Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Archives
>
2021 Read-a-Thon #1: Individual Challenge
date
newest »

Inspiration
Your connections can include things outside of these ideas. These are simply here to spark inspiration.
BFF
- A book about friendship or with a core theme related to friendship;
- A book recommended by a friend
- A book that features siblings as the main characters
Be Mine
- A romance
- A book you already own
- A book you purchase during the event
One I Love
- A book by an author you enjoyed
- A book from your favorite genre
- A book with a cover that you love
- A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
Stay Cool
- A book by a notorious/famous author
- A classic book; A book in a cold setting
- A book with a "suave" character
- A cover that reminds you of winter
- A book you associate with a specific season or time of year
- A book connected to ice
My Man
- A book by a male author
- A romance
You Shine
- A book on a 'best' list
- A book with a metallic cover
- A book with stars on the cover
Dream Big
- A book related to a personal dream that you have
- A coming-of-age novel
- A book where the character pursues a dream
- A book related to sleep/dreaming/nightmares
- A book related to the future
Be My Icon
- A book by a prolific or famous author
- A book by an author you consider to be an icon
- A book with a crush
- A nonfiction/memoir about a cultural icon
- A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum
- A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read
- A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years
Crazy 4 U
- A thriller about a stalker
- A romance
- A book by a favorite author
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
Top Dog
- A book that has won an award or is on a 'best' list
- A bestseller
- A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years
Smile
- A book with a smile on the cover
- A book that makes you laugh/a comedy
- A book you consider comfort reading
Magic
- A magical realism book
- A fantasy book (with magic)
- A book with elements of magic
Write Me
- A book with letters or text messages
- Freebie option - A book ;)
Nature Lover
- A book set in the outdoors
- A book related to travel
- A book with a natural cover/with natural elements
- A book with animal characters
- A book with flowers or greenery on the cover
One & Only
- A debut novel
- A book by your favorite author
- A love story
Ur a Star
- A book related to fame
- A book by a bestselling author
- A book with a star on the cover
Girl Power
- A book by a female author
- A book with a female villain or antagonist
- A book with a strong female character
- A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
Miss You
- A book related to grief
- A book by an author who hasn't published in x number of years
- A book with a long distance friendship/relationship
My Hero
- A book about first responders
- A superhero
- A book by an author or with a character you look up to
New Love
- An author or book everyone is raving about
- A love story
- A book published in 2021
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
- A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author
Sunshine
- A book with a bright cover
- A book with the sun on the cover
- A book that makes you happy
Look Good
- A book with an attractive cover
Be True
- A personal development or coming-of-age book
- A nonfiction book (including true crime)
- A book based on a true story
- A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir
Awesome
- A bestseller
- A book on a 'best' list
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
Do Good
- A book with a hero
- A book with first responders
- A book about racism or race relations
Your connections can include things outside of these ideas. These are simply here to spark inspiration.
BFF
- A book about friendship or with a core theme related to friendship;
- A book recommended by a friend
- A book that features siblings as the main characters
Be Mine
- A romance
- A book you already own
- A book you purchase during the event
One I Love
- A book by an author you enjoyed
- A book from your favorite genre
- A book with a cover that you love
- A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
Stay Cool
- A book by a notorious/famous author
- A classic book; A book in a cold setting
- A book with a "suave" character
- A cover that reminds you of winter
- A book you associate with a specific season or time of year
- A book connected to ice
My Man
- A book by a male author
- A romance
You Shine
- A book on a 'best' list
- A book with a metallic cover
- A book with stars on the cover
Dream Big
- A book related to a personal dream that you have
- A coming-of-age novel
- A book where the character pursues a dream
- A book related to sleep/dreaming/nightmares
- A book related to the future
Be My Icon
- A book by a prolific or famous author
- A book by an author you consider to be an icon
- A book with a crush
- A nonfiction/memoir about a cultural icon
- A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum
- A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read
- A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years
Crazy 4 U
- A thriller about a stalker
- A romance
- A book by a favorite author
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
Top Dog
- A book that has won an award or is on a 'best' list
- A bestseller
- A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years
Smile
- A book with a smile on the cover
- A book that makes you laugh/a comedy
- A book you consider comfort reading
Magic
- A magical realism book
- A fantasy book (with magic)
- A book with elements of magic
Write Me
- A book with letters or text messages
- Freebie option - A book ;)
Nature Lover
- A book set in the outdoors
- A book related to travel
- A book with a natural cover/with natural elements
- A book with animal characters
- A book with flowers or greenery on the cover
One & Only
- A debut novel
- A book by your favorite author
- A love story
Ur a Star
- A book related to fame
- A book by a bestselling author
- A book with a star on the cover
Girl Power
- A book by a female author
- A book with a female villain or antagonist
- A book with a strong female character
- A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
Miss You
- A book related to grief
- A book by an author who hasn't published in x number of years
- A book with a long distance friendship/relationship
My Hero
- A book about first responders
- A superhero
- A book by an author or with a character you look up to
New Love
- An author or book everyone is raving about
- A love story
- A book published in 2021
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
- A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author
Sunshine
- A book with a bright cover
- A book with the sun on the cover
- A book that makes you happy
Look Good
- A book with an attractive cover
Be True
- A personal development or coming-of-age book
- A nonfiction book (including true crime)
- A book based on a true story
- A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir
Awesome
- A bestseller
- A book on a 'best' list
- A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
Do Good
- A book with a hero
- A book with first responders
- A book about racism or race relations
I love this so much! I'll probably opt to go for colors, rather than BINGO.
TBR:
Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
TBR:
Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

I have completed the YELLOW hearts 💛
*Change of Plans: THREE of the book I chose for the pink hearts didn't work out for various reasons so I am just free reading at this point
Currently Reading:

TBR:
💟AWESOME: 7 time award winning play


*I got 9 pages in and couldn't stand the biases of the author (fine for the time but not fun to read)
Completed:

*Ended up being only 55 pages long with the rest being appendix that I didn't need to read

*This 112 page book was only 24 pages of story. The rest was foreword and afterwords written by the same person. So dry, I couldn't read those bits.
💛SMILE: a book that makes me laugh (at least I hope it will)

💛MY MAN: Male author

💛BE MY ICON: Prolific or Famous Author

💛MY HERO: About a man (and a seal) that I looked up to as a child

💛LOOK GOOD: a book with an attractive cover


💙 Done 2/16/21
💟 Done 2/19/21
💚 Finished 2 books
Currently Reading
💙
💙You Shine - The Turn of the Key - Ruth Ware (shiny cover)
💙Nature Lover - The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here - Hope Jahren (greenery on cover)
💙Girl Power - Little Beach Street Bakery - Jenny Colgan (strong female character)
💙Do Good - The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo (race or racism)
💟
💟Be Mine The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores (already own)
💟Top Dog Nothing to See Here (Award - Audie Award for Best female narrator)
💟Write Me The House at Pooh Corner (free choice)
💟Awesome When All Is Said (on ATY Best Book of Month)
💚
💚Stay Cool Spoon River Anthology (a classic book)
Dream Big Daisy Jones & The Six (a character pursues a dream)
One and Only Sanditon (a favorite author)
💚Ur a Star The Little French Bistro (bestselling author)
FINISHED











TBR
❤️ Be Mine: The Honey-Don't List (Christina Lauren)
Bonus/Extra TBR:
Down Comes the Night (Allison Saft)
Sex and Sexuality in Georgian Britain (Mike Rendell)

Preliminary TBR
The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion
Nick by Michael Farris Smith
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
All Four Stars by Tara Dairman
I will try this but I have to wait till I read the books to see where they fit! Reading some of the following:
XBetween the World and Me - MY MAN - about what it is to be a Black man in America
XDon't Forget to Smile - ONE I LOVE - love story & cover has roses for the My Favorite Thing prompt
X The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine - BFF - Sisters
XTrue Grit - STAY COOL - story takes place in winter
The Year of the Hare - NATURE LOVER
XDeath of a Busybody - BE MINE
XAsk Again, Yes - CRAZY 4 U
X How to Pronounce Knife - DREAM BIG
Whose Body? - MY HERO
XBetween the World and Me - MY MAN - about what it is to be a Black man in America
XDon't Forget to Smile - ONE I LOVE - love story & cover has roses for the My Favorite Thing prompt
X The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine - BFF - Sisters
XTrue Grit - STAY COOL - story takes place in winter
The Year of the Hare - NATURE LOVER
XDeath of a Busybody - BE MINE
XAsk Again, Yes - CRAZY 4 U
X How to Pronounce Knife - DREAM BIG
Whose Body? - MY HERO

X X O X O
X X O X X
X X X X X
X X X X X
BFF - The Vanishing Half
Be Mine - A Terceira Índia
One I Love - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Be My Icon - Heir of Fire
Top Dog - Siege and Storm
Write Me - Eliza and Her Monsters

Currently Reading:
Octavia"s Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements by Adrienne Maree Brown (Editor/Contributor) & Walidah Imarisha (Editor/Contributor). I hope to finish this before Saturday morning.
TBR:
The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty
Blue bird, Blue Bird by Attica Locke
These titles can & probably change.

You Shine💙Dream Big💚Be My Icon💛Crazy 4 U🧡Top Dog💟
Smile💛Magic🧡Write Me💟Nature Lover💙One & Only💚
Normal Bingo:
💚Ur a Star - Sailor Moon Eternal Edition 3
💙Girl Power - Inside Out & Back Again
💜Miss You - Before the Coffee Gets Cold
💛My Hero - A Stranger in Town
💜New Love - The Dirty Streets of Heaven
All Purple:
💜Miss You - Before the Coffee Gets Cold
💜New Love - The Dirty Streets of Heaven
💜Sunshine - The Martian
💜One I Love - Nobody But You
One of Each Colour
💚Ur a Star - Sailor Moon Eternal Edition 3
💙Girl Power - Inside Out & Back Again
💜Miss You - Before the Coffee Gets Cold
💛My Hero - A Stranger in Town
🧡BFF - What If It's Us
💟Top Dog - Philosophy: The Great Thinkers

💙 You Shine: The Gilded Ones
💙 Nature Lover
💙 Girl Power: Fireheart Tiger
💙 Do Good

🧡BFF
💙You Shine💚Dream Big💛Be My Icon
💛Smile🧡Magic
💚Ur a Star
Done:
Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory 🧡Crazy 4 U
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie💜Sunshine
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa 💛My Man
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel 💙Girl Power
What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster 💟Be Mine
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones💟Write Me
In progress:
So You Want to Talk About Race
Bingo!

One I Love: The Shipping News
Be my Icon: My Italian Bulldozer (prolific author)
Write Me: Invisible Boys
Miss You: Elizabeth Is Missing
Be True: Miss Benson's Beetle

Weather✔ 2/14/21
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Infinite Country
The Prophets
Love Lettering
Vesper Flights
I'll be chipping away at two books that are taking me forever to read:
Middlemarch
My Name Is Red

.
.
🧡❤️X 💜X 💚💛 __
💙💚X 💛 🧡 ❤️
💛🧡__❤️ 💙 💚
💚💙X 💜 💛 💜 X
💜💛__💚 ❤️💙
❤️ Be Mine: Baby Maker ✓
💚 Dream Big: Think Like a Rocket Scientist ✓
💙 Girl Power: Empty: A Memoir Hardcover ✓
💜 New Love: The Accidental Girlfriend ✓
💜 The One I Love: The Unhoneymooners ✓
💛 My Man: A Promised Land✓
🧡 BFF: When He Was Wicked✓


Crazy 4 U: My Sister, the Serial Killer
Be True: The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Smile: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Stay Cool: The English Wife
X X X O X
X X X O X
O X X X X
X O X X X
X X O X X

X O X X X
O X X X X
X X X X X
X X X X X
Dream Big- Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from the Social Justice Movements
My Man- (Male author) The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South
Smile- (comedy) Nothing like I Imagined Except for Sometimes
BFF-One Crazy Summer (Gaither Sisters,#1). Features siblings
Kim wrote: "Can you use the same book for both the Individual challenge and the team challenge?"
Yes, that's totally fine!
Yes, that's totally fine!

BFF
Be Mine -
One I Love - A Curse So Dark and Lonely (because I love the cover)
Stay Cool
My Man
Second Row
You Shine
Dream Big
Be My Icon - More Myself: A Journey (Alicia Keys is an icon)
Crazy 4 U
Top Dog
Third Row
Smile
Magic
Write Me - Red, White & Royal Blue (the main characters write letters and texts to each other)
Nature Lover
One & Only
Fourth Row
Ur a Star
Girl Power
Miss You - The Wedding Party (might be too much of a stretch, but it includes some characters from previous books that we might "miss" and want to catch up on where they are now)
My Hero
New Love
Fifth Row
Sunshine
Look Good
Be True - The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures (because it's a true story of the author's experiences)
Awesome
Do Good
X X O X X
X X O X X
X X O X X
X X O X X
X X O X X

Kendra, I am copying your graphic! Fun!
You Shine💙
Smile💛Magic🧡Write Me💟Nature Lover💙One & Only💚
Ur a Star💚
Sunshine💜Look Good💛Be True💚Awesome💟Do Good💙
💙Girl Power - A Spark of Light
💚 Dream Big - West with Giraffes
💟 Top Dog - Mexican Gothic
🧡BFF - My Sister, the Serial Killer

Do Good - Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
X X X X X
X X X X X
X O X X X
X X X X X
X X X X O


Dream Big (green): Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 34
Ur A Star (green): Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 35
One I Love (purple): Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 36
Write Me (pink): I Love You, Michael Collins
Top Dog (pink): The Mysterious Affair at Styles
ooxoo
oxoox
ooxoo
xoooo
ooooo
Books mentioned in this topic
The English Wife (other topics)Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (other topics)
Philosophy: The Great Thinkers (other topics)
Heir of Fire (other topics)
#Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus: A Literary Classic Told in Tweets for the 21st Century Audience (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
James S.A. Corey (other topics)Graeme Simsion (other topics)
Michael Farris Smith (other topics)
Julia Quinn (other topics)
Jacqueline Woodson (other topics)
More...
If team games aren’t your thing, or you’re just looking for some additional challenge for the week, this read-a-thon has some solo fun for you! There's few things more associated with Valentine's Day than the candy heart. The unique sayings create the perfect opportunity for cook connections.
Object: Read a book that is somehow connected to each of the candy hearts on the board. What you consider a "win" is up to you. If you want to take on a big challenge then go for a full card. If that's a bit much for you, then go for some of the other Bingo patterns: 4 down/across, 4 corners, postage stamp, etc. You can even choose a color and read a book for each heart of that color.
How can my book connect to the image? The connection can be anything that you can reasonably explain. See the first comment for some examples. Be creative!
What about pages? Our typical "rule" is a book that is over 100 pages. That includes books that you started before the event - if there are at least 100 pages remaining at the start of the event then you can count it :)