Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

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Weekly Topics 2024 > 13. A book that is on a Five Books List

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message 51: by Tracy (new)

Tracy | 2980 comments NancyJ wrote: "Tracy wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Tracy wrote: "For right now I'm planning on reading Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage by Rachel E. Gross. It came from the list for..."

🤣


message 52: by Phil (new)

Phil | 127 comments I read A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. for this prompt. It was on a Five Book list of best books on Existential Risks. Read 6th March; 3*


message 53: by Joan (new)

Joan Barnett | 1972 comments Even though I'm trying not to plan my books this year - this prompt has me perplexed BUT I finally found The Club on the list and that is on my list of books I want to read this year. Fatherland is also on it and I do want to read this one but I keep putting it off. Catch-22 is also on the list which is another one I keep putting off. I have all three of those books so I feel better about my options. The Bluest Eye is one I decided I want to read but I don't have a copy of it. I'm trying to read the stacks of books I have. I'm sure I can find this one at a thrift store though or second hand store.


message 54: by lexiskat (last edited Aug 26, 2024 11:33AM) (new)

lexiskat | 78 comments The book I chose for this prompt The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

short and sweet review: 5.0
What can I say, When I realized that this was her diary and her personal and inner thoughts I was more intrigued. I read this book as a child and even did a book report and I don't remember anything like this read. I loved the brave young girl Anne was, she made history just as she wanted.


message 55: by Joy D (new)

Joy D | 711 comments For this prompt, I read:

https://fivebooks.com/category/fictio...

Best Science Fiction Books about Aliens:
Embassytown by China Miéville - 5* - My Review


message 57: by ♞ Pat (last edited Mar 26, 2024 07:36AM) (new)

♞ Pat Gent | 402 comments TASK #13 ~ A Book That Is On A Five Books List


My 2024 plan is to "not plan."
BOOK 1 ~ I work at a big library and I'm just going to go with the first book that appeals to me that crosses my returns desk.
BOOK 2 ~ And I'm challenging myself to work on clearing out my old TBR shelf this year, so I'm going to read the dustiest "fits the prompt" book on my TBR shelf as well.

~ ♞ ~

BOOK 1
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Read ~ 3.23.24
Pages ~ 339
Rationale ~ Selected from the ATY Listopia for this task

Review ~ ★★★★
It took me a long time to get started on this book, mostly because my real life this month has been horrendously intrusive. Once I got myself a day to just sit down and read, I flew through this charming little story. The characters are fun, and even though there is a murder, it's Vera (the MC), that the story spins around, and she is just adorable.

~ ♞ ~

BOOK 2
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Read ~ 3.26.24
Pages ~ 432
Rationale ~ Selected from the ATY Listopia for this task, Tournament of Books book selection.

Review ~ ★★
This book was a real slog for me. Too many characters to keep track of, and as a result I really didn't care about any of them - how they felt, what they did, why they did it. The book was too long - it could have been trimmed to a 300+ count with no loss of storyline. I really had to push to finish it, but I don't think it's going to be a book I recommend to anyone in the near future. Maybe someday, I will revisit it. Nah, I won't.


message 58: by Keli (new)

Keli | 37 comments I've finally selected a book for this prompt, but won't get to it until April. Ive chosen Babel, which turned out to be book six on the five books list.


message 59: by Jasmine (new)

Jasmine (jasminedorrell) | 6 comments I read The Club that was on the Best Thrillers Set in Luxury Locations.


message 60: by Marie (UK) (new)

Marie (UK) (mazza1) | 484 comments I read Exiles

which was on Best Mysteries of 2023 (so far), recommended by Sophie Roell

I enjoyed this


message 61: by Guylian (last edited Apr 07, 2024 11:08PM) (new)

Guylian | 90 comments I had started Die Pickwickier by Charles Dickens (german editon of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens ) by Charles Dickens in January. Just finished it and checked whether there is a prompt it would match. Found the Five Book List "The best books on Dickens and Christmas, recommended by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst".


message 62: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) | 576 comments Best by Black Queer Writers ....

The Color Purple by Alice Walker ✔ - 06Mar24
The Color Purple – Alice Walker - 5***** and a ❤
Walker’s choice to write the book as a series of letters (or diary entries) really gives the reader the chance to hear Celie. There are moments of despair, of sorrow, and a very few of joy. Celie is an extraordinary woman and watching her grow from a scared girl to a confident, in-charge woman is fascinating and uplifting.
LINK to my full review


message 63: by Stacey (new)

Stacey D. | 1908 comments I read The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier, which appeared on the 2023 Arthur C. Clarke Award sci-fi shortlist. I liked it! The novel makes you think about what world we're living in. Literally.


message 64: by Jill (new)

Jill (dogbotsmum) | 1356 comments I read Exiles by Jane Harper. It was on the Best Mysteries list


message 65: by J (new)

J Austill | 1116 comments I ended up reading The City and the Stars for this, it was on an Arthur C. Clarke list.


message 66: by Misty (new)

Misty | 1488 comments dalex wrote: "I can find something. I just really dislike this prompt."

Same! I despise this prompt. It was a bit of a cheat for me because the list I found my book on was technically six books - but there was a winner and five runners up, and it was a runner up, so..... I counted it.

I read Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss. That book is fabulous!


message 67: by Pam (new)

Pam (bluegrasspam) | 3840 comments Like Phil, I read a book from the Existential Risk list - The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. I really enjoyed it and have just started the 3rd book (Death’s End) in the trilogy.


message 68: by Kathy (new)

Kathy E | 3310 comments I read The Quarry Wood by Nan Shepherd, which came from the list "Landmarks of Scottish Literature."


message 69: by Liz (new)

Liz Alb | 117 comments For this prompt, I read The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.

This is a cute story and mystery bringing together a group of seniors as amateur sleuths, and their unconventional approaches to investigating a murder.

3.5 stars
My review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


message 70: by Dubhease (new)

Dubhease | 1152 comments I read Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.


message 71: by Denise (new)

Denise | 524 comments I did a re-read of The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. List: enduring love. A lot of people seem to have disliked this prompt according to the yearly wrap up, but I really liked it


message 72: by Jamika (new)

Jamika | 9 comments I read Chain-Gang All-Stars which was on The Best Science Fiction: The Arthur c. Clarke Award Shortlist. It was a great book. A coworker recommended it to me earlier this year and I recently had a chance to read it. I was not disappointed.


message 73: by Pamela, Arciform Mod (new)

Pamela | 2276 comments Mod
I just finished this prompt- it was my last prompt!

I read This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War from the Five Books on American History from Brent Glass, an old colleague.

This was a hard read and I could have gone back long ago and picked an easier read. But this was one of the prompts I selected to push myself and so I did. So happy I did.


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