Manu's 2020 ATY - I have come here to read books and chew bubble gum...

[Manu]

... and I'm all out of bubble gum.

Well, looks like I completely fell off the wagon for my first participation in 2019. Let's try and do better next year!

Here's my ATY 2020 shelf which is quite empty right now.

2020 GOALS

Same goals as for 2019, because why not.

☐ Read at least 60 books: 6/60
☐ Read at least 12 books in French: 2/12
☐ Complete the ATY challenge, in any order: 6/52
☐ Track some stats on my reading habits using this spreadsheet.

2020 READS

Completed


Currently reading

[Manu]

2020 ATY Challenge Progress

☑ 1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
Seveneves , by Neal Stephenson
⭐⭐

☐ 2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable

☐ 3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019

☐ 4. A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live

☐ 5. The first book in a series that you have not started

☐ 6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover

☐ 7. A book set in the southern hemisphere

☐ 8. A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The"

☑ 9. A book that can be read in a day
Pietr-le-Letton , by Georges Simenon
⭐⭐⭐⭐

☐ 10. A book that is between 400-600 pages

☐ 11. A book originally published in a year that is a prime number

☐ 12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people

☑ 13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge (2019 - Speculative Fiction)
Never Let Me Go , by Kazuo Ishiguro
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

☐ 14. A book by an author on the Abe List of 100 Essential Female Writers (link)

☐ 15. A book set in a global city

☐ 16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area

☐ 17. A book with a neurodiverse character

☐ 18. A book by an author you've only read once before

☑ 19. A fantasy book
Guards! Guards! , by Terry Pratchett
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

☐ 21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1720

☑ 22. A book with the major theme of survival
Ermites dans la taïga , by Vasily Peskov
⭐⭐⭐⭐

☐ 23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author

☐ 24. A book with an emotion in the title

☐ 25. A book related to the arts

☐ 26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards

☐ 27. A history or historical fiction

☐ 28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author

☐ 29. An underrated book, a hidden gem or a lesser known book

☐ 30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year

☐ 31. A book inspired by a leading news story

☐ 32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan

☐ 33. A book about a non-traditional family

☑ 34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name (Mystery)
The Murder on the Links , by Agatha Christie
⭐⭐⭐⭐

☐ 35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover

☐ 36. A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim

☐ 37. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #1

☐ 38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2

☐ 39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce

☐ 40. A book with a place name in the title

☐ 41. A mystery

☐ 42. A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World’ (https://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webap...)

☐ 43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse

☐ 44. A book related to witches

☐ 45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018

☐ 46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire"

☐ 47. A classic book you've always meant to read

☐ 48. A book published in 2020

☐ 49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)

☐ 50. A book with a silhouette on the cover

☐ 51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title

☐ 52. A book related to time

[Manu]

Status update #1

I'm trying to do things differently this year. One thing that will definitely help achieve my reading goals: we won't move twice and buy a home in 2020! I also won't try completing the prompts in order.

My first read of the year was terrific, and the second one is off to a good start (200 pages into this 800+ pages doorstop by Neal Stephenson).

[Manu]

Status update #2

I just finished Seveneves last night, and it was honestly a relief to get to the end. I had only read one Neal Stephenson novel before (and enjoyed it) but this was a bit of a slog despite a rather strong start. There are tons of great ideas in there, and even some good story elements, but it's all drowned in pages and pages of exposition that was often interesting but did not, in my opinion, make for a good novel.

Next up, a short read, in the form of the first Maigret novel, Pietr-le-Letton. I've read a few pages last night and I'm already hooked!

[Manu]

Status update #3

I enjoyed my first foray into Simenon's works, and it probably won't be long until I read the next Maigret novel. I then continued with the best Discworld book I've had the chance to read yet!.I'm looking forward to meeting Sam Vimes again!

I've now started a fascinating account of the story of the Lykov family who lived isolated in the Russian wilderness for decades, which I'll use for the Leading News Story prompt, and in parallel I've picked up the second Hercule Poirot novel in the series. I had read the first one last year and enjoyed it despite some flaws (looking at you, Hastings). We'll see how this one goes!