Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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Anne's "How Can I Make This Book I Want To Read Fit This Prompt" Around the Year in 52 Books Plan
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BOOKS 1-261. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Fermor
I misread this as "Author's Surname doesn't have these letters" and it's too late to try to put this book anywhere else
Read: January
Rating: 3/3
2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable
The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
Yoon definitely has only one syllable. But it ends on an "n" which makes it feel like more than one syllable.
Read: January
Rating: 2/3
3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heilein
I saw this on a list of recommended books this year and decided I wanted to read it. That counts, right?
Read: January
Rating: 2.5/3
4. A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
While I would like to live in a place of greater safety, I would not like to live in revolutionary France.
5. The first book in a series that you have not started
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
At last! A prompt I can unambiguously put a book next to. I've been meaning to read some Atwood and her MaddAddam series is one I plan to get through this year.
Read: January
Rating: 3/3
6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
Slippers are a form of transport, right?
Gave up: 100 pages in
Rating: meh
7. A book set in the southern hemisphere
Cemetery Lake by Paul Cleave
Another 100% correct prompt fill! I'm trying to read more kiwi authors this year, and Paul (apparently) lives and writes in Christchurch! Chur!
Read: 31 January
Rating: 2/3
8. A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The"
The Searchers by Alan LeMay
We're 8 books in and I'm finally getting the hang of correctly doing these prompts! Also I've never read a western before so I'm excited.
Read: February
Rating: 1/3
9. A book that can be read in a day
Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I mean, technically can't any of the books on this list be read in a day, if I just ignore all my other responsibilities??
Read: February
Rating: I refuse
10. A book that is between 400-600 pages
The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal
It's 532 pages long! But only according to GoodReads. My aim is to add more pages to my copy so it is exactly 601 pages long. Fiendish!
12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
I'm not reading the original Dutch, so thanks whoever translated the copy I'm going to read. Also all the people in the book industry who got it published, and the person at my library who decided to get a copy, and the people who made wood into paper for this book. And my high school teacher who first introduced it to me. A lot of people worked together for this book to happen, not the least of whom was Miep Gies, who saved this diary and Otto Frank, who worked so hard for it to be published.
Listened: March
Rating: 3/3
13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge (Link)
Animal Farm by George Orwell
I'll be honest I haven't checked the previous lists. I assume this book will fit at least one of them. I've never read it but I guess this will be the year!
Listened: March
Rating: 2/3
14. A book by an author on the Abe List of 100 Essential Female Writers The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
Another list I haven't checked to see if this fits. If Atwood isn't on here I'm in trouble, but I assume she is and I want to read this trilogy this year!!!
15. A book set in a global city
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
What even is a global city???? A city that exists in the globe somewhere? Fun fact: the F stands for Francis!
Read: March
Rating: 3/3
16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
I haven't checked where the book takes place so I'll let you know if this is wrong.
Read: March
Rating: 2/3
17. A book with a neurodiverse character
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
This was actually the last book I added to this list because another book I wanted to read didn't fit any category so I had to google books about neurodiversity.
Read: April
Rating: 3/3
18. A book by an author you've only read once before
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu
Technically I listened to the audiobook of The Three-Body Problem, but that counts, right?
Read: April
Rating: 3/3
19. A fantasy book
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
I've listened to the audiobook so many times and I adore this book... time to read it with my own two eyes.
20. The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.]
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
This book is the 20th book on this list... that counts right? I picked it because I adore the cover's design.
21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1720
Artemis by Andy Weir
This book is set in space. Max Hell liked space. It fits.
Read: March
Rating: 1.5/3
22. A book with the major theme of survival
The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfeld
This book was recommended to me by a friend and I had to shoehorn it into this list somewhere. It has the world Empire in the title, and Empires always want to keep going.
23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author
The War Poems Of Wilfred Owen by Wilfred Owen
I really needed some sad war poems in my year.
24. A book with an emotion in the title
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
I guess I should read it since apparently it's great???
25. A book related to the arts
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
One of my attempts to get some non-fiction in my reading! It's 600 pages so this one's going to be a bit of a slog.
26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
I picked a category and book at random! I hope it wins!!!
BOOKS 27-52
27. A history or historical fiction
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
This book is set during a period of human history! In a real historical place! Also I adore the cover.
28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealand author
The Complete Works of James K. Baxter by James K. Baxter
I bought a copy of this off AbeBooks for NZ$10 with free shipping about ten years ago and it was a TREASURE but now it is time to read all his poems. THERE IS NO CORRECT COVER PICTURE so enjoy this dog.
29. An underrated book, a hidden gem or a lesser known book
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
It's not a book I've ever heard of, so that counts???
30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
I was almost in despair at finding a place to put the third in this trilogy, but there we are! Sucess!!!
31. A book inspired by a leading news story
Night Draws Near by Anthony Shadid
"Leading news story" and "endless war" are the same thing, right?
32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan
Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
a. It's written by a Japanese Author, b. there will be men and women taking part in the olympic games, c. I will be reading it in 2020, d. maybe some part of this book will take place in summer?, e. most of the letters in the word "games" are also in this title
33. A book about a non-traditional family
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
I have no idea what her family is like, but we'll find out?!
34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
It's a Novel and there's an N in my name. Also, I've been readingThe Dark Tower this year and since Roland is from Gilead (I assume not this Gilead) I'm curious.
35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover
Wigs on the Gren by Nancy Mitford
This book cover is Super Cute. Also it was either this or a textbook about geometry and no thanks.
36. A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
This is a book I've always been aware of, but have no idea what it's about or why I'm aware of it. It's got a rating of 3.83 on here so I'm curious???
37. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #1
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
This book and the following have titles related to eating, but this one has the word White and that one has the word Dark. Go with it okay
38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2
People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry
39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
CO-a-tes? Cwa-TEHs? Coo-AH-ts? There are so many options.
40. A book with a place name in the title
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I assume Eden is a place? Or is this a metaphorical title???
41. A mystery
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielelwski
The real mystery is what does the Z in his name stand for??? A Z???? What name starts with a Z??? I hope this book answers my question.
42. A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World’
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
I've just been informed that "Appearing on my 2020 reading challenge in position 42" is NOT one of the 10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World. This is awkward.
43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
As every knows, the Horseman "Famine" was played by James Otis on the TV Show Supernatural. James Otis was born in 1943, and three is the Kevin Bacon number between himself and Alfred Hitchcock. The Birds, by that director, was released in 1963, which is the year that the author of this book, Alice Sebold, was born. Also, bones -> death.
44. A book related to witches
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
It's a retelling of a fairy tale, which often contains witches.
45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018
Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb
Technically I didn't have a best read in the last two years because I've been doing audiobooks since forever. But I love Robin Hobb and I want to read this book. Note: most of the cover art is rubbish, bring back John Howe to design the covers!!!!
46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire"
Atonement by Ian McEwan
My eyes glazed over as I read the list of events in this song, so I picked a book that is based at some point in history and I hope it fits.
47. A classic book you've always meant to read
The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter
I'm a monster because I've only read Peter Rabbit. Lord have mercy on me.
Read: April
Rating: 3/3
48. A book published in 2020
Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat
.... yeah no, this book doesn't fit this prompt. But I'll see if I can find a copy printed in 2020.
49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win
The Whisper Man by Alex North
I have not checked the list but I will put money on the odds that this book definitely will fit at least one.
50. A book with a silhouette on the cover
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Yes, I assume they meant a person's silhouette, but it's got both the head silhouette and a bird's silhouette so I feel like it counts.
51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title
Becoming by Michelle Obama
10/10, prompt achieved. The only way I could have done better is to have found a book called "-ing" and that would have been great. Or I could have read Terry Practchet's "The Truth" with Mr Tulip.
52. A book related to time
A brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
The Biography of Time Magazine, I assume.
Haha.... the comments. I'm laughing.Enjoy your challenge. Love the dog :-)
Love the comments and the title! Also, I’m extremely jealous that you got all of Baxter so cheap! Robin Hobb’s fantastic, isn’t she?
I wouldn’t bother with Jonathan Livingston Seagull if I were you.
This is hilarious!! Thanks so much for the fantastic acronym and explanations.
I often glance at people's lists, but I read every word of this one. Laughed at so many of these explanations!
I laughed out loud at your explanations. My husband asked what I was laughing at, but apparently only book people get the sense of humor and he is most definitely not a book person. #42 was my favorite.
Love it!! Your explanations were the funniest thing I have read today. Happy reading.
Mod
Mood
Tracy: Thanks! Border collies are delightful and often used as herding dogs here in NZ, so I thought it'd be a suitable stand-in for a book cover.Tanvi: I'm honestly amazed that I snagged the copy! I looked up new editions and they're NZ$80+ in some places, so I'm going to hold on to this one. I'm with you 100% on Robin Hobb as well. I picked up Fool's Assassin a while back and read the first few lines and despite not having read anything of hers in the past few years I was immediately transported back to the Six Kingdoms and Fitz's life. I'm so excited to finally get around to reading these books.
What was it about Jonathan Livingstone Seagull that put you off it? It's a book I'm entirely unfamiliar with.
Eva, Traci, Kathy, Linda, Joan: Thanks! I had a lot of fun writing these out, and I figured if I made it a little funny then people would excuse my book choices not always fitting the prompts!
Jackie: Right? It's one of the books I'm really looking forward to!
Anne wrote: Tanvi: I'm honestly amazed that I snagged the cop..."
Yes, I've only read High Country Weather by him, but based on that alone, I've decided I need to get my hands on some more of his work!
Admittedly, I read it when I was in Year 7 or 8, but it's very self-help and very straightforwardly inspirational/allegorical. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just that it has an uncomplicated 'Persevere and you'll succeed' message. Maybe it's only that I've read it too many times and it's lost its charm.
Anne wrote: "Tracy: Thanks! Border collies are delightful and often used as herding dogs here in NZ, so I thought it'd be a suitable stand-in for a book cover..."Border Collies are a popular dog in this group lol, I almost got you confused with another Ann ;-)
As for me, I let my daughter pick out a wheaten.....ummmmmm....still wondering 3 years later wtf I got myself into.
Mod
OK Ann and border Collies. That must be me. Any book with a B.C. on the cover can't be bad. Even if it is faked.
Eden is a city in North Carolina, so that works.
Tracy wrote: "Anne wrote: "Tracy: Thanks! Border collies are delightful and often used as herding dogs here in NZ, so I thought it'd be a suitable stand-in for a book cover..."Border Collies are a popular dog ..."
You talking about me Tracy?
Ann wrote: "You talking about me Tracy? ..."Yes, yes I was lol (except I know you're Ann with no e)
Also was thinking of Jacqueline in Australia but shes not an Ann/e :-)
Hilarious! Definitely going to follow this one!
Your sense of humour reminds me so much of another Kiwi friend I have, and you really need to read more of Lloyd Jones - I loved Mr Pip!
Being a kiwi, I've got a few hours head start on many non-Australasian readers, so I've already finished by first book of the challenge!!! Woo!While I meant to read my books in prompt order, TWO PEOPLE have borrowed the copies of my #1 prompt book held by my city library and so I have been UNABLE to begin this challenge as I planned.
LOOK AT THAT. I'm distraught. Frantic. Inconsolable. #really #nolies
So I've started with my book for the second prompt: A book by an author whose last name is one syllable, for which I read Nicola Yoon's THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR
It's really not the kind of book I'd usually read, but that's the point of the challenge, right? Despite the story being kind of predictable (boy meets girl, falls in love, etc etc) I felt warmer towards the book than I thought I'd be. The focus on connections between people and the way that seemingly small events can have large and unforeseen consequences made it an interesting read, especially with the interludes put in to show the past/future of characters who weren't Natasha or Daniel. The story wasn't anything too out there, and kept me turning pages to see how exactly they'd get where they were going.
This wasn't a groundbreaking or life-changing read, I'm not going to seek out any of this author's other work, but it was a nice and wholesome way to spend a few hours and the author's name definitely has only one syllable so I consider this prompt fulfilled.
2/3 stars, read it if you're into young adult fiction or the rare Korean-American-slightly-manic-pixie-dream-boy trope.
FINALLY on the fourth I checked and saw that my book for the first prompt was in library, so I went in to grab it before anyone else could.Five days later it's read! For the prompt: A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y I read A TIME OF GIFTS by Patrick Leigh Fermor.
After breezing through the previous book in a day, I was surprised that it took so long to get through this one. It's got a lower wordcount, but it's sooo much more dense.
I have two main thoughts about it. The first is that I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't like anything I'd read before, and the writer is very good at creating imagery that is beautiful and gives you a real feeling for the place. The second half of the book had fewer discussions of the places and people and more about history and esoteric literature than the first, which made it less interesting to me. The lack of interest made it a harder read (because of my next point) but it was still well written and did not really detract from the book.
My second reflection is that this was not an easy read. I had to pay a LOT of attention as I read, as there are so many names and thoughts and just A Lot happening in every paragraph. The writer is widely read and part of the delight of his writing is that he's always referencing what his teenage self is seeing with the broader world. Which, if you're not as well read as him, can make for a paragraph of names of German rulers that you don't know and aren't going to look up. This isn't a negative, for me it kind of added to this sense of a big world full of interesting and various things!
This was a lovely read, and I'm only sad that I didn't have more time to get through it and look up a lot of the references that I didn't understand. Regarding the prompt: this is a complete failure. Does not fulfill the prompt at all. Oh well.
3/3 stars. Read it if you have more than a week to get through it, don't read it if you have to understand every reference you come across.
Mod
@Emily: Good to know! I looked up the movie (because the version of the book I was reading was the movie promo version with pictures from it and everything) and I was surprised to find it was so poorly rated when the book is rated so highly! No chance I'm going to watch it, lol.
Eighteen days in and three books down! Yaas!Yesterday I finished STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert A. Heinlein, this was for prompt #3: A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019.
I really enjoyed this, both because of the story and because, written in the sixties, the language and dialogue is really different to what I'd expect in a modern sci-fi. All the way through I kept thinking about the story was presented and how it might be presented differently today.
Like the last book I read, I found the start more engaging than the end. I flew through the pages about Michael Smith arriving on earth, getting set up and learning about humans (and humans learning about him). The end, where he starts his own movement (and things get a bit philosophical) was less interesting and rather predictable. This might just be because this book is a classic and others have copied it, but it's why I rated it 2.5/3 instead of 3/3 stars. The characters are really interesting, the world-building is great, the dialogue is snappy and engaging.
I'd recommend this to anyone into creative sci-fi, or who wants to catch up on 60s slang.
As to whether this book fulfills the prompt: I saw this book on a list somewhere last year and decided to read it, which is a 10/10: does fulfill prompt.
It's the start of February and I've finished two more books! I'm working on A Place of Greater Safety, which is a whopping 800 pages, and I've been taking breaks to get through other books on the way. For prompt 05: The first book in a series that you have not started, I read ORYX AND CRAKE by Margaret Atwood.
I really enjoyed this book. I found Atwood's writing style really easy to read and get through, and I really enjoyed how she developed the story and revealed what had gone on as the story progressed. I'm really excited to finish this trilogy this year! 3/3 stars, because I am in love with Atwood's creativity and her dystopian future.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian futures and dreams of genetically engineering humanity to be better than we are now.
For prompt 07: A book set in the southern hemisphere, I read CEMETERY LAKE by Paul Cleave, an author who writes in, and sets his novels in the city where I live here in NZ!
This was a mystery/thriller, which is a genre I hardly ever read, and though I didn't find this the great book, I found it a good read and got through it in an evening! The characters were interesting and I really wanted to know what was going on with the mystery. I didn't really connect with the main character, which is why I'm only rating it 2/3
Read this thriller if you want a fun, easy to read, mystery, or you just love reading about dead bodies and digging them up in graveyards.
Both of these books fulfilled their prompts completely! Hooray! I will eventually finish A Place of Greater Safety (I'm 300 pages in) but probably I'll read some others first. I'm pacing myself because a. i love the french revolution and b. I keep looking up who everyone is.
I saw your challenge highlighted in the February newsletter so I thought I'd pop in and check it out. The reasonings behind your prompts are so funny! Love it! Good luck with your challenge.
@dalex: Thanks! I really enjoyed writing them! I had a number of books I wanted to read this year, and shoehorning them into place was quite fun!
Home, for them, was more of a direction than a place. It was like a surveyor's marker that is on the map but not the ground: You're south of it, and you ride toward it, and after a while you're north of it, but you're never exactly there, because there isn't any such thing, except in the mind.-- The Searchers, Alan Le May
It had to happen, but I've come to a book that I'm really struggling to rate. It's for prompt #8, A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The".
THE SEARCHERS by Alan Le May is a western, which is a genre I haven't read or watched much of. Not much of anything happens in this book, and while I found the writing itself engaging, the only reason I persisted to the end of this book was to see whether Amos and Mart found the thing they were searching for. I won't spoil it for you, but the resolution was very unsatisfying. Boo.
I think that this just isn't the style of book for me. The one part of the book I found most engaging was when the searchers returned home after six years on the trail, which is where the quote above is from. That chapter, and reading about how they reacted and noticed things in this place that they had belonged to once but now no longer did really struck a chord with me for personal reasons. Other than that? Meh.
I've actually rated this 3 stars on goodreads, because I think it is a good book, but personally I didn't enjoy it. Luckily this book was a perfect fit for the prompt I'm reading it for. So someone wins.
I'd recommend this book for anyone who hasn't read a western before, as you'll figure out pretty quickly if it's for you or not.
There is a very well know movie of that name with John Wayne, directed by John Ford.... said to be one of the best of that movie genre. I wonder if it is based on this book?
Lizzy: I've looked it up and it seems like the movie is based on the book! I'll have to watch it and see if I like it any better!
Books seven and eight that I read!The first, for A book that can be read in a day I read THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I read it over a week, in English, French, and finally in Japanese (which took a LONG time because my Japanese is not that good). I refuse to rate this book because there's no chance I can be objective. Read it if you want to, or don't.
The next book I've read I actually haven't finished, but I after feeling guilty that it's sat on my shelf for a week I'm officially giving up. For A book with a mode of transportation on the cover: THE HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN WHO DID INTERESTING THINGS by Jonas Jonasson.
It actually kind of upsets me. I was really looking forward to this book, but 100 pages in, despite being curious about this old man who (spoilers) apparently has done a lot of cool things in his life like fighting for Spain during WW1, working on the manhatten project in WW2, ending up in China (that's as far as I got)......
I just don't care. Sorry, old man. I hope you turn up. I recommend this book to people with more patience than me, or who can deal with "wow what a co-incidence the vice-president is talking to the main character right as he gets the phone call about the president's death" better than I can.
lol I love your honesty. I'm reading le petit prince next, its an old favorite and I haven't read it in French in a long time. Props for reading it in Japanese!
@Jenna: I hadn't read the book for years, so I had a great time discovering it again. Honestly, I can't say that I completely read it in Japanese. I could mostly follow along, but my level is pretty basic. But it was fun to see how the translator put things!
All right!! Here I am with books nine and ten! I read them both over the last four days, and it was really interesting looking at two very different fiction books at the same time. The ninth book was for prompt 15: A book set in a global city. I read THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This is a book I've heard a lot about, even seen the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, but never actually read. In my head I imagine it's the kind of story that children study in school in the USA because it is Well Written and An Important Novel For America. Or something.
My main takeaway is that I love how this was written. There's something very evocative in the descriptions of emotions and places and just everything that made reading this book a delight. I was pleased to find all my favourite lines from the movie in the book! This is a book I'm going to come back to and find an audiobook for, because I imagine with a good reader it'll be a gorgeous listen.
I'm rating this 3/3. It was a lovely read, and while I'm not sure I connected to any character particularly strongly, I connected a lot with the writing. Highly recommended to everyone who likes reading evocative passages and being like "ooohhhhhh yesssss i know just what that's like".
As for it being set in a global city! Wikipedia (via google) tell me that a global city is a city which is a primary node in the global economic network. And for those of you who aren't going to click the link, I'm pleased to say that New York City is ranked as the #2 global city after London, just beating out Tokyo and Paris. My gamble paid off.
My second book for this week was for prompt 21, To do with Mr Max Hell. You can see I've given up on reading in order. I read ARTEMIS by Andy Weir. I actually started this as an audiobook a number of years ago and gave up because I wasn't interested. I didn't have that problem this time, reading it as a book, and actually really enjoyed the science behind this science fiction. However, despite the very interesting story, the way Weir has written the story made me really not like this book.
The ongoing inner monologue of the protagonist (a highly intelligent woman who is beautiful and able to do anything and feisty and yet down on her luck and scrappy and----oh god she's a mary sue who ends up with the computer nerd (author self-insert??) at the end of the book who she has no chemistry with at all, wait where is my thought going) her monologue includes a lot of talking to herself as though she knows she's a character in a book, and in places it feels like she's breaking the fourth wall to make a quip about "Oh that's not how it sounds" or "don't judge me" etcetc.
It meant that through most of the book I was wondering if the constant commentary on everything was:
a) from the protagonist and this was a stylistic choice that just wasn't working for me, or
b) from a writer who is using the protagonist to put forth his opinions, and
also b) feeling very clever about himself and his ability to write clever books because every character makes little quips and one liners all the time and (as I've said before) it really took me out of the book because why is Jazz drinking carrot apple juice on page 202 and commenting in parentheses "it grows on you". Why. Who is she confessing this to? To herself? Why is she doing it in parentheses. My inner monologue doesn't have parentheses. I have so many questions and none of them are about the story!!
ANYWAY. I'm giving it a very generous 2/3, for a VERY INTERESTING STORY and a mystery/adventure that kept me interested for 5/6 of the book. Read it if you're literally anyone and tell me how you found it. I'm genuinely curious to know if this is just me being very fussy.
Mod
@Emily: Right? It reminds me of movies where there's protagonist narration over the top of the movie (like in clueless). It works for movies, but for me it didn't work here.The more I think about it, the more it feels like this book was written like it's a movie. There's a scene right at the turning point before the final act, where all the main characters are getting ready to do their final thing, in which the main character stands up and does an Inspiring Speech, just like in every movie ever. It may just be that I'm not that widely read, but I couldn't think of another example of as blatantly "movie cliche" as that in a book.
Mod
I'm super impressed that you read A Place of Greater Safety in a normal amount of time. It is both long and dense, and it took me a long time to read, but I loved it. I was amazed by how young those revolutionaries were and how outrageous. In fact, I read it at the same time that I became a fan of the musical Hamilton, and I realized that if Hamilton were written about the French revolution, it would be that book. They are "young, scrappy, and hungry" for power, women, and sometimes each other!
Ahhh, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - it was like a meme in the pre-internet days . Before we were married, my husband who had been drafted in the Vietnam era, sent me that book as a gift around 1972, and I was very touched. But now I'm sure I would find it pretty hokey. I'm sure it's a fast read though.
I was also a bit disappointed in Artemis because I adored The Martian on audio. I think Weir was trying to replicate the same kind of storytelling but it didn't work as well.
@Robin: I'm glad you're enjoying the humour! I definitely am not reading A Place of Greater Safety in a week! It's been a month and I'm still not done with it, because I'm reading four books on the go and that one is both amazing and kind of exhausting to read lol.
I keep hearing different things about Jonathan Livingstone Seagull so I'm excited to get to it and see what it's like for myself!
And I've seen the movie for the Martian (haven't read the book) and I thought the feeling of it was similar! Since writing my review I've had a thorough read of the reviews here on goodreads and I think there's definitely a lot of people who find Weir's writing style jarring or frustrating, but equally a lot of people who love it! I guess that's normal for books!
SO. 2020 has been a year, and thanks to some thrilling medical drama, I'm not going to get to 52 and I haven't updated in a few months! But instead of giving up, here's my super speedy review of everything I've read since March, sorted into liked and disliked.:LIKED
Anne Frank's Diary: I listened to the audiobook read by Helena Bonham Carter during the first week of lockdown, and that really was an experience. Can recommend.
Animal Farm: Another audiobook listen. I really enjoyed it, but I can see why university students who've taken one paper in government can really overuse this.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: As a student of psychology, I really enjoyed this. I should watch the movie now
The Dark Forest: And audiobook listen. I really love this series and I can't wait for the third. Great sci-fi.
Beatrix Potter: I love everything about this.
A Place of Greater Safety: I had to give up on this, but it was good and engaging. I love Hilary Mantel.
The Silmarilion: Another audiobook. I listen to this once a year and it's just great.
Complete Poems of J.K. Baxter: I'm only halfway through and I'll keep reading them but I love them.
Mister Pip: This was such a school book, in that I can imagine reading it in high school and having to do essays on it. That aside, it was an engaging read with a pretty devastating end.
East of Eden: Another book I didn't finish but which I'll come back to. I found the characers engaging and I was genuinely interested in what was going to happen to them.
A Brief History of Time: This was the surprise favourite of the year. I did not expect to enjoy this, or for it to be as engaging as it was. I listened to the audiobook read by Micheal Jackson (no, not that one) and I was totally enthralled. I've got enough science to keep up with a lot of it, but even the bits I didn't understand completely were competently written so that I could have a general understanding of where we were.
MEH
The Color Purple: An interesting read, but overall it was just okay for me.
Year of the Flood: Meh. I read all of it only because I want to finish the trilogy, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.
Boy, Snow, Bird: I gave this my best shot, but I just couldn't get into it.
Gilead: I read this at the same time as East of Eden and I kept turning to that one instead of this, so in the end I just gave up.
White Teeth: It was competently written with lots of people but??? I just did not want to read about what these people were doing.
Becoming: I listened to about two hours of the audiobook before I gave up because I just didn't care. Sorry Michelle.
I'm aiming to get through another two or three books this year, depending on how things go. Hopefully the rest of you are doing better than I am!!!
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Silence of the Girls (other topics)The War Poems Of Wilfred Owen (other topics)
The Sun Is Also a Star (other topics)
The Becoming (other topics)
Stephen Hawking's a Brief History of Time: A Reader's Companion (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Michelle Obama (other topics)Alan Bradley (other topics)
Edwidge Danticat (other topics)
Stephen Hawking (other topics)
Alex North (other topics)
More...
Spreadsheet
I'm tracking various things with my own spreadsheet. I'm also tracking how many pages/day I need to read to stay on track, as well as reviews and various other statistics about all the books.
READ SO FAR
January
February
March
April
May - October
RATINGS
I'm terrible at grading things on a scale, so my personal ratings are between 1 and 3 stars.
*** stars
I really enjoyed this a LOT.
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin
The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter
The Silmarilion by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Complete Works of James K. Baxter (Unfinished)
East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Unfinished)
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
** stars
It was an alright book. Nothing made it a standout, but nothing made it terrible.
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Artemis by Andy Weir TECHNICALLY a 1.5. This is generous.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Animal Farm by George Orwell
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel (unfinished)
Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones
* star
I didn't like it. I struggled to get through it, I might have given up on it and read something else.
The Searchers by Alan Le May
Cemetery Lake by Paul Cleave
The 100 Year old Man by Jonas Jonasson (unfinished)
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (unfinished)
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (unfinished)
White Teeth by Zadie Smith (unfinished)
Becoming by Michelle Obama (unfinished)
Books I refuse to rate on any scale
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry