BW37: P is for .....

 

Happy Sunday!  Today is Positive Thinking Day, National Peanut Day, Defy Superstition Day,  Fortune Cookie Day, Grandparents Day, Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day, Uncle Sam Day, and Pet Memorial Day. Make of it what you will and see what ideas they bring to mind for stories to read.   

Today is also my younger brother's 60th Birthday which means I've spend the past three or four weeks putting together a scrap book/photo album of memories, questions, and quests for the future.  It's been a fascinating and memorable dip into the past, present, and future. I finished it a couple days ago and mailed it out in time for his birthday  I'm tired. LOL!  

So I will leave you with a few interesting reads to explore: 

How to Be a Good Explorer on the Lifelong Expedition to Yourself

The Case for Prince who is also one of our Bingo Quests. Read a book about Prince, or a prince, or someone royal. 

Choose to read a book from the Hay Festival Book Club list. 

11 Great Books for New Sci-Fi/Fantasy Readers  I've read the majority of this list. 

Best Philosophical Fiction which brings to mind our Philip K Dick quest from Mind Voyages. I recently finished his Galactic Pot Healer which was dystopian, philosophical, and weird. 

Which reminds me, it's time to start thinking about what you want to read for our October Spooktacular. 

"I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain." — Purple Rain, Prince

BW36: Q is for Quirky

Happy Sunday! This week while we honor the workers on Labor Day, and the fallen on 9/11, we also have the fun and the frivolous.  Today is actually Read A Book day which supposedly appeared somewhere around 2017.  For those of who read every day, it seems weird that people would actually have to be reminded that books exist and that today is the day to read.  How sad is that....   The 7th is Neither Rain nor Snow day, the 8th Star Trek day, the 9th International Soduku Day, the 10th Swap Ideas day, the 11th is Rosh Hashanah, and the 12th is Chocolate Milk Shake Day. 

Our letter of the week is Q leading into our next Bingo Quest of Quirky:  something which is or someone who is, odd or unusual.  Q also stands for Quantum Mechanics, Queen, Quilting, Quintessential, Quack, and Queue to name a few.  And of course Quest.  

All bookish adventures are quests whether it's a heroes quest, side quest, a journey or jaunt, an undertaking or adventure, be it medieval, geographical, scientifical, or an odyssey through space.  

My adventures lately have been with Robin Hobb in the Realm of the Elderlings. I'm currently on the Tawny Man Trilogy and about to start the second book The Golden Fool in which we learn more about the Fool's past.  No spoilers. I have to admin some of the characters are quite quirky. *Grin*

Plus I'm looking forward to the latest installment in J.D. Robb's In Death series with #63 Fury in Death, release date September 8th. 

Happy Reading!

BW29: X marks the Spot

Courtesy of Trvst World 

 

Happy Sunday! Apropos of nothing, I am looking forward to having a frozen margarita. One of our Mexican customers told me about Siete Leguas (named after Pancho Villa's horse) Tequila and gave me the recipe for a Palamo which is akin to a margarita. I need to go shopping.  I don't know why Tequila reminds me of treasure which is what prompted X, our letter of the week. 

X marks the spot can be pirates, treasure, archaeology, kidnapping, a word that starts with X, an X on the cover of a book, or the title.  

Title that begin with X 

The Pirate History Podcast Recommended Reading

Robbin's Library Novels with a Treasure Hunt

You’ll Dig These 9 Action-Packed Books About Archaeologists

Cheers and happy hunting! 

BW28: Y is for Yacht

 

Happy Sunday!  I'm always fascinated by stories that take place on a body of water, or a sailboat, a yacht, a cruise ship.  Which is how I ended up reading Rebecca Yarros Renegade trilogy about students at sea 9th month voyage filled with college aged characters and a whole boat load of angst. It's sort of amusing as I remember the trials and tribulations of my college years. 

Sail away with these 17 books set on a boat   I have The Narrow Boat Summer as well as Into the Drowning Deep, the Migrations, and The Terror in my stacks which will keep me busy for a while. 

Top-5 books set in boats  The Life of Pi and The Little Paris Bookshop were exceptionally good which is why I added The Book Binder of Jericho to my stacks. 

Sailing Into Suspense: 10 Irresistible Yacht-Set Thrillers.  I have Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10 in my stacks currently and have read Death on the Nile so look forward to explore this list. 

Happy Sailing! 

BW25: The word of the day is Yes!

 Happy Summer!!!  Instead of a no button, I want a Yes button.  It's Summer. Why not?  My son and I went to the book store to shop for Father's day presents.  He has a habit of picking out books based on their covers which in actuality always turn out to be very good.  So I always say Yes.  Which is how I ended up with This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. 

"When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago…

The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?"

And note that it has a Y word on the cover which coincides with the letter of the week!  

Happy Father's day to all the dads!

BW19: Bingo Quest - Simulated

 

Happy Sunday!  Is it real or fake? An alternate reality, fake reality, or set in another space or dimension?  Our next Bingo Quest is Simulated.  The book world is full of stories about simulated theory, metaverse, liminal space, computer game worlds, cyber reality and virtual reality.   Creative, nonsensical, fantastical, or horrific, the simulated worlds draw the readers in.  

Dive into Life is a Simulation or See You in the Metaverse.

Reach into  8 Mind-Bending Simulation Books Where Nothing Is As It Seems or 12 Engrossing Novels Inspired By Video Gaming

step through Liminal Spaces, Timeslips and Matrix Glitches in Fiction

Have fun exploring! 

BW15: Opportunities

 

Happy Sunday! I'm in Arizona again helping my dad out and realized that no matter what age you are, opportunity is our friend. You just have to reach out and grab it.  Same with books since they present limitless opportunity.  So reach out and grab the books that has been calling your name and find your next opportunity! 

"A day dawns, quite like other days; in it a single hour comes, quite like other hours; but in that day and in that hour the chance of a lifetime faces us. To face every opportunity of life thoughtfully and ask its meaning bravely and earnestly, is the only way to meet the supreme opportunities when they come, whether open-faced or disguised. ~Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858–1901)"

Happy Reading! 

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 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. 

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. is still the home for a variety of weekly, monthly, and annual reading quests, as well as the perpetual and past challenges linked above from our many reading adventures around the world. 

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. 

Brit Trip Adventures - Follow the Roman Road through England with the intent of reading a book from each of the 45 counties with a few extra trips to London. 

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

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. 

 

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! 

BW42: K is for ...

 

Happy Sunday!  I just finished The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz which was amazing. I couldn't put it down and kept reading long into the night until I finished it. A psychological thriller about a woman against a megalomaniac and his cohorts.  Wonderfully written characters, descriptions, and images which made sleep lost well worth it.  Every story written by Koontz is unique and charming as well as horrifying. Not blood and guts horrifying, but psychologically, thought provoking, fear producing, scary.  I have read many of his books over the years, starting with By the Light of the Moon, then the Odd Thomas series which are good starting points, if you haven't read any of his books. 

Another author I never thought to approach is Stephen King until I read his non fiction book - On Writing. It fascinated me enough to try reading one of his stories.  I picked out Duma Key and read the back cover, then a few random pages and liked what I read, so decided to get it. Duma Key wasn't so much a horror story as it was a supernatural, psychological thriller.  A man's painting take an eerie turn when he discovers that whatever he paints becomes reality.   The story totally captured my attention and kept me reading long into the night.  Which lead me to reading Under the Dome as well as his Gunslinger series which are good starting points as well.

Books that contain Underground Knowledge or non fiction books that will expand your knowledge

Knock Offs - Books that imitate J.R.R. Tolkien stories

Books about Knitting - Fact or Fiction

Killer espionage novels 

Books with Kiss in the title 

Books with Keyholes and Magic Keys 

Read a book by authors whose names start with K or have a word in the title start with K.

Have fun! 

BW41: Language

 

Happy Sunday!  I enjoy reading stories that play with language, and create fascinating and creative words to fit their world.  I recently finished Neuromancer by William Gibson which reminded me of the Matrix and was filled with invented terminology which had me lost part of the time, but was able to figure out the meaning with the action. A few years back I read the The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall in which he created a world of language where the words on the page created visual images of meaning. Another fascinating story about communication is Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dun in which as the 26 letters of the alphabet fall from a sign, the island residences are forbidden from using them in conversation.   

From Star Trek to Dune to Lord of the Rings to Embassytown to 1984 to The Fifth Season, science fiction and fantasy is riddled with made up language. 

Ten Great Books With Their Own Languages

Novels where the worldview is highly affected by a SF-created language.

20 of our favorite fictional languages from brilliant fantasy worlds

A book with a made-up language.

Happy Reading! 

BW37: 52 Books Bingo: Picaresque Literature

 

Happy Sunday.  Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Picaresque literature which according to litreactor:  "typically describes a low-born hero or rogue who uses his wits to wander through various branches of society without truly belonging to any of them, moving from adventure to adventure."  The  picaresque genre was established with the anonymously published Lazarillo De Tormes in the 1500's  during the Spanish inquisition. 

The Picaresque Novel: What It is and Why You Should Try Reading One

The Greatest Picaresque Books of All Time - a huge interesting and eclectic list in which I've read very few such as Don Quixote, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gulliver's Travels, Hopscotch, White Noise, Glory Road, and the Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

Beyond Dickens: 8 Picaresque Novels For The Modern Reader

Happy reading! 

BW36: Quintessential literature

 

Happy Sunday! What is Quintessential literature?  Well, that depends on your point of view.  What do you consider significant, or which book do you think has literary merit, has historical significance?  What does the world at large think? Whose definition do you go by?   

Mental Floss 13 Quintessential Gen X Books

Book Bub's 76 Books and Novels That Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime.  I've read 23 and several on the shelves waiting to be read. 

Penguin Random House The Must-Read Books of 2025 (So Far)  An eclectic list of which I've read other books by most of the authors but not these books. 

I'm still working my way through Peter Boxall's 1001 Books to Read before you Die. Periodically I'll thumb through the pages, check off the books I've read, notate which ones I have on my shelves, and mark the ones I know I'll never read. But then again, my interests might change in 10 years, so they'll get a second or third chance. 

Have you discovered that there are books you wouldn't have read ten, twenty, thirty years ago, that now they spark your interest? Yes, me too. 

 Happy reading!

BW35: September Dragon of the Month: Dulcy

 

Happy Sunday and Welcome to September which is Happy Cat Month, National Sewing Month, National Courtesy Month, and Self Improvement month to name a few.   This week we celebrate Labor Day, Pierce your ears day, Skyscraper day, Bring your manners to work day, Be late to something day, Fight procrastination day and the all important read a book day.  Hopefully not all at the same time. *grin*

Our dragon of the month is Dulcy from the Sonic cartoon and comic series.   According to Sonic Retro: 

"Dulcy is one of the most powerful Freedom Fighters next to Sonic. However, due to her inexperience, she often does a poor job when it comes to landing. She sucks her thumb, occasionally gets disoriented, thinking that she's talking to her "ma" Sabina, is claustrophobic, and likes the color purple and chocolate."

Our next 52 Books bingo category fits right in with our A to Z and Back Again letter of the week which is Rain Forest. 

James Rollins is one of my favorite authors and his mystery thriller Amazonia is an excellent read. 

From Goodreads Rainforests and Jungles of the World The Poisonwood Bible, Heart of Darkness, Congo, and The Lost City of Z are must reads. 

32 Books Set In The Amazon Rainforest That Will Make you Feel Like You’re There  - Mostly nonfiction

Ten Great Books set in the Amazon Rainforest - Mostly fiction

Happy armchair travels!