inspired by a leading news story
The Princess Diarist
32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan
Spiral
33. A book about a non-traditional family
Red Sister
34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name
Horrorstör
35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover
Two on a Tower
36. A book from your TBR that you don't recall putting there
Lightning Mary
37. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites
Curtain Up
38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites
Double Down
39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce
Highfire
40. A book with a place name in the title
Galápagos
41. A mystery
Spiral
42. A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World’
Artificial Condition
43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse
Gods of Jade and Shadow
44. A book related to witches
The Odd Sisters: A Tale of the Three Witches
45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018
The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy
46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire"
Doctor Zhivago
47. A classic book you've always meant to read
The Swiss Family Robinson
48. A book published in 2020
Evil Thing
49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win
Beauty
50. A book with a silhouette on the cover
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title
A Kiss Before Dying
52. A book related to time
How to Stop Time

[Sarah]

I'm thinking of challenging myself to read at least one non-fiction book a month (because I barely read any last year). Wish me luck!

[Sarah]

[Sarah]

January Update

Books read: 7/52
Non-Fiction: 1/10

Favourite read: Tunnel of Bones which made me excited to visit Paris later this year, hopefully minus the poltergeist!

Most disappointing: How to Stop Time. I loved The Humans when I read it a few years ago so my expectations were pretty high and, unfortunately, this book failed to live up to them.

Up next: I finally got The Testaments from the library so I feel obliged to read it next because I'll not be able to renew it

[Sarah]

February Update

Books read: 13/52
Non-Fiction: 1/10

Totally didn't get round to reading another non-fiction book. Whoops! I'll have to read two this month

Favourite read: The Toll. Whilst it as the weakest of the trilogy, it was a lot of fun. I just wish there had been more of a showdown at the end. It felt a little anti-climatic in that respect but overall, it was pretty good.

Most disappointing: Galapagos. I normally really like Vonnegut but this was (dare I say it?) boring. For a book less than 250 pages, it really dragged.

Up next: I'm finishing up Straight On Till Morning and then I'll get on to one of my non-fiction reads. Probably The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World

[Sarah]

March Update

Books read: 17/52
Non-Fiction: 3/10

Reading has slowed down due to the world being on lockdown. Instead of reading more because of extra free time, I'm finding myself reading way less than usual. At least I caught up on my non-fiction goal this month

Favourite read: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World I love dinosaurs in general anyway so a bit of actual science to support my adoration would always be welcome.

Most disappointing: Lightning Mary For some reason, I was expecting YA but it turned out to be middle grade. Not really the book's fault that I was disappointed

Up next: I'm technically currently reading Euphoria but I haven't picked it up since I finished work a week ago. I might try to tackle a big chonky classic since I am at home with no where to go

[Sarah]

April Update

Books read: 20/52
Non-fiction: 3/10

It's been a disastrous month, both personally and reading-wise. Only three books read and one of those was a re-read. With there being so few, I'm not going to pick a most/least favourite out of them. It feels a bit mean!

Up next: I'm about a quarter of the way through Spellwright but I haven't been able to concentrate on it recently

[Sarah]

Feeling really burned out at the minute so I've decided I'm going to double up and use books I've already read so I have one less thing to think about right now. My county has just moved into stricter lockdown so it's not like the library is going to reopen any time soon any way. I'll just finish Doctor Zhivago and then I'm done.

If only I could do the same for Pop Sugar...

[Kathy]

Good decision, Sarah. No use having something that should be fun turn into a burden. I hope you feel better soon!

[Sarah]

Kathy wrote: "Good decision, Sarah. No use having something that should be fun turn into a burden. I hope you feel better soon!"

Thanks, Kathy. Hopefully the world will be back to something like normal in time for next year's challenge!