Joy D's Play Harder Challenge

[Joy D]

List #1: Completed 2/7/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. A book with a wild animal in the content, title or cover

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara - 1/23/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅2. Read the next book in a series you started in 2020 or before. If you have no unfinished older series you may move forward a year at a time to find one. If you don't have any series started, start a new one.
Jack by Marilynne Robinson - 1/30/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅3. Read a novel based on a true story.
Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon - 1/21/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅4. Read a non-fiction book
The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works by Helen Czerski - 1/9/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅5. Read one of the top ten longest books on your tbr.
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset - 1/31/25 - 4* -My Review (1169 pages)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅6. Read 2 books, one fiction, one nonfiction, that have something in common (both books are about rising sea levels)
a. Non-fiction: The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World by Jeff Goodell - 1/12/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
b. Fiction: All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall - 2/3/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅7. A book with a predominantly RED cover. (At least 50%)

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard - 2/3/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅8. A book with a “Fish out of water” theme or trope (e.g. immigrant, new school, alien, travel)
Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life by Helen Fisher - 2/6/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅9. Read a travel book
Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada's Arctic by Adam Shoalts - 1/20/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅10. Read a book with a dragon
Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik - 2/7/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅11. Read a book that makes you nervous
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - 2/4/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

✅12. Read a book with a character who is an alien (or might be one)
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky - 1/2/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
(hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

Possibilities/Options/Planning for LIst #1:
(view spoiler)[
✅1. A book with a wild animal in the content, title or cover
- Island of the Blue Foxes by Stephen R. Bown
- The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

✅2. Read the next book in a series you started in 2020 or before. If you have no unfinished older series you may move forward a year at a time to find one. If you don't have any series started, start a new one.
- Jack - Marilynne Robinson
- No Longer at Ease - Chinua Achebe (The African Trilogy)
- Ready Player 2 - Cline
- Dictator - Robert Harris (Cicero #3)
- Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell (Winter King #3)

✅3. Read a novel based on a true story.
- Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton
- Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey by Alison Weir
- Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon

✅4. Read a non-fiction book
- The Blue Machine by Helen Czerski

✅5. Read one of the top ten longest books on your tbr.
- The Glory and the Dream by William Manchester (1357 pages)
- City of Dreams by Tyler Anbinder (1259 pages)
- The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman (1249 pages)
- Kristin Lavransdattar by Sigrid Undset (1169 pages)
- The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy (1132 pages)
- Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann (1022 pages)

✅6. Read 2 books, one fiction, one nonfiction, that have something in common
Theme: Rising sea levels
✅Non-fiction: Water Will Come by Jeff Goodell
Fiction: High House by Jessie Greengrass or
✅Fiction: All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

✅7. A book with a predominantly RED cover. (At least 50%)
- A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson (65%)
- Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard (53.5%)

✅8. A book with a “Fish out of water” theme or trope (e.g. immigrant, new school, alien, travel)
- The Sympathizer - Viet Thanh Nguyen
- Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
- Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life by Helen Fisher

✅9. Read a travel book
- The Time Traveler's Guide to Regency Britain by Ian Mortimer
- Korea by Simon Winchester
- A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz
- The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko
- Beyond the Trees by Adam Shoalts

✅10. Read a book with a dragon
- Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik

✅11. Read a book that makes you nervous
- Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
- A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
- My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

✅12. Read a book with a character who is an alien (or might be one)
- The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
- Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
(hide spoiler)]
List completed 2/7/25

[Joy D]

List #2: Completed 3/20/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. A book with the word "book" in the title
Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende - 2/14/25 - 2* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. A book written by an Indigenous author
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich - 2/18/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. An author’s second published book
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë - 2/15/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. Read a book set primarily in a hospital
The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn R. Saks - 2/21/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. Read a cozy mystery
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn - 2/25/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. A book featuring a Christmas romance
An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen - 2/22/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. Read a book that someone else has written a PBT review for this year
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham - 3/10/25 - 4* - My Review (Pam reviewed this one on 2/1/25)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. The author’s name contains P, B, and T
The Voyage Home by Pat Barker - 3/9/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. A book featuring something that flies (e.g., flying insects, birds, airplanes, superheroes)
Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue by Buddy Levy - 2/19/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. A book set in a landlocked country (Rwanda)
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron - 3/20/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. A book set on a river cruise
The Confidence-Man by Herman Melville - 2/20/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. A book by an author born in Africa
Secret Son by Laila Lalami - 2/17/25 - 3.5* - My Review (author was born in Morocco)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

Planning for List #2:
(view spoiler)[
1. A book with the word "book" in the title
The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by G.B. Edwards
Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan
The Book and the Brotherhood by Iris Murdoch
Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende
The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chigdey
The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien
The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri
The Book of Love by Kelly Link

2. A book written by an Indigenous author
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich
Tommy Orange
Sherman Alexie
Richard Wagamese

3. An author’s second published book
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe
The Bullet Swallowed by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Memory Piece by Lisa Ko
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

4. Read a book set primarily in a hospital
- The House of God by Samuel Shem
The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn R. Saks

5. Read a cozy mystery
The Hydrogen Murder by Camille Minichino
A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell Series) by Deanna Raybourn

6. A book featuring a Christmas romance
The Christmas Spirit by Elisabeth Fairchild
Trading Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Snowball's Christmas
The Duke Who Despised Christmas
An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen

7. Read a book that someone else has written a PBT review for this year
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (BnB, Sabrina)
Misbelief by Dan Ariely (Robin)
Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell (Robin)
The Day of the Triffids (Pam)

8. The author’s name contains P, B, and T
Nathaniel Philbrick
The Voyage Home by Pat Barker
Paul Bart
Peter Behrens

9. A book featuring something that flies (e.g., flying insects, birds, airplanes, superheroes)
Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy

10. A book set in a landlocked country
Exile Music by Jennifer Steil (Bolivia)
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron (Rwanda)

11. A book set on a river cruise
The Confidence-Man by Herman Melville
Death on the Nile - would be a re-read
The Narrowboat Summer - would be a re-read
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Danube: A Sentimental Journey from the Source to the Black Sea
Death on the Danube: A New Year's Murder in Budapest

12. A book by an author born in Africa
Adichie
Bulawayo
Mukasonga
Ngamije
Dangarembga
Okri
Obioma
Secret Son by Laila Lalami - Morocco (hide spoiler)]
List completed 3/20/25

[Joy D]

List #3:
(view spoiler)[
✅1. A book with more than 75,000 ratings on GoodReads
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke - 3/24/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. Read a book that you think your mother would like.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson - 4/2/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. Read a book set in a war that's NOT WWII.
Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien - 4/18/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. A book on the Tournament of Books longlist (any year)
Liars by Sarah Manguso - 4/9/25 - 3* - My Review (2025 ToB List)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. Read a book set in a country, territory, province, or state you have always wanted to visit
The Bone People by Keri Hulme - 4/17/25 - 4* - My Review (New Zealand)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. Read a book where a computer or computer-related technology plays a major role in the story.
Delta-v by Daniel Suarez - 3/22/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. A book that you think fits Valentine's Day
Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal - 4/15/25 - 3.5* - My Review (romance set on a tropical island)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. Read a book that includes a protagonist with a physical disability
Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom - 3/30/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. A book containing magic or magical realism
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig - 4/5/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. Read a book with an animal in the title
When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe - 4/19/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. A book written in first person
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler - 4/4/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. A book set in the world of art
Daily Rituals: Women at Work by Mason Currey - 4/16/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (hide spoiler)]
List completed 4/19/25

[Joy D]

Planning for List #3:(view spoiler)[

1. A book with more than 75,000 ratings on GoodReads
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

2. Read a book that you think your mother would like.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

3. Read a book set in a war that's NOT WWII.
Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien (Vietnam)

4. A book on the Tournament of Books longlist (any year)
Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham
The Book of Love by Kelly Link
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
Liars by Sarah Manguso

5. Read a book set in a country, territory, province, or state you have always wanted to visit
The Bone People by Keri Hulme (New Zealand)

6. Read a book where a computer or computer-related technology
plays a major role in the story.
Delta-V by Daniel Suarez

7. A book that you think fits Valentine's Day
Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal

8. Read a book that includes a protagonist with a physical disability
Dark Fire by CJ Samson - protagonist Matthew Shardlake has a physical disability

9. A book containing magic or magical realism
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

10. Read a book with an animal in the title
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe

11. A book written in first person
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

12. A book set in the world of art
Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon
Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland
My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Daily Rituals by Mason Currey (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #4: Completed 5/22/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. A book involving finance
Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum - 4/27/25 - 4* - My Review (global finance & economics)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. A book with an Asian main character
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali - 4/20/25 - 4* - My Review (the two main characters are Persian women born in Iran)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. Pick any prompt you've seen on someone else's Play Harder prompts list but haven't gotten yet yourself:
"A book with a setting or plot that includes a theatrical performance"(Jen's list 1 and Jen K's list 2)
Audition by Katie Kitamura - 4/29/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. A book featuring a struggle with mental health
The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness by Lori Schiller - 5/16/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. Read an "alternative" book (alternate history, alternative world, alternate identity, or alternative lifestyles)
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi - 5/11/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6.A book by a Nobel Prize Winner (from prompt swap)
Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah - 5/22/25 - 4* - My Review (Gurnah won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2021)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. The title contains one of the same words as the last book you completed (excluding a, an, and the)
a. Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain by Margaret Willson - 5/10/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
b. The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier - 5/10/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. Read a book that's been included on a celebrity book list. For example Oprah, Barack Obama, Reese Witherspoon, Bill Gates, etc.
All That Is by James Salter - 5/9/25 - 2* - My Review (Barack Obama's 2015 Summer Reading List, which I found here: https://theliterarylifestyle.com/obam...)
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. Anything but WWII - Read a book set in a war that's NOT WWII. [This book covers the Civil Wars in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Rwanda in the 1990s.]
The Zanzibar Chest: A Story of Life, Love, and Death in Foreign Lands by Aidan Hartley - 5/3/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. Read a book of poetry
The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Shorter Fifth Edition by Margaret Ferguson - 5/21/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. Read a book about the history of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know by Dov Waxman - 4/30/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. Read a book related to espionage
The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg by Nicholas Dawidoff - 5/13/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

Planning for List #4:
(view spoiler)[
1. A book involving finance
Autocracy Inc by Anne Applebaum
The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean
Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis

2. A book with an Asian main character
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

3. Pick any prompt you've seen on someone else's Play Harder prompts list but haven't gotten yet yourself
Options - 7. A book with a setting or plot that includes a theatrical performance (Jen K's 2nd list) or 5. A book with a setting or plot that includes a theatrical performance (Jen's list 1)
Audition by Katie Kitamura

4. A book featuring a struggle with mental health
The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
Imaginary Friends by Alison Lurie
The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller

5. Read an "alternative" book (alternate history, alternative world, alternate identity, or alternative lifestyles)
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
Civilizations by Laurent Binet
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

6. Read the fiction bestseller from the year you were born. If already read it, read the fiction bestseller from the year an immediate family member was born. - (I have read all the #1 fiction bestseller books in the years my immediate family members were born) - prompt swapped in 2nd quarter round for:
A book by a Nobel Prize Winner
Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah

7. The title contains one of the same words as the last book you completed (excluding a, an, and the)
Two books with the word "Rebel" in the title currently on my TBR:
Woman Captain Rebel by Margaret Willson
The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier

8. Read a book that's been included on a celebrity book list. For example Oprah, Barack Obama, Reese Witherspoon, Bill Gates, etc.
All That Is by James Salter (Barack Obama)
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (Reese Witherspoon)
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn (Read with Jenna)
The Women by Kristen Hannah (Bill Gates)

9. Anything but WWII - Read a book set in a war that's NOT WWII.
Good Night Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea (WWI)
Edith Cavell by Diana Souhami (WWI)
Zanzibar Chest by Aidan Hartley - civil wars in Africa

10. Read a book of poetry
The Norton Anthology of Poetry by Margaret Ferguson (ed.), et.al.

11. Read a book about the history of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Dov Waxman

12. Read a book related to espionage
The Catcher Was a Spy by Nicholas Dawidoff
The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon
The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #5: Completed 6/11/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. A book with a palindrome in the title or author's name
Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder - 6/6/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. A book featuring a famous person (Richard Nixon, among others)
Watergate: A New History by Garrett M. Graff - 6/5/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. Read a book where the main character is an artist.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman - 6/11/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. A book involving a misadventure or a plan gone wrong
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson - 6/4/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. Read a book with a three-word title, and first initial of each word forms an airport code. (TMS is the code for São Tomé International Airport)
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai - 5/31/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. A book related to black history or Black Lives Matter
Thunder at the Gates: The Black Civil War Regiments That Redeemed America by Douglas R. Egerton - 6/7/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. A book with "day" or "night" in the title
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780 by Rick Atkinson - 5/28/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. A book set in a landlocked country (Zimbabwe)
The Book of Not by Tsitsi Dangarembga - 5/23/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. Read a book about a musician, real or fictional
Summertime: George Gershwin's Life in Music by Richard Crawford - 6/9/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. Read a book with a tag that starts with the word "social" (tagged social commentary x12)
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman - 6/6/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. Read a book set (at least partially) in a state/province/country that shares a border with the state/province/country in which you live. (California shares a border with Nevada)
Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan - 5/29/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. A book authored by someone who was born in Mexico or Central America
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - 6/11/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
(hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #5 Planning:(view spoiler)[

1. A book with a palindrome in the title or author's name
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti 13
All That I Am by Anna Funder 13
Wifedom by Anna Funder 12 - about Orwell's wife (NF)
Wake by Anna Hope 10
The Winter in Anna by Karaim Reed 7
Chrysalis by Anna Metcalfe 7
Wisdom by Anna Funder 13
The Stars at Noon by Denis Johnson 5
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson 32
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer 20

2. A book featuring a famous person
Conquistadors by Michael Wood
The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien
Watergate by Garrett M. Graff

3. Read a book where the main character is an artist.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman

4. A book involving a misadventure or a plan gone wrong
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson

5. Read a book with a three-word title, and first initial of each word forms an airport code.
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai - TMS is the code for São Tomé International Airport

6. A book related to black history or Black Lives Matter
The Short Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs 13
Thunder at the Gates by Douglas R. Egerton 13
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 22
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates 5
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander 16
The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom 14

7. A book with "day" or "night" in the title
Derby Day by D.J. Taylor
American by Day by Derek B. Miller
Day for Night by Jean McNeil
The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
The Night Visitor by Lucy Atkins
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips

8. A book set in a landlocked country
The Book of Not by Tsitsi Dangarembga - Zimbabwe

9. Read a book about a musician, real or fictional
Summertime: George Gershwin's Life in Music by Richard Crawford (also summer)
Trio by William Boyd

10. Read a book with a tag that starts with the word "social"
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (social commentary, summer)
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh (social commentary)

11. Read a book set (at least partially) in a state/province/country that shares a border with the state/province/country in which you live.
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (partially set in California, also summer)
Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan - set in SF

12. A book authored by someone who was born in Mexico or Central America
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (born in Mexico) (hide spoiler)]
completed 6/11/25

[Joy D]

List #6: Completed 7/1/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. Read the first book in a new to you series
The Famished Road by Ben Okri - 6/18/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. Read a book found on the PBT Steeplechase shelf
Two Old Women, Anniversary Edition : An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis - 6/27/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. A book featuring gambling, lotteries, or games of chance
The Music of Chance by Paul Auster - 7/1/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. Read a book with the character(s) name in the title.
Bruno's Dream: A Novel by Iris Murdoch - 6/14/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. A book about a sport
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It by Lawrence S. Ritter - 6/27/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. A book featuring a famous person from the Renaissance era (1400-1600)
Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon - 6/26/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. Read a book about the closest sports franchise to where you live. Sport of your choice.
Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s by Jason Turbow - 6/24/25 - 3* - My Review ["Sacramento" A's]
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. Read a book set in a National park.
My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir - 6/25/24 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. A book set in or about WWI or WWII
The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942–1944 by Ian W. Toll - 6/20/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. Read a book with a football related word in the title (catch, clock, down, fumble, game, goal, half, huddle, line, pass, play, player, quarter, time, yard, etc.)
X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary Discoveries by Michael Scott - 6/19/25 - 4* - My Review [spot is an American football term as in "to spot the ball after the previous play is completed"]
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. A book involving a missing person
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters - 6/22/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. Read a book with a tag that starts with the word "social" (Sociology, society, social psychology, social sciences, social, social- justice, sociable, sociopath, social engineering, social commentary, etc.)
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 6/22/25 - 4* - My Review [tagged social justice x110, social issues x22]
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
(hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

Planning for List #6:
(view spoiler)[
1. Read the first book in a new to you series
The Famished Road by Ben Okri

2. Read a book found on the PBT Steeplechase shelf
Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Columbine by Dave Cullen

3. A book featuring gambling, lotteries, or games of chance
The Music of Chance by Paul Auster

4. Read a book with the character(s) name in the title.
The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt by Andrea Bobotis
The Short Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
Bruno's Dream by Iris Murdoch

5. A book about a sport
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It by Lawrence S. Ritter

6. A book featuring a famous person from the Renaissance era (1400-1600)
Caravaggio by Andrew Graham-Dixon

7. Read a book about the closest sports franchise to where you live. Sport of your choice. ["Sacramento" A's]
Billy Ball by Dale Tafoya (au-hp)
Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic by Jason Turbow

8. Read a book set in a National park.
The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko
My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir

9. A book set in or about WWI or WWII
The Conquering Tide by Ian W. Toll

10. Read a book with a football related word in the title (catch, clock, down, fumble, game, goal, half, huddle, line, pass, play, player, quarter, time, yard, etc.)
X Marks the Spot by Michael Scott
To Catch a King by Charles Spencer

11. A book involving a missing person
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (also summer)
Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan
Ghost Ship by Brian Hicks

12. Read a book with a tag that starts with the word "social" (Sociology, society, social psychology, social sciences, social, social- justice, sociable, sociopath, social engineering, social commentary, etc.)
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates (social justice x27, social issues x22) (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #7: Completed 7/18/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. Read a book that a GR friend or PBT member has DNF'd [found on Sue's DNF shelf]
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas - 7/8/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Sue's DNF Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
✅2. Read a book that matches the monthly tag from last year (same month) [July 2024 tag was "debut"]
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen - 7/16/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. A book set in a capital city (any country in the world) [set in Doha, Qatar]
Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali - 7/6/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. Draw a random tarot card and read a book with a title that has to do with the card. NOTE: If you don't own any tarot decks there are a number of free random generators like this one: https://www.dailytarotdraw.com/cards#...
[Card drawn using the link provided: The Moon]
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein - 7/13/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. Read a book that features a shady or secretive company or organization.
Ubik by Philip K. Dick - 7/9/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. Read a book is set in any country other than the USA or Canada that was at any time under colonial rule by any country [India]
The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell - 7/18/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. The book's title contains the name of a real or fictional planet
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner - 7/15/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. A book where the author was born in Mexico or Central America
Daughter of Fire by Sofia Robleda - 7/17/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. Read a book with a basketball related word in the title (center, court, dribble, dunk, forward, game, guard, net, pass, player, points, shot, etc.)
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett - 7/12/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. The book's title contains a word related to sight (e.g., view, eye, light, see, look, glimpse, vision, behold, color, rainbow, etc.)
Flashlight by Susan Choi - 7/8/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. Read a book with a red cover.

Civilizations by Laurent Binet - 7/7/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. A book featuring something that flies (e.g., flying insects, birds, airplanes, superheroes)
Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution by Richard Dawkins - 7/11/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

Planning for List #7:(view spoiler)[

1. Read a book that a GR friend or PBT member has DNF'd
Umbrella by Will Self (Booknblues)
Snow by Orhan Pamuk (Booknblues)
The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen (Sue)
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas (Sue)

2. Read a book that matches the monthly tag from last year (same month)
July - debut
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

3. A book set in a capital city (any country in the world)
Dictator by Robert Harris (Rome)
Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan (Taipei)
There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett (Prague)
Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali (Doha)

4. Draw a random tarot card and read a book with a title that has to do with the card. NOTE: If you don't own any tarot decks there are a number of free random generators like this one: https://www.dailytarotdraw.com/cards#...
Card drawn: The Moon (used the link provided)
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts that Made the First Journey to the Moon by Robert Kurson
A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry
The Moonday Letters by Emmi Itaranta
Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks

5. Read a book that features a shady or secretive company or organization.
Ubik by Philip K. Dick
Company Town by Madeline Ashby

6. Read a book [that] is set in any country other than the USA or Canada that was at any time under colonial rule by any country
The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell (set in 1857 India under British colonial rule)

7. The book's title contains the name of a real or fictional planet
Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality, and Our Destiny Beyond Earth by Michio Kaku
The Fertile Earth by Ruthvika Rao
A Door in the Earth by Amy Waldman
Upturned Earth by Karen Jennings
Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess
The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard

8. A book where the author was born in Mexico or Central America
Daughter of Fire by Sofia Robleda

9. Read a book with a basketball related word in the title (center,
court, dribble, dunk, forward, game, guard, net, pass, player, points, shot, etc.)
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

10. The book's title contains a word related to sight (e.g., view, eye, light, see, look, glimpse, vision, behold, color, rainbow, etc.)
The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen
Radiance by Catherine Valente
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk
The Unseen by Roy Jacobsen
The Unseen World by Liz Moore
The Last to See Me by M. Dressler
The Light of Day by Graham Swift
Ancient Light by John Banville
The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
A Slant of Light by Jeffrey Lent
Midnight in Broad Daylight by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer (20)
The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean Pendiziwol
A Light Through the Cracks by Beth Rodden
Flashlight by Susan Choi

11. Read a book with a red cover. [Use for DNF prompt]
Civilizations by Laurent Binet

The Book of Fire by Christi Lefteri

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson



12. A book featuring something that flies (e.g., flying insects, birds, airplanes, superheroes)
Flights of Fancy by Richard Dawkins (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #8: Completed 8/4/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. A book that is part of a duology.
Parallel Lines by Edward St Aubyn - 7/21/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. A western
Ridgeline by Michael Punke - 7/31/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. Read a book on PBT's pbt-decathlon book shelf.
Wool by Hugh Howey - 7/21/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. The cover contains the colors of your favorite sports team (if you don't have one, use the colors of your secondary/high school or university) [SF Giants: black and orange]

The Artist and the Feast by Lucy Steeds - 7/22/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. A book on the Tournament of Books longlist (any year) [on the ToB list in 2013]
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - 8/2/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. A book involving an ethical dilemma
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga - 7/27/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. Read a book in which horses provide a common method of transportation.
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas - 7/20/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. Two books where the authors share a last name.
The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie - 7/24/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8a. Two books where the authors share a last name.
Imaginary Friends by Alison Lurie - 8/3/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. The title includes the word "angel" or "devil"
The Ghost Ships of Archangel: The Arctic Voyage That Defied the Nazis by William Geroux - 8/1/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. Read a book that was published posthumously
Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf - 8/4/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. Set in or written by an author born in a country ending in 'stan'. Examples Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmanostan Turkmenistan [Kochai was born in a refugee camp near the Pakistan/Afghanistan border]
99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai - 7/25/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. A book published in 1995
The Prestige by Christopher Priest - 7/30/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

Planning for List #8:
Completed 8/4/25
(view spoiler)[
1. A book that is part of a duology.
Parallel Lines by Edward St. Aubyn

2. A western
Ridgeline by Michael Punke

3. Read a book on PBT's pbt-decathlon book shelf.
Wool by Hugh Howey

4. The cover contains the colors of your favorite sports team (if you don't have one, use the colors of your secondary/high school or university)

The Artist and the Feast by Lucy Steeds (orange/black)

5. A book on the Tournament of Books longlist (any year)
Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (2025)
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (2024)
Telephone by Percival Everett (2021)
Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (2020)
Version Control by Dexter Palmer (2017)
Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet (2017)
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (2013)
The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson (2011)
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson (2008)
Run by Ann Patchett (2008)
The Echo Maker by Richard Powers (2007)

6. A book involving an ethical dilemma
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

7. Read a book in which horses provide a common method of transportation. [horse & carriage]
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas

8. Two books where the authors share a last name.
The Great Mann by Kyra Davis Lurie
Imaginary Friends by Alison Lurie

9. The title includes the word "angel" or "devil"
The Cry of Angels by Jeff Fields
The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
Hell's Angels by Hunter S Thompson
The Sorrow of Angels by Jon Kalman Stefansson
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway
The Ghost Ships of Archangel by William Geroux
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
Devil Makes Three by Ben Fountain
The Devil Three Times by Rickey Fayne

10. Read a book that was published posthumously
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by G.B. Edwards
Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf

11. Set in or written by an author born in a country ending in 'stan'. Examples Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmanostan Turkmenistan
The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam (Pakistan)
99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai (Kochai was born in a refugee camp near the Pakistan/Afghanistan border)

12. A book published in 1995
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Flesh and Blood by Michael Cunningham
Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler
Sharpe's Battle by Bernard Cornwell
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
The Sharpshooter Blues by Lewis Nordan
Slowness by Milan Kundera (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #9: Completed 9/3/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. Read a book whose title is a name. eg: David Copperfield
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig - 8/30/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. Read a book about freedom or lack of freedom
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander - 8/31/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. A book with the word "Man," "Woman," or "Child" in the title
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist by Anthony M. Amore - 8/21/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
4. A book whose title is a pun, i.e. Assault and Pepper. SWAPPED for:
✅4. Read a book about the closest sports franchise to where you live. Sport of your choice.
My Giants by Russ Hodges - 8/28/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. Book set in a country you would like to visit but never have [Finland]
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson - 8/7/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. A book written by an author or artist of The Lost Generation
To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway - 9/3/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. A book featuring gambling, lotteries, or games of chance
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett - 8/12/25 - 2* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. A book involving evolution, revolution or change
A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart by Nishant Batsha - 8/5/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. A noir novel or noir collection of short stories
IQ by Joe Ide - 8/31/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. A book set in NYC during the Gaslight Era or Paris during the Belle Epoque
Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland - 8/18/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. Read a Nobel, Booker or Pulitzer prize winner from 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. [Samuel Beckett won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969]
Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett - 9/3/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. Read a book about or set in Egypt
The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hessler - 9/2/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #9: Planning
List completed 9/3/25
(view spoiler)[
1. Read a book whose title is a name. eg: David Copperfield
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
Several presidential biographies

2. Read a book about freedom or lack of freedom
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright

3. A book with the word "Man," "Woman," or "Child" in the title
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer by M. Anthony Amore
Woman On the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy - 15
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood - 9
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami - 12
An Elegant Woman by Martha McPhee - 11
Falling Man by Don DeLillo - 7
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead - 19
The Tree of Man by Patrick White - 22
All That Man Is by David Szalay - 13
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal - 11
The Railway Station Man by Jennifer Johnston - 8
The Man in the Red Coat by Julian Barnes - 9
The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright - 7
Lazarus Man by Richard Price - 11
Marie Therese, Child of Terror by Susan Nagel - 18
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith - 12
A Word Child by Iris Murdoch - 16
The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst - 20
The Wish Child by Catherine Chidgey - 9

4. A book whose title is a pun, i.e. Assault and Pepper.Swapped for:
4. Read a book about the closest sports franchise to where you live. Sport of your choice.
My Giants by Russ Hodges

5. Book set in a country you would like to visit but never have
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (Finland)

6. A book written by an author or artist of The Lost Generation
Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Ford Maddox Ford, Erich Maria Remarque
Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos (12)
Big Money by John Dos Passos (19)
Mr. Wilson's War by John Dos Passos (23)
Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque (16)
To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway

7. A book featuring gambling, lotteries, or games of chance
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - 12
Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis - 10

8. A book involving evolution, revolution or change
A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart by Nishant Batsha

9. A noir novel or noir collection of short stories
IQ by Joe Ide (tagged noir x10) - 9
Nairobi Noir edited by Peter Kimani - auwl
Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente (noir x10) - 14

10. A book set in NYC during the Gaslight Era or Paris during the Belle Epoque
Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland (Paris 1880)
To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice Colin (Paris 1871)

11. Read a Nobel, Booker or Pulitzer prize winner from 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s.
Staying On by Paul Scott - Booker winner 1977 - 9
Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow - Pulitzer Prize Fiction 1976 - 18
Henderson the Rain King (14), Herzog (15), or Humboldt's Gift (18) by Saul Bellow (Bellow won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976)
The Tree of Man by Patrick White (White won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1973) - 22
John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962
Samuel Beckett won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969
Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett
Gabriel García Márquez won the Nobel Prize for Lit in 1982

12. Read a book about or set in Egypt
The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hessler
The White Nile by Alan Moorehead (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #10: Completed 9/22/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. A memoir
A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story by Beth Rodden - 9/14/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. Read a book featuring Astrology or Astronomy.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal - 9/21/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. Read a book whose author's initials are found in the phrase "PLAY HARDER"
Walk Me to the Distance by Percival Everett - 9/13/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. A book with a title beginning with Y
You Were Always Mine by Nicole Baart - 9/20/25 - 2* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. A book that shows anything that might be purchased in a hardware store on the cover (e.g., wrench, hammer, saw, nails, shovel, paint).

Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin - 9/17/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. The title is one past tense word
Gifted by Nikita Lalwani - 9/9/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. A book featuring ice skating, figure skating, speed skating, or hockey
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey - 9/19/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. A book related to health or self-care
The Suggestible Brain: The Science and Magic of How We Make Up Our Minds by Amir Raz - 9/12/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. A book with either today or tonight in the title
42 Today: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy edited by Michael G. Long - 9/16/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. Read a book from the 2025 Play Book Tag Top Ten list.
The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill - 9/22/25 - 4* - My Review
This book was on Olivermagnus's 2024 Top 10 List:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Note: I assumed this was supposed to be the 2024 lists complied by each member, since we have not done 2025 yet.
✅11. A book by a Canadian author
The Box Garden: A Novel by Carol Shields - 9/19/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. Read a non-fiction book
Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and Our Future by Neil Shubin - 9/4/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
(hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #10 Planning:(view spoiler)[

1. A memoir
A Light Through the Cracks by Beth Rodden
Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

2. Read a book featuring Astrology or Astronomy.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

3. Read a book whose author's initials are found in the phrase "PLAY HARDER"
Walk Me to the Distance by Percival Everett

4. A book with a title beginning with Y
Your Absence is Darkness by Jon Kalman Stefansson
You Were Always Mine by Nicole Baart

5. A book that shows anything that might be purchased in a hardware store on the cover (e.g., wrench, hammer, saw, nails, shovel, paint).
From Scenes Like These by Gordon M. Williams (pitchfork)
Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin (shovel)

6. The title is one past tense word
Gifted by Nikita Lalwani

7. A book featuring ice skating, figure skating, speed skating, or hockey
The Skating Rink by Roberto Bolano - 5 - au wl
One Jump at a Time by Nathan Chen - 5 - cn wc or ho
The Favorites by Layne Fargo (rec by Amy - sounds like romance)
The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey

8. A book related to health or self-care
The Suggestible Brain by Amir Raz

9. A book with either today or tonight in the title
42 Today by Michael G. Long, ed.

10. Read a book from the 20254 Play Book Tag Top Ten list. [I assume this is meant to be 2024 since we haven't compiled 2025 yet]
The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill (OM's top 10 list)
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (Hannah's list)
The Bullet Swallower - Gonzalez James (Steven's list)
The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting (Rachel's list)

11. A book by a Canadian author
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
Larry's Party by Carol Shields
Swann by Carol Shields
Happenstance by Carol Shields
The Box Garden by Carol Shields
The Republic of Love by Carol Shields

12. Read a non-fiction book
Ends of the Earth by Neil Shubin (hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #11: Completed 10/15/25
(view spoiler)[
✅1. The title contains a type of beverage
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi - 10/13/25 - 2* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅2. Continue a series - read the next book in a series that you started but didn't have time to continue.
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson - 10/15/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅3. Read a biography
In the Footsteps of Du Fu by Michael Wood - 9/25/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅4. Read a book set in a location similar to that of your favorite past vacation. [Black Conch is a tropical island similar to Hawaii]
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey - 9/26/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅5. Health Guru Richard Simmons passed away in 2024. In his honor read a book about Health or Fitness
Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life by Max Lugavere - 10/12/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅6. Read a book with a peaceful nature-focused setting
The Place of Tides by James Rebanks - 9/28/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅7. Read a with at least two perspectives (multiple points of view)
Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr. - 10/10/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅8. A book with a privacy theme
Followers by Megan Angelo - 10/7/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅9. A retelling of myth, fable, fairy tale, folklore, or legend
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin - 10/10/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅10. Read a book set in Alaska
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George - 10/1/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅11. A coming of age book
My Mother's Son by David Hirshberg - 10/8/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✅12. Read a book where a character makes or serves something chocolate
Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World's Greatest Chocolate Makers by Deborah Cadbury - 10/14/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
(hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #11 Planning: Completed 10/15/25
(view spoiler)[

1. The title contains a type of beverage
- The Water Knife Paolo Bacigalupi

. Continue a series - read the next book in a series that you started but didn't have time to continue.
- They Were Found Wanting Miklos Banffy
- A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson

3. Read a biography
- In the Footsteps of Du Fu Michael Wood

4. Read a book set in a location similar to that of your favorite past vacation.
- The Mermaid of Black Conch Monique Roffey

5. Health Guru Richard Simmons passed away in 2024. In his honor read a book about Health or Fitness
- Genius Foods Max Lugavere

6. Read a book with a peaceful nature-focused setting
- The Place of Tides James Rebanks

7. Read a with at least two perspectives (multiple points of view)
- Everything Matters! Ron Currie Jr

8. A book with a privacy theme
- Followers Megan Angelo

9. A retelling of myth, fable, fairy tale, folklore, or legend
- Lavinia Ursula K. LeGuin

10. Read a book set in Alaska
- Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead George

11. A coming of age book
- My Mother's Son David Hirshberg

12. Read a book where a character makes or serves something chocolate
- Chocolat by Joanne Harris suggested by Algernon & LibraryCin
- passing out chocolate in WWII suggested by JoAnne
- The Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury
- Theresa suggested:
-- The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders - Middle Grade story of a magical house and shop and children caught in an adventure relating to it. Very reminiscent of Harry Potter but much lighter. I gave it 5 stars and was totally charmed. Has a talking cat and a ghostly elephant, quirky characters.
-- Clementine in the Kitchen: Modern Library Foods - a memoir about a family's french cook during 1930s France and Marblehead, MA.
-- Lessons in Chemistry - this is a contemporary novel, not chick lit. I was inspired to read it when a group of jesuit priests were talking about it over dinner.
-- Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
-- Books about Julia Child and her life or her influence like Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.
-- Death in Saratoga Springs - a character was served a cup of chocolate.
-- the chocolate historical mystery series by Andrea Penrose - first is Sweet Revenge - history of chocolate and chocolate as a commodity is the background in Regency England -- and MC is a cook. The chocolate information was fabulous.
- Miracle at St Anna by James McBride (Tessa suggested)
(hide spoiler)]

[Joy D]

List #12:

1. A retelling of myth, fable, fairy tale, folklore, or legend
2. Read a book with a season in the title.
✅3. Read a book that's been on your TBR for longer than a year [This book has been on my TBR since 9/9/18]
The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes - 10/19/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
4. Read a science book
5. A book considered a classic
6. Read a book found on PBT's Expanding Our PBT Horizons shelf
7. A book in translation
8. Read a book from the 20254 Play Book Tag Top Ten list.
9. A book where the author's last name contains at least ten letters
10. Read a book with the word "night" in the title.
11. Read a retelling of a classic book or a fairy tale
12. A book set in a 'haunted' house - whether for real or rumored.

[Joy D]

List #12 Planning:

1. A retelling of myth, fable, fairy tale, folklore, or legend
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (King Arthur retelling)
Babylonia by Costanze Casati
Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Pericles and Aspasia by Yvonne Korshak 20
Tyll by Daniel Kehlman - retelling of the German myth of Tyll Ulenspiegel

2. Read a book with a season in the title.
The Summer Country by Lauren Willig
Winterdance by Gary Paulsen
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb
Wintering by Peter Geye
The Winter in Anna by Reed Karaim
Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty
Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer - arc
A Long Winter by Colm Toibin

3. Read a book that's been on your TBR for longer than a year
The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes - (on TBR since 9/9/18)
Lots of options

4. Read a science book
Abundance by Peter H. Diamandis
The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
Kindred by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
The Future of Humanity by Michio Kiku
Pillars of Creation by Richard Panek
Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman

5. A book considered a classic
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

6. Read a book found on PBT's Expanding Our PBT Horizons shelf
The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt 13
Tracks by Louise Erdrich 7
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich 11
By Fire by Water by Mitchell James Kaplan 9
An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma 18
The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles 16
Desert Queen by Janet Wallach 20
Fools Crow by James Welch 14

7. A book in translation
They Were Found Wanting by Miklos Banffy
Vaim by Jon Fosse

8. Read a book from the 20254 Play Book Tag Top Ten list.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon 15
The Will of the Many - Islington 28
Table for Two - Towles 13
Spirit Crossing - Krueger 10
Ship of Magic - Hobb (KateNZ's list) 35
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent - Dench (KateNZ's list) 12
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo 18
Lessons in Chemistry - Garmus 12
A Brightness Long Ago - Kay (JoAnne's list) 14
Honor by Thrity Umrigar (KateNZ's list) 11
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (Hannah's list) 16

9. A book where the author's last name contains at least ten letters
The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov

10. Read a book with the word "night" in the title.
In the Night Cafe' by Joyce Johnson 6
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters 18
Kalooki Nights by Howard Jacobson 17
The Night Visitor by Lucy Atkins 11
Day for Night by Jean McNeil
Blood Orange Night by Melissa Bond 9
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips 10

11. Read a retelling of a classic book or a fairy tale
Dunbar by Edward St. Aubyn (King Lear)

12. A book set in a 'haunted' house - whether for real or rumored.
The Demon Lover by Elizabeth Bowen
The Prince of Mist by Carols Ruiz Zafon