Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Weekly Topics 2020
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30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year
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I will probably read Homegoing.Lots of good books on these lists. I also considered Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, The Fifth Season, Americanah, and The Great Believers. There are also a couple that I've slotted into other categories and one (Doctor Sleep) that I'm reading right now.
A few of my options include The Overstory, Manual for Cleaning Women, A Little Life (it fits multiple categories so I’m definitely reading it - the only question is for which prompt), La Rose, and The Essex Serpent.
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I've got a lot to choose from on my physical/TBR shelves! Some of the front runners are A Visit from the Goon Squad
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Half of a Yellow Sun
How to Be Both
Less
The Great Believers
The Power
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A link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...
I personally didn't recognize most of the books on the list, but I guess that just means I have lots of options.
I just pulled this prompt from my jar, the first one of the year, I'm excited! I needed a book to read on my Kindle, so I went for Behold the Dreamers (the other options are from the library and I have to read them on my phone or iPad).
There are six books on the 2019 I'd like to read: The Memory Police, The Yellow House, American Spy, Disappearing Earth, Exhalation: Stories and Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster.I started reading The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming last year but it was all a bit too much repetitive doom and gloom, and in my opinion it should have stayed an essay.
My read for this prompt has been Gabriel García Marquéz's novella Memories of My Melancholy Whores which despite its creepy title is much more a love story than anything pornographic. It was on the list for 2005.
- What are you reading this weekI read Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
Oh yes. I went through various years of the list and made my own checklist of what looked interesting, then went to the library catalogue to see what was available.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
I constantly have little pieces of paper around with book titles/author names on them. I just mark them down when I see something interesting mentioned in an article or recommended by a writer or a blog.
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What are you reading this week?I finished Cherokee America by Margaret Verble last night. I am using this book for this prompt. I am currently reading book #13 in the Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown. Cat’s eyewitness.
Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” list to find books & are there any you would recommend?
I only look at “best of” list at the end of the year. I do look forward to all the end of year lists. I do not read books biased on any lists. Any book I read about goes on another list to see if I can fit them into prompts. A book can stay on my list for years or I may never read it. I use lists & recommendations to stay current but not to rush out & read. There was six other books on the 2019 NYT notable list I was considering for this prompt. Cherokee America was available first.
- What are you reading this weekThe Tao of Pooh
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
Not really. I've either read most of them or have little interest in them. This was actually a re-read for me, which is rare.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
Not often at all.
I chose The Library Book by Susan Orlean. I had a few other options that fit in, but not too many - it was a weird mix of books. I usually hate these kinds of lists. It might encourage me to pick up a book I already heard of, but I rarely chose anything off these just because they make the list.
What are you reading this week?I read Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin.
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
I am sure there are many books on the list that would have worked. I sometimes work the other way round, reading books and finding prompts that fit (when I am into a series, like this one as part of Earthsea) for example.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
Sometimes I do. I try to be aware of such lists, to mine them for books I would like to read. Tehanu also won two awards (Locus, Nebula) which I tend to track (and go back and reading winners from) even if they don't appear on the other prompt with the top 10 book awards category (though Le Guin has won some of those awards as well).
-The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman-The books on that list that were already on my tbr are being used for other prompts for this challenge and the PopSugar Reading Challenge.
-Sometimes. When I feel bored of my tbr(I have this constant urge to add more) I'll look at various types of lists for books that jump out at me.
There are tons of great books on this list, but I own a copy of Cleopatra: A Life that has been sitting around my house for years. It's an interesting book with fluid prose, but parts of it are repetitive. (4/5)
Matthias wrote: "What are you reading this week?I read Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin.
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
I am sure the..."
I love this series! What did you think of Tehanu?
- What are you reading this week
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt? Yes, but I settled on this selection of short stories. It was lovely and horrifying. I don't usually read short stories so it was a good departure from my comfort zone.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others? I do not usually look at these lists...
What are you reading this week? This week, it's Beautiful Animals by Lawrence Osborne.Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
Oh yes, plenty! Some titles: The Overstory, Cherry, Friday Black, Your Duck Is My Duck: Stories, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup and Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro, just to name a few. I chose this one because I had several of Osborne's books on my TBR and thought I'd start here.
Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others? Only when I'm in a "keeping up with the Joneses" kind of mood.
- What are you reading this week - Lila by Marilynne Robinson
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt? yes
What are you reading this weekI read Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore
Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
There were a few that I would be interested in and a few that I have read
Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
No . I have only looked at lists due to this challenge. I usually get ideas about books from other readers that I know
- What are you reading this weekIn Pieces
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
I mainly looked to see what was on the list and possibly on my TBR list or what I had at home.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
I'm 50/50, it all depends on the list and if something peaks my interest.
- What are you reading this weekMen We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt? Homegoing, The Power, Severance
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others? I often look at lists to add books in my to read list.
I am reading Underland for this category, by nature writer Robert Macfarlane--it's a thoughtful and intriguing meditation on the world beneath our feet, focusing on human intersections with nature. We mine the earth, we bury our dead there, and also our nuclear waste...and we also dredge up our history that was thought (or intended to be) forgotten. Really enjoying this, I'll have to seek out more of this author's books.I also considered Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster, which i managed to slot in the "related to time" category, Homegoing (fits in -ing category). and Washington Black (fits in not sure how to pronounce author name category).
I read Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David GrannThere were a number of other possibilities, but I had this one on my bookshelves.
I often look at best of lists, but mostly for gift giving ideas.
I read a 2019 NYT Notable Book, Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett, for this task. I have so many books on my TBR shelves that would also qualify for this task, House of Leaves foremost, that I have been avoiding recommendation lists for the most part.
For this prompt I read Fleishman Is in Trouble. I considered so many of the other books that I cannot write them all down. I do like looking at these type of lists to find new things to read but I don't have other lists to recommend. I find many books from what my friends on Goodreads have enjoyed.
I finally read Lincoln in the Bardo for this prompt and was not impressed. It tried way to hard. There's a reason I usually don't go with lists.
- What are you reading this weekI read Educated which was on the 2018 list.
I also read Thinking, Fast and Slow and Becoming but used them for other prompts.
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
So many! Plot Against America, Memories of My Melancholy Whores, Terrorist, Washington: A Life, Goldfinch, Commonwealth, Essex Serpent, Undoing Project, Grant, How to Change Your Mind, Library Book, American Marriage.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
I love lists. I don't add a lot to my TBR from lists except for a professional site I follow. (It's probably not something most would be interested in but it is Kitces' Nerd Eye's View for financial planners.)
- What are you reading this week The Perfect Nanny- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt? I generally plan ahead so I can get my books from the library but didn't for this prompt but knew I could get this so went with it.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others? I don't seek them out and the only one I regularly look at is the Goodreads awards.
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I read The Dinner for this prompt from the 2013 list. I had multiple options for most of years. I don't use lists to add books to my tbr, but I don't mind choosing what to read from a list if I have several options already on my tbr. I do sometimes use Book Riots best books of the year to add to my tbr.
I read the The Mars Room 30/07/2020 TBH it was awful it felt contrived as if it had been written to be notable rather than to be interesting . For me it failed to create either believable characters or a true narrative.
O often find what a newspaper or award jury think is interesting fails to spark my imagination at all.
- What are you reading this week All the Light We Cannot See- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt? There weren't too many. I read most of the ones that I would be interested in. The ones that I haven't read yet I'm not sure I want them to stay on my tbr. I'm not as excited to read them anymore for whatever reason.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others? No not really - I seem to pick up books from what I see others reading on Goodreads mostly. Every now and then I'll find one at a bookstore that I want to read.
I read The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, which was on the 2020 list. I had been planning to read The Dutch House, but then I picked this one up on a whim and realized it fit.I don't really care about best of lists--I read what I find interesting.
I read The Underground Railroad by Colson WhiteheadI had three other options that I considered: Before the Fall, The Year of the Flood and When Will There Be Good News?.
I never look at lists to find what I want to read. I only look at these lists for AtY prompts, and then I'm just looking for books I already want to read that are on the lists. I don't value the lists themselves for any kind of recommendation, so wouldn't be recommending them to others.
I just finished Gilead for this prompt. I had other options, but this one had been sitting on my shelf for quite a while, so I thought I should read it.I don't really worry about best of lists. I read what sounds interesting to me.
I read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I didn’t know it was on this list until I pulled up the listopia and it was the first book! So, I didn’t look any further but I’m sure there are other books I would read. I don’t normally care much for Best Of or Recommended lists but I do occasionally look at them and decide to read something on one. I highly recommend Born a Crime! I was surprised at how engaged I stayed with the book. If I didn’t need to sleep, I would have just read it in one sitting!
What are you reading this weekI read Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
I own 7 others that are on the 2019 version of this list.
Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
Only for challenges. I don't have any one particular list.
I read Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North for this prompt (NYT 100 Notable Books, 2014) - centring on a WW2 Japanese POW camp in Burma, it's not an easy read, but it's well worth the effort.
- What are you reading this weekI read Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
There were a few on my tbr besides this one.
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
I don't particularly look at lists unless it is for a reading challenge.
What are you reading this weekA Princess in Theory
Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
Nope! Although now I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should have! When I put my list together, this fluffy read seemed like a good idea haha
Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others? Nope, not at all haha
What are you reading this week?She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement, by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
Plenty...
Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?
Not really, I just read whatever takes my fancy.
"A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year." I read these and I plan to read Jeanette Winterson's Christmas book which made one of the lists.She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement 2019
*Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom 2019
How to Be an Antiracist 2019
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes 2018
The Nickel Boys 2019
The Vanishing Half 2020
Normal People 2019
Exhalation: Stories 2019
Red at the Bone 2019
The Friend 2018
I read the non-fiction books for challenges and I'm going to pay more attention to the current book. The books on the 2020 list don't sound appealing but neither did most of these, but they were all great.
* This one might have been a life saver for me. It lead to important discussions with my doctor and pharmacist.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Nickel Boys (other topics)The Friend (other topics)
She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement (other topics)
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes (other topics)
How to Be an Antiracist (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Amy Ellis Nutt (other topics)Jacqueline Woodson (other topics)
Colson Whitehead (other topics)
David Grann (other topics)
Robert Macfarlane (other topics)
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The 2019 list is expected to be published in December and a link will be added here then.
Note: the New York Times allows you to read a limited number of articles each month without a subscription. If you can’t access the original lists then there is a Goodreads list for every year from 2003 to 2018
Suggestions:
AtY Group Listopia
Goodreads: books on the New York Times notable books list (there are separate lists for each year from 2003 onwards)
New York Times 100 notable books of 2018
Optional questions:
- What are you reading this week
- Were there any other books on the lists that you considered reading for this prompt?
- Do you often look at “best of” or “must read” lists to find books you want to read, and are there any particular lists you would recommend to others?