I want to start off by saying that trying to do the challenge was a lot of fun. Having 52 prompts to guide your reading experience keeps it fresh, forces you to read books you might never have picked up, and allows you to be involved with the community that's reading along with you. Also, some of the prompts were super easy (Hybrid Genre), while others were outright wacky (Palindrome on the Cover?!).
I heard about the 52 Book Club sometime in the middle of 2024, so I was already behind the curve when I started in June. It was my first time doing a directed challenge, so it's taken a while to get my thoughts together (I am writing the 2024 post in the middle of the 2025 reading challenge).
Before I share my list of 52 (um… actually 45) reads, I want to be transparent that I might have broken some rules. The 52 Book Club is fairly loose on prompt interpretation, so in some cases, a book was forced to fit into a prompt. In other cases, I double-counted — something I plan to avoid this year.
Without further ado, here is my recap of The 52 Book Club Challenge for 2024.
1. Locked Room Mystery
My pick was the wonderfully old-school Japanese classic The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji. A college murder mystery club takes a trip to an infamous abandoned house on an island — a house shaped like a decagon. What begins as a fun exploratory exercise turns deadly as bodies start dropping, with no clear access, motive, or murderer in sight.
If it sounds familiar, that's because it is heavily inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. The novel also pays homage to both Western and Japanese detective fiction through various callbacks and references.
2. Bibliosmia: A Smelly Book
Aren't all books smelly — not in a bad way, but in that familiar scent of printed pages? My interpretation of this interesting prompt is to pick a novel set in a bookstore.
In Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, when Takako's boyfriend tells her he is marrying another woman, she is heartbroken and depressed. Alone in Tokyo, her mother suggests she move in with her uncle, who owns a bookstore in Jimbocho, Tokyo's famous book district. She takes up residence in the space above his shop, but Takako isn't much of a reader. In fact, she has always seen her uncle as an eccentric oddball for whom she had little respect — especially after his wife left him years ago.
However, as she spends time with him, she is surprised by his kindness, humor, and deep love for books. One day, she accidentally picks up a book — and she can't stop reading.It's not a story where a lot happens, but like Takako, you may find peace between the lines.
3. More Than 40 chapters
Several of my reads this year had over forty chapters. However, for this prompt, I'm choosing Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros because I felt the pain of every chapter. Clocking in at around 60 chapters, Iron Flame is, in my opinion, a far-from-worthy follow-up to Fourth Wing.
While Fourth Wing promised an original, if somewhat mishmash world of grown-up fantasy fiction, Iron Flame firmly plants itself in the YA realm. The heightened emotions, over dramatic sense of righteousness, burning passions, and half-baked myths only weaken an already tenuous story line. Yarros' geopolitical conflict setup is completely unoriginal, and not a single plot twist is surprising.
In case you're a fan, I won't give away spoilers, but I will say that the second book in the Empyrean series ends on a massive cliffhanger — and I quite literally couldn't care less about what happens next.
4. Lowercase Letters On The Spine
Who does this? I don't think I have ever read a book with lowercase letters on the spine — definitely not this year. So, this prompt is a miss for me, but I'm curious to know if you, gentle reader, have any suggestions?
5. Magical Realism
I read several books in 2025 that fit this prompt, and I'll discuss them further under other categories. But if you're looking for a strong novel with elements of magical realism, here are a few recommendations:
- My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
- Linghun by Ai Jang
- The Shadow Lines bu Amitav Ghosh
6. Women in STEM
"And in their corner all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day." ― Martha Wells, All Systems Red
I have to ashamedly admit, while I read many stories centered on the female plight, I did not have a slam dunk for this prompt. However, my STEM related discovery was the Murderbot series by Martha Wells about a sentient robot that develops a conscious. I read and greatly enjoyed All Systems Red and Fugitive Telemetry. For women in STEM, my callout is going to be Dr. Mensah, a brilliant scientist and leader who specializes in planetary research and security. She plays a crucial role in the series, including in Fugitive Telemetry.
The Hugo-Nebula-Locus winning novella, All Systems Red introduces to our reluctant hero, an artificial construct that calls itself the Murderbot. As a security officer for an exploratory planet research team, its job is to save them from fatal dangers. What the human research team doesn't know is the droid has gone rogue and can overwrite company commands, which it does with the express purpose of watching limitless entertainment feed and avoiding all human interaction. Because that's what we all ultimately want technology for — more TV.
Dr. Mensah is Murderbot's boss and someone it clearly respects and maybe likes. The social barriers between the Murderbot & the team are broken after a near-fatal incident. A reluctant friendship starts, and the team is astounded by the humanity of the Murderbot, who in turn tries to comprehend their human interactions and responses. I expect Dr. Mensah to have a larger role in the other books of the series. All Systems Red is simple, unadulterated fun with its page-turning pace, laugh-out-loud humor, and space laser action. Given that AI is having a moment, it seems like the right time to pick this series.
7. At Least Four Different POV
My Name is Red takes this one without a fight. It's far more than just four different POVs — with the very first chapter narrated by a body at the bottom of a well asking you to figure out who its murderer is. That opening chapter is a banger, pulling you straight into one of the most unique murder mysteries I've ever read.
Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk crafts a rich period piece set in the late Ottoman era, among the squabbling artists of the royal miniature workshop. The Sultan has commissioned a controversial, heretical miniature painting, setting the stage for a political and cultural duel between Western and Eastern values in the empire.
Pamuk brings Istanbul to life through a multitude of voices. There's the plight of women, seen through the beguiling, beautiful Shekure, who is trying to secure a future for her children. The life of the Jewish community is glimpsed through Esther, a cloth peddler who acts as a messenger for the city's young lovers. Other aspects of daily life emerge in the narration by a dog, a devil, a gold coin, and even a tree.
If that's not enough narrative variety, there's also a deep dive into the history and craftsmanship of Persian miniature art through the eyes of four master miniaturists in the Sultan's court. Tying all of this together is Black, the prodigal son, who's been tasked with solving the murder, though he's frequently distracted by his desire for Shekure.
Pamuk takes many literary flights across the 50-odd chapters, but slowly and surely reveals who put the body in the well — and he does it using 21 narrators. A remarkable, brilliant novel.
8. Features The Ocean
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley fits the prompt perfectly, with oceans, lakes, and transatlantic journeys woven throughout the first novel of the series. The story opens with the seven sisters receiving news of their adoptive father's death at their home, Atlantis — a beautiful estate on the shores of Lake Geneva. Adopted by a wealthy tycoon, the seven girls, gathered from around the world, were raised on his private island. Upon his mysterious death in a boating accident, he leaves each daughter clues to help them uncover their origins, should they choose to.
The novel primarily follows Maia, the eldest, on her journey to her homeland of Brazil. There, she finds her ailing grandmother, who shows little interest in her. A reluctant housekeeper eventually shares a stash of letters that reveal the romantic story of Maia's great-grandmother, Isabela. Once the most beautiful and sought-after girl in Rio, Isabela moved among the city's elite. Forced into an arranged marriage, she pleads for a trip to Europe before settling down. Granted this wish, she promptly defies expectations and falls in love with a French artist.
The coastal vistas of Rio inspire Maia to reconsider her own life. She draws a tenuous connection between her great-grandmother's struggles and her own. Riley also weaves in the history of the construction of Christ the Redeemer, adding a layer of gravitas to the story — which, honestly, was the best part of the novel.
9. A Character-Driven Novel
Best-selling writer Gillian Flynn's debut novel, Sharp Objects, is dark, melancholy, and sufficiently spine-chilling. The driving character is Camille Preaker, a competent crime journalist who is battling her own demons and has a tendency for self-harm. Before we learn more about Camille or her trauma, she is sent to investigate the murder of a young girl and the disappearance of another child in her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri.
As Camille gathers information for her news report, the novel slowly reveals the dysfunctional relationships she shares with her mother, Adora, and half-sister, Amma. While at home, she does her best to be cordial, but something always feels off. The mystery eventually unfolds — with the danger far closer to home than expected.
In this case, the movie was better than the book — thanks to HBO's limited series adaptation starring Amy Adams. Amy brings to life layers of Camille's character that didn't fully come through on the page, and I highly recommend giving it a watch.
10. Told In Non-Chronological Order
Gorgeously written, The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh fits this prompt like a glove. So much so that there were many moments when I couldn't quite tell when things were happening. Its a novel without a central plot — told entirely through the fragmented nature of human memory . Evocative and layered, it's a kind of memory-catcher, where our unreliable narrator pieces together stories from his childhood, spanning decades, cities, and continents.
Our unnamed narrator is a middle-class boy growing up in Calcutta, who looks up to his wayward cousin, Tridib. His childhood memories are full of Tridib's philosophical ramblings, often interrupted by his grandmother's stern warnings to stay away from the jobless dreamer. In this haze of memory, there is also Ila — his stylish cousin from London, on whom he clearly has a crush. Ila brings the Price family into their world, and the narrator eventually befriends Nick Price and his sister May. He later visits them in London — a time that feels worlds away from the playful afternoons in the ancestral home in Bengal.
Time becomes fluid, stories shift, and places blur as each character remembers the same events differently. One moment you're in the crowded streets of Calcutta during Durga Puja; the next, you're walking past the Price family's home in London. One minute you're hiding under a giant dining table in Bengal; the next, you're listening to the narrator's grandmother, tearfully reminiscing about her lost home in Dhaka.
"Nobody knows, nobody can ever know, not even in memory, because there are moments in time that are not knowable." — Amitav Ghosh, The Shadow Lines
11. Title starting with the letter "K"
I missed this prompt, and it's also one of those you can't hit unless you specifically search for books that start with "K" — which is rarer than you'd think. The only well-known book I seem to have read with a title starting with "K" is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
12. Title Starting With The Letter "L"
Linghun is my most interesting read of the year. Ai Jiang's short novella on its face is a morbid story about grief and longing. Set in a housing community, where the homes allow a family to commune with the ghosts of their loved ones. A tragedy of lives of refusing to move on.
Wenqi lost her younger brother over ten years ago, but her family is still grieving. So much so, that they put their lives on hold and move to HOME in search of the ghost of her brother. In 100+ pages, Jiang evokes so many emotions by focusing on how Wenqi's life changes as her parents force her to live at HOME & grieve for her lost brother. Hidden in the pages, is also the story of the immigrant's experience of grief of losing their home and never finding peace in the new world.
13. An Academic Thriller
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is the obvious pick as it's the only novel I read set in an academic setting. At Basigath War College, Violet must survive deadly trials to become a dragon-riding cadet. It's the kind of school where not even half the class makes it to the final year — and if they do, they face a fight at the border.
While Fourth Wing leans into a YA style, it offers much more than I expected. The world-building is rich, there's intriguing political tension, and — thankfully — more than one compelling character to follow.
I'm typically not a fan of first-person narratives, but Violet's self-deprecating tone makes it bearable, even enjoyable. Her romance with Xander, while steeped in fantasy tropes, is refreshingly full of green flags. The story is packed with all the classic elements: magical schools, secret agendas, dragons, monsters, and even the requisite hot seniors.
14. A Grieving Character
"Grief is like another country. You enter it, and then you must live there. You can leave only when it permits you to." — Jing-Jing Lee
In How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee tackles many themes, as Lee gives us a view of Singapore during Japanese occupation during WW2.
We start the novel with Wang Di, a grieving widow in present day Singapore, grappling with the aftermath of her husband's death. Her story goes between the past and present, and we learn that Wang Di was born in rural Singapore to a poor family during the British Occupation. Her already hard life changed forever when the Japanese planes flew over the skies and war left the city and came home to their village. She is ripped from her home and taken to an unknown place to serve as a sex slave to the Japanese soldiers, a comfort woman. After suffering years of sexual, physical and emotional trauma, she survives the war, but lives with the shame forever.
On the other side of the narrative is teenage Kevin, who is dealing with the grief of losing his grandmother. Kevin and his story represent the modern Singapore , middle class working parents living in one of the thousands of apartments in the city. Kevin's life is that of an average introverted teenager — struggling with homework, being bullied by a friend, arguing with his parents. The recent death of his grandmother has upturned his world, as she shared a devastating secret with him on her deathbed.
The novel moves forward with two parallel narratives of two grieving people, both stories of old and new Singapore tied together.
15. Part of a Duology
I feel bad about missing this prompt. I have read books that are part of a series (The Dandelion Dynasty or the Empyrean Series) but no duology in 2024.
16. An Omniscient Narrator
So, for the uninformed (like me), an omniscient narrator is a narrator who knows everything about the story, including the thoughts and feelings of all characters–a godlike character. For instance, Pride and Prejudice has an omniscient narrator.
I am going to go with Lajja:Shame by Taslima Nasrin, a controversial but important novel. Nasrin's Lajja outlines the religious anti-Hindu riots that follow in the wake of the notorious destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992. While national borders might separate Bangladesh and India, the events thousands of miles away find common ground in communal violence.
The narration centers on Duttas, a Hindu Bangladeshi family that must decide if they have a future in Bangladesh. Predictably, the elders believe motherland trumps religion and the state will protect them. Suranjan, the young son of the family, cannot grasp the extent of the situation and isn't able to fathom why secularism is so fragile. His journey through the streets of a riot-torn town is a reality check for both him and the reader.
Lajja is an uncomfortable read, detailing horrors of the 1992 riots in Bangladesh and some Indian cities. Nasrin's narrative focuses not so much on who the victims are but more on why, as society we disintegrate and become savages on perceived grievances.
17. Nominated for The Booker Prize
Of course, 2024 is the year I did not get read any work nominated for a Booker prize. While Orhan Pamuk, Amitav Ghosh and Ta-Nehisi Coates have won several prestigious literary awards, even between them I could not tick off this prompt.
18. An Apostrophe In The Title
Don't Believe It by Charlie Donlea was one of my top reads this year, earning a solid 4 stars out of 5. Grace Sebold became notorious after being convicted of her boyfriend's murder during a spring break vacation. Over the years, she has claimed her innocence, and she finally reaches out to filmmaker Sidney Ryan to pitch her side of the story.
Donlea brings an intriguing mix of themes — closed-case investigations, true crime documentaries, Innocence Project vibes, and more. The way Ryan redoes the investigation, fighting bureaucracy while airing the story in real time, adds another level of drama.
From the very first page, you don't know if Sebold is telling the truth or lying — hence the title. Having heard my fair share of true crime podcasts, I was invested from page one, even though this is fiction. The slow revelation of facts and shifting points of view keep your sympathies toward Grace constantly in flux until the very end.
19. A Buddy Read
I read Chasm City by Alistair Reynolds as part of our monthly Books-and-Breakfast club. Gothic sci-fi horror, steampunk action and some good old detective fiction all rolled into one makes Chasm City a page turner. Tanner Mirabel, the protagonist, who is a security expert, and a hired assassin, has your attention from page one.
The novel moves in flashbacks & we learn a lot more about why Tanner worked at Sky's Edge, and why he was one day on the way to Chasm City. The mystery sustaining the pace several hundred pages pertains to what is he looking for? Whose memories is Tanner seeing in his dreams? What is the deal with the plague infecting the inhabitants of Chasm City? And how does it tie back to Sky Haussmann, the original colony founder and war criminal?
While I was awed by the detailed, unique world building , however I struggled with connecting to any characters, and while the story kept moving, I didn't know if I cared about what the end was. I cannot argue with the genius of Alistair Reynolds as a writer, but there is something about his writing that is quite dry for my reading preference.
20 A Revenge Story
Most of the thrillers and mystery novels that I read in 2024 had some themes of revenge or retributions. I will go with Before The Devil Fell by Neil Olson, a small town thriller, The story is set in New England and delves deep into its association with witchcraft and trials. In the novel, Will Connor goes back to his hometown to help his elderly mother with an injury. He finds a community teeming with secrets, deaths and petty grievances, where even the ghosts want revenge.
21. Written By A Ghostwriter
I have no idea what to put here. If it's written by a ghostwriter, how would one know at all? I am guessing a celebrity biography might fit the bill, but I didn't read any this year.
22. A Plot Similar To Another Book
This is a bit of a stretch, but Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie is another closed-room mystery similar to The Decagon House Murders. A small group gathers for an evening of card games, hosted by the enigmatic Mr. Shaitana. Among the guests is the inimitable detective Hercule Poirot. As the night unfolds, the true significance of the guest list becomes clear — especially when Mr. Shaitana is found dead, murdered in plain sight. A classic locked-room mystery, where no one leaves the premises and the killer must be among them — but who?
23. The Other Book With The Similar Plot
As mentioned above, this will be a repeat of #1 prompt on the list: The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
24. A Cover Without People On It
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell is the perfect pick for this prompt — an engrossing, page-turning read that is often deeply unsettling.
Alix, a true crime podcaster, is approached by Josie Fair, a woman with whom she shares nothing in common except their birthdate. What begins as a harmless encounter soon turns into an insidious friendship as Josie convinces Alix to feature her on her podcast. Before Alix realizes it, Josie has entangled herself in her life and marriage. Ignoring her gut instinct to pull back, Alix continues the podcast, believing the story is incomplete. But as the truth unravels, she comes to a chilling realization — nothing Josie says is real, and she may be more dangerous than Alix ever imagined.
25. An Author "Everyone" Has Read Except You
2024 was the year I finally caved and read the Booktok romantasy sensation by Sarah J. Mass and regretted it so much.
Fairly boiler plate romantasy plot, with a teenage-ish wide-eyed, powerful girl (Feyre) who meets an ancient, growling beast (Tamlin, who comes up with these names?) and reluctantly falls in love. Yes, it's a not-so-subtle Beauty and the Beast retelling.
If not for the steamy love making scenes, the writing level and character complexity is clearly for the YA audience.The story telling is bland, the world building is non-existent, and the book does not really even pick up till the three-fourth mark. I will admit the last quarter was fun and at least kept the pages turning.
Apart from the general lack luster plot, I was a little exhausted by the hyperbole of the narrative. Every little conversation that Feyre had was so much drama, it was like being inside the head of a child who thinks the universe revolves around them.
I literally do not care what happens to Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien and that bat/winged/dark lord guy that appears in the end .
26. Hybrid Genre
From more than a dozen options on my reading list, I wanted to go with The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore.
Elizabeth Packard's biography by Moore is a blend of feminism, history and social studies in the 19th century. A woman with razor sharp intellect, Packard often outpaced her insecure, rigidly religiously husband. Her simple and logical questions about theology and women's rights lead to her imprisonment in her own house. When she could not be tamed into submission, her husband and his friends concocted fake charges against her to get her institutionalized. As the wife was considered property of the husband, there was no legal protection for Elizabeth against this. The book details the highs and lows of Elizabeth's three years in the Illinois Hospital for the Insane, where her spirit and intelligence could not be subdued. She fought for her freedom, which came at the cost of her children and wealth.
Elizabeth Packard was one of the early feminists of the 1800s and paved the path for women's mental health and property rights.
27. By A Neurodivergent Author
This is the kind of prompt where you need to know an author who has publicly shared their neurodivergence — which isn't always the case. I completely drew a blank on this one.
28. A Yellow Spine
Rick Steves' Italy fits this prompt perfectly. Thanks to his amazing, easy-to-follow, and reliable travel books, I have a whole shelf of yellow spines.
29. Published in a Year of the Dragon
My pick for this prompt is the suburban horror novel, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampire by Grady Hendrix, which was published in 2012 as well.
"We're a book club," Maryellen said. "What are we supposed to do? Read him to death? Use strong language?" ― Grady Hendrix, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
Desperate Housewives meets The Twilight Zone and it works. In America's favorite southern town, Charleston, a bunch of upper-middle-class housewives escape monthly into the gory world of true crime books. But crime knocks closer home, when Patricia Campbell, one of the book club members is viciously attacked by her aging neighbor who then dies mysteriously. While Patricia is still comprehending what happened to her, she meets James Harris, the only surviving relative of her dead neighbor. Something is off about him, but Patricia can't pin it down.
Children start disappearing from poor neighborhoods, and anyone who might suspect James Harris dies inexplicably. Patricia is convinced that James is a vampire but will she be able to prove and will it be too late for her family and friends?
The novel isn't perfect. Over 100 pages too long, a little racist and sexist at times. Part horror, part comedy, and mostly entertaining.
30. Picked Without Reading The blurb
I almost never pick a book without having some inkling what's it about. However, as I try to read along with my son's school reading list, I don't check what the books are about and trust the process.
So, for this prompt, my pick is going to be the By The Great Horn Spoon! By Sid Fieschman.
A fun historical read rooted in the West Coast Gold Rush, the charming novel tells the story of a stowaway boy Jack, who, accompanied by his butler Praiseworthy, head to California to make their fortunes. The novel provides insights into the hardships, danger and poverty faced by those early fortune hunters. As the novel ends, Jack never quite makes himself a massive fortune, but he learns about the truly valuable things in life.
31. Includes A Personal Phobia
I don't really have a personal phobia as such but am deathly afraid of lizards. Not sure if there any novels or books pertaining to that. Recommendations?
32. Timeframe Spans A Week Or Less
From time to time, I want a quick, easy mystery that's built on a strong premise. The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman delivered just that. This novella features a Tess Monaghan, a Baltimore detective who is confined to pregnancy bedrest. Bored, she spends her time watching her neighborhood and notices the striking young woman in a raincoat who used to walk her dog in the park across her home is gone. Her detective hunch tells her something is wrong, and by literally phoning into her circle of friends, she solves the mystery of the missing woman. Solved in less than a week, and took less than an hour to read.
33. An Abrupt Ending
This was an easy pick. Along with my 5th grader son, I discovered The Oregon Trail series. It's one of those 'pick-your-own-adventure' series. As a character on the trail, doing the westward journey in the US pioneer days, you battle harsh climate, wildlife, etc. At every point the people on the wagon train, you must make important decisions about the next steps, which can have deadly consequences.
I picked the first book of the series, The Race to Chimney Rock, and was confident that I would make it to the end, but unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention and my character died of dysentery. It does not get more abrupt than that.
34. Set In A Landlocked Country
American writer Michael J. Arlen explores his Armenian identity by making a trip to his ancestral homeland. As he grew up in New York and built a profession as a writer, he sees himself as American first and feels disconnected from his Armenian identity. His relationship with Armenia is as mysterious and confusing as his relationship with his first-generation immigrant father. On his trip, he hopes to find some answers.
Passage to Ararat is set in landlocked Armenia, bordered by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. As an American visiting writer, Arlen, along with his wife, is given the white-glove treatment. A local tour guide takes them around sites that showcase the best and most important parts of Armenian culture and history.
At the center of the Armenian lived experience is the aftermath of the genocide perpetrated by the Turks in 1915 — a source of grief, shame, and shared pain. Arlen both understands and feels distant from this experience, which makes him frustrated and angry with himself. In the end, he leaves Armenia with more questions than answers.
35. Title Matches Lyrics From A Song
The title of Karin Slaughter's dark revenge crime thriller, Pretty Girls, matches the song Pretty Girls by Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea. However, the vibe of the novel and the song could not be more dramatically different.
When Julia disappeared many years ago, her younger sisters, Claire and Lydia, were traumatized for a lifetime. In the present, Claire and Lydia are estranged. When another young girl goes missing under eerily similar circumstances, old wounds reopen, and Claire becomes convinced that the recent disappearances are connected and the work of the same criminal.
The novel is the literary version of Who the F** Did I Marry?*, as Claire's investigation leads her into the disturbing corners of her own home. Pretty Girls is a page-turning, grisly, and downright creepy thriller — not in a horror way, but in a men can be truly depraved way. There's a whole subplot on family and reconciliation that drags the narrative a bit, but overall, it's a gripping crime thriller. A great book to read on a long flight.
36. Has Futuristic Technology
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline imagines a futuristic world where the have-nots escape the drudgery of their existence by living in OASIS, a virtual cyberworld, where they can be anyone or anything. And in this future world, somewhere in a tottering city of trailer parks, Wade is actively part of the Egg Hunt. It's a contest that launched at the death of OASIS's founder, James Halliday. Any member of OASIS can participate, and the quest is to unlock three gates and the grand prize is the ownership of OASIS itself.
The quest is steeped in gaming & pop culture trivia and the history of OASIS. If you are a gaming nerd, you will love callback and reference to every video game ever. For sci-fiction fans, there is enough action, puzzle-solving, detailed world-building, and futuristic tech. And for a sociologist, thought-provoking commentary on the future of tech in an inherent capitalist society.
37. Palindrome On The Cover
Yeah, I'm drawing a blank here. I checked the interpretation, and it applies to title names, author names, or even publication names. Despite spending several minutes scanning the cover of every single book I've read, I unfortunately didn't check this off the list.
38. Published By Hachette
Not a single book that I read in 2024, even though I seemed to have read books by every other major publisher like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster etc.
39. Non-fiction Recommended By A Friend
Atomic Habits by James Clear had been constantly recommended by friends and colleagues, and I'm so glad I finally picked it up. While I usually avoid self-help books, this one promised practical, actionable advice that I could implement in my own way.
As a parent of an elementary school-er, I've seen firsthand how habits form easily in childhood and lead to long-term accomplishments over years of growth. Atomic Habits teaches how small, consistent behaviors compound over time, leading to meaningful change. If you have a direction you want to go in, you need to train your brain to build habits that support your goal — while also learning not to give up just because results aren't immediate. The focus shouldn't just be on the outcome but on ensuring you're consistently moving in the right direction.
James Clear puts into words what we intuitively know, offering a framework to help us become the person we want to be.
40. Set During A Holiday You Don't Celebrate
Not a single book featured a festival — not even the ones I celebrate.
41. A Sticker On The Cover
If I have to pick a book with a sticker, it's going to be the one with a "Nobel Prize for Literature" sticker. Snow follows Ka, an expatriate Turkish poet who returns to his hometown of Kars on a journalistic assignment to investigate an epidemic of young women committing suicide. His real motive, however, is to rekindle a romance with his childhood crush, İpek.
On paper, Kars might seem like a remote border town, far from Turkey's political center. Yet, even in the dead of winter, the city is teeming with unrest — local Islamic political groups clash with the secular regime in Ankara. A political assassination, rumors of Kurdish nationalists, and the anticipation of a local play put the entire town on edge. Amid this chaos, Ka pursues his own naïve agenda but is repeatedly forced to take sides.
All the novel's threads lead to one bloody event, shattering Ka's illusions and making him realize that the future he envisioned with İpek may never exist. Through Snow, Pamuk explores themes of personal and national identity, as well as the complexities of what it means to be Turkish.
42. Author Debut In Second Half Of 2024
Nada. Not one book and I am not surprised. I like to avoid newly released books like the plague. I play it safe — only read books that have survived the test of time.
43. About Finding Identity
More than one book in my 2024 reading list explores the theme of identity, but my pick is the powerful Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Written as a letter to his son, Coates reflects on the experience of being Black in America, starting with his childhood in Baltimore. He shares, with unflinching honesty, the realities of growing up in a Black neighborhood, where violence served both as oppression and protection. He delves into his political and intellectual awakening at Howard University, a place he describes as culturally significant and transformative.
At its core, this book is Coates' cautionary advice to his son. An attempt to prepare him for life in 21st century where the American Dream was built on the systemic oppression of Black people and continues to exclude them.
Overall, it's a very profound book on the experience of being black in US. I know that this is one of the books that I will want to go and read again and again, to fully understand and internalize.
44. Includes A Wedding
After binge-watching Bridgerton — which I must admit, I enjoyed more than I expected — I decided to give the books a shot. Unfortunately, they weren't as charming.
For a period romance series entirely focused on eligible individuals finding their soulmates, my pick for this prompt is The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn. The second book in the series explores the simmering romance between Kate Sharma (Sheffield in the book) and Anthony Bridgerton, the very love story that made Season 2 so popular. While the novel differs from the show in some ways, the outcome remains the same — after a series of misunderstandings, dances, and formal gatherings, Kate and Anthony finally get their wedding.
45. Chapter Headings Have Dates
No book I read had direct chapter headings; however, I want to call out Hatchet, where each chapter marked the passing of time, which was crucial to the plot. In this children's classic by Gary Paulsen, Brian survives a plane crash and is lost in the wilderness with only his wits for company. For the twelve-year-old, every additional day is crucial to his physical and mental survival. The passage of time is directly tied to his hope of returning to civilization. So while the chapters do not have dated headings, the heightened awareness of every minute and day passing adds to the tension and immersion.
46. Featuring Indigenous Culture
Once upon a time, there was a cruel emperor who ruled over thousands and made their life miserable. A trickster rebel leader and a righteous military heir align to bring a new world order. And so, the stage is set for The Grace of Kings, a fictional, mythical retelling of the Chu-Han contention and the foundation of the Han Empire. Kevin Liu weaves a compelling, complex, page-turning narrative around the politics of a fictional warring land.
However, the references, characters, and major plot twists are all drawn from historical sources — proving that truth is often stranger than fiction.There's never a dull moment as we follow the fates of Kuni Garu, Jia Matiza, and Mata Zyndu, who wrestle with the tension between ambition and morality. They love, betray, and act with both kindness and cruelty — because in the real world, there are no perfect heroes.
Rooted in actual history and Chinese culture, mythology, and traditions, this novel is my pick for "featuring Indigenous culture."
47. Self-Insert By An Author
No other book fits this category more than The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey, the famous travelogue and memoir by Ernesto "Che" Guevara, written many years before his revolutionary days. Ernesto and his friend, two young, privileged doctors, embark on a road trip on a bike across South America to find the soul of the land. Often working small jobs or relying on the kindness of strangers and a very rickety motorbike, they somehow span the length of the continent. The plight of the common people they meet along the way — the miners, the farmers, and the doctors/patients in the leper colonies — informs the way Ernesto looks at the state, corporations, and power. Even if politics doesn't interest you, Ernesto writes an engaging, absorbing journal that should make it into your travel bag.
48. The Word "Secret" In The Title
I have in my existence read over 20 books with the word 'Secret' in the title, but none this year. Popular picks by other people are Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, The Secret History etc.
49. Set In A City Starting With The letter "M"
This is a tough one, so I'm opening the prompt to include a place, city, or country starting with "M." With that, my pick is Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford, which is set in Mongolia.
Weatherford's biography of Genghis Khan is perhaps the most flattering depiction of the Mongol warlord. Based on numerous historical sources, it primarily relies on The Secret History of the Mongols. The book offers a fascinating account of a poor boy's rise to power through military innovation and political strategy. Khan transforms the structure of steppe tribal interactions, consolidates power, and ends the cycle of constant warfare. By the time of his death, the Mongol Empire stretches from Russia and Eastern Europe in the north to Persia in the Middle East.
50. A Musical Instrument On The Cover
I wish the prompt instead was "A Weapon On The Cover' cause then I would have a plenty. Unfortunately, this is a blank. I did read The Violin Conspiracy in 2023, but unfortunately it doesn't count here. Drop in the comments if you read any books this year that featured musical instruments on the cover?
51. Related To The Word "Wild"
My interpretation is a book featuring themes of nature or wilderness. And my pick that for is The Wild Robot by Peter Brown— a robot's journey on finding her inner nature in the wilderness of a forested island. Adapted into a stunning visual treat of a movie, The Wild Robot not only explores the mundane survival needs in the wild, but also raises the question on what it means to be part of this living world.
52. Published In 2024
Nothing. For the same reason, I couldn't do prompt #42.
In summary, out of 45 unique reads in 2024, I managed to hit 35 of the 52. I plan to do much better in 2025, so fingers crossed.
If this seemed like a fun exercise in trying to read diverse books then i highly recommend checking out the 2025 Reading Challenge. Enjoy!
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