My goal this year for the challenge is not just to read books that fit these criteria each week. I also want to fulfill the requirements using mostly indie titles. The challenge I usually set up on Goodreads is 50 books per year. A goal I’ve sometimes hit, but sometimes haven’t. Let’s see how this one goes! Don’t forget to join the group if you’re planning on doing the challenge too.
I put all 52 weeks into a toggle below to show which title I’ve chosen to fit each rule. Not only can you find a link to get the same book I’ve chosen if you wish, but you will also be able to read any reviews for weeks I’ve already done.
1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
How could I not choose something set in Texas when given the choice? Either way, I feel like this would more than satisfy the requirement for this week. Not only is it set in a place with a “T,” but that place is even in the title.
If you don’t have your own idea for this one, read this one with me. Click the link to get your own copy! Just a warning though…I am not responsible if you like the novel enough that you want to read the rest of the series.
They’re Here. But who are They? What do They want? Where do They come from? On top of these questions July Jackson, sheriff of Egypt, Texas, (population, 1888) has some others. Why is it snowing in West Texas in August? Why don’t the cars, electronics, or phones work? Why can’t he remember what happened last night?
– Brian Yansky
2. A book by an author you read in 2022
At first, I thought I would go with something easy. Maybe a next book in a series to something I’d read already. Instead, I decided to give myself a treat and focus only on those authors whose books I’d enjoyed so much I gave a rare LOVED IT! too.
I’ve only read one of the many novels this prolific writer has published, but it’s still stuck with me months later. The book I’ve chosen for this week is actually older than the one I read first. But I hope to enjoy it just as much as I did If You Want Me Close by this same author.
When charismatic town newcomer Clark walks into Van’s life in post-war rural Colorado, neither can ignore the sparks between them. Van has built a fulfilling new normal with his girlfriend Hadas after his wife’s death, but Clark’s brash flirtation and dominant tendencies awaken a desire for a kind of romance Van thought he’d lost forever. Even if he’s not sure he’s ready for it.
– Skye Kilaen
3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list
This prompt was like a scavenger hunt within a scavenger hunt. First, you have to find the thread with all the prompts that didn’t make it. Then you have to actually choose your prompt before even thinking about which books might fit! Here’s the list of prompts if you’d like to make your own choice: 2023 Suggestions That Didn’t Make It.
I enjoy the freedom of choice, but for this one, I think there was almost too much! Ultimately though, I went for A book told from the villain’s perspective. Titles like Wicked or Grendel came to mind almost immediately. Then I remembered hearing about this unique take on one of my favorite childhood stories. The villainous queen of hearts from Alice in Wonderland finally gets to tell her side.
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.
– Marissa Meyer
4. A book with an interracial relationship
This book almost seemed too good to be true when I was trying to find a title. Not only is the couple at the center of the story an interracial one, but it’s LGBTQ+ as well. The crown on top though is the time travel trope that adds an extra layer.
For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.
– Casey McQuiston
5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
A book with four or more colors? Instantly, my mind went for a rainbow. I admit that I usually try to steer clear of titles that just feature a half-naked body of any type. But this novel just seemed to fit too well to pass up in this case.
Don’t like the athletes. Don’t sleep with the athletes. Don’t fall for the athletes. It had never been particularly difficult to keep the rules but Nick had a feeling he was about to be tested.
Heisman winner. Member of the National Championship team. NFL Rookie of the Year. Quarterback Colin O’Connor knows he’s become the ultimate romance novel cliché: all the success he’s ever dreamed of but nobody to share it with. Too bad it’s not as simple as asking out the next girl who intrigues him – because the next girl to intrigue him probably won’t be a girl at all.
– Beth Bolden
6. A book where books are important
Part of me was leaning toward Fahrenheit 451 for this one, but I decided to do something with a different flavor instead. I also didn’t want to just have only fiction rounding out my list either. Thankfully, I was able to find this nonfiction title. A book arguing the importance of books themselves more than fits the criteria, right?
On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?
– Susan Orlean
7. A book with ONE of the five “W” question words in the title
This isn’t the usual type of book I’ll reach for first. Which is exactly why this is a great book for this challenge. I want to branch out, read more things. The blurb was enough for me to give this one a chance. Crossing my fingers that it will be as good as it sounds!
Ruth and her little brother, Aubrey, are just teenagers when their older brother ships off to Iraq. When Joseph returns, uninjured, only three and a half months later, Ruth is happy he is safe but also deeply worried. How can it be that her courageous big brother has been dishonorably discharged for refusing to go out on duty? Aubrey can’t believe that his hero doesn’t have very good reasons.
– Catherine Ryan Hyde
8. An author’s debut book
I interpreted this week’s as not just the first book an author has published, but their first and only book. I wanted to support someone who might not already have a following, who might have other stories waiting if they could just find an audience. The choice I ended up making is one I’m very excited about. A historical fiction piece inspired the author’s personal connection to some of the setting used in the novel.
The Unlocked Path presents and embraces a “New Woman” of the early 20th century: educated, career-minded, independent. In 1897 Philadelphia, after witnessing her aunt’s suicide, Eliza Edwards vows to find ways to help and heal. Rejecting her mother’s wishes for her society debut, Eliza enters medical college at a time when only five percent of doctors are female. With the support of a circle of women and driven by a determination to conquer curriculum demands, battle sexism, and overcome doubts, Eliza charts a new life course. Combining science and sympathy, can she triumph to heal others and herself?
– Janis Robinson Daly
9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W
“W” is for winner, right? I may have misread this and thought the book had to be a winner of the award and not just a nominee. In 2011, this title won the Warwick Prize for Writing which ran a contest based around the theme “color.” The science kid that became a science teacher also gives robust approval for this one.
Imitating other animals or their surroundings, nature’s fakers use mimicry to protect themselves, to attract and repel, to bluff and warn, to forage and to hide. The advantages of mimicry are obvious — but how does ‘blind’ nature do it? And how has humanity learnt to profit from nature’s ploys?
– Peter Forbes
10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls’ “personalities”
I had never heard of the Spice Girls until some friends introduced me to them in high school. That same group wanted to perform one of their songs in a talent show. So I went from hearing none of their music to listening to it on repeat. I most identified with (and whose part I was meant to sing) Sporty Spice. Thus, it’s only fitting that I chose something sports related for this prompt.
Once a celebrated child prodigy, Blaise Noether is now a struggling widowed mom trying to keep her head above water while she pursues her Ph.D. Only two things make her really angry: her kid’s math textbooks and jocks. In her mind, all athletes are like the bullies who terrorized her in high school. So when she crosses paths with rising basketball star Christie Dillard, Blaise’s interest is a null set.
– Alex Washoe
11. A book about a person/character with a disability
For a period of roughly 6-7 years, I had drastically reduced vision in my left eye because of a head injury. Swelling in the impact area had formed a knot that was pressing on the optic nerve. Luckily, time and the body’s natural processes eventually made that knot shrink and most of the vision is back. It’s always given me a considerable amount of appreciation for just how important sight is, and just how much we take it for granted. For this reason, I am always going to gravitate toward blindness or impaired vision for these types of prompts.
So much of falling in love is visual. Catching someone’s eye. Noticing — with admiration or pleasant surprise — how they dress and carry themselves. Being captivated by their smile. Feeling that initial sense of physical attraction.
But when you are blind, how do you fall in love if it cannot be “at first sight?” By sound, of course.
– Mary Harper
12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
I didn’t even try for something bunny related for I knew far too well what kinds of books I was likely to get with that kind of search. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking those stories at all. It’s just not the type I’m looking for with this sort of challenge. The title of this novel drew me in. I’m a sucker for puns.
Can accidentally becoming a beekeeper lead to love?
Single mom Cordy Brown can’t catch a break. Not only does she lose her job, but the quaint English cottage she pools her savings to purchase is the very definition of a money pit. To top it off, a delivery man appears on her doorstep with a shipment of bees and announces she’s their new caretaker! Could life get any more complicated?
– Storm Shultz
13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
No…you see nothing. I didn’t just put two punny titles back to back like this. There were a few books that caught my eye for this prompt, but I didn’t want to have something repeated that was too generic. Technically, a cover could have a forest featured and that would count because of repeated trees, right? Ultimately, I opted for this choice. What’s more fitting for a reader or writer than repeated coffee cups?
Lainey and her older sister Margaret are doing their best to live a normal life after the tragic sudden death of their parents. Margaret tackles the new role of a parental guardian while Lainey is trying to survive the last couple years of high school. Life had become slightly dull but routine. Then Lainey meets Theo Charles, a good looking bad boy who loves reading and getting Lainey into all sorts of minor trouble. Everything seems to be going well, until Lainey learns that Theo might have had a part in her parents untimely death. Did Theo actually have a part in their death? Will Lainey and Theo be able to move past this?
– Chloe Maison
14. A book with a con, deception, or fake
I was going to go for the ‘con’ angle first, but I quickly realized how hard most search engines would find that. Why you ask? Because it could also mean about a con as in convict. Or you could also find quite a few Spanish novels considering ‘con’ translates ‘with’ in that language.
New Hampshire, 1877. Maud Price was once a celebrated child medium, a true believer in lifting the veil between the living and the dead. Now penniless, her guiding spirits gone, the so-called “Maid of Light” is desperate to regain her reputation—but doing so means putting her faith in deceiving others.
– Kim Taylor Blakemore
15. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: 9th Century
Can’t think of a better excuse to pick up some historical fiction than with this prompt. I had this strange idea to go in chronological order too, so this was a great pick to keep the field open with the other two. I’m also a sucker for female warrior novels, so this should be a fun week!
890 A.D. Shieldmaiden Halla hungers for death in battle and a place in Valhalla until a Frankish sword shatters her expectations of a glorious end. In the space between life and death, she instead confronts the emptiness of a wasted life.
Hiding from the Norsemen among shattered abbeys and abandoned towns in northern Frankia, Christian landowner Taurin fears the day a dragon-headed longship rediscovers them and drags his people away as slaves.
– K. M. Butler
16. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: 12th Century
One of my favorite myths has always been Persophone, Hades, and the pomegranate seeds. Between that and growing up with someone who was almost addicted to these, the novel and title both caught my eye. Strong female character with just the right time slot for the angle I was making.
“I do not talk to dirty boys.”
The girl was defiant, her dress dusty, her scarf askew; tendrils of burnished copper hair escaping onto her face. She would not stand by as her brother defended her honor. She would defend herself.
So begins the story of Batsheva Hagiz, the spirited daughter of a Jewish merchant dynasty in 12th Century Málaga. Her life is set by tradition, with schooling in languages, merchandise, and trade. But it’s her love of swordplay and the ability to throw a dagger with deadly aim that will serve her best.
– S. J. Schwaidelson
17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: 17th AND 21st Centuries
Maybe this is a bit of bragging in a way, but I am very pleased with myself for this one. With action taking place in two different centuries, this has to work for the prompt, right?
1643 and England is in the grip of civil war. A young woman, Grace Mundy, flees from her savage stepmother only to unleash tragic events that echo down the ages to the present day.
Haunted by Grace’s voice, her brother Tom sets out on a quest to solve the mystery of her disappearance. The trail leads him to the treacherous Royalist, Sir John Wintour and the horrifying events which have imprisoned Grace’s soul. Hoping to set her free, Tom confronts Wintour at the top of cliffs high above the River Wye and so the legend of Wintour’s Leap is born.
– Morton Ross
18. A book related to science
The title got me here. Creepy? A little. But oh so attention-grabbing. It also shows a good sense of humor too which is very much needed with a book like this.
Dive into a hilarious assortment of real-life medical stories and adventures from the operating room and beyond!
Artfully written with a witty, authentic, and often sarcastic tone, I Watch You Sleep is a humorous and profound collection of true medical stories, drawn from the life and career of practicing anesthesiologist Zach Antonov, MD. As the lovechild of an often-misunderstood medical field and a passion for amateur comedy, this book is bursting with pointed anecdotes, silly stories from college and med school, modern medical controversies, and the low-down on all the things that occur behind closed hospital doors.
– Zach Antonov, MD
19. A book related to the arts
Although math and science are my true passions for teaching, I actually spent my first year focused on music for young students. Without something to listen to, I can go a bit crazy too. Thus, it just made sense to make that the focus of this prompt for me.
Music used to be what she lived for.
Now, it may be the thing that kills her.
Emily Dawson has been running since she was sixteen years old.
From pain. Abuse. From the memories entwined with the notes that used to inspire her. But no matter how far she goes, her past is always lurking, waiting, ready to attack.
She’s trapped in the melody that haunts her dreams and waking hours.
Music is dead to her. So why can’t she seem to walk away?
– Marissa Honeycutt
20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
I had never heard of the Kindertransport in all my years of history class. My first exposure to it actually came from the lips of a child saved by it. A speech organized by the Holocaust museum near me. The story fascinated me then, and still does now. If, like me, you never learned about the Kindertransport, I highly suggest you look it up.
The grocer, the teacher, the soldier, the Quaker…
In 1938, when the Government refused to act and those around them turned a blind eye, these heroic individuals took it upon themselves to orchestrate one of the greatest lifesaving missions the world has ever seen.
– Mike Levy
21. A book by an Asian diaspora writer
Diaspora is a word I’d heard quite a bit of but didn’t actually understand for a long time. Prompts like this one are the main reasons for why I chose to take part in the challenge. I want to broaden my horizons, and I want to read from new perspectives that are outside the small circle I grew up in.
Salim Khan has lived a comfortable life in Britain for almost half a century. But a letter from Pakistan is about to send him on a journey that he never thought he would ever have to make again. As he goes back to his native land, he remembers the first time he went the opposite way, the struggles and challenges, that not only he, but the many others who followed in his footsteps had to face.
– Mohammed Khan
22. A book with a faceless person on the cover
Near future thriller where technology lets already bad people do more bad things? If there’s a genre I’m a sucker for, this is it. Black Mirror has been one of my most rewatched shows for a reason.
How dangerous can a social network really be?
In the near future, mobile Internet hologlasses allow everyone to stay connected to online social networks 24/7. But after young computer whiz Dylan Sweitzer receives an anonymous, “faceless” message from someone off the grid, his virtual interactions start putting the lives of his online friends in very real jeopardy. His action-packed adventure forces him to face the dark consequences of living an entire life online.
– Albert Wolfe
23. A book with a body of water in the title
Prohibition era with strong female characters? Count me in! The title and cover drew me in, but the blurb is what sold me.
Running rum during Prohibition, she’ll risk her life—and her heart.
Motherless and destitute, Frieda Hope is determined to make a better life for herself and her sister, Bea. The girls are taken in by a kindly fisherman named Silver, and Frieda begins to feel at home on the water. When Silver sells his fishing boat to WWI veteran Sam Hicks, thinking Sam would be a fine husband for Frieda, she’s outraged. But Frieda manages to talk Sam into teaching her to repair boat engines instead, so she has a trade of her own and won’t have to marry.
– Ann Howard Creel
24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
Don’t think I’ve heard of a ‘spy-fi’ before, but it’s clever. That the spy in this novel is also a writer…easy shoe-in for this prompt.
A secret agent. A gaming mastermind. Two players in a dangerous competition blurring the boundaries of entertainment and reality.
Mysterious signals pulse from an icy planet in a remote star system. GAM-OPs wants answers. Enter Lilline Renault, secret agent extraordinaire. To ordinary citizens she’s Keely Larkin, an adventure company guide with a flair for the daring and a penchant for writing trite poetry. Lilline’s at the top of the spy game, but publishing her literary work is proving harder than saving the galaxy.
– Jonathan Nevair
25. A book with a tropical setting
Hawaii is at the top of my list of places I’ve yet to visit but really want to. The reason I’ve chosen this novel out of all the ones set on those islands is that it turns expectations on their head. Instead of the perfect getaway, the protagonist only finds more hardship.
Just weeks removed from losing his parents in a tragic car accident, Dyson Nicks decides to take himself as far away from home as he can for the holiday season.
What was supposed to be a retreat to Oahu soon turns ugly. Within minutes of arriving, he is initiated into the unseen side of Hawaii. Theft, violence, and territorialism mark the flip side of paradise, the side most people refuse to believe exists.
– Dustin Stevens
26. A book related to pride
I didn’t mean to pick something so on the nose with this topic that the title itself is “pride.” But the subject matter is something very personal to me. That this would fall during pride month for the weeks also makes it a fitting novel.
The world is full of perfectly imperfect people.
After being dumped by his longtime boyfriend, Milan finds himself back in the dating scene, and it isn’t anything like he thought it would be. Shamed and ridiculed for how he looks, Milan decides that it’s time to get back into shape, but stepping foot in a gym is harder than he imagined.
Everything in Kelson’s life is about fitness. He’s a well-known trainer as well as a fitness model. His focus in life is working out and helping others to improve their lives. As content as he is on a professional level, personally life leaves a lot to be desired. He longs for someone to share his future with.
– E. M. Leya
27. A book by an author from continental Europe
At first, I thought about choosing one of the classics, but then considered it too easy. There also aren’t many left on the list that I haven’t read before…and rereading something for the challenge feels like cheating. Given the current state of the world, an author from Ukraine feels rather relevant.
21-year-old Nathan dreams about creating a cool start-up with his friend Jack. To get money for the start-up Nathan starts playing a virtual reality game as part of a scientific experiment. The game forces Nathan to discover what it is like to be in the skin of somebody else, for whom the cards have been dealt differently. The depressing experiences of playing the game make Nathan question his belief in meritocracy and pick a fight with Jack. What is just and what do we really deserve? This is only the beginning of Nathan’s search for a new life credo that will have both love and reason at its core.
– Olga Tymofiyeva
28. A book that is dark
Dark = horror, right? Or at least that’s right where my mind went with this one. I am not sure if the title deliberately references the Nine Inch Nails Song, but the striking cover and mental connection just intrigued me too much not to make it my pick.
When you bury your past, make sure that it’s dead.
It’s the mid-nineties. Grunge and flannel are fading as the Spice Girls and Hot Topic conquer the malls. Cherry gloss glistens on the lips of the youth. Modems hiss as America comes online.
And in a fog-drenched cove at the edge of New England, something terrible awakens when a fisherman reels in a gruesome catch: the remains of a young woman.
– Andrew Van Wey
29. A book that is light
What I ended up choosing for this prompt went in a drastically different direction than I thought it would. My original instinct was to go for a Christmas romance of some sort because what could be more ‘light’ than that. I wanted something deeper though, and stumbled across this memoir. From dark places, people find light.
Friends and family expected Ken Cruickshank to continue playing sports, traveling, engaging in mischief, and raising an active brood after marrying his soulmate, Karen. Indeed, all proceeded to plan until an invisible enemy strengthened its grip on his body and mind. Goals, abilities, and many dreams grew forever affected by progressive disease. After an accident crumpled his weakened body, the author dug deep to rediscover the optimism and hope he’d once considered his essence.
– Ken Cruickshank
30. A book related to a chess piece
Okay, I might have seriously overachieved with this one. Not only does the title refer to TWO pieces of a chess set, but chess itself is pretty relevant to the story. That a murder mystery is rolled into it too? Very excited for this one.
Chicago Tribune Reporter Larry McKay has his hands full. He has been assigned to investigate the recent assassination of Chicago’s Mayor Janice Kollar in a tumultuous summer that has included riots, looting, and a city out of control. With Mayor Kollar’s long list of political enemies, McKay doesn’t know where to start. But he soon discovers a weekly gambit at St. Simeon’s Church Rectory on West 79th Street between two of Chicago’s most notable individuals; Former grand chess master and now Catholic priest, political activist Fr. Colin J. Fitzgerald, and organized crime boss Anthony ‘Little Tony’ DiMatteo.
– Kim Lengling
31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com
I’m still trying to figure out how I started with Alexandre Dumas and wound up at Dean Koontz using the map. Maybe I shouldn’t question it too much though because I do enjoy both authors. I’d actually been considering this novel for the ‘dark’ prompt as well. Only makes sense to use it here!
As a girl, Joanna Chase thrived on Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana until tragedy upended her life. Now thirty-four and living in Santa Fe with only misty memories of the past, she begins to receive pleas—by phone, through her TV, in her dreams: I am in a dark place, Jojo. Please come and help me. Heeding the disturbing appeals, Joanna is compelled to return to Montana, and to a strange childhood companion she had long forgotten.
– Dean Koontz
32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature
If you are like me and had never heard about UNESCO or cities of literature before, probably best to do some finding out here. I blame a recent show I watched that was set near Melbourne for why I chose something set there.
For Tom Armstrong, a moderately successful accountant living comfortably in Oxford, turning thirty sparks a premature mid-life crisis. Something is missing in Tom’s life, but he can’t put his finger on it. A fresh start feels like the best way forward, somewhere new, somewhere different. Not being the overly adventurous type, Melbourne is as good a spot as any for Tom to head for. The locals speak English, of sorts, and amazingly the place is crying out for bean counters.
– Judith O’nagy
33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
Thank you Google and Wikipedia! A quick search helped me find this. What are the odds that two authors both with the first name of Ruth have rather prolific series centered on Amish romance? While I’m sure there’s an audience for it, that’s not something I was really interested in myself. The blurb and the striking cover with the empty baby carriage was enough to pull me toward this choice.
Everyone has a secret. But not like Alison’s.
Alison loves being a mother which is why she is finding it so hard to come to terms with the recent loss of her baby daughter. She still has her young son Adam whom she adores, but the grief is always there…
Everyone can see she is struggling.
– Ruth Harrow
34. A novella
I absolutely love this cover. Attention grabbing, and already giving a certain vibe to what the novella is about. The blurb also gives me getting Jurassic Park 3 feels which is one of my favorite movies?
Grant Radburn has been here before, this island they call Purgatory, and he never wanted to go back.
When Devon MacArthur and his son, Paul, knock on his door, looking for his assistance getting rid of a…problem…Grant finds himself once again navigating the choppy, frigid waters of Lake Superior, toward the towering mountain and the dense forests that haunt his dreams.
– Mike Schuhler
35. A book with a school subject in the title
Come on, would you expect anything else from me? As a math and science teacher, I had to pick something from one of those subjects. Also feels weird picking something that’s actually going to release in 2023 though. Time goes by way too fast.
How can Anna Ellis, a geeky, brilliant, and hopelessly smitten cosmetic chemist possibly win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams—who also happens to be her boss? The answer is Craig’s empathetic (and handsome) CEO half brother, Marco. The makeup mogul knows Craig for the ridiculously competitive rival he is. Whatever Marco has, Craig wants. That can be Anna, if she’s game to play.
– Sariah Wilson
36. A book that has been translated from another language
I shamefully admit that this title has been gathering dust on my digital bookshelf. Did I make this my choice for this prompt before even realizing I had the book already? Also shamefully admitting so…
Originally written in Spanish, both title and cover intrigued has trapped me twice now.
When novelist Manuel Ortigosa learns that his husband, Álvaro, has been killed in a car crash, it comes as a devastating shock. It won’t be the last. He’s now arrived in Galicia. It’s where Álvaro died. It’s where the case has already been quickly closed as a tragic accident. It’s also where Álvaro hid his secrets.
The man to whom Manuel was married for fifteen years was not the unassuming man he knew…
– Dolores Redondo
37. A book with the theme of returning home
Because I haven’t been choosing any of these books using the listopias and just going based off my own searches, I’m having to make certain assumptions about books I haven’t read. Thus, I think this novel is about two people having to overcome differences and survive a plan crash. Trying to get home would be the logical next step, right?
First-class passenger and business man Damian has a fear of flying, which he drowns in whiskey and snark, using snide remarks to alienate and shut others out.
Flight attendant Gabe has a broken heart, and only his gentle nature and training prevent him from busting Damian’s face in when the man’s drunken gibes go too far.
– Maxime Jaz
38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover
I may or may not have been about to read up on an astronomy book for this prompt. There were a few titles I was debating between when I did angle toward fiction. The pretty cover coupled with the fact there were no reviews for it on amazon yet? Sold!
Under the contract of a powerful sea-witch, Ultio is able to walk on land for her love. When she gets rejected, she is taken to Stella Maris to become a Sister of Air. Falling is love was not part of the plan but it came at a cost. Thrown back into the sea, she looks for a life on her own and with the help of Kelpie. She’s able to adjust to a new life. But with it comes challenges she could not foresee. Will she succumb to the person who was pulling the strings? Or will she overcome the obstacles and win her freedom?
– T. L. Mattice
39. A western
Westerns, along with country music, are both two things I generally avoid just because so many people assume I like them due to where I live. As such, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer amount of books I could choose from for this prompt. All I knew was that I preferred non-contemporary and not straight romance/erotica.
Born in the wrong time…
In 1875 Dakota, Sheriff Jamie Carter has to hide his interest in men, even from his gutsy twin sister, Anna. On a good day, the truth can mean a bullet between the eyes, and on a bad, one in the back.
– Taylin Clavelli
40. A book with a full name in the title
Typed in a random name and crossed my fingers that the algorithms would help me with the rest! James got me to this novel, and I’m quite happy with the results to say the least!
Ethan St. James is the Scrooge of my Life…
Most people have heard of love at first sight, but what I experienced with Ethan St. James was the exact opposite. He’s the brother of my best friend Taytum’s boyfriend and an absolute horror. I can’t believe I have to spend the holiday season with him.
The problem is he thinks my best friend is an opportunist who is using his brother because he’s rich. And now, due to a misunderstanding, he thinks I’m trying to snag his other brother. Like, I need to trap someone into a relationship with me. There’s no planet in the galaxy where I would feel desperate enough to date a St. James.
– J. S. Cooper
41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
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This one was a bit harder to find because of just how many lists were included in this. While my choice is actually from the 2017 list, go here to find the one for 2022.
After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.
– Jane Harper
42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
I actually found this book while looking for something a few prompts back. It just didn’t give me the feeling of being ‘western’ enough for the western prompt. But I really did want to read it…thankfully it fits perfectly for this one.
Murder, vengeance, and ghost story all mixed up. Very happy to have stumbled across this one.
James Carson has gotten away with murder three times.
The only thing that might stop him from killing again? The three women he murdered.
– Noelle W. Ihli
43. A book that involves a murder
Are you sure I can’t count the book from last week as part of this prompt too? Don’t worry, I was just joking. Because that would be cheating…
There are so many wonderful murder mystery books out there, but I was hoping not to start a series for this one. Then I found the perfect setting considering why I was trying to find one in the first place…a book club!
James Carson has gotten away with murder three times.
The only thing that might stop him from killing again? The three women he murdered.
Imagine nine women meeting. Tea and cake are on the coffee table. They’ve come together to share their love of books. They are friends. They trust each other. It’s a happy gathering. What could be more harmless?
– Betsy Reavley
44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal
I was about to skip over this book until I realized the exact wording of the prompt. The text doesn’t have to be part of the title. Any text at all on the cover works too.
Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.
Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.
Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.
– Seanan McGuire
44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal
I was about to skip over this book until I realized the exact wording of the prompt. The text doesn’t have to be part of the title. Any text at all on the cover works too.
Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.
Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.
Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.
– Seanan McGuire
45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books
This would have been easy if I’d gone to one of my favorite authors. But in the spirit of trying new things, like this challenge, I wanted to go with an author I’d never heard of before let alone read.
With Boston’s queer community teeming with single women, professional dating coach Harley Cooper’s incomparable match-making abilities are in high demand. Harley attributes her success to her unwavering resolve to maintain professional boundaries with her clients. Of course, her cool demeanor and charming smile don’t hurt. But when Harley meets her newest client, she not only loses her cool, she wavers.
Tessa Pearson is one of Boston’s most acclaimed wedding photographers. And although she has a talent for capturing love on film, she has no desire to be in a relationship. She’s happily committed to her bachelorette lifestyle. Tessa’s best friend, however, has other plans for her.
– Michele L. Rivera
46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe
The first look I did for this prompt was for the word sugar…BIG mistake! The amount of sugar baby/sugar daddy material I found is phenomenal. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I was looking for. So I went for something a little less popular. I also love me a good pun.
I hate Drew Woods, and she hates me.
I’m a cold jerk half the time, and she’s way too mouthy and prying.
But when Drew’s down on her luck, I have no problem moving the single mom and her baby into my place…until her sarcastic barbs and curves become something I can’t ignore.
– Teagan Hunter
47. A book related to a geometric shape
I latched onto the idea of a pentagon and just couldn’t let go. While many of the titles to choose from were nonfiction of some sort, this is the title and cover that struck my eye the most. The of MASH as a comparison title locked my choice in.
Imagine the madcap characters of MASH transported to Vietnam-era Pentagon. Like their Korean War counterparts, these young men are recent college graduates drafted into military service for an unpopular war. Toiling in the basement office of the Pentagon, far from the rice paddies on the other side of the world, war is not an abstraction for them. With a profound sense of obligation to their brothers in the jungle, they couple compassion and humor to cause mayhem in the bureaucratic process with their zany antics.
– William J. Kennedy
48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story
KAIJU! My first instinct was to lean into the giant monster trope that reminds me of Godzilla and the Pacific Rim movies. However, I felt like that wouldn’t fully fit the criteria because a lot of them aren’t just oversized animals so much as they are aliens. I also feel like I prefer that genre as more of a visual spectacle. So, television or movies over books in a rare case.
Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There’s no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.
Crenshaw is a cat. He’s large, he’s outspoken, and he’s imaginary. He has come back into Jackson’s life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?
– Katherine Applegate
49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
You have to do a little bit of sleuthing through the ATY forums for this one. I appreciate it though because it helps me interact with the group more or understand where everything is. The title of the book I chose was just too good not to want to learn more.
All I wanted to do was live my life in peace. Maybe get a cat, expand my spice farm. Really anything that doesn’t involve going on a quest where an orc might rip my face off. But they say the Goddess has favorites. If so, I’m clearly not one of them.
After saving the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, all he wanted to do was kill an evil witch enslaving his people.
I mean, I get it, don’t get me wrong. But he’s dragging me along for the ride, and I’m kind of peeved about it. On the bright side, he keeps burning off his shirt.
– Kimberly Lemming
50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt
There were so many good prompts that it was hard to choose which one. Reading back over the list, I revisited: 7. A book with ONE of the five “W” question words in the title. The last time, I’d chosen why. This time, I went for who.
Marjorie Madden has it all. She’s been out since middle school, is the most popular person in her grade, and according to her friends could get any girl she wants (even the straight ones).
Marjorie isn’t interested in dating, though. All of her focus is on becoming a starter on the varsity basketball team and leading her team to victory. That is, until an anonymous note appears in her locker from a secret admirer. The person writing the notes is like no one she’s ever met, except apparently, she has met them.
– Erica Lee
51. A book published in 2023
Quite a few books published in 2023 already fill out this list, but I haven’t tried to use the same book for two prompts yet. So why would I choose to do that now on one of the last ones? Coming out January 18, it just barely falls on the right side of the year.
If you ask anyone to describe the great state of Kentucky, odds are they’ll most likely answer you with “Bourbon and horses,” but if you ask Rosie May, the only thing she’ll ever respond with is “Derby hats.”
Big hats. Small hats. Elaborate hats. Simple hats. You name it, she loves them all. Every. Single. One. Because of this, she’s always known she would one day own a Derby hat store. At twenty-five, she’s back in her hometown of Louisville, and her dream has finally come true. With the season officially underway, her brand-new shop is gorgeous, the inventory is stocked, and she’s ready to go. Her only problem is William Stokes Whitlock III.
– Kathryn Andrews
52. A book with an unusual or surprising title
The last book of the year, I’m allowed a little creative leeway, right? While the title is actually referencing a place, it could be considered an oxymoron of sorts. If a woman were to be dead, she wouldn’t or shouldn’t be crossing the street.
When young, single mother Hannah is found murdered by the banks of a twisting Oklahoma creek, her one-year-old daughter sleeping in a stroller near her body, the small town of Dead Woman Crossing reels in horror.
Detective Kimberley King, recently relocated from New York to Oklahoma, with her young daughter Jessica, can’t ignore the similarity of Hannah’s death to the case of Katie James, the woman that the town of Dead Woman Crossing is named after. Katie was murdered in front of her small daughter in 1905, on the banks of the same creek, and it seems that someone is drawing inspiration from the crime. Could this killer be a copycat?
– Jeneva Rose