ŷ������

I tried a similar challenge a few years ago and read eight-odd books before I gave up.

"THIS YEAR IT WILL BE DIFFERENT!"
- Woman, 21, riding the hype train without having done anything yet

I've collected most of the books I'm going to read, and put in a few sentences about why I chose each one. The general gist of said sentences is "Why the hell not?"

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1. A book with the letters A, T & Y in the title
The Eyre Affair - Because it's been sitting unread on my shelf for years and it's convenient.

2. A book from the first 10 books added to your To Be Read list
Dark Lord of Derkholm - I didn't even remember adding this one to my to-read list, but there you are, and now I'll to-read it.

3. A book from the 2017 ŷ������ Choice Awards (link
The Bear and the Nightingale - I don't know much about it but it seems like a bandwagon worth hopping on.

4. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #1 Earth (in title, cover, content, setting, author...)
Journey to the Center of the Earth - In all honesty, not very excited about it, but this elements one is tough.

5. A book about or inspired by real events
Tears of the Silenced: A True Crime and an American Tragedy; Severe Child Abuse and Leaving the Amish - I love Amish culture, so I'm going to challenge myself with something grim.

6. A book originally written in a language other than English
The Diary of a Young Girl - Haven't read it. Should read it.

7. A gothic novel
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - None of the blurbs I've read have really described what this book is about, so I guess I'll just read it.

8. An "own voices" book*
The Hate U Give - Am a very white person. Should read something different.

9. A book with a body part in the title (heart, bones, teeth, skin, blood, etc)
Men at Arms - Have I read this before? Yes. But is it ever a bad idea to reread Discworld? I think not.

10. An author's debut book (their first book to be published)
The Lies of Locke Lamora - Reddit won't shut up about this one, and as a Redditor, I want to also not shut up about it.

11. A literary fiction
Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece - It's such a broad category, so I decided to pick something other than a "classic" since I'm prematurely getting classics fatigue.

12. A book set in Africa or South America
My Life with the Chimpanzees - My mother has a girl crush on Jane Goodall. I guess I'll see what the fuss is about.

13. A book with a plot centered around a secret (forbidden love, spies, secret societies, etc)
The Rules of Magic - Well, I've watched the movie Practical Magic. Close enough.

14. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #2 Fire
The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America - I used to live in this area. You could still see shadows of the fire.

15. A book with an unique format/writing structure
The Screwtape Letters - At a friend's suggestion.

16. A narrative nonfiction
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Dead bodies! What's not to love?

17. A book you expect to make you laugh
Calvin and Hobbes - This is me taking a little break and immersing myself in childhood nostalgia.

18. A book with a location in the title
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Haven't read it. Also on one of my B&N bags.

19. A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand master author (books & authors)
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie's on the grand master author list.

20. A book rated 5 stars by at least one of your friends
As yet undecided. My friends won't make up their minds.

21. A book written in first person perspective
The Red Headed League - Any Sherlock Holmes would do, but I'm a redhead and biased.

22. A book you have high expectations or hope for
A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore is on every "humor" list on every website. I should at least give it a try.

23. A medical or legal thriller
The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus - I almost used my wild card for this one, but I needed it more later on. What a difficult category.

24. A book with a map
The Tombs of Atuan - Read the first Earthsea book. Liked it. Never picked up any of the others.

25. A book with an antagonist/villain point of view
Six of Crows - Another one people won't shut up about, so I'm absolutely *forced* to see what it's all about.

26. A book with a text only cover
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - I'll be honest, even as introverted as I am, this sounds preachy. Time to find out!

27. A book about surviving a hardship (war, famine, major disasters, serious illness, etc)
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl - I regret having read Unbroken already, but this sounds equally depressing.

28. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #3 Water
Death on the Nile - So much Agatha Christie.

29. A book with a "Clue" weapon on the cover or title (lead pipe, revolver, rope, candlestick, dagger, wrench)
Jingo - It's a sword. Which is sort of like a dagger for giants.

30. A short book
Mulliner Nights - As suggested by a friend.

31. A book set in a country you'd like to visit but have never been to
The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain - A year ago this would have been a book about Ireland. And then I went to Ireland, and now it's a book about the UK.

32. An alternate history book
My Lady Jane - Got it in an Owlcrate box. Never read it. Now's the time!

33. A book connected (title, cover, content) to a word "born" in the same year as you (link)
WILD CARD - Because I don't want to read books connected to "e-collar", "microfinance," or "date-rape drug".

34. A suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call
Where the Wild Things Are - From the "polarizing" top 100 children's books suggestion. To read to the kids.

35. A book featuring a murder
In Cold Blood - Spooky.

36. A book published in the last 3 years (2016, 2017, 2018) by an author you haven't read before
One of Us Is Lying - Picking recent books is so difficult. I dunno.

37. A Women's Prize for Fiction winner or nominee (link1, link2)
Room - I have to say, a lot of these looked lame. This one, not so much.

38. A science book or a science fiction book
Wool - Started it, never finished it.

39. A book with a form of punctuation in the title
It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree - I do like this guy's weird books.

40. A book from Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list (link)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - I'd never heard of this before, but it sounds fascinating.

41. A book by an author with the same first and last initials
The Great Gatsby - It's printed on my B&N bag. I should read it so I'm not some kind of fake reading nerd.

42. A book that takes place on, in, or underwater
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Pretty obvious. Catching up on the classics I never read.

43. A book with a title that is a whole sentence
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - I'm going into this blind. The most I know is that people frequently parody the title.

44. A ghost story
The Turn of the Screw - As a nanny, a nanny ghost story is perfect.

45. A book that intimidates/ scares you
The Shining - I've never read Stephen King before, and this is a *long* book, so it fulfills the criteria nicely.

46. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #4 Air
Around the World in Eighty Days - Catching up on classics. It had a flying contraption on the cover, so close enough.

47. A book where the main character (or author) is of a different ethnic origin, religion, or sexual identity than your own
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - I hear this is a witty and engaging book. I hope so.

48. A book related to one of the 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth)
Lolita - Guess which sin this is. Go on, guess.

49. A book from one of the ŷ������ Best Books of the Month lists (link)
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business - Whatever gets me to floss more regularly, right?

50. A book with a warm atmosphere (centered on family, friendship, love or summer)
Anne of Green Gables - Growing up, all the girls around me LOVED this book AND it was my nickname. I still never read it.

51. An award-winning short story or short story collection
The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest - Any short story collection has won some kind of award if you look hard enough.

52. A book published in 2018
?

LOL
This is the best title ever!

Babitix wrote: "LOL
This is the best title ever!"

Thank you! I strive to be as accurate as possible.

Wish you good luck with your reading!
Enjoy the challenge. If a book is too boring, just give up and try another one.

Have a great 2018! (:

At least, you did your plan, which is a 1st step. Participating the group usually help to stay on tracks and if you're not reading a lot or you're reading slowly, you can aim at a shorter number of books :)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is great, don't worry! One of my fav of this year and it works well for the gothic prompt.
Same for Anne of Green Gables, it's a good one.

I'm with you for The Lies of Locke Lamora/reddit, it's on my shelf since more than a year and I haven't picked it. I started it and saw the tiny font and the big book and the difficult english level (as a foreigner) and put it back on my shelf haha.

Zaz wrote: "At least, you did your plan, which is a 1st step. Participating the group usually help to stay on tracks and if you're not reading a lot or you're reading slowly, you can aim at a shorter number of..."

Ditto on Locke, man. It's a lot to commit to, and I have it on my phone, which makes it seem even longer.

The good news is that I'm excellent at brainwashing myself into liking books if I force myself to read for longer than I want to.

Zaz wrote: "At least, you did your plan, which is a 1st step. Participating the group usually help to stay on tracks and if you're not reading a lot or you're reading slowly, you can aim at a shorter number of..."

Zaz, where are you from? I'm a foreigner too. I'm Brazilian.

Babitix > I'm French :)

Abigail > I enjoyed the few I read, so I suppose the hype is deserved. As I own a pretty looking paperback, I need to like the book :p

My book club read The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America and The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl and loved them both. Not depressing, but, in some ways, uplifting. Plus T. Egan is a great author.

Love your title. You and I have the same style. Ha! Ha! I'm going to watch your challenge from now on, so the PRESSURE is on. (^v^)

Ann wrote: "My book club read The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America and [book:The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl|722..."

That's good to hear. I'm an easy crier so I'm dreading the pair of them just a little, but I know they'll be good for me.

Celeste wrote: "Love your title. You and I have the same style. Ha! Ha! I'm going to watch your challenge from now on, so the PRESSURE is on. (^v^)"

I appreciate anybody who's willing to smack me back into shape if I stop to play video games for three months instead. <3

The prompt to read a book having a word in title born the same year as me is so fascinating! I understand why you would wildcard it. I am leaving that one until later in the year... lucky me, i was born the same year as the words "chai" and "string cheese".

Good luck with your challenge. I hhaven't finished one yet, but i love to keep trying!

MJ wrote: "The prompt to read a book having a word in title born the same year as me is so fascinating! I understand why you would wildcard it. I am leaving that one until later in the year... lucky me, i was..."

At least chai and string cheese are both tasty. You might be able to squeeze a semi-interesting book on India out of chai.

I love this thread 😂. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a fascinating book. I hope you enjoy it . And crap!!!! I didn’t realize Lies of Locke Lamora was so long. I have it listed for my Pop Sugar this year ( which is the challenge I will probably fail at anyways)

Good luck to you!

Great list, Abigail. I love your comments on why you chose the books!
Of course Jingo counts! So does Feet of Clay. ;)

The first four books are finished, far ahead of schedule despite a distinct lack of winners in the bundle.

The Eyre Affair had the potential to be something really nifty, but I felt really pandered to the whole time I was reading it. The target audience: The sort of book-lovers that have Tumblrs and obsess over tea and have quirky quotes about reading books all over their house.

That might be ME, but I didn't need a book about books for book people to remind me about it, dammit!

-

Dark Lord of Derkholm was all right, but terribly long. The idea was interesting, but there was surprisingly little focus on the actual whole-world Renaissance Faire-esque spectacle I had been promised. As a Ren Faire devotee, I felt very let down. Rather, it was approximately 3000 pages of getting ready for said extravaganza.

Also, I found myself a little creeped out that one of the main characters spends a lot of time splicing together new species. Sentient ones at that. They weren't portrayed as such, but they must have felt so isolated...

-

The Bear and the Nightingale. This was a BEAUTIFUL book. Easily one of my favorites I've read in a while. The kind of book that pandered to my interests subtly, by jingo!

-

Journey to the Center of the Earth. Oh. My. God.

I never thought it was possible for such an interesting premise to be so boring. "We're journeying to the center of the earth! But, hold on, let us talk about my Uncle's backstory for a good six pages. And then, of course, we can't forget to go over all the things we're packing in excruciating detail."

"Also, we're going to nearly die five or six times, only to be saved without fail by our heroic manservant. But don't worry, he doesn't want any glory."

-

Nevertheless, four books done! You guys are all slowpokes for not being nearly as far along as I am.

I may have started two weeks early, but... whatever...

Just wanted to drop by and say that I adore your thread title!!

I like that you put explanations for the books you picked. Very fun to read through.

I may have started two weeks early, but... whatever..

Hahaha....cheater!! I'm fan-girling your thread, your sense of humor is great!

Love this, but I think I already said that somewhere up there ^^^^

Great job on your challenge so far, You've got some great books to look forward to.

Tracy wrote: "I may have started two weeks early, but... whatever..

Hahaha....cheater!! I'm fan-girling your thread, your sense of humor is great!

Love this, but I think I already said that somewhere up there..."

Aww, thank you. I know, I'm very excited!

Your challenge list looks great! I have also finished four books. I might have started one of them before the new year. No. No. Wait. That was a book for another challenge. Don't tell!

Too bad about Journey to the Centre of the Earth or whatever it's called. It's on my tbr and I'll probably force myself to read it anyway.

And I just noticed that The Shining is on your challenge list. I am obsessed with it to the point that I own multiple copies. One of the copies has a silver cover! This is coming from a person who is on a major minimalist kick and has gotten rid of the majority of her books! Hope you like it!

The next four are done! Still ahead of schedule. Still hoping I don't fall off the wagon.

These four were some rough books to read, a bit like taking your binoculars and going out on a car crash hunt. Some of the car crashes were bloody and some were just dented frames, but none of them felt like the nice walk in the park you could have been taking instead.

Tears of the Silenced: A True Crime and an American Tragedy; Severe Child Abuse and Leaving the Amish was a brutal book about a grim subject without much by way of a happy ending, but it wasn't the most well-written book and some parts seemed exaggerated. Also, the dog dies. I don't consider that a spoiler because I would have wanted to know.

The Diary of a Young Girl was a fine and light-hearted book in the moment, though of course you know all the horrible things that happen afterwards so it's like a nice cloud of gloom the entire time. Let me tell you, if I had had to live in a cramped living space with my neighbors for three years I would have had a mental breakdown.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle was probably the most enjoyable because it was gothic fiction, and thus you knew what you were getting into and you could get away with dressing like Morticia Addams while you read it.

And The Hate U Give was an important look at racism, but I can't say I especially enjoyed it. I'm glad to have read it, but didn't like the process of reading it.

Thankfully, the next four are a lot lighter in subject matter.

Abigail wrote: "The next four are done! Still ahead of schedule. Still hoping I don't fall off the wagon.

These four were some rough books to read, a bit like taking your binoculars and going out on a car crash ..."

I absolutely love your way with words! The car crash hunt comparison was excellent, but the bit about dressing like Morticia to read gothic made me snarf my tea and wonder if there is a black hobble dress lurking in my costume closet.

Thank you! I always advocate dressing up for reading. It helps if your wardrobe is naturally ridiculous.

Clever title, very nice! It seems you've got quite a fan base now so hopefully that will help motivate you toward your goal. Have fun with it! And don't give up video games. I read on loading screens, between matches, etc. Audiobooks are a gamer's best friend (if you're into audiobooks). ;)

I would also always want to know if the dog dies. Because that can be game-changing as to whether I want to read something or not.

I second what Emm says. I do heaps of reading while I’m gaming, especially audiobooks!

Ah, The Lies of Locke Lamora. As I said in my review, "came for the heists, stayed for the torture porn."

Without delving into spoilers, let me warn you that this book doesn't stay very heist-like for long.

And it enjoys ripping things you love away from you. And stomping on them. And then calling you a wuss for crying about it. And then setting you on fire because your crying is getting annoying.

I think because of the interesting, contained setting- primarily one city throughout the entire book- I was lulled into this Discworld-esque idea that it would be a quirky book full of wisecracks and thievery. And it was, in the beginning. Then it gets dark.

Oh, so dark.

Still, 722 pages went by faster than I thought it would. Though that may have been because I skimmed all the scenes with violence in them like the entire book.

Abigail wrote: "Ah, The Lies of Locke Lamora. As I said in my review, "came for the heists, stayed for the torture porn."

Without delving into spoilers, let me warn you that this book doesn't stay v..."

Oh geez 😬, I'm reading this for Pop Sugar....Thanks for the heads up. I haven't read your review yet ....heading over there now 🏃

I'm both a little frightened and very intrigued by these comments lol.

Tracy wrote: "Abigail wrote: "Ah, The Lies of Locke Lamora. As I said in my review, "came for the heists, stayed for the torture porn."

Without delving into spoilers, let me warn you that this boo..."

the goodreads description says its only 499 pages. different editions maybe? had to look it up bc i was a little frightened too by 700 pages lol

I checked out the squatest most beat up paperback version from the library, which probably contributed to the length.

And Tracy, don't worry, it's not entirely gore. I just left it feeling a little empty.

I loved reading through your plan. Very entertaining!! You’re doing great!

Abigail wrote: "I checked out the squatest most beat up paperback version from the library, which probably contributed to the length.

And Tracy, don't worry, it's not entirely gore. I just left it feeling a litt..."

I dont't mind gore at all, quite looking forward to it for a change of pace. Its the 700+ pages that scare me, lol

9. A book with a body part in the title (heart, bones, teeth, skin, blood, etc): Men at Arms.

I only just now realized I read my no. 9 and no. 10 books out of order, because I checked them both out of the library at the same time and read the new one first. This discrepancy, of course, completely ruins the reading challenge. I suppose I'll just have to give up now.

Mishaps aside, any of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are a feast for the imagination. This one in particular further establishes the Watch, a gloriously scruffy organization. It features a bromance akin to Gimli and Legolas, if Legolas were a gargantuan troll who couldn't count.

And above all, it leaves you happy and ready for another, which I quite needed after all the incidental blood in Locke Lamora.

Onwards!

Oh no, don’t stop the challenge. You can’t quit anyway, it’s bad luck: people read less books when they leave :p

I ♥️ Legolas.

...not Orlando Bloom, though. Just Legolas.

I like all the elves in the LOTR universe on the basis that they're all incredibly pretty. It's a nice mental picture when everyone's attractive.

And those Valar. Mmm.

11: A literary fiction. I was going to do Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece, but I couldn't find it in any library system near me and didn't want to buy it, so I read The Red Tent instead.

I regret everything.

But hey, maybe this is the book for you! Do you like lots of sex, and childbirth, and period blood saturating the pages of your novels? Well, then look no further. This book has ample amounts of all three. Buckets of it, even. All throughout the book.

If this book has done anything for me, it's made me very grateful that I don't have to live in a time without modern medicine. Yee gods.

Review.

Okay...you win. That review of The Red Tent made me laugh!

I'm sure glad I read The Red Tent before reading your description! lol

Totally agreed about living with modern medicine but I did still love that book.

In defense of why it took me so long to continue on my book journey, I had the flu for three solid weeks. And then an ear infection. Daycare and nanny work doesn't let you go easy.

12. A book set in Africa or South America - My Life with the Chimpanzees

In all honesty, I didn't know going into this book that it was written for younger people. It was quite short, and didn't cover nearly as much of the actual chimpanzee research as I thought it would- half the book was Jane Goodall's story about how she got there and what she saw, and then half was directly speaking to the reader about how they can do things to help the earth and the animals.

Which is quite nice, just not what I expected. Blame me for not doing my research.

I think it's a thought-provoking book that would be good for middle-schoolers and people who don't do their research going into it.

Yikes! I don't know which is worse, the flu or an ear infection. Glad to see you are feeling better!

13. A book with a plot centered around a secret (forbidden love, spies, secret societies, etc)

The Rules of Magic. Look, I really wanted to like this one. I fancy myself the closest thing to a witch that a lackadaisical Christian can be. I love witchy things. But this wasn't really about witches, it was about people making dumb decisions and having bad things happen as a result. Again and again and again.

I might still give Practical Magic a try, but for the time being, I'm going to go back and read some Discworld books for some witches who know how to be sensible.

(Review here.)

14. 4 books linked by the 4 elements: Book #2 Fire

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America

...Yep. This was a book about fire, all right.

There was really no mistaking it. What with all the loss of eyebrows, hands, skin...

Don't get me wrong, it's quite an interesting book, primarily about the start of the Forest Service and the efforts to get America interested in conservation. It was enthralling, but mighty grim at times.

Especially worth it if you happened to grow up in the Pacific Northwest, just for all the name dropping.

Review here.

15. A book with an unique format/writing structure

The Screwtape Letters - So chosen because, you see, they are letters. Written by Screwtape. He's a demon.

And frankly, he's just too harsh on his nephew, who's really trying his best to corrupt a human.

Look, it's not easy being a demon. It's especially not easy being a young demon working on a man so thoroughly drenched in Catholic guilt that he might as well be C.S. Lewis himself. Wormwood does his best, by golly. Lay off.

Ahh I remember buying The Red Tent at B&N.. not really knowing what it was about... hahah I haven't read it yet but I am looking forward to it. I don't know. I like reading about sex and birthing... not so much periods but I do think its fascinating that women did that kinda stuff. Oh, and I want to read the Screwtape letters!!

16. A narrative nonfiction

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Dead bodies! Dead bodies everywhere.

That goes without saying, I suppose. It was an interesting book because I felt perfectly comfortable reading about the cadavars, but not nearly so comfortable reading about the people dying to become them (ha). When a person is still a person, you feel sorry for them. When they're dead, you feel sorry for the people around them.

These themes were covered much more thoroughly in this book, which I found to be quite excellent when it wasn't horrifying. Review is here.

17. A book you expect to make you laugh

Calvin and Hobbes - I took a break from the longer books to dedicate some time to Calvin and Hobbes. It's one of those classics that you never forget.

And now that I'm a nanny to several young boys, I truly sympathize with Calvin's parents.

18. A book with a location in the title - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I'll admit, half of the reason I read this book was because I wanted to justify my Barnes & Noble reusable grocery bag that had this book on the side. This was one of the longer books I've read simply for justification's sake.

I do think it was worth it, though. There's an inherently readable quality to it that isn't always found in the "classics," however broad that range may be. Life was shown to pull no punches for the characters, but they never stopped bettering themselves.

And it was an excellent thing to have on hand when my charges wanted to watch Alvin & the Chipmunks for the fourth time this week.

19. A book nominated for the Edgar Award or by a Grand master author (books & authors) - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

I've come to realize I'm especially dense with regards to Agatha Christie novels. This is my third one and you'd better believe I was in the dark about who the murderer was the entire time. Just like the last two times.

Boy, could that woman write a mystery.

(Review here.)