Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

As we are coming up on the last week of the first month of 2021, I hope you were all able to get a great start on your reading year! 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

My favorite book has been

Title: The Travelling Cat Chronicles
Author: Hiro Arikawa
Rating: 4*
Format: Print (though I bet audio would be great)
ATY Prompt: Are You Well Read in World Literature list - a lot of those books seemed very serious and confronting, so I went for a short and upbeat one
Why I liked it: Most of the book is told from the point of view of the cat, who is snarky but turns out to have a heart of gold. It reminded me a bit of the dog in the Spencer Quinn mysteries. There is a lot of humor, plus a sort of travelogue of Japan, but there is also a part that made me cry (in a good way).

Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Rating: 5 ⭐️
Format: Print
ATY prompt: N/A
Reason it was the best: A great all-round relationship, POC and queer rep, believable characters, excellent mythology, diverse, just a good story

I've obviously been either reading good books so far this year or being quite generous in my ratings....I've given 5 stars to 3 books
: Layla The Cousins and The Chain
That's unusual for me for 1 month!~

I'm going to go with The Chain

- Title: The Chain
- Author: Adrian McKinty
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): I was so engaged I did a mixture of print and audio. I usually have 1 book in audio and 1 in print/kindle. But I wanted to find out what happened in this one I used both formats to get through it quicker.
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): week 42 - a mystery or thriller.
- Brief reason why it was the best - Basically I was hooked from the first page and didn't want to put it down. I wanted to find out what would happen in the chain, and who was ultimately responsible for it.

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Rating: 5 starts
Format: Audio Book
ATY Prompt: A book that you consider comfort reading
Brief Reason it was the Best: Well, this my second time listening through this novel and it was just as good the second time. It's sweet but still covers some interesting family dynamic/mental health things. And honestly, I can really relate to the main character (twin sister who has been estranged, super into our fandoms, mental health concerns in our families, etc). Listening to this audio book for the second time felt like coming home.

Title Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain
Author George Mahood
Rating 5 Stars
Format Kindle Edition
ATY Prompt you used it for 34.A book with a travel theme
Brief reason why it was the best I loved the humour, and it enabled me to go the whole length of Britain, which is something I am unable to do, due to lockdown.

Title: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
- Author: Isabel Wilkerson
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A Monochromatic Cover
- Brief reason why it was the best: This book really opened my eyes to racism. She breaks down the caste systems around the world & explains it eloquently.

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I started off the year strong, but my favorite has to go to:

Title: Hellspark
Author: Janet Kagan
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Print (one of the very few books I bought last year)
ATY Prompt you used it for: I was finishing up the 2020 challenge, it was for the Maximillian Hell prompt.
Brief reason why it was the best:
I picked this book because it had been on my TBR for several years, but I actually remembered nothing about it. But then I read it and it was like it was written just for me: anthropological science fiction about a survey team trying to determine if the indigenous lifeforms on a newly discovered planet are intelligent forms of life. The main pleasure of this book is in the exquisite world and culture building: its a book that is deeply interested in the question of intercultural communication and how to respect differences of etiquette while seeking shared humanity. It also had an extremely endearing AI character. I adored everything about it.

Title The Arrival
Author Shaun Tan
Rating 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) I won't be assigning prompts to books until it's the end of the year, but I might use it for immigrant prompt.
Brief reason why it was the best I just loved the artwork.

Honorary mention to Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, it was almost 5 stars read.

I have several 5 Star books this month, and that is very unusual for me. I'll give my award to the following:

The House in the Cerulean Sea

Rating: 5 stars
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): None
Brief reason why it was the best: A charming fantasy story about a group of misfits who find a place to belong. I highly recommend this.


Also a nonfiction book, Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): None
Brief reason why it was the best: This book was a delight from start to finish! There was a great deal of information about many of the US national parks, and the story is told with humor. I recommend it to all nature lovers.

January's Best Book

TitleRhythm of War
Author Brandon Sanderson
Rating 5 stars
Format Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for 13. A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020
Brief reason why it was the best Incredible world building, characters and excellent narrators. It is my favorite series. I have to wait until November 2023 for the next book.

- Title - In a Holidaze
- Author - Christina Lauren
- Rating - 5 starts
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - ATY#13 - A book written by an author of one your best reads of 2020
- Brief reason why it was the best - The book was funny. I love all of this author duo's books. My favorite was The Unhoneymooners


- Title - Dear Edward
- Author - Ann Napolitano
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - ebook and Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) #22 - A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
- Brief reason why it was the best - It was an emotional book without being sappy.

Honorable mention goes to:
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine - 4 stars. I love this duo writing team also.

- Title - Our Souls at Night
- Author - Kent Haruf
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - 21. A book whose title and author both contain the letter "u"
- Brief reason why it was the best - So much said in so few words with great characterisation. I swear I’ve met Gene!

My best book is a trilogy plus a novella, N.K. Jemisin's The Inheritance Trilogy published as a single volume coming in at about 1500 pages. And I couldn't decide if there was one book out of the three that was "best" so...

- The Inheritance Trilogy
- N.K. Jemisin
- 4 stars
- Print
- Three prompts: 2) author's name without ATY, 5) author on 100 black novelists list, 14) set in a made up place
- I love Jemisin's writing style and imagination

- Title Bluebird, Bluebird
- Author Attica Locke
- Rating 4 stars- probably deserves 5.
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio and Kindle
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read
- Brief reason why it was the best - I read a lot of thrillers and kind of prefer a quick pace. This was not that but it was a lot more in many ways it was an atmospheric contemporary with a mystery as its backdrop. The writing is so captivating that once I got over the slow pace of the mystery I was really drawn into the story which was sad, scary, complex and so well written.

Title: Hamnet

Author: Maggie O'Farrell

Format: ebook

ATY prompt: A book set on an island

Why it was the best: I got completely lost in this book. It was so beautifully written and brought these forgotten people of history to life.

- Title - Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books
- Author - Cathy Rentzenbrink
- Rating - 5*
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Audio
- Brief reason why it was the best - A beautiful love story to books. A lovely memoir about the role of books in your life through all the ups and downs.

I have two books this month. Both for ATY

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATYB - Female Villain
Audio
Not your usual superhero or villain book. This is about a female henchwoman. A behind the scenes of the destruction that heroes wreak on hench people and the public. It is funny.

The Canterbury Trail by Angie Abdou
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ATYB - related to the song "My Favourite Things"
Ebook

A good character study in which the environment is also one of the characters. The ending is superb.

I had 2 five star ratings this month:

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll.
Print
ATYB: I am not sure yet, where I will slide this in, maybe a book set on an island? England ?
A fast paced mystery/thriller!

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen.
Print
ATYB: A book with six or more words in the title.
I pre-read this for my classroom. Susin Nielsen is always a solid choice for middle school. Her books deal with serious topics in a relatable age appropriate way.

My. Eat book this month was also my first book of the month - Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. I used it for the “in the beginning” prompt for AtY, and loved the world building, the characters, and the pacing. Excited for a sequel!

Title: Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
Author: M.T. Anderson
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): prompt 47: nonfiction book other than biography, autobiography, or memoir
Brief reason why it was the best: A hard read at times (specifically, about Stalin and what he did to Russia). It touches on music and what it means to different people, the resilience of St. Petersburg/Leningrad, the jaw-dropping numbers of people Stalin had "purged." It is about so much more than Shostakovich, which is what I thought I would be reading.

Title: Deacon King Kong
- Author: James McBride
- Rating:5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): An Author on the list of 100 Black Novelist You Should Read
- Brief reason why it was the best: I loved the story. My book club was raving about James McBride. They described him as a kinder & gentler author. He was a new to me author. He was kinder & gentler

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Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Author: T.J. Klune
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: Week 25. A book set on an island
Brief reason why it was the best:

This book was so soft and heart warming. Linus is a strict rule follower, but the kids in this book break down his barriers and push him to realize what he truly wants in life. It's just... wonderful on all fronts.

Title: The Relentless Moon
Author: Mary Robinette Kowal
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: 32. A book whose covers shows more than 2 people
Brief reason why it was the best: I love this whole alternate history series about women astronauts being involved in the space race. I especially love all the relationships in these books, the romantic and the platonic. Sometimes it's just really nice to read about functional adults.

Title: How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
Author: Holly Black
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Hard Cover
ATY Prompt: I used it for my rejects challenge - A book with illustrations.
Why it was the best: I love the original trilogy, and this was able to be a sequel, prequel and retelling from Carden's perspective all in one go.

Title: The Chocolate Thief
Author: Laura Florand
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: eBook
ATY Prompt: a book related to a word given by a random word generator (I got the word chocolate)
Why it was the best: I needed a fun, easy read and this definitely delivered and then some! Who knew chocolate could be so sensual and sexy? There was a lot more than just the chocolate getting tempered in this book, if you know what I mean!

- Title: Caliban's War (Book #2 in The Expanse series)
- Author: James S.A. Corey
- Rating: 5 Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Week 30 A Long Book
- Brief reason why it was the best: The series is great on it's own anyway but the narrator in the audio version is truly wonderful. I read a physical copy of Book 1 a few months ago, picked up this audio for book 2 in January and have since been binge listening to the rest of the series.

Title: The Stolen Marriage
- Author: Diane Chamberlain
- Rating: 5 starts
- Format: Ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A love story
- Brief reason why it was the best: Totally different love story, very unique story line with a glimpse into what it was like for people in the 1940's South.

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Title: Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place
Author: Jackson Bird
Rating: 5
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt: I stuck it in last year’s because I’m still finishing those.
Why I liked it: Jackson does a good job of illuminating how confusing self definition can be and does a great job of really showing how identity can be very different sometimes than presentation. I also found it fascinating that he was very involved in the Harry Potter community, in light of JKR’s comments since.

I have two favorites this month, one that's a lighter, fun read and another that's a bit more thought provoking.

The Vanishing Half
Author - Brit Bennett
Rating - 5 stars
Format - eBook
ATY prompt - state you've never visited (California, New York, and Louisiana)
Why I liked it - The author was very lyrical, yet simple in the writing so it was easy to follow but also beautiful at times. The underlying themes related to the experience of being black, yet appearing white, and power of family were interesting.

Since You've Been Gone
Author - Morgan Matson
Rating - 4.5 stars (I typically reserve 5 stars for strong emotions/themes/reactions - this one did have strong themes related to friendship and coming of age but needed a bit more of an emotional boost - I know, very scientific)
Format - eBook
ATY Prompt - Associated with a specific season or time of year - Summer
Why I liked it - The concept was fun and I enjoyed coming along with the MC as she completed her list. The characters were also well-developed given the storyline. It did well with not only taking me to the season, which was the prompt, but also my high school years.

Title: Big Little Lies
Author: Liane Moriarty
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer
Brief reason why it was the best: It was surprisingly deep for a book I thought would be a light mystery. Entertained and made me think at the same time.

- Title: The Jane Austen Society
- Author: Natalie Jenner
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): past/present/future
- Brief reason why it was the best: Small village of people that weren't normally friends but came together through their love of Jane Austen, in her small village.
++and++
- Title: The Jane Austen Project
- Author: Kathleen A. Flynn
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): past/present/future
- Brief reason why it was the best: Most fiction books about time travel fascinate me. The historical element of this book, into the life of Jane Austen and her family, was very realistic.
(I listened to another Jane Austeny book for present too but it was only meh.) These books also really made a clearer picture of the small village with the cottage Jane lived in and the big house where her brother Edward lived.

I know it's already on this thread twice, but...

- Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
- Author: T.J. Klune
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): setting is a made up place
- Brief reason why it was the best: Wonderful characters, charming magical children, and growth in relationships. Also applicable to everyday lives on preconceived notions, discrimination, etc. if you want to think about it, but approaches these topics in a lovely way. Also, the narration is so good, I strongly recommend audio, if nothing else, for the narrator's depiction of Chauncey (I rarely recommend audio over print, but to be fair, I only listened so maybe the print feels just as wonderful).

Title: Black Sun
Author: Rebecca Roanhorse
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Paperback

Loved the characters, the worldbuilding and I was completely sucked in. It's refreshing to see more high fantasy built around non-European history.

I read 12 books in January and 4 of those were 5 star reads, but my two favourites are:
The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead. This was a 551 page paperback I read for other challenges (classic Australian women writers, and Popsugar - featuring 3 generations). I loved it because of the vivid descriptions and razor-sharp insight into characters and relationships.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead - a paperback read for AtY#5 - by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read. It is a beautifully written historical fiction based on true events and I couldn't put it down.

No 5-star reads this month, so this is the best of the 4-stars

- Title - The Alice Network
- Author - Kate Quinn
- Rating - 4
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - used in Winter Reading Challenge
- Brief reason why it was the best - great characters and a fascinating history behind the story

Title - Driftless
Author - David Rhodes
Rating - 5
Format - Print
ATY Prompt - A book with an ensemble cast

I reread this book because I was leading a book group online discussion of it. It is one of my favorites because it has a theme of people being connected (whether they want to be or not.) It has a sort of Midwestern magical realism. If you liked This Tender Land or Virgil Wander, you may enjoy this one.

Title: Dark and Deepest Red
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: Elements of magic (but I might move it, I'm not committed to anything at this point in the year!)
Brief reason why it was the best: I love magical realism, I love fairy tale/myth retellings, and I love McLemore's writing style. It's a gorgeous, moving retelling of The Red Shoes, set half in a contemporary small town and half in Strasbourg's 1518 dancing fever. Absolutely lush prose.

- Title: The Push
- Author: Ashley Audrain
- Rating: 5 Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Mystery or Thriller
- Brief reason why it was the best This book reminded me of Defending Jacob with a post partum bent. Compulsively read this thriller in two days.

Just curious if readers or mods are putting all these books into the listopia?

We've left it up to the readers to add to the listopia, but I don't mind going add these!

Thanks Emily. Or maybe we should just all read The House in the Cerulean Sea. LOL!

I mean, personally, I want to put The House in the Cerulean Sea in everyone's hands lol. So I support that!

I read 30 books this month, 2 were 5 stars, 1 was a 4.5 star. The one least likely to be found on anyone else's list is probably:
- Title Downton Abbey: The Complete Scripts, Season Three
- Author - Julian Fellowes
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" (of English society)
- Brief reason why it was the best - I loved the Masterpiece Theatre series and this included not only the scripts, but background on actors, the props, and the thought process behind the scenes.

A Woman Is No Man and The Great Alone rounded out my top three.

Kim wrote: "I read 30 books this month, 2 were 5 stars, 1 was a 4.5 star. The one least likely to be found on anyone else's list is probably:
- Title [book:Downton Abbey: The Complete Scripts, Season Three|20..."

I loved Downton Abbey through Season 3. But once Matthew was gone, it just wasn't the same for me. Plus some of the plots got ridiculous, not even right for the characters. How could the family oppose Edith marrying the older neighbor? They would have been thrilled she was marrying anyone (especially after the war decimated the young men!) I still watched the whole thing but not with the same love. When the show started, I knew I would like it because I love historical costume dramas. But I was surprised by how it became such a major hit with diverse populations. I did watch a couple of the special programs on the filming, costumes, etc. They didn't cut corners the way American programs would.

I think my best book of January was Educated by Tara Westover. Certainly the book I'll think about the longest.

- Title: Old Goriot
- Author: Honoré de Balzac
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: Audio (Frederick Davidson, Narrator)
- ATY Prompt you used it for: #8. A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited (for me, France!)
- Brief reason why it was the best: I was not at all sure what to expect, and ended up surprised and delighted. Old Goriot has the page-turning soap opera-y feel of a Dickens novel. The basic plot is a take on the King Lear story of ungrateful children (see also Silverstein's The Giving Tree). The social observation and commentary are both particular to their place and time, and still relevant today.

Comments on items above:
I was delighted to see a mention of The Nickel Boys. It's breathtakingly good.

I was also delighted to see Black Sun get a mention. I think Rebecca Roanhorse is brilliant!

Seeing Janet Kagan's Hellspark get a mention was also delightful!

Title: A Gentleman in Moscow
Author: Amor Towles
Rating: ★★★★★
Format: I read hardcover, but it's available in PB
ATY Prompt you used it for: 8. A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited (I've never been to Russia but would be interested in traveling there!)
Brief reason why it was the best: beautifully written, intricate, detailed, immensely satisfying and so much fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this surprising historical fiction literary novel and recommend to basically everyone!

Also loving the Black Sun and Nickel Boys appreciation here. And Beth having Hamnet be a favorite this month might mean I move that to the prompt of choosing a book from a Best Book of the Month thread (which I currently have unfilled), which opens up a new option of rejects prompt (currently occupied by Shakespeare inspired).

- Title: Service and Slumber: A Historical Tale Inspired by Sleeping Beauty
- Author: T.E. Elliott
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): a love story
- Brief reason why it was the best: It was really close, as I had several five star reads in January, but I think this one stands out the most as having characters I really liked, and nice balance of good storytelling with life advice woven in, in a non-preachy kind of way.

If I were going to choose best picture book it would probably be Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket, but there was some stiff competition even amongst pictures books I read in January!

- Title: Dark Matter
- Author: Blake Crouch
- Rating: 4.5 / 5
- Format: Print
- ATY Prompt: A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020
- Brief reason why it was the best: I loved Recursion last year; it was one of my first reads of the year, and it stayed one of my top reads for the entire year. Dark Matter is another solid sci-fi thriller that is tough to put down!