Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Starting this thread a bit early... leave your June roundups, July plans, and your reads here!

I just finished: These Broken Stars is an intergalactic YA dystopian sci-fi by Australian author Amie Kaufman where rich girl Lilac and gruff military hero Tarver are stranded together on a strange new planet. Here is my review

Elianne is a sweeping dual timeline family drama by Australian author Judy Nunn, set in rural Queensland on the sugar plantations in the 1880s and 1960s. When Kate finds her grandmother’s diaries everything the family believes about itself is shaken up. This book takes in the Vietnam war, importation of Pacific Islanders to work the plantation, the white Australia policy and more. Here is ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

My July plan so far is (although hopefully I will be able to read a little more than this!):

1. A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian
2. Sink or Swim by Annabeth Albert
3. Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian
4. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
5. Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian
6. Game Changer by Rachel Reid
7. Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian
8. Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence
9. Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots by Cat Sebastian

+ a few novel length fanfics I've downloaded to my kindle...

I plan to read books by authors from Singapore, Mozambique and Denmark for the 193 Books From Around the World challenge. I'm catching up from June with a book from the Philippines that I started today: In the Country. I like to read theme events but I'm not aware of any events in July, so I'll be whittling down my library book holds and checked out books so I can read books from my TBR shelves at home the rest of the year.

I'm finishing The Covenant of Water and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. I would like to start The King's General by Daphne du Maurier, for the related to a chess piece prompt.

I’m reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It’s really fun so far, like a cross between HarryPotter and His Majesty’s Dragon, but with some added steaminess, I don’t read a lot of fantasy, and this book has me wondering why not.

Pam wrote: "I'm finishing The Covenant of Water and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. I would like to start The King's General by Daphne du Maurier,..."

I’m planning to read The Covenant of Water this summer too, how do like it?

Martha wrote: "I plan to read books by authors from Singapore, Mozambique and Denmark for the 193 Books From Around the World challenge. I'm catching up from June with a book from the Philippines that I started t..."

Martha, do you have a link to that challenge? 193 is a really specific number.

NancyJ wrote: "Martha wrote: "I plan to read books by authors from Singapore, Mozambique and Denmark for the 193 Books From Around the World challenge. I'm catching up from June with a book from the Philippines t..."

It's on Facebook and StoryGraph. There's a group here but it's not very active. The 193 books are the countries included in the United Nations. We get 3 random countries every month from this list and the challenge is expected to go on until 2026. I have a lot of catching up to do but I've really enjoyed the challenge.

Here's the StoryGraph link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading...

Here's the Facebook link (most active): https://www.facebook.com/groups/91594...

***JUNE WRAP-UP***

*I read nine books this month, three of which were in the TBR I made at the start of the month.

*My favorite book of the month is I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

*ATY books read so far: 41/52

*Sequel read: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire, the 3rd book in the Wayward Children series

*Book formats:
ebook - 4
print - 4
audio - 1

*Genres:
fantasy - 3
contemporary - 1
non-fic – 1
thriller – 1
romance – 2
classic - 1

---
July:
Currently reading:
1. Strange the Dreamer - because I heard a lot of good things, but not sure if I can put it in a prompt
2. Crying in H Mart - for prompt 21
3. Dracula - through the email subscription

TBR:
1. Before They Are Hanged - for this month's sequel read
2. The Left Hand of Darkness - for a book club read with The Book Leo
3. Broken Islands - for prompt 22

I'm trying to read a sequel at least once a month, not just start new series and not finish them.

Link to my ATY: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Martha wrote: "I plan to read books by authors from Singapore, Mozambique and Denmark for the 193 Books From Around the World challenge. I'm catching up from June with a book from the Philippines that I started t..."

Thanks for sharing! I'm form the Philippines but haven't heard of that book before. I'm adding it to my TBR.

NancyJ - I'm halfway through The Covenant of Water and really like it so far. Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of my control, I had to pause reading it. I'm going to start back on it this week.

I also have Horse by Geraldine Brooks to finish! I didn't get to finish the library book but found a used copy at a library sale. I left it w my dad to read but if he isn't reading it, I'm going to reclaim it! It's partially set in Lexington, KY, where I went to college and my family lived for many years. I like that locale connection!

Ana AZ, Strange the Dreamer is one of my favorite fantasy novels. The writing was so ethereal. I actually have Daughter of Smoke & Bone by the same author slotted in for the UNESCO prompt... I plan on picking it up this month.

I went to the library and picked up a bunch of books I probably won't read this month lol. I'm currently reading Warrior Girl Unearthed, which is not a sequel of Firekeeper's Daughter, but feels like it could be since it does reference the events of FD and has some of the same characters.

I'm currently reading The Starless Sea (which I don't have a ATY prompt for at the moment) and The Hunting Party.

I will read The Wandering Fire and the next Skullduggery Pleasant book.

In June I finished No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib which is my favorite book in a long time

In July:
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara (Asian diaspora)
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (light)
Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak (diff century)
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (spice girl)
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (faceless)
the Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevon (full name)

Dubhease wrote: "I'm currently reading The Starless Sea (which I don't have a ATY prompt for at the moment) and The Hunting Party.

I will read The Wandering Fire and t..."

The Starless Sea is perfect for the Bees, Bunnies & Birds prompt because it relates to all 3. (Bees, Owls & a girl in a rabbit mask). How are you liking it?

I just read The Real Beatrix Potter by Nadia Cohen is a biography of the famous children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. It gives an insight into the repressed Victorian life the highly intelligent Beatrix led, her quest to find fulfilment and independence, and her passion to conserve the beautiful Lake District so dear to her heart. Here is my review

Emily wrote: "Ana AZ, Strange the Dreamer is one of my favorite fantasy novels. The writing was so ethereal. I actually have Daughter of Smoke & Bone by the same author slotted in for the UNESCO p..."

I loved the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series! It was such a pleasant surprise. I didn't have high hopes for it because of the terrible cover with the mask, but the cover did not do the story justice.

Finished Goodbye, Mr. Spalding for a Spice Girls personality- sporty.
Cute middle grade book about baseball and friendship.

I just read The Untold by Australian author Courtney Collins is an historical fiction that could be called an Australian Western or even Australian Noir. It is an imaginative retelling of the story of bush ranger Jessie Hickman born in 1890, who escaped to the bush after killing her husband. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

Red, White and Blue has just been made into a movie on Prime. It comes out August 11

Anastasia wrote: "Red, White and Blue has just been made into a movie on Prime. It comes out August 11"

I DNF'd the book because it was not for me. It seemed too silly and light. But I watched the trailer and got really excited to watch it!

I am SO EXCITED for the movie. I think my book club will have a viewing party for it.

I’m finally getting back to finishing The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. The writing is fabulous but it’s a long book and I need to finish it in 11 days! I just finished The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-García. I read it for a sci-fi book club meeting. It didn’t feel like sci-fi at all since the experimentation aspect wasn’t the focus. I really enjoyed the book and the author’s writing style and look forward to the group discussion.

Kendra wrote: "The Starless Sea is perfect for the Bees, Bunnies & Birds prompt because it relates to all 3. (Bees, Owls & a girl in a rabbit mask). How are you liking it?"

I'm really liking it. I'm not sure if I like it as much as the Night Circus (to which I gave 5 stars), but it's close.

I think I'm going to put it under geometric shape for a prompt. It has hearts and stars, and some things in the book are circular.

I already used birds, bees, and bunnies. And I used ATY books of the book. And I have something lined up for NPR.

I just read:
The Wind That Lays Waste is a short work of literary fiction written by Argentinian author Selva Almada which was nominated for the BTBA Best Translated Book Award for fiction in 2000. The story takes place over one day when a travelling reverend and his teenage daughter wait at the mechanic shop for their car to be repaired and the Reverend is inspired to convert an innocent child. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Here is my review

I just read:
The River's Song by Suchen Christine Lim is a beautifully written story featuring musicians Ping and Weng, that takes place along the banks of the Singapore River, particularly during the 1970s when the government evicted thousands of squatters, hawkers and boatmen to clean up the river, destroying an age-old traditional way of life. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

- Finished The Outsiders by SE Hinton!
- 4 stars
- Just a side read since I wasn't able to fit this into any vacant prompt.
- I added this book in 2014! Finally read it because I had a four hour drive and listened to this on audio. Glad to finally read it. It's referenced so many times in other media.

The Department of Sensitive Crimes – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
Gosh, but I enjoy visiting with Alexander McCall Smith’s characters! This is somewhat of a farce of police procedurals. Detective Ulf “the Wolf” Varg and his team certainly have “interesting” cases. There is no case too strange or confusing for this team. I particularly liked the case of the missing imaginary boyfriend!
LINK to my full review

Buried In a Good Book – Tamara Berry – 3***
First in a new cozy mystery series featuring Tess Harlow, a mystery-book author, who leaves Seattle for the Northwoods cabin she inherited from her grandfather. But before she can settle in a loud explosion results in a rain of dead fish and body parts. There’s no shortage of suspects, including “Bigfoot,” to keep both Sheriff Boyd and Tess busy. A fun, fast read.
LINK to my full review

Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson – 3.5***
A classic coming-of-age adventure tale set in the 18th century. Shiver me timbers, but this was good! There are intrigues, dangers, plots, mutinies, battles, and double-crosses galore to keep the reader engaged and turning pages. And if danger isn’t enough, there are the added lures of the tropics and of treasure. If the story line is somewhat farfetched, well, who cares. It’s fun and exciting.
LINK to my full review



(Sorry for the dump ... trying to post some of the books that I've read this year, so far, but that did NOT fit ATY for me - mostly because I had already filled prompts for which they fit. Maybe someone else will see a book that fits for them.)

Finished Stay Gold for a book about pride. Important book about being a transgender teen.

I just read: Seacrow Island is a delightful middle grade read by famous Swedish children’s author Astrid Lindgren. It is presumably set in the 1950s or the 1960s when it was written and takes place on an island in the Stockholm archipelago, off the coast of Sweden, where the Melkerson family go to spend their summer in a ramshackle cottage by the beach and have some adventures. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

You’re Not You – Michelle Wildgen – 4****
This was at times very difficult to read. I could see Bec identifying more and more with Kate, and Kate relying on Bec as one would a best friend rather than an employed helper. And yet, Kate, kept a certain distance, because only she could, after all, truly experience the debilitating and ultimately terminal condition that is ALS. It’s a great debut, and I’d be interested in reading more of her works.
LINK to my full review

Uncommon Type – Tom Hanks – 4****
The stories in this collection are connected in that each story features a typewriter in some way. The stories are varied, from tender romance to science fiction, to family drama. Some are contemporary, some historical, some set in the future. They vary, too, in the emotions they evoke: tenderness, humor, awe, compassion. Clearly, Hanks is a gifted writer, and I look forward to reading more of his works. I’d love to see what he does with a novel.
LINK to my full review

Book Concierge wrote: "

Uncommon Type
– Tom Hanks – 4****
The stories in this collection are connected in that each story features a typewriter in some way. The stories are varied, ..."

I hope to listen to this one sometime. Tom Hanks is such a wonderful narrator, I felt like he added a whole star to my rating of The Dutch House. And I really enjoyed his The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece.

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon – James Norbury – 4****
”Which is more important,” asked Big Panda, “the journey or the destination?”
“The company,” said Tiny Dragon
And so, two unlikely friends set off on a journey of discovery. They have no specific plan and go where life leads them over the course of four seasons. The story is told through Norbury’s wonderful drawings and the pair’s quiet conversations. There were times when I just sat and looked at one of those drawings and let my mind take me where it wanted. How refreshing!
LINK to my full review

They Called Us Enemy – George Takei – 4****
George Takei, best known as Lt Hikaru Sulu, science officer aboard the Spaceship Enterprise, recalls his childhood growing up in an internment camp after the US government required that even US-born persons of Japanese ancestry be treated as “enemy” during World War II. I found the graphic novel format really engaging and accessible. Becker’s illustrations were excellent; not too dark so it was still easy to read the text. The facial expressions she gave the characters really helped to convey the emotions they were feeling.
LINK to my full review

The Postscript Murders – Elly Griffiths – 3.5***
This is book two in the series featuring Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur, but it can easily be read as a stand alone. DS Kaur is “assisted” by three amateur sleuths: Natalka (Ukrainian immigrant and caretaker for the dead woman), Benjamin (former monk and now owner of a coffee shop), and Edwin (80-year-old neighbor of the deceased). This is the first book by Griffiths that I’ve read; it won’t be the last.
LINK to my full review

Book Concierge wrote: "

The Postscript Murders
– Elly Griffiths – 3.5***
This is book two in the series featuring Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur, but it can easily be read as..."

This series is one of my favourites! I've enjoyed all three books.

The Diving Pool – Yoko Ogawa – 4****
The subtitle calls them “three novellas”, but none is longer than 56 pages, so they are more accurately categorized as short stories. Regardless, I really enjoyed this collection; each was very different from the other two, but all dealt with relationships. It is the kind of literary fiction I love.
LINK to my full review

Rules Of Prey – John Sandford – 4****
There’s a serial killer on the loose in the Twin Cities. This is the first book in the Lucas Davenport series. He’s a lieutenant with the Minneapolis Police, and also a creator of computer games which have made him very wealthy. The “maddog” may be a very smart killer, but Davenport is smarter. Sandford is really skilled at writing a taut, suspenseful, psychological thriller. We always know the identity of the killer, so it’s not a typical mystery. But, boy oh boy, is this an exciting ride!
LINK to my full review

I just finished the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor and I feel like I'm coming up for after after binging the whole trilogy in a week!

I finished The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin and my head hurts. It's a classic sci-fi, explores themes more than tells a story, and it was hard to read.

I need to read something kinda fun and easy to recover, maybe even something stupid. Lol. Open for recommendations.

I just read the third book in the Bromance book club series and it was EXCELLENT. Highly recommend for good fluff.

Emily wrote: "I just read the third book in the Bromance book club series and it was EXCELLENT. Highly recommend for good fluff."

Thanks, Emily! Do I need to read the first two in the series?

They all standalone, since they are each about a different member of the same friend group, but... the second one probably would give you a bit of insight into the third one, but the second one was also my least favorite lol. The first one was great though so you could start there!

Echo Mountain – Lauren Wolk – 3.5***
Set during the Great Depression, Wolk’s novel shows the effects on one family when they lose their home in town and are forced to start over in a cabin on Echo Mountain. This is a lovely adventure story, focused on family, prejudice and discovery. Ellie is a great character – brave, tender, intelligent, resilient, eager to learn, open to new possibilities, and determined.
LINK to my full review

Better Nate Than Ever – Tim Federle – 3.5***
This was a wonderful coming-of-age story with a great big heart. Nate is a great kid – funny, intelligent, resourceful, brave. He has a chance at his dream, and he is going to go after it with all he’s got. The scenes are sometimes tender and sometimes a bit frightening, but there is also plenty of humor, and a sense of hope. Nate is so easy to cheer for. The book ends on a cliffhanger, setting up a sequel. Normally, I hate this device, but it was really the perfect ending for the book.
LINK to my full review