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Best Books of September 2020
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Author: Fredrik Backman
Rating: 5 Stars!
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: No prompt this round because it didn't fit in anything I have left.
Brief reason why it was the best:
Look, I love up lit and I love Fredrik Backman. This book took a cast of crazy characters and put them in a weird situation and still managed to find the rays of sunlight. It had me crying at the end because it felt so positive in this world that feels so dark right now.
Normally I don't post my best book of the month this early, but there is no way I'm finding a better book this month. And it seems I'm not the only one who loved this book. ;DTitle: Anxious People
Author: Fredrik Backman
Rating: 5 stars, but only because they won't let me give more than that.
Format: Ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for: A book with a neurodiverse character.
Brief reason why it was the best:
Because Backman's writing makes me laugh, makes me cry, surprises me, and manages to make even the most unlikeable people relatable and even loveable.
I have two best books so far for September.Us Against You (Beartown #2) by Fredrik Backman. This is the sequel to Beartown & I liked it just as well. It’s as good as Beartown. In 2021 Those Who Run Toward the Fire (Beartown #3) comes out.
In The Country of Women by Susan Straight. This is nonfiction about the strong women in her life. It’s also about so much more. I loved this book.
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- Title: Piranesi- Author: Susanna Clarke
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: Physical book
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a
- Brief reason why it was the best: Well-written, intriguing, excellent world building, complex without being convoluted, just a great story overall
(I will add this to the listopia)
- Title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- Author J.K. Rowling
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) I might use it for the book with witches if I don't get to Serpent & Dove
- Brief reason why it was the best I just recently started listening to audiobooks (love that I can find them on Libby and Hoopla) and a favorite that a lot of people recommend is the man that reads Harry Potter (Jim Vale). I can't wait to listen to them all.
- Title Kiss My Cupcake
- Author Helena Hunting
- Rating 4 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Canadian author
- Brief reason why it was the best Even though I like to choose a book with more depth for my favorite book, this book was a very fun read and sometimes that is necessary.
- Title My Sister, the Serial Killer- Author Oyinkan Braithwaite
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World’
- Brief reason why it was the best I think I was a bit worried this wouldn't live up to the hype but it was really good! I thought that Braithwaite did a great job of brining humor to a serious situation. Not much of a mystery but this was a great little family dramady.
- Title Stardust
- Author Neil Gaiman
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) audiobook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book related to Witches
- Brief reason why it was the best Neil Gaiman does a great job of narrating and it is a fun adult fairy tale.
It's a toss up this month, I read 2 five-star books but I think Blackfish City is the one that will stick with me longer. I loved the setting and characters, and the plot kept things moving. There are a number of POV characters and at first it was confusing how they fit together. It always helps me to write some details down in books like that! I used it for "a book with a place name in the title".
Two for me! It was a great month for me, though I got very busy at the end of the month, so less time for reading.Title:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author:Becky Chambers
Rating:5 stars
Format:ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for:LGBTQIA author/character
Brief reason why it was the best: An oddly cozy science fiction read. Becky Chambers really focuses a lot on developing alien social structures and relationships and this book really advocates for careful and conscientious navigation of cultural differences. I found it very pleasant and charming to read.
Title:If We Were Villains
Author:M.L. Rio
Rating:5 stars
Format:ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for:Related to the arts
Brief reason why it was the best: I was really impressed by this debut! Mysteries are not my typical thing, but I was drawn in by the setting (love a quirky, tight-knit school), the characters (love weirdly intense friendships/relationships), and the writing (Rio writes like the actor she is, with a fascinating focus on movement and nonverbal communication.)
I had a great reading month. My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton was my first 5 Star book this month, and was my top choice.Also receiving 5 Stars was The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede.
- Rating: 5 Stars
- Format: Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce
- Brief reason why it was the best: It is a heartwarming tale of a small community who opened their hearts, homes, and wallets to the passengers on flights that were forced to land suddenly after the USA closed its air space in the hours after the attack on September 11th.
- The Shadow of the Wind- Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- 5 stars
- none (Popsugar - book on the cover)
- Excellent storytelling using multiple story lines and timelines and weaving them all together
This was an OK month of reading for me - until I read Michael Robotham's When She Was Good - which was really good!!Title:
When She Was Good
Author:
Michael Robotham
Rating:
4.5★
Format (Print, eBook, Audio):
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable):
No. 34 - book from a genre that starts with a letter in your name - thriller
Brief reason why it was the best:
It kept me hooked from near the beginning. It is the second in the Cyrus Haven series, and you would be best to read Good Girl, Bad Girl first, but it's also a good read.
I had 2 5-star books this month, but I am going to have to go with the one that has haunted me.Title: The Girl Behind the Gates
Author: Brenda Davies
Rating: 5 stars
Format: eBook
ATY: prompt you used it for:
Fall Challenge October 4a - a horror book
Brief reason it was the best:
Based on the life of a real woman, it is a haunting, harrowing book about a life lost in a mental institution for over 40 years for the crime of being an unmarried mother in 1939. The second half of the book covers her redemption back into the real world. Lots of trigger warnings: (view spoiler)
I've read a lot of books this month (28 so far), but only one 5 star.- Title - The Book of Lost Names
- Author - Kristin Harmel
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - print (ARC)
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - none
- Brief reason why it was the best - It was a wonderful piece of historical fiction, based upon a true story of a young Jewish woman, who risks her life to save hundreds of others by forging documents to help children and resistance members escape to Switzerland.
- Title: The Calculating Stars- Author: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print -- my first in a long time because the library had no kindle version of the ebook! (Side note, I ended up waking up my baby because I stayed up late reading with the light on.)
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): all done so no prompt
- Brief reason why it was the best: Thoughtful and warm alternate history that explores a lot of current issues through the lens of the 1950s (gender, race, climate science, global politics).
First time participating in one of these threads! :) I have 2 for this month!Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print and eBook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): ATY Fall: Read a book written between 1930 and 1999.
Brief reason why it was the best: This book was able to strike a perfect balance of being humorous, bright, and bursting with personality while dealing with very serious issues from the innocent eyes of a young country girl. You'd think it'd be a little harder to get through due it being written so long ago, but I devoured it as if it were a guilty pleasure contemporary romance from 2020.
Title: Uprooted
Author: Naomi Novik
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): ATY Fall: Read a fantasy novel.
Brief reason why it was the best: While complex, confusing, and sometimes tedious, this book fits the truest definition of an epic High Fantasy novel, featuring a journey that will span many lands and years. What surprised me the most was how UNLIKE the blurb it was: the blurb makes it sound like a romantic YA Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it is NOT a romance, nor would I ever consider it YA. It gave me major LOTR vibes.
- Title : Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood- Author : Marjane Satrapi
- Rating : 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) : eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) : We Didn’t Start the Fire lyrics: “Ayatollah’s in Iran”
- Brief reason why it was the best : I rarely read graphic novels but this one was engaging and (for me) educational .
- Title: Recursion- Author: Blake Crouch
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover
- Brief reason why it was the best: I loved all the characters and found the plot fascinating. The author does a very good job keeping potentially confusing explanations understandable. I found it interesting pondering the implications of the "what if" scenario that the book presents.
- Title Call Your Daughter Home- Author Deb Spera
- Rating 5-Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) N/A
- Brief reason why it was the best
Great gritty Southern Lit book with dynamic female characters. ”It’s easier to kill a man than a gator, but it takes the same kind of wait.” With an opening line like that, how could it not be a winner?
- Title Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood- Author Trevor Noah
- Rating 5 Stars
- Format - Ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for
#30 NY Times Notable List
- Brief reason why it was the best
Very engaging and emotional memoir about life in South Africa during apartheid. I can't believe that one person had all of these traumatic crazy life experiences. This is a perfect book for the 2021 racism prompt.
- Title The Sisters Brothers
- Author Patrick deWitt
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audiobook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) N/A
- Brief reason why it was the best Both heartwarming and funny. This book was a little slow to get going, but once it got to me I really loved it!
- TitleDark Matter
- Author
Blake Crouch
- Rating
5 Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
n/a
- Brief reason why it was the best
I love a book that can really mess with my mind and make me overthink everything.
- Title: A Gentleman in Moscow- Author: Amor Towles
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): NA
- Brief reason why it was the best: I feel like everyone in the world has already read this (I know, that's a little extreme) and was afraid it would be a let down, but I loved it. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships and it was interesting to see a life as imagined in a hotel. I wanted to join them.
Title: The Empire of GoldAuthor: S.A. Chakraborty
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Hardback
ATY Prompt you used it for: 19. A fantasy book
A fantastic ending to this trilogy, I have just loved the worldbuilding and the characters. I am not usually a fan of long books but this never felt like it was dragging.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
4.5 stars!
eBook
Prompt 38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2 (little and large)
Reason: It's hilarious! And romantic too. I do feel like I was watching reality TV instead of reading a book. It was so well-written and tackled issues on being a "plus-size" woman.
Title: The Queen of NothingAuthor: Holly Black
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name (for PopSugar)
Brief reason why it was the best: I read and loved the entire series this month for the first time, and thought this one in particular had an excellent balance of action and character development
Title: Three Daughters of EveAuthor: Elif Shafak
Rating: 4 stars (almost 5.. the ending let it down a little for me)
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): #4 set in a place or time you wouldn't want to live
Brief reason why it was the best: Beautifully written and thought-provoking read.
- Title: Anxious People- Author: Fredrik Backman
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): I didn’t have a prompt left on this challenge for this book but I did use it for two other challenges I am doing. Both challenges had a book in translation for a prompt.
- Brief reason why it was the best; It was a wonderful mix of humor, wisdom and heart. I can’t stop raving about this book.
- Title: When Breath Becomes Air- Author: Paul Kalanithi
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 22. a book with a theme of survival
- Brief reason why it was the best: I cried during this book but at the same time it is just so inspiring.
Mod
- Author Diane Cook
- Rating 5 stars
- Format ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book about survival
- Brief reason why it was the best The writing, the relationships, and also its not the preachy book the book jacket makes it sound like. My book of the year.
Three standouts this month but suspect two The Death of Vivek Oji and The Undocumented Americans are new releases and will probably me mentioned by others. So I'll focus on my third.Title This Is Happiness
- Author Niall Williams
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) print and audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Would work for 9, 10, 16, 24, 27,
- Brief reason why it was the best It reads like someone telling you a yarn, warm hearted humour, delightful way with words
TitleThings Fall Apart
Author
Chinua Achebe
Rating
5 Stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
Audiobook. Peter Francis James is the narrator.
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.]
Brief reason why it was the best
The book brings the world of precolonial Nigeria to life.
TitleThe Way of Kings
AuthorBrandon Sanderson
Rating 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a
Brief reason why it was the best: This is the first book in my favorite series. It was fun to reread it during the read-a-thon.
(I added it the the listopia).
- Title All Systems Red- Author Martha Wells
- Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Not applicable
- Brief reason why it was the best I enjoy books with self-aware robots, it's one of my favorite tropes and this one is done incredibly well.
- Title: Neverwhere- Author: Neil Gaiman
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Format: Audiobook, borrowed through hoopla
- ATY Prompt you used it for: #19. A fantasy book. It could also fit #15. A book set in a global city
- Brief reason why it was the best: Neil Gaiman narrates his own book, so you know it's presented as the author intended, and he's such a good storyteller.
Title: American RoyalsAuthor: Katharine McGee
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: eBook (Kindle edition)
ATY Prompt you used it for: Fall Challenge - Read a book whose title starts with a letter in FALL or AUTUMN
Brief reason why it was the best: For anyone who is a fan of the royal family and books like Red, White & Royal Blue or The Royal We. A fun look at what the descendents of Washington would be like if they were still in power.
- Title: Nothing to See Here- Author: Kevin Wilson
- Rating: 4 stars
- Format - eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): #51 - A book with an "-ing" word in the title
- Brief reason why it was the best : I loved main character Lillian who is both funny and flawed, who finds meaning in her life after caring for two kids with unusual abilities.
Title: RebeccaAuthor: Daphne du Maurier
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for: Side read
Brief reason why it was the best: Fantastic psychological suspense!
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Rebecca (other topics)Nothing to See Here (other topics)
The Royal We (other topics)
American Royals (other topics)
Red, White & Royal Blue (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Daphne du Maurier (other topics)Kevin Wilson (other topics)
Katharine McGee (other topics)
Martha Wells (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
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Here's a thread to post your best books of the month! Let's get some great recommendations going.
Answer the following questions:
- Title
- Author
- Rating
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
- Brief reason why it was the best