BW1: Welcome to our 2026 Reading Adventure

 

“Isn't it odd how much fatter a book gets when you've read it several times?" Mo had said..."As if something were left between the pages every time you read it. Feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells...and then, when you look at the book again many years later, you find yourself there, too, a slightly younger self, slightly different, as if the book had preserved you like pressed flower...both strange and familiar.”  ~ Cornelia Funke, Inkspell

 

Happy New Year! Welcome to our Literary Exploration Society to Expand Reading aka read 52 Books in 52 Weeks adventure. Traditionally I start the year in Asia reading Haruki Murakami and other Asian Authors. I realize it's been a while (2013, ahem) since I updated our Trek through Asia listing plus my tastes have changed, and figured it was time to update the list so that's in the works this month.  

Haruki Murakami's books cover a wide range of genres from Bildungsroman to fantasy fiction to magical realism to psychological and suspense fiction as well as short fiction and memoirs. My  introduction to Murakami years ago was his chunky fantasy novel 1Q84, filled with magical realism, music, cats, weird characters, choices, and the meaning of life.  Which lead to reading most of his bibliography. I plan on starting the year reading one of his short story anthologies The Elephant Vanishes as well as revisit A Wild Sheep Chase.   

I'm also revisiting The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu for our Literary Legends monthly mini challenge which conveniently also satisfies the rereading category for our 2026 Bingo Quest.  

If you are up for a spelling challenge, you can choose from the Author Bookology or mix it up with Literary Legends utilizing any of the monthly choices: author, book, or character names. 

We are also starting another round of A to Z and Back Again and I've already started with A.G. Riddles thriller Antarctica Station.   

And if you are new to L.E.S.T.E.R. aka 52 Books,  check out the menu bar above to peruse our perpetual challenges such as Well Educated Mind, Mind Voyages, and Agatha Christie, or explore some of our past challenges. 

Are you ready to get started. Great! Let's put on our hats and walking shoes, strap on our backpacks, grab our handy dandy walking sticks, and our literary maps and let's go.  

Please Note: Week one is extra long and will run from January 1st through January 10th. 

BW52: A is for Arctic and Antarctica

 

Happy Sunday!  I love stories about anything icebound - whether it is Arctic countries or the North Pole set in the Arctic Ocean, or the continent of Antarctica. I would never live there but like to live vicariously through the characters, fictional or real.  I'm currently reading Claus by Tony Bertauski, the 1st book in the 12 book Clause series, and a North Pole adventure which reimagines the story of Santa Claus and Christmas with secretive good elves, and bad elves who want to get rid of human kind.  Join me in exploring bone chilling reads: 

Six Bone-Chilling Stories Set in the Arctic or Antarctic

Take a trip to the icy Arctic and Antarctica with these 8 awe-inspiring nonfiction books

An Arctic Reading List: Here Are the Books That Will Enhance Your Journey

Goodreads Books about either the North or South Pole regions

I was reminded a few days ago that it isn't the quantity, but the quality of the books we read that's important.  With that thought in mind, how was your reading year?  

Where did your armchair travels take you? 

Did you discover any new to you genres, authors, subject matters? 

Which book or books exceeded your expectations? 

Which book did you think you had all figured out, but were surprised by the turn of events?

Which book world would you like to travel to or live in?

Out of all the stories you've read, which 5 characters would you like to get together with for dinner and to talk? 

How do you feel about cathartic reads? The ones that hit you in all the feels? Do you avoid them or dive in, let the words wash over you and pull you into the characters lives and emotions.  

Which book made you cry? Laugh out loud? Throw it across the room? 

Which story had the most interesting characters? Setting? World Building?

Which book was the most thought provoking and made you want to talk about it with others? 

Share your favorite quotes, book covers,  discoveries, and anything else that stood out. 

Please note: Week 52 will be really short with only four days to go before January 1st,  so if you need extra time to post a reading wrap up, (like me) you can link up in the coming weeks in 2026.   And for those who are continuing with their 52 books goal, the links will still available each week.  

Thank you for sharing your reading adventures with me. Hope you had a great Christmas and may you be blessed with a wonderful New Year! 

BW51: Books, Christmas, and Winter! Oh My!

 

“I am pieces of all the places I have been,

and the people I have loved. I’ve been stitched together 

by song lyrics, book quotes, adventure, late night 

conversations, moonlight, and the smell of coffee.” ~ Brooke Hampton

Happy Sunday! We have much to celebrate as we approach the end of the year: Christmas, and the beginning of Winter, which of course, leads us to books, books, and more books. 

Speaking of books, the interweb is abuzz with the best books of 2025, and fortune was upon me when I clicked on Literary Hub's Ultimate Best Books of 2025 List.  They did the work for me as they checked out all the lists, compared who and what and which books were repeated multiple times, then linked to all the sites. Oh Boy!  I fell down the proverbial rabbit hole yesterday, exploring all the links and  adding several books to my year end wish list to purchase before my new year buying ban goes into affect. 

Plus it's time to cozy up to the fire with a hot toddy and read books about Christmas and/or set during Winter.  

Read a Cozy Christmas book or  with Christmas in the title, 

Read a book set during Winter, or with Winter in the title. 

A proverbial rabbit holes had me adding to my stacks the young adult science fiction story, Claus: Legend of the Fat Man which fills the bill for a Christmas read as well as Winter. 

"In the early 1800s, Nicholas, Jessica and Jon Santa attempt the first human trek to the North Pole and stumble upon an ancient race of people left over from the Ice Age. They are short, fat and hairy. They slide across the ice on scaly soles and carve their homes in the ice that floats on the Arctic Ocean. The elven are adapted to life in the extreme cold. They are as wise as they are ancient.

Their scientific advancements have yielded great inventions -- time-stopping devices and gravitational spheres that build living snowmen and genetically-modified reindeer that leap great distances. They’ve even unlocked the secrets to aging. For 40,000 years, they have lived in peace.

Until now.

An elven known as The Cold One has divided his people. He’s tired of their seclusion and wants to conquer the world. Only one elven stands between The Cold

One and total chaos. He’s white-bearded and red-coated. The Santa family will help him stop The Cold One. They will come to the aid of a legendary elven

known as...Claus."

Have fun exploring all the titles! 

Note:  Week 52 is going to be really short with only four days  so if you need more time to do a reading wrap up, they may be posted in the new year as L.E.S.T.E.R  begins January 1st.  And if you want to continue with your 52 books goal, the links will be available each week.  

Merry Christmas!  ~Clink~

BW50: Cauliflower?

Happy Sunday! What does cauliflower have to do with books, you ask?  Me too, when it popped in my head this morning.  Huh?  Well cauliflower is used as a substitute for other foods and mimics their flavor. A disguise, an imitation of the real thing.  In stories we have people who imitate, and mimic. Characters who hide their identities, are imposters, or even a doppelganger for the real thing.  Supernatural entities and shapeshifters mimic human beings.  From the classics to the contemporary, stories are full of characters throughout who have disguised themselves. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books featuring doubles, doppelgängers and impersonations

Atwood? Shakespeare? Harry Potter? Top 10 false identities in fiction

Mysteries & Thrillers Featuring One of Our Favorite Tropes: Unknown Identities

The top 10 impostors in fiction - An oldie but a goodie.

Goodreads Character disguised as different gender 

Share your favorite cauliflower books!

2026 Literary Exploration Society to Expand Reading

 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

~ Robert Frost,  Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

Since we began 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2009, the variety of 52 books challenges has exploded. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I think it's time for us to slip off the beaten path and take the one less traveled. The first order of business, change the name.  

My husband always comes up with code words or nicknames for things we do. When I narrowed our book reading challenge name down to two options, he went with the first option and immediately added 'to expand reading' and lovingly provided a nick name. Which lead us to today.  Welcome to the: 

Literary Exploration Society To Expand Reading 

or L.E.S.T.E.R for short

The url of read52booksin52weeks.com will remain the same 

L.E.S.T.E.R. will still be the home for the Well Educated Mind reading challenge as well as the perpetual and past challenges linked above from our many reading adventures around the world. 

We will have a variety of weekly, monthly, annual reading quests to aid in our  adventures:

2026 Bingo quest:  25 new categories to inspire with Mile Davis and all those Jazz rabbit holes to David Bowie's Book lists to the quirky and the cozy.

2026 Literary Legends: Explore authors and stories that have endured throughout the years.

2026 Contemporary Authors: From Haruki Murakami to Alan Moore, there is a variety of modern day authors to explore.

2026 A to Z and Back Again in which there are many ways to complete the project and you don't have to stick with authors or titles only. The choices are unlimited.

and /or try one or more of our perpetual challenges:  

Agatha Christie  -- Read her books in chronological order as listed, group by detective or collection, or randomly if you choose. 

Mind Voyages - A science fiction / fantasy challenge through the decades, exploring the Hugo and Nebula winners and nominees, Philip K. Dick, and Robert Heinlein. 

Well Educated Mind --  Continue to explore the classics in 6 categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama, Poetry and Science. 

Dip into past challenges such as Brit Tripping, Dusty and Chunky, Feed Your Muse, Inspiration, Nobel Prize Winners or Sounds of Silence.

The goal is to set your own goal and how you get there is up to you. Ask yourself these questions:  Are you a promiscuous reader or prefer to inhale one book a time?  Do you like to follow a plan, or be spontaneous? Do you like to read fiction or nonfiction? Do you like to read from your own shelves, buy books, or get them from the library? Do you like to read widely and broadly or do a focused study of something new or old?  Do you like to reread stories time and again?  Do you like to delve into your favorite author's backlist to the exclusion of all else or sip them slowly through the years. Do you need more time to dive into that chunky or dusty book that's been languishing on the shelf? Do you like to explore new to you authors, genres, spaces and places?    Do you like to follow connections, take side trips, or dive into rabbit holes? Let your books be your guide and see where they take you.

Reading is as necessary as breathing so my answer is yes to all these questions since all that matters is the reading. To our current readers, I appreciate you and look forward to next year. If you like to lurk, wave hello. And if you just found us, please join us to play along or chart your own path. 

 

BW49: December, December!

I Heard a Bird Sing

by

Oliver Herford

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

A magical thing

And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,”

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December. 

Happy Sunday!  December is a time of crisp air, snow, rain, warm winter coats, smoky fireplaces, Christmas shopping, sleigh rides, singing carols, sorting through all your lists and checking them twice, making plans for the end of the year and the beginning of the year.  And reading of course. 

Booker Prize: best wintry reads from the Booker Library, chosen by you  Including Dickensian tales which are also one of our 52 Books Bingo Categories.

Keeping Up With The Penguins: 7 Dickensian Novels

Wreninkpaper:  All the (Dickensian) Year Round

Story Graph: Books with December in the title 

Goodreads Favorite Christmas Stories 

Goodreads December Reading Lists

Happy Reading! 

BW48: Eek! It's December

 

Happy Sunday! December is upon us which means Winter is coming, plus many important celebrations including St. Nicholas Day, Christmas, Hannukah, kwanzaa, Boxing day, Las Posadas, and for the rest of us, Festivus.  It's also Art and Architecture Month, Human Rights Month, Write a Friend Month, and National Fruitcake Month.  Raise a virtual hand if you've never eaten fruit cake. Plus National Read a Book Month which isn't hard for us at all. *grin*

If you've been playing along with our Dragon Bookology spelling and reading challenge, our December dragon of the month is Kalessin from Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Series.  Earthsee coincidently begins with E which is our letter of the week. 

E stands for Ergodic or Epistolary which are two of our bingo categories. E also stands for ebooks, elves, English, Egyptian, or European literature, essay, earth, and epic. I'm currently reading the epic Les Miserables which I plan on finishing by the end of the year.   

It's time to start writing our Christmas lists, get creative, wrap up our reading challenges, and figure out plans for the new year. 

Happy reading! 

BW47: Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Sunday! This week we give thanks for faith, family and friends as well as fiction, favorites, fantasy, fables, fashion, field guides, food, folklore, fractured fairy tales, French lit, and futuristic books. As you've probably guessed, this week's letter is F. Fancy that! 

Thanksgiving Observance

by an unknown author

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself.

I'm am thankful for each and every one of you! Happy Thanksgiving!

BW46: Big G, little g, what begins with G?

 

Happy Sunday! Gosh, golly, gee whiz. I'm stuck in G land so let's go with genres that start with G.

Gastronomy: Since I had my gall bladder removed, I've been in the mood for something different to cook and eat instead of the same old, same old, so reading lots of cookbooks and experimenting with food. Blissfully surprised so far. 

Gardening:  My garden and I assume yours as well needs a make over so let's see what we can do with them.  Why do I want to plant during rainy winters? 

Gemstones:  Also in the mood for a gemstone of a book, a one of a kind.  While I clear my shelves of old books, keeping those that are friends, making room for the new, I'm also in the mood for a gemstone of a book, one of a kind.  I'm also sure there are some interesting books about a jewelry heist or two. 

Glaciers:  I don't know why I'm drawn to books about glaciers, the Antarctic the freezing cold frozen tundra. Although I'd never get caught in such a place, I live vicariously through the characters experiences. 

Golden Aged Mysteries: Ah, the queen of the genre, Agatha Christie is a good go too as well as many other authors. And one of our 52 Books Bingo categories. Dive in!

Gritty Books:  So much fun whether a hardened detective, dystopian, or a hardened western. 

Gaslamp Fantasies: Jump into a Victorian world of mystery and scary weird science or magic

Geography:  From the america's to the amazon to the Antarctic, explore with real life or fictional characters.

God: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” ― Corrie ten Boom

Graphic Novels: My son's one true love. 

Greece: Fascinating place. 

Grief:  “If you cannot hold me in your arms, then hold my memory in high regard. And if I cannot be in your life, then at least let me live in your heart.”  ― Ranata Suzuki

Go through the gate to play the game of golf, before the goose grabs the gold and gifts your grapes to the guest!!! 

Happy reading! 

BW45: History, Humor, and Help, Oh My!

The Illustrator - Jonathan Wolstenholme

 

Happy Sunday!  The world of non fiction is very broad from art to cookbooks to journals to history to humor to memoirs to spirituality to science.  A bit of something for everyone.  Below is just a small example of the selections available. I prefer non fiction books that read like fiction, drawing me in which emotion and humor and world building.  Although I'm learning to appreciate cookbooks, memoirs and poetry, not to mention writer journals and experiences.  Since November is non fiction month, join me in exploring different genres you may have never tried before. 

Syosset Public Library Humorous Non Fiction

Penguin Random House round up of best selling Psychology Books 

She Reads 12 Science-y nonfiction Books for Non-scientists

Penguin Random House best selling Spiritual Non Fiction

Richland Library Broader Bookshelf 2025: Read an art-focused work of nonfiction

Third Place Books Non-Fiction That Reads Like Fiction: Part 1

and last but not least:   Goodreads Non Fiction round up  because I'm lazy.  LOL!

Happy reading! 

BW44: November Notions

Cross References by Jonathan Wolstenholme

 

Happy Sunday! Welcome to November and our foray into all things non fiction.  Non Fiction falls into 5 different broad categories: Narrative ( one of our bingo categories), Expository (yet another bingo category), Persuasive, and Descriptive. Within those broad categories, there are many different genres, some which blend, overlap, or stand alone. So the choices are unlimited.  

The Complete List of New York Times Nonfiction Best Sellers 

45 Non-Fiction Classics You’ll Want to Pick Up (and Won’t Want to Put Down)

Narrative Nonfiction: Books that read like novels

November also starts our latest dragon of the month: Glauring.  He is the father of dragons in J.R.R Tolkien's Middle Earth,  created by Morgoth in The Silmarillion and became the main antagonist in The Children of Hurin. 

Our A to Z and Back Again letter this week is I.  Look for books with titles starting with I  or authors whose names begin with I .  Find a book that is inspirational, idealistic, or full of irony.  Maybe a story that is immense or starts in media res. 

Have a great non fiction November and have fun exploring different genres! 

BW43: October by Robert Frost

 October 

By 

Robert Frost 

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild, 

Should waste them all. 

The crows above the forest call;

To-morrow they may form and go. 

O hushed October morning mild, 

Begin the hours of this day slow,

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know; 

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf; 

One from our trees, one far away;

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst. 

Slow, slow! 

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all, 

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—

For the grapes’ sake along the wall.