Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

This week's prompt is a scavenger hunt for the least used letters in the alphabet. You only have to find one of J, Q, X, or Z somewhere in the author's name, but for an extra challenge you could try to find multiple letters in one name or a name that starts with one of the letters.

ATY Listopia /list/show/1...

What are you reading for this prompt?

J: The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption by Dahr Jamail
Q: Gold of Our Fathers by Kwei Quartey
X: Vertical Motion by Can Xue
Z: The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams by Philip Zaleski, Carol Zaleski

I'm planning on reading Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin, and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.

For the 6plus word prompt I'm reading Love and Murder in the Time of Covid by Qiu Xiaolong. I came across several Chinese authors while researching the '4 seldom used letters prompt'.

For various prompts, I am also reading Zadie Smith, Michelle Zauner, Alex Pheby, Alexander McCall Smith, Julia Fox, Max Porter,Gabriel García Márquez, Jance, J.A., Sanjena Sathian, David Quammen, Pankaj Mishra, Janice Hallett, Jon Ronson, Justin Gregg, Olga Tokarczuk, Kirk W Johnson, Emily St John Mandel, Judy Blume and Josephine Tey .

Only two of those were deliberate choices (Zadie Smith and Alex Pheby), the rest were accidental. I think that, apart from Q, these letters are not are rare in names as in words generally.

I'm going to read Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado for this one. Then I thought, since that's J and Z, why not read the next in Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen books and get the Q and X to complete the set, so I'm doubling up on this prompt and reading When Red Is Black as well.

Even excluding "J" (which I have a lot of), I still have several choices.

In the Company of Others by Julie E. Czerneda
Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao



Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao would be perfect for this prompt but it's a 2024 publication and I'm trying to get through my Owned and Unread piles next year. I might change my mind though.

I have so many Jasper Fforde books to catch up on! And then Kate Quinn has two new releases coming in 2024, and I still have one or two Alix E. Harrow pieces to read, and Jiang Rong's Wolf Totem.

I found a few I'm interested in. If I use J, it will be in the middle of the name rather than the beginning (so I say now). Some options:

Z: Whitehorn's Windmill by Kazys Boruta , The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, The House with the Stained-Glass Window by Żanna Słoniowska , Stefan Zweig, John Scalzi, Émile Zola
X: Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
Q: The Blue Flowers by Raymond Queneau
J: Hocus Bogus by Émile Ajar, Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Q & X: When Red Is Black by Qiu Xiaolong

I'm planning on reading The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin

Ashley Marie, thank you for putting the Kate Quinn books on my radar! I knew about The Phoenix Crown but I hadn't heard of The Briar Club!

At the moment I'm planning on reading Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane (so, obviously "J").

I have many books for this prompt, but some are slotted for other prompts. Not really sure why I picked this one out from the remaining choices, other than it might have been on my TBR the longest. I may switch it out for:

The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell ("J") — saw him speak and my husband just finished this book and said, "Everyone needs to read this!"

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez ("Z")

Owning the Sun: A People's History of Monopoly Medicine from Aspirin to COVID-19 Vaccines by Alexander Zaitchik ("X" and "Z") or

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride ("J")

Actually, now that I look at the options like this, unless I'm feeling like I really need a lighter book when I get to this prompt, all my "backups" sound more interesting choices...

UPDATE: I didn't end up reading any of these books for this prompt (although I did read The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store and Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men for other prompts).

In the end I read Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family. It was written in a very conversational tone which made for a quick read (almost 100 pages per day). I would recommend this memoir for anyone struggling to understand what it means to be transgender, or curious about how this realization can be handled well in a family.

To avoid having a mahoosive list of possibles, I dropped the J option. Still had to limit my list!

- Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
- Open House by Elizabeth Berg
- The Child Inside by Suzanne Bugler
- Till the Cows Come Home by Sara Cox
- How to Fail by Elizabeth Day
- Stone Baby by Joolz Denby
- Tenterhooks by Suzannah Dunn
- Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
- The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I eliminated J from my search as it is a common letter in my list of authors. I also looked for authors whose last name started with the letter. For my three options, here is my list for this prompt's possibilities:

by Jenny Tinghui Zhang - Z
by Javier Zamora- Z
by Holly Quinn- Q

I'm planning to read The Map of Salt and Stars for this prompt. I chose this book because the author's name contains both J and Z and the book description sounded interesting. I don't know what to expect for this book. Is there anyone who has read this book that can recommend it?

Sara Zarr is a YA/MG author whose books I've enjoyed.

Either a jodi picoult book i haven't read yet or tender is the flesh

I will be reading The Last Days of Richard III and the fate of his DNA by John Ashdown-Hill

Hayley wrote: "I'm planning to read The Map of Salt and Stars for this prompt. I chose this book because the author's name contains both J and Z and the book description sounded interesting. I don..."
We did it as a Popsugar Monthly Group Read years ago. I really enjoyed it and most who participated enjoyed it.

I'm going to read Together Tea by Marjan Kamali, since I really likes her book The Stationery Shop.

I will also be reading Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

And I just realized Pineapple Street, my prompt 1 choice, is written by Jenny Jackson.
It seems "J" is a common letter in names....

I read Woof by Spencer Quinn.

I plan to read Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. I like that they have 3 out of 4 letters in their name. And the cow suit in their author photo is pretty awesome too.

I have two in my name (J & Z) and don't know if I feel special or cursed. Lol.

I read Leap by Z. Egloff
my review is here

I read by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. A very powerful book.

I read The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams.

I read Night Train to Memphis by Elizabeth Peters for this prompt. I just love her books. They're kind of "comfort reading" for me.

I read Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

I read:
Three Sisters in Black: The Bizarre True Case of the Bathtub Tragedy by Norman J. Zierold

BIO: Author's name includes 2 or more of the given letters
REJECT: A book with a family member in the title

Finished: 02/25/2024
Rating: 4 stars

So sad! I planned to read Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao for this. Having loved the first in the series and with that name, how could I resist?

I knew it was a 2024 release, but I just checked and it's not out until December 24, 2024. Agh! Since I'm a library user, that means I basically have no chance to get it and read it by the end of the year - and that's even if I wanted to leave one prompt open that long (assuming I finish the others sometime in the fall).

They do have another book I haven't read, but it's children's lit. So I have to decide which will feel like more unsatisfying for me - using a kid's book, or letting this author with 3 of the 4 qualifying letters go.

I read First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde

I was also planning on Heavenly Tyrant for this! I think the book was originally set to be published in April but I read somewhere that the debacle with the Hugos might have been responsible for pushing the publication time back. That doesn't make much sense to me and I could be wrong.

I read The Dark Monk by Oliver Pötzsch

Jess wrote: "I plan to read Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. I like that they have 3 out of 4 letters in their name. "

That's what I read also. Too bad about Heavenly Tyrant. I bought it as soon as I completed the first book, but I'll be finishing the 52 long before December.

The book I chose for this prompt

sweet and short review: 3.0
This book is dedicated to all black girls, Its a must-read. You are not always perfect.

I read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz for this prompt (read 12th March; 3*)

For this prompt, I read:
Elmet by Fiona Mozley - 3* - My Review

This one I listened to Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. I needed it to fit somewhere and here it fit. I wasn't happy with it at all. I read Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster years ago and loved it. It started me on a whole Everest obsession. I just felt like this book didn't even come close to that. It was too disjointed for me. Skipped around in the time periods too much for me. I checked the physical book out of the library along with the audio book but that didn't really help at all. I don't normally give 2 star ratings but that's what I gave it.

Prompt #15 ~ A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX)

~ ♞ ~

BOOK 1
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Read ~ 4.3.24
Pages ~ 359
Rationale ~ dolen perkins-valde(Z)

Review ~ ★★★★☆
This book opened a thought process that I don't know that I've ever considered before. There is a disconnect between doing what is right and doing what you think is right, and often times the difference between those two things is simply a matter of cultural progression's perspective. While the eugenics of the 1970's was 100% immoral by today's standards, the question of that time was "is it wrong?". While it was an abhorrent practice, it's not altogether impossible to understand why so many people in the health profession and those in government positions felt it was necessary in some circumstances. Poverty isn't a disease, but it is caused by a plethora of conditions, and the more of those conditions you meet, the less likely it is for you to pull yourself out of your situation. Reliance on public assistance relies on the will of the taxpaying public to support the assistance it requires to help you pull up your bootstraps. Government isn't the bad guy - it's a reflection of how we choose to spend our money on ourselves, our neighbors, and our communities. So now there begs a question - Is it unreasonable to expect something be required of those receiving that money? And how much are you willing to "pay" to accept this assistance. And if you can't read, how much are you willing to trust those who are offering you a "way out" of your circumstances? And what happens when the will of the taxpaying public is worn out? There are no easy answers. But the big question this book addresses is this: What toll do these things take take on those who are in a position to help when there is no end to the need? Teachers, home health nurses, and social workers all spend their own money on supplies for their students, patients, and clients because the funding simply isn't enough to cover the need. I think this is a common thing among those who choose "service industry" jobs as their life's work, but it inevitably blurs the lines between your "job" and "your family." It can be extremely easy to become too involved and to take too much upon yourself, and lose yourself in that process. This is the story of one of those people, a home health nurse faced with too much need, and then getting too emotionally involved with the children in her care. I really felt for Civil Townsend, and because she was fresh in my mind, I was able to take her "butt out" lesson and use it when talking to my best friend who is dealing with another friend who has terminal cancer. She's trying to be helpful, but she's not family and she risks intruding on their lives in her effort to "be there to help."

~ ♞ ~

BOOK 2
Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles
Read ~ 4.5.24
Pages ~ 352
Rationale ~ paulette (J)iles

Review ~ ★★★
Cute story. Nothing that I'm going to carry around for the rest of my life, but it was a good read. I've read several books by Paulette Jiles before, so I knew what to expect from her. I wasn't disappointed. After Take My Hand, I needed something light and easy. This book definitely hit the spot on that account.

I read The Consequences of Fear. 5 stars. I have read this series for years. I always enjoy it.

I read In the Lives of Puppets T J Klune

I struggled with the beginning of the book but what a wondrous thing it became

Author last name begins with a 'J'

✔ - 06Feb24
Rebel – Beverly Jenkins – 3***
This bodice ripper is set in New Orleans during the reconstruction period after the Civil War. It's a typical romance with heaving bosoms, knees made weak by kisses, demure women and strong men who are talented and generous lovers. The action is fast, even if the plot is fairly predictable.
LINK to my full review

I’m reading The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. I just finished watching Netflix’s The Three Body Problem. This book is #2 in the trilogy but the first 100+ pages include events that were included in the TV series. It’s really good so far! I can’t believe I waited 9 years, after reading the first book, to finally read it.

I would highly recommend:
Solito by Javier Zamora

I want to read La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith

I read Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin and The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo.

I found the first one quite a difficult book. It's in two parts, one a narrative of a student love affair in Taipei, and the other about a anthropomorphic crocodile, used to convey the attitudes towards homosexuals and lesbians in 1980s Taiwan. Ultimately, a sad book.

The Fox Wife is based around Chinese legends of shape shifting foxes. The author did a great job of showing their character, powers and difficulties, while also giving the background of China at the turn of the C20th. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which would work for either the 'touch of magic' or 'published in 2024' prompts.

I read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

I read The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson, a murder mystery in translation that takes place during the Tour de France. It gets into some cycling nitty gritty, which I really enjoyed.

2nd time through I read:
Hair of the Dog: Revenge of Deanie O'Banion by Jean Luntz (Double, J & Z)

REJECT: A book relating to a catchphrase

Finished: 08/17/2024
Rating: 2.5 stars

Actually, I liked the book, but it had soooo many typos. Very poor editing and formatting. Good story though.

Loved the theme of this book, its likeable characters and the time travel aspect, which never feels hokey nor contrived. It was also written during the Covid-19 pandemic, which plays a shadowing presence throughout the novel. I read Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. I'd give it 3.5 stars, as I found some of the back-and-forth of the events confusing at times.

For this prompt I read The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn, I thought it at times was a bit slow.

I read "Program MIRA" by R.J. Setser. It is a retelling of Snow White where the evil queen is a software engineer and the magic mirror is her pet AI program.

Program MIRA