Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Can you believe we are already nearing the end of January? I hope your reading year is off to a splendid start!

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

2023 Best Books Listopia

Title Spare
Author Prince Harry
Rating 5 stars
Format audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Book with an interracial relationship
Brief reason why it was the best I'm sure reading this in print would be excellent as well, but Harry's audio narration held so much emotion and warmth. An excellent book.

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Title Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life
Author Alan Cumming
Rating 5 stars
Format audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Book related to the arts
Brief reason why it was the best As with Prince Harry's book, Alan's narration enhances his memoir and brings his cheeky humor and wit to the forefront.

Title: Spinning Silver
Author: Naomi Novik
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format: Hardcover
ATY Prompt you used it for: A book whose author has published more than 7 books
Brief reason why it was the best: It's an original take on the world of fairy tales. It contains only a tiny element of Rumplestiltskin and presents the view of 3 powerful women. The writing conveys the magical world as well as the humanity of the characters.

Title: Search
Author: Michelle Huneven
Rating: 5*
Format: audio
ATY Prompt: 20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
Brief reason: I found it extremely clever. It captures a number of personality types and behavioral patterns we have likely all experienced. It serves as an entertaining case study about working as a team (or not). There are several serious themes mixed in with the lighter food-oriented passages and humorous asides. Even though the storyline is based around religion, I think the appeal of this book goes well beyond those with religious affiliations. I found it an immersive reading experience.
My Review

Title: Double Blind
Author: Edward St. Aubyn
Rating: 5*
ATY Prompt: 18. A book related to science
Brief reason: The writing is lively and spirited, providing insight into the characters’ thoughts, emotions, and motivations. It is also a thinking person’s book, with lots of references to factors that play a role in brain function. All the themes are woven into the storyline. I was enthralled with it. I had never read anything by Edward St. Aubyn before - what a great writer!
My Review

- Title: Shrines of Gaiety
- Author: Kate Atkinson
- Rating: 5 stars (and a review)
- Format: Print
- ATY Prompt: A book by an author you read in 2022
- Brief reason why it was the best: It was set in one of my favorite time periods (the 1920s) and in one of my favorite places, (London). All of the characters had intriguing backgrounds. The female characters were strong -- even in their weaknesses. The story was fantastic.

- Title The Winners
- Author Fredrik Backman
- Rating 5/5 stars.
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) PopSugar Longest book on my TBR list
- Brief reason why it was the best A gut wrenching but ultimately very satisfying conclusion to the Beartown trilogy. Live On.

- Title: The Mountains Sing

- Author: Nguyen Phan Que Mai
- Rating: 5+ Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom or specter
- Brief reason why it was the best: This was published in 2020 and my reaction upon completing it was this stayed in my TBR pile for way too long. It's a stunning story of the experience of one family in Vietnam starting in the early 1900's and ending in 2017. There is a "wicked ghost" that haunts the family for years, satisfying the ATY prompt.

Title - Black Cake
Author - Charmaine Wilkersone
Rating - 5 stars
Format - Print
ATY Prompt you used it for - NPR "Books We Love"
It is a rich story of a woman's struggle to bring her children together even after her death and the secrets that are revealed about her early life.

Title The Sentence
Author Louise Erdrich
Rating 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) 42 - A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
Brief reason why it was the best This book was a trip. When it started off, I had no idea where the book was going. There was a lot of current social commentary. The characters were varied. The story was intriguing. It was a very good book, and I was completely wrapped up in their lives by the end.

Title Dolores Claiborne
Author Stephen King
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 So many people think King just writes horror, and that is absolutely incorrect. Dolores Claiborne is not horror. There's barely a paranormal breeze in this one. The story is captivating. Pretty much the entire book is Dolores telling a story, but it works. I loved it. King is a genius.

Title Six of Crows
Author Leigh Bardugo
Rating 5 Stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) 42 - A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
Brief reason why it was the best This book has fun characters and a lot of action. It is set in the Grishaverse - the setting of the Shadow and Bone series, but it is set after those books. It is an adventure story, and it was a fun and full ride.

Joy D wrote: "Title: Search
Author: Michelle Huneven
Rating: 5*
Format: audio
ATY Prompt: 20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
Brief reason: I found ..."

So glad you enjoyed this. As a longtime UU, I recognized all the characters and the sample sermons. But as you say, if you have ever been on a committee of any kind, you will find the dynamics familiar. A lot of it is funny but it also has a serious side as to how some things turn out. I heard the author speak and she said she deliberately had the characters do a lot of things wrong (that is, things a search committee wouldn't do) because there was more room for humor and drama that way.

I just finished a book today that I have to add here!

Title Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History
Author Bridget Quinn
Rating 5 Stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio book
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) #5 - A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
Brief reason why it was the best This book was fantastic. She not only talks about these women artists, but she talks about why they were ignored by history. My academic area of expertise is women classical music composers, and, even more specifically, 20th century women choral composers. As a composer myself, I have found how women composers have been erased from history, and I have seen parallels to women poets as I have searched for their poetry to set. It was fascinating (also frustrating) to see how the same things have been done to women artists. I highly recommend this book!

Title: Ten Steps to Nanette
Author: Hannah Gadsby
Rating: 5+
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for: #28 - A book that is dark
Brief reason why it was the best: Although written by a wonderful comedian from Australia, this book is essentially a memoir, interspersed with the political and social environments that affects her during the various periods in her life. It is a brave book, added by her dry, wry wit.

I've created the listopia for 2023 and updated through here!

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Title: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
Author: Meg Elison
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 08 - Author's debut book
Brief reason why it was the best: Compelling story with a strong and capable heroine, excellent world-building

Title: Recursion
Author: Blake Crouch
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
ATY Prompt you used it for: 18. A book related to science
Brief reason why it was the best: The book was engaging, a quick read, sciency enough to keep my brain working but not too complicated, and made me cry.

Theoretically I might get another book finished before Wednesday, but I'm going to go ahead and call it now.

Title: Breakable Things
Author: Cassandra Khaw
Rating: ★★★★★
Format: eBook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): I didn't use it, but I may change my mind and slot it in for #21. A book by an Asian diaspora author; Khaw is from Malaysia, now living in Montreal.
Brief reason why it was the best: This short story collection was one of the most delicious things I've read in ages. Every story paints a complete world to give a window into a moment of realization, usually a heartbreaking one. That makes it sound like a downer, but it really was not. It gave me tremendous joy to read. Content warning for so much devouring.

I read so many good books in January. I had 5 five-star books in one month. That is unheard of for me. I will go with my heart for the best of those, because I love this series so much.

- Title: The Winners
- Author: Fredrik Backman
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Kindle
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): I didn't use it for ATY.
- Brief reason why it was the best: I love this series and these characters so much. After I read Beartown, I was surprised there would be a sequel, I didn't think it was necessary. But I was very happy to revisit the characters.

Title: Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
- Author : Leah Remini
- Rating: 4
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): "A book related to Hollywood" from "A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list"
- Brief reason why it was the best: The religious angle made this different from your run of the mill celebrity biography.

- Title: Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
- Author: RF Kuang
- Rating: 5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Not sure yet, but will likely use for a book set in 1800s (#15-17) or as a book about linguistics (favorite prompt that didn't make it)
- Brief reason why it was the best: Used interesting alternate history and world building with a quirky magic system to explore the morality of colonialism.

This was absolutely the best book I read in January!

- Title: Demon Copperhead
- Author: Barbara Kingsolver
- Rating: 5 Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): March ATY, #10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" (I don't know much about the Spice Girls, so I correlated this with Scary Spice (Demon=Scary). It would be a great match for Ginger Spice, also.

- Brief reason why it was the best: It sounds like it was written by someone who has been there. Been in this town, in this situation. That is, I suppose, the goal of a great author.

I have had some cracking reads this month

- Title: Isaac and the Egg
- Author: Bobby Palmer
- Rating: 5 Stars
- Format ARC from Netgalley
- ATY Week 46 word often found in a recipe = Egg

- Brief reason why it was the best: the narrative is full of intriguing twists and turns. The book is both harrowing and yet hauntingly beautiful. The unpacking of the twist to the tale, so unexpected, adds yet another layer.

This is a really accomplished debut novel and I cannot wait to see what comes next from the pen of Bobby Palmer.

Can we only pick one?

Marie (UK) wrote: "Can we only pick one?"

More is fine!

Best Reads of January

Title: Mullumbimby
Author: Melissa Lucashenko
Rating: 4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: audiobook
ATY Prompt: #30 related to a chess piece or #1 location beginning with A
Reason: This was a smart and sassy book, with elements of romance, Australian Indigenous culture and land rights. Here is my review


Title: The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding
Author: Holly Ringland
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: ebook
ATY prompt: #40 a full name in the title
Reason: This was a magical story of family and loss, myths and legends, from Tasmanian Indigenous tales to Nordic mythology, swans, selkies and the Faroe Islands. my review

Title: Spinning Silver
Author: Naomi Novik
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format: hardcover
ATY Prompt: not sure yet
Brief reason it was the best: Very creative retelling with only a small amount derived from traditional fairy tales. Three wonderful strong women and very evocative writing. I took half a star off because the POV changes with no notice and sometimes it's hard to figure out for a while who is speaking.

Title: The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
Author: Candice Millard
Rating: 5 star
Format: e-book
ATY Prompt: book with body of water in the title
Brief reason it was the best: it’s a terrific adventurous tale of Theodore Roosevelt’s expedition to explore a river in the heart of the Brazilian jungle. How they had the audacity to do this is beyond me. This is non-fiction for those of you who like to sprinkle that into your reading.

Marie (UK) wrote: "Can we only pick one?"

Try to limit it to your best 1-3 reads if possible!

My best book was a reread, so I'm going to include it and my favorite new-to-me book

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for: A book about the arts
Brief reason why it was the best:
This was a reread for me, and when I read it in print, I only gave it 3.5 stars (rounded up). The audio, though, is FANTASTIC and definitely worth listening to before the series comes out later this year.

Title: The Sentence
Author: Louise Erdrich
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: A book featuring a ghost, though it fits a million other prompts
Brief reason why it was the best:
This was my book club's pick this month, and I'm really glad they pushed me to read it. I didn't think I was prepared to read about 2020 just yet, but Erdrich handled it with such grace and emotion that it felt cathartic to read.

Emily wrote: "My best book was a reread, so I'm going to include it and my favorite new-to-me book

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5 Stars
Forma..."

I felt about the same as you about Daisy Jones in print. Maybe I will give it a listen after I am done with all the reading challenges this year.

Milena wrote: "Emily wrote: "My best book was a reread, so I'm going to include it and my favorite new-to-me book

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating:..."

Me too, re Daisy - meh! Now I wish I would have listened! It's amazing how much a difference audio vs. read can make. {Is there a thread for that? There should be an "audiobook is better than the book" thread, LOL}

I really liked the Sentence too. It seems to be a very polarizing read.

My only 5 star book in January

Title: If We Were Villains
Author: M.L. Rio
Rating: ★★★★★
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) : ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) #3
Brief reason why it was the best: Great writing, interesting flawed characters, dark academia murder & melodrama but also some subtle layers that made me stop and think. Lots of Shakespeare references and quotes but still fairly accessible.

My only 5 star book in January

Title: If We Were Villains
Author: M.L. Rio
Rating: ★★★★★
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) : ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) #3
Brief reason why it was the best: Great writing, interesting flawed characters, dark academia murder & melodrama but also some subtle layers that made me stop and think. Lots of Shakespeare references and quotes but still fairly accessible.

Emily wrote: "My best book was a reread, so I'm going to include it and my favorite new-to-me book

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5 Stars
Forma..."

Sheena wrote: "Milena wrote: "Emily wrote: "My best book was a reread, so I'm going to include it and my favorite new-to-me book

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six
Author: [author:Taylor Jenkins Reid|6..."

I agree that the audio of Daisy Jones and the Six was much better. I didn’t like Daisy as much on paper, but Jennifer Beales’ narration made her seem smarter, more thoughtful, and less selfish somehow. It made me realize that the likability of a character is based partly on the voice and mannerisms that we each imagine. A book is different for each reader.

I was confused by The Sentence at first, but I loved it. I found that I have to approach every Louise Erdrich book with a very open mind. They’re never quite what you expect, so you can’t rush through. She’s unlike most writers. I would say the same of Ruth Ozeki.

Sheena wrote: "Milena wrote: "Emily wrote: "My best book was a reread, so I'm going to include it and my favorite new-to-me book

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six
Author: [author:Taylor Jenkins Reid|6..."

I loved The Sentence. Seems we have similar tastes.

I read 14 books in January & I gave six of them 5 stars. I thought I'd pick one fiction & 1 nonfiction.
- Title: Lessons in Chemistry
- Author: Bonnie Garmus
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): #18 A book related to science
- Brief reason why it was the best: It turned out to not be what I expected. I thought it was a rom com. It's better than a rom com.

- Title: The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family
- Author: Kerri K. Greenidge
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): #41 A book from the NPR "Books We Love " lists.
- Brief reason why it was the best. I wanted a nonfiction account of the Grimke sisters before I read The Invention of Wings for another challenge.

- Title: East of Eden
- Author: John Steinbeck
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Mostly Print (I typically do a combo)
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable):
5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover (I had the TV series cover)
- Brief reason why it was the best: Steinbeck is one of my favorite writers. His style is poetic but approachable. The book is as easy to understand as you want it to be. You can get a deep meaning from a simple read through. It was my first time reading it but I have no doubt that the more often I read it the more I will get things out of it. So perfect.

---------------

- Title: The Butterfly Lampshade
- Author: Aimee Bender
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 2. A book by an author you read in 2022
- Brief reason why it was the best: It ties with East of Eden because they are so different I can't compare them. I love, love, love Aimee Bender. An Invisible Sign of My Own is one of my favorite books. This book was another beautifully written, kind of odd, with a lovely meaning sort of book. I am trying to summarize how I feel when I read books and these are the words I felt best fit as I moved through: Instability, Sorting Out, Careful, Reframing, Faith, Holding On, Release, Connection. Some of these might not seem like a feeling but I promise if I listed it, then it felt like the perfect word to describe the feeling.

- Title: Agatha of Little Neon
- Author: Claire Luchette
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Rejects prompt: A book from The Millions Most Anticipated lists
- Brief reason why it was the best: The characters of the 4 nuns are drawn precisely and with humor. This is also a book about faith.

Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews
I gave it 5 stars and it was an eBook copy.
I used it for my Popsugar challenge instead.
This was my favourite author's newest book. It was about the usual characters hosting a galatic not the bachelor event at their inn.

Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
I gave the 40th anniversary edition in a physical copy 5 stars.
I used this for my Popsugar challenge.
Well the anniversay edition has a fuzzy cover... but the story was cute and clever too.

- Title: Cytonic
- Author: Brandon Sanderson
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): ✓ 5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
- Brief reason why it was the best:
This is the third book in the Skyward Series. The series follows Spensa Nightshade, an ostracized girl who always wanted to be a pilot and fight against the aliens that attack her planet. It's a YA sci-fi that went in unexpected directions. It has great writing, and this book in the series has more world-building.

My ATY tracking post

Lindsay wrote: "- Title: East of Eden
- Author: John Steinbeck
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Mostly Print (I typically do a combo)
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if appl..."

This was one of my best reads last year! This book was amazing!

- Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune
- Roselle Lim
- Rating: 4 stars
- Format: eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for: 37, a theme of returning home
- Brief reason why it was the best: It has recipes, magic, and shows the power of community and neighbors.

I had good luck with books this month!
5 Stars:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (for character with disability prompt)
Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee (prompt was Unusually Large Animal)
The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia (for Bunnies/Bees/Bears prompt)

My absolute favourite last month was:

- Title: Cowboy Seeks Husband
- Author: Leta Blake, Indra Vaughn
- Rating: 5/5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 39. A western
- Brief reason why it was the best: It surprised me! I was expecting it to just be a fun bit of trash, and while it WAS technically that it was also a really sweet romance with two very well suited characters. I enjoyed it so much, and still get a warm glow thinking about it now.

- Title: Hell Bent
- Author: Leigh Bardugo
- Rating: 5/5
- Format: Print, hardback, signed! not that it matters, but...
- ATY Prompt you used it for: 3, "fits a suggestion that didn't make the 2023 list" (it fits...several)
- Brief reason why it was the best: I also reread Ninth House, which I loved, in preparation for this one fiiiinally coming out, and Hell Bent did *not* disappoint. Leigh Bardugo just has some way of going straight to what I want in this kind of fantasy, and I'm very, very into her characters' dynamics, as well as the ghosty demony plot.

*

- Title: The Paradox Hotel
- Author: Rob Hart
- Rating: 5/5
- Format: Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for: Not on my main list, but I put it on the time travel prompt on my rejects challenge.
- Brief reason why it was the best: Time loop impossible crime murder mystery with an unreliable narrator (that's not a spoiler, she hallucinates from the beginning)! It had me at hello, as it were. And then it also turned out to perfectly nail the dry, noirish voice, and also manage to fit in this lovely, moving exploration of grief and memory! I read it for a book club, and we all loved it.

*
and i feel like more than 2 would be pushing it, but honorable mention for The Villa, which was a lot of fun to read.

I have 2 picks for January, 1 fiction, 1 nonfiction


Title: To Be Taught, If Fortunate
Author: Becky Chambers
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Hardcover
ATY Prompt you used it for: 38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover. (It has all 3)
Brief reason why it was the best: I just can't stop thinking about it - it felt like a darker version of The Martian, full of melancholy AND wonder.


Title: Blurb Your Enthusiasm: An A-Z of Literary Persuasion
Author: Louise Willder
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Hardcover
ATY Prompt you used it for: 6. A book where books are important.
Brief reason why it was the best: It was a cool look at just how much work goes into the things that appear on the outside of books (recaps, quotes, reviews, taglines etc.)

- Title: In Real Life
- Author: Cory Doctorow
- Rating: 5 stars.
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): None.
- Brief reason why it was the best: A graphic novel about a girl who gets into an online game and discoveres the harsh reality of it, that gamers are humans, too, with real problems.

- Title: I'm Thinking of Ending Things
- Author: Iain Reid
- Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print, Hardcover.
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 14. A book with a con, deception, or fake
- Brief reason why it was the best: A psychology book that is not what it seems, with a mindblowing end and deep life questions.

I've updated the listopia through Message 35

- Title -The It Girl
- Author. Ruth Ware
- Rating 4 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Hard back

- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) None

- Brief reason why it was the best - Books by Ruth Ware are very exciting. The heroine in this one is very irritating but for the first time ever I am glad the victim got killed and I feel sorry for the murderer! This is a first for me so I am surprised.

~~~~~~~~
- Title - Spare

- Author -Prince Harry
- Rating - 5 Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Hard back
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable). None
- Brief reason why it was the best - I have great sympathy for Harry as I did for his mother and his story is very fascinating to me. If he writes another book I will read it too.

- Title - The Violin Conspiracy
- Author - Brendan Slocumb
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Mostly ebook with a little audio.
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - An author's debut book
- Brief reason why it was the best - This was a good reading month for me so it was hard to choose just one but this one just keeps popping into my head so had the most impact. It is a mystery but so much more, you learn about classical music and the world of a classical musicians, it shows some of the struggles of a young black boy/man and it is a touching family story.

A few honorable mentions:
Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe
The Sentence

- Title : Wish You Were Here
- Author : Jodi Picoult
- Rating : 4 starts
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) : A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
- Brief reason why it was the best : Very well written; A story about resilience, about a world that was stopped for two years and people who survived through the sickness infecting people from coast to coast.