Marin's 2021 ATY with Round-the-World Challenge

[Marin]

I'm super excited to start this year's challenge. After the antipode return challenge of last year led me to some great reads I might not have found otherwise, I decided to roll another geography challenge into my ATY list for the year.

Starting from the international date line, I'll be reading a book a month from a two-hour "band" of time zones (two in January because it turns out the earth has 26 hours' worth of time zones, not 24. Who knew?)

I'm definitely leaning on the list at A Year of Reading the World for this challenge.

I'll update as I make more selections - I like to plan, but I like to leave some room to improvise.

January UTC +14 to +10
4. Melal: A Novel of the Pacific - Marshall Islands, UTC +12
1. The Book Of Luelen - eastern Micronesia, UTC +11
February UTC +10 to +8
8. A Death in the Rainforest: How a Language and a Way of Life Came to an End in Papua New Guinea - Papua New Guinea, UTC +10
March UTC +8 to +6
12. Mountain Stories - China, UTC +8
April UTC +6 to +4
17. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders - Pakistan, UTC +5
May UTC +4 to +2
19. The Madman of Freedom Square - Iraq, UTC +3
June UTC +2 to 0
25. The Kappillan of Malta - Malta, UTC +2
July UTC 0 to -2
27. Folk Tales and Fables from the Gambia. Volume 1 - Gambia, UTC 0
August UTC -2 to -4
34. An African in Greenland - Greenland, UTC -3
September UTC -4 to -6
39. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - New Jersey and Dominican Republic, both UTC -4
October UTC -6 to -8
41. The President - Guatemala, UTC -6
November UTC -8 to -10 (this is home!)
45. The Long Goodbye - California, UTC -8
December UTC -10 to -12
52. Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia - this travels all around Polynesia, which includes the time zones covered here

[Marin]

And here is the full list. Very excited about some of these prompts.

THE 2021 LIST
✔1. A book related to “In the Beginning...”
The Book Of Luelen (describes the origin of Pohnpei island)
✔2. A book by an author whose name doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
Harry's Trees
✔3. A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music
The Name of the Rose (roses, plus I like that this takes place in a monastery while the Sound of Music starts in a convent)
✔4. A book with a monochromatic cover
Melal: A Novel of the Pacific

✔5. A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read
Kindred
✔6. A love story
The Gown
✔7. A book that fits a prompt suggestion that didn't make the final list
Transcription (A book you meant to read in 2020)
✔8. A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited
A Death in the Rainforest: How a Language and a Way of Life Came to an End in Papua New Guinea

✔9. A book you associate with a specific season or time of year
The Sorrows of Young Werther (spring)
✔10. A book with a female villain or criminal
Altered Carbon
✔11. A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum
The Egypt Game (swap for The City of Brass - plot didn't pick up very quickly)
✔12. A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
Mountain Stories (eligible 2018)
✔13. A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020
The Arid Sky (my top read of 2020 was Among the Lost)

✔14. A book set in a made-up place
The Great Hunt
✔15. A book that features siblings as the main characters
Infinite Jest
✔16. A book with a building in the title
House of Meetings
✔17. A book with a Muslim character or author
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders

✔18. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 1
The Epic of Gilgamesh (I decided to link these three prompts by focusing on past, present, future in the same part of the world)
✔19. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 2
The Madman of Freedom Square
✔20. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 3
When Gravity Fails
✔21. A book whose title and author both contain the letter "u"
The Tattoo Murder Case
✔22. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
Next Year in Havana (May 2020 thread)

✔ 23. A cross genre novel
Mister B. Gone (horror/fantasy/historical)
✔24. A book about racism or race relations
Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life
✔25. A book set on an island
The Kappillan of Malta
✔26. A short book (<210 pages) by a new-to-you author
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act

✔27. A book with a character who can be found in a deck of cards
Folk Tales and Fables from the Gambia. Volume 1 (the first story is about a king, and a later story has a joker who wins a contest of strength and farting)
✔28. A book connected to ice
Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories
✔29. A book that you consider comfort reading
Interstellar Pig
✔30. A long book
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

✔31. A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years
Shame (46 years so far!)
✔32. A book whose cover shows more than 2 people
The Melancholy of Resistance
✔33. A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry
The Tsar of Love and Techno
✔34. A book with a travel theme
An African in Greenland
✔35. A book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer
Tales from Firozsha Baag (Mumbai, 19.07 N)

✔36. A book with six or more words in the title
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
✔37. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list
Frangipani (I used a random number generator to pick this from the list)
✔38. A book related to a word given by a random word generator
One Kick ("kick" was the word given)
✔39. A book involving an immigrant
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

✔40. A book with flowers or greenery on the cover
A Castle in the Clouds
✔41. A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author
The President
✔42. A mystery or thriller
Desert Noir
✔43. A book with elements of magic
The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights; Volume 3 of 3

✔44. A book whose title contains a negative
Nothing to See Here
✔45. A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
The Long Goodbye (the main character is known for drinking whiskey)
✔46. A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards
The Guest List (winner mystery/thriller)
✔47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir
Darwin's Dreampond: Drama in Lake Victoria
✔48. A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?”
The Clergyman's Daughter (I asked people who know my reading habits what would make them say this, and they mostly said old-timey romance)

✔49. A book with an ensemble cast
Daisy Jones & The Six
✔50. A book published in 2021
No One Will Miss Her
✔51. A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name
The Keeper of Lost Causes
✔52. A book related to "the end"
Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia (I'm assuming this book will cover the end of this long-distance travel/settlement. If not, I can still say it's the end of my time zone challenge. Update: it's the second one).

[Marin]

And, finally, copying over a bonus challenge from 2020 that I did not finish. Hopefully this year:
"This challenge is designed to let readers explore where we’ve been and where we’re going. You’ll get to contrast the perspectives of authors who were born in different generations, immerse yourself in a city that’s about to experience a lot of change, and look ahead to what that future might be.

Then you’ll take some action by reading in different settings and exploring some eco-friendly travel or transit options, learning a new skill, and digging into some of the reasons we all have for optimism."

•1 - 6: Read a book by an author from each of the six living generations. For reference: https://www.marketingteacher.com/the-...

◦Greatest generation (1901 - 1926)
✔ An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood
◦Silent generation (1927 - 1945)
✔ China Men
◦Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964)
✔ Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
◦Generation X (1965 - 1980)
✔The Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars
◦Millennials (1982 - 2000)
✔Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North
◦Generation Z (2001 - present)
✔#NeverAgain: A New Generation Draws the Line

• 7: Read a book set in one of the 5 cities that will see the most change from sea level rise. Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/ng...
✔Alexandrian Summer

•8: Read a climate-focused speculative or sci-fi book.
✔Clade

•9 - 10: Read a book while riding on two of these three environmentally friendly types of transit:
◦Boat / ferry
◦Bus
◦Train
*Someday train trips will be viable again...

•11: Read a non-fiction book with a positive outlook on the future. Examples: Ramez Naam’s The Infinite Resource or More Than Human
✔Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything

•12: Read a book that will teach you a skill that could be useful in a number of possible futures.
✔ An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace

[Marin]

January update: I had good books to start the year!

ATY books finished & ratings:
The Book of Luelen - 3.5* It's hard to give this a rating because it's a pretty unique document type. I'm happy I read it, and recommend having the annotations available (as a separate PDF), but you definitely have to be in a particular mood.
Harry's Trees - 4*
The Name of the Rose - 5*
Melal - 5*
Kindred - 5*
Transcription - 3.5*

ATY books in progress:
None currently! We had extremely stormy weather here, so I took a break for a few days to read some classic horror, as well as some stories from The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Volume 1
That said, I probably have to start Infinite Jest soon if I hope to finish it in April.

[Marin]

February update: got distracted by side reads

ATY books finished & ratings:
The Gown - 2*
A Death in the Rainforest - 5*
The Egypt Game - 4*

ATY books in progress:
The Sorrows of Young Werther - 17%
The Great Hunt - 17%
Infinite Jest - 3%

I really enjoyed a couple weeks of side reads, so I'm a little off-track with ATY.

[Marin]

March update: tired of quarantine, overworked, badly wanting to travel

ATY books finished & ratings:
The Sorrows of Young Werther - 4*
Mountain Stories - 4*
The Arid Sky - 4*
The Great Hunt - hard to rate the second book in a series, but this did immediately make me pick up the third

ATY books in progress:
Altered Carbon - 10%
Infinite Jest - 3% (ok, I have not picked this up since February. I am told I will like it, but it's intimidating)
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders - 35%

I might skip ahead to some May reads, as I'm pretty excited about those. April reads are pretty heavy!

[Marin]

mid-July update: got vaccinated and could do stuff again, so I fell behind a bit for a few weeks, then realized that honestly I prefer staying indoors and reading most days anyway

ATY books finished & ratings:
Altered Carbon - 4*
House of Meetings - 3.5*
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders - 4.5*
The Epic of Gilgamesh - 5* (I mean, how else do you rate this?!)
The Madman of Freedom Square - 4.5*
When Gravity Fails - 4*
The Tattoo Murder Case - 4.5*
Next Year in Havana - 3*
Mister B. Gone - 2*
Racecraft - 4*
The Kappillan of Malta - 4*
The Wicked + The Divine vol. 1 - 2.5*
Folk Tales and Fables from the Gambia - 3*
Taaqtumi - 4.5*
Interstellar Pig - 3.5* (I read this as a kid and suspect it doesn't work if you read it for the first time as an adult)
The Tsar of Love and Techno - 5* (wish there was a sixth star)

Bonus Challenge Books Finished:
The Problem with Everything - 4
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube - 4.5
Alexandrian Summer - 3.5

ATY books in progress:
Infinite Jest - 20% (I started following along on the Infinite Summer subreddit, though I am behind again right now. I'm pretty into this now though!)
Arabian Nights vol. 3 - tonight is night 932, and it is weird to think about this ending in a couple months!

[Marin]

August update: started new job, went on non-relaxing vacation, read some really good stuff this month but am a little out of order

ATY books finished & ratings:
Shame - 4.5*
An African in Greenland - 4.5*
Tales from Firozsha Baag - 5* (finished this and immediately added the author's other work to my TBR. If that's not five stars, I don't know what is)
Frangipani - 4*
One Kick - 3*
The Guest List - 4.5*

ATY books in progress:
Infinite Jest - 68%
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - 8%
The Melancholy of Resistance - 19% (started this and loved it but the prose style is too similar to Infinite Jest. I don't think I'm giving either book its due if I read them at the same time, so I'll probably start again from the beginning once I finish Infinite Jest)
Desert Noir - 26%
Arabian Nights vol. 3 - tonight is night 977 and I wonder if the story I'm in the middle of now is the last one.

[Marin]

September (& first week of October) update: not much to do, so ended up reading/finishing a LOT

For some reason I also ended up reading a bunch of cancelled authors this month. Just sort of the way the prompts lined up.

ATY books finished & ratings:
Desert Noir - 3*
Infinite Jest - 4.5*
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - 4.5*
A Castle in the Clouds - 3.5*
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - 3.5*
The Keeper of Lost Causes - 3.5*
Arabian Nights - how to even rate this? It's the end of almost three years of nightly reading, and there's nothing else like it in the world. It's uneven for sure, but the highs are pretty high and for uniqueness I think it has to be 5*
The Melancholy of Resistance - 2.5* I think this went over my head. I thought the beginning was great, but my attention wandered through the second section. It turns out I'm pretty triggered by mob violence, so that might be clouding my judgement, as well.

ATY Books in Progress:
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - 20%

[Marin]

Second-to-Last update: after spending most of the year ahead or behind, I go into December exactly on track, if a bit out of order. I suspect I'm going to finish just under the wire once again.

ATY books finished & ratings:
No One Will Miss Her - 4*
The President - 4*
Nothing to See Here - 4.5*
The Long Goodbye - 4*
The Clergyman's Daughter - 3*

ATY Books in Progress:
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - 20%
Darwin's Dreampond - 75%
Daisy Jones and The Six - 26%

Bonus Challenge Books Finished:
Soonish - 5*
The rest of the challenge is on hold for the foreseeable future due to library holds and avoiding mass transit, but I'm happy to have been working on it for the past two years

[Marin]

End of year update: I'm done, and not quite as much under the wire as I was expecting. It helps that the long book I was reading really really picked up for the last 300 pages.

ATY books finished & ratings:
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - 3.5*
Darwin's Dreampond - 3.5*
Daisy Jones and the Six - 3.5*
Sea People - 5*

Bonus Challenge Books Finished:
#neveragain - 3.5*
Clade - 4.5*
I decided I really wanted to go ahead and finish the non-transit parts of this one, so I went ahead and bought these books. I'm counting the challenge as finished.

Some fun stats:
Pages read for challenge: 17,861
Mean book length: 343
Median book length: 304
Longest book: Infinite Jest, 1088 pages (all 3 volumes of Arabian Nights add up to 2,754, but that's over the past three years)
Shortest book: The Madman of Freedom Square, 96 pages (technically under 100, but I'd say I made up for it with other books)

Mean publication year: 1899
Median publication year: 2004
Oldest book: Gilgamesh, approx 1800 BC (it doesn't get much older than this!)
Newest book: No One Will Miss Her, October 2021

Original publication languages: 13
Setting countries: 26

Mean rating: 3.9
5-star reads: 8
2.5-star reads: 4 (this was the lowest rating on any ATY book -- not too bad)

Now I have a few days to finish The Expanse and set up next year's challenge. Feeling cautiously optimistic about 2022.