20. The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.]

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

It's week 20 of 2020! So this week, we are celebrating all things 20 by looking at the 20th book... of anything. Check the suggestions below for great ideas from our discussion threads, and feel free to add your own!

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Suggestions:

- the 20th book in your TBR pile
- the 20th book in a series
- the 20th book written by an author
- the 20th book that won a specific literary award
- the 20th unread book on your physical shelves, counting from the upper left hand
- the 20th book on my TBR sorted by a criteria you don’t normally use (number of pages, average rating, alphabetical by author name)
- the 20th book you add to your TBR in 2020
- the 20th book on a listopia that catches your eye
- the 20th book you read in 2020,
- the 20th fiction book you read in 2020
- the 20th nonfiction book
- the 20th book from a specific genre you read often
- the 20th book you purchased in 2019 or in 2020
- the 20th book you get from the library
- the 20th book mentioned on a discussion thread

If you want some list suggestions:
Anticipated Books Releasing in 2020
BBC's Big Read
Original Nancy Drew Books Ranked Worst to Best
Oprah's Book Club List (Not in Choice Order)
Must-Read Books with Love Triangles
Great American Reads List (Sortable!)

Feel free to go with the 20th on these lists, or sort the lists however you want (alphabetically? publication date? page length?) and go with the 20th that way! This prompt is really what you make of it!

ATY Group Listopia

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Optional Questions:
1. What are you reading for this category?
2. How is this the 20th book?

[Serendipity]

Right now A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is the 20th book on my TBR. No idea if it will be when I get to this prompt.

[Lisa]

My plan is to create slips of paper with the ways my “want to read” shelf can be sorted (ie- number of pages up, number of pages down) then pick a slip, sort my “want to read” shelf in the way indicated and pick the 20th book once sorted that way.

[Rachel]

I'm having such a hard time wrapping my head around how to handle this one. I can't easily pick whatever is 20th on my TBR at the time I make the list since it changes often, and also includes many books that aren't out yet, unless I go by the order from oldest to most recent. That gives me The Taming of the Shrew, which might be interesting, but I'm not sure it's what I want.

Maybe I'll pick something like the 20th unread book I've bought from Book Outlet, or leave it open to being the 20th book I read in the year in general, and let it be a freebie.

[Angie]

I will almost certainly do Hercule Poirot's Christmas, which is the 20th Hercule Poirot book.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Rachel, since I'm picking my prompts randomly out of a jar to determine the order this year, I'm having a bit more trouble wrapping my head around it as well.

I'll probably sort my TBR as many ways as I can on January 1st, write down all of the possibilities that come from that, then choose whichever one I want to read when I'm ready.

I also may do How to Be Both, which was the 20th winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction, or A Separate Peace which is the 20th book I bought this year.

I also really liked the suggestion from the discussion threads during voting about using your 20th book checked out from the library. Because I use mostly books I own for this challenge (or I'm really, really trying to), I can probably swing the library thing to work.

I think I'm confused about how to approach it because there are so many ways to approach it!

[Dana]

I plan to read 20th Midnight for this one, and it's the twentieth book in the Women's Murder Club series.

[Rachel]

Emily wrote: "Rachel, since I'm picking my prompts randomly out of a jar to determine the order this year, I'm having a bit more trouble wrapping my head around it as well.

I'll probably sort my TBR as many wa..."

That's a good idea too. This prompt was a bottom vote for me because I don't like feeling confined to a single option, but I like your idea of sorting your TBR several ways and giving yourself options to choose from. I'm a literalist when it comes to the prompts so I'm not sure if I'd use that approach myself, but it's a good way to go about it.

[Johanne]

I'm thinking of doing the 20th unread book on my bookshelves (counting from the upper left corner) or something similar. At the moment that book is Leigh Bardugo: Grisha #1

[Karissa]

I'm also feeling a little lost about how I want to approach this. Sorting my TBR in different ways just feels too random. So far I have two ideas: 1) Reread the 20th physical book I read in 2019 as an audiobook (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) or 2) Read the 20th book from Lithub's Best of the Decade list (The Argonauts). My other thought is finding a list of "Most Anticipated Releases of 2020" and read the 20th book from that.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Karissa wrote: "I'm also feeling a little lost about how I want to approach this. Sorting my TBR in different ways just feels too random. So far I have two ideas: 1) Reread the 20th physical book I read in 2019 as..."

I thought about using a Most Anticipated list as well, but since I'm picking my prompts from a jar, I can't assume that the book will be released when the prompt comes up. I really do like that idea though. I tried to include a link in the first post for an anticipated list but they haven't come out yet.

[dalex]

I am planning to read The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, which is the 20th book on this list - Not Your Usual Post-Apocalyptic Novels.

And for my second book (because I hope to read two books for each prompt) I am planning to read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which is the 20th book on this list - The Best Books of the 21st Century.

[Nadine in NY]

My TBR is huge (lucky me?) and the first fifty or so books on it don’t change much (although they SHOULD! I should either read them or take them off the list!!). Also, I tend to over-plan, so in the interest of injecting a tiny bit of spontaneity into my year, I’m going to just choose whichever book is the 20th on my TBR when I’m ready for this category. Whenever that might be haha! I don’t read in order. I think I’ll knock this one out early, maybe February. If I don’t want to read the 20th book, I’ll delete it from my shelves and read the next one that becomes 20th.

[Pam]

I’m always feeling ambitious before the challenge starts. With that thought in mind, I plan on reading War and Peace, which is #20 on the BBC Big Read list. I hope I can follow through with this plan!

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

I'm with Nadine; when I get to this one, whatever's number 20 on my tbr will either get read or deleted.

[Ellie]

I wasn't keen on the idea of using my 20th book on my TBR but I've just noticed #20 is a short one, so maybe. Otherwise I might go with the 20th book I get in 2020.

[Deborah]

I figured on sorting my TBR a few different ways to come up with ideas, but I also thought that I might check the TBRs of friends with trusted reading tastes to see what is their 20th 5star review or some variation.

[Marie]

I had a list of books I wanted to try and fit in for 2020. With my plan finalised apart from the two new books I had 23 leftover. I pulled the titles out of a tub until I got to the 20th, which was supposed to be my choice for this. But I didn't really feel it when it came out, so I put it back in and re-did the whole thing. And got the same book. Tried for a third time, and for the third time I got the same book. So either I'm re-doing the draw 20 times and risking getting really freaked out, or I'm reading The Year of the Flood!

[Johanne]

Weird Marie! My 20th book added to my TBR here on GR is Oryx and Crake...

[Marie]

Very weird! The universe obviously wants us all to read Margaret Atwood next year :)

[Johanne]

Apparently :)

[Shelley]

My 20th and 22nd on my TBR list are easily available and I'm good to go. The 21st is a book that has been sitting unpublished for years. I will need to be strategic about this.

[SadieReadsAgain]

20th title on my TBR (by date added)
Physical - Going Down
Kindle - Everything I Never Wanted to Be

20th title on my TBR (alphabetical)
Physical - Bucket of Tongues
Kindle - Daughters of the Lake

20th author on my TBR
Physical - William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch)
Kindle - Joanne Harris (Five Quarters of the Orange)

[Lin]

I found my book, Hide Away by Iris Johansen. It’s the 20th book of the Eve Duncan series.

[Kelly Sj]

Not all chronological lists of Shakespeare's plays agree, but two different sources I checked have As You Like It at #20, and I haven't read that one yet.

[WVrambler]

I sorted my TBR list by date added and counted 20 down and guess what I ended up getting? Moby Dick, of all things! Between MD and Roots, I’ll have some pretty good doorstoppers!

[Ashley]

I read The War of the Worlds. This was the 20th book on my TBR list working backwards through the alphabet.

[Jill]

What are you reading for this category?
I read Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

How is this the 20th book?
It was the 20th book on my TBR list and had been on there since 2012

[Maple]

I read [listened to] Midnight Crossroad

It was the 20th book in my Audible Library.

I wasn't expecting much from this but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. 4/5

[Emma]

I ended up going with the 20th book I read in 2020, mostly because it didn't fit into any empty prompts, and I thought it made a lot of sense to use it that way.

I chose The Plover by Brian Doyle

[Cheryl A.]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Way Back to You by Sharon Sala
2. How is this the 20th book?
This is the 20th book I borrowed from the library. (I did this specifically for this since l could not fit it into any other prompt (I am also doing the Alphabet challenge.)

[Rachel]

1. What are you reading for this category?
There's Something About Sweetie

2. How is this the 20th book?
It was the 20th book on my physical shelf, counting across from left to right. I also made it the 20th book that I read this year.

My original intent was to pick my 20th unread book that I bought on Book Outlet, but it got confusing because my list was constantly changing as I removed books as I read them and I kept forgetting which book was "supposed" to be 20th since I somehow forgot to write it down when I first made my plan. I could have gone with whatever was 20th at the time, I guess, but somehow it bothered me to do that.

[Evelyn]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

2. How is this the 20th book?
This is my 20th book I read this year.

[Joan]

I think I might just go with the 20th book that I read for this challenge. I don't have any of the books around #20 on my list. I'm planning on reading 2 or 3 books in my top 20 this year but I'm just not feeling those ones around #20 right now. So I'm also thinking of whittling down my tbr list.

If I use the 20th book for this challenge then it will kind of be a fun freebie and I still have several that I want to fit in this year that I haven't found a place for yet.

[Shelley]

1. What are you reading for this category?
White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America read while on a road trip through the American South which was extremely appropriate.

2. How is this the 20th book?
The 20th oldest on my TBR list.

[Pam]

I am reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is #20 on the BBC's Big Read list.

[Fourevver]

I read Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt. It's the 20th book in the Andy Carpenter Series.

[Marie (UK)]

The Summer Fields 17/04/2020

was # 20 on my TBR and its probably in the 20 worst books i have ever read

[Susan]

I read Hercule Poirot's Christmas, the 20th Poirot book. It was a lot of fun with a satisfying ending. 4/5

[Laurel]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I read The Leopard Tree by Tim Merriman
2. How is this the 20th book? Of the TBR books on my Kindle, it was #20 from the oldest.

[Samantha]

1. What are you reading for this category? One Perfect Lie
2. How is this the 20th book? It is showing as book 20 on my "Want to Read List"

[Stephanie]

1. What are you reading for this category? I listened to the audiobook of Abaddon's Gate
2. How is this the 20th book? It is the 20th book I've finished this year.

[Joan]

1. What are you reading for this category? After
2. How is this the 20th book? I used this as a freebie and this was the 20th book I read for the ATY challenge. My daughter wanted me to read it so we could watch the movie so I slipped it in my challenge.

[Donna]

1. What are you reading for this category? The Book of M
2. How is this the 20th book? My To Be Read list is a spreadsheet --- this is the 20th book on the list.

[Emily]

Week 20: I decided to read the following:

20. The 20th Book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.]: Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie (her 20th book)

I had read this before back when I was in high school and I re-read it this week. Its a great murder mystery story about a whodunnit in the air with only 12 suspects (including Hercule Poirot)!

[Kim]

1. What are you reading for this category?
2. How is this the 20th book? 20th book on by TBR sorted by date added

[Jo]

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. And I only had to reorganize my goodreads list once. It is the 20th book from the back of my tbr.

[Alexx]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I am reading The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

2. How is this the 20th book?
I arrange my books in alphabetical order by the author's last name, and this book was the 20th book sitting on the shelf at the end of my bed.

[Suzanne]

1. What are you reading for this category?
Shameless: A Sexual Reformation by Nadia Bolz-Weber

2. How is this the 20th book?
I sorted my to-be-read shelf by date added with books added longest ago first. This was 20th in line, so I decided it was time to finally read it.

[Hannah]

I'm just about finished with Anne of Green Gables, which was the 20th book on my TBR when sorted by title. This was absolutely excellent luck, as I'm trying to double up prompts from the 2019 challenge and the 2020 challenge and I was already very committed to the idea of reading Anne of Green Gables for the "Children's classic you've never read" 2019 prompt.