Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Use this thread to discuss how you finished August, what your plans are for September, and your progress throughout the month!

A lot is going on this month so I'm not quite sure how much reading I'll get done, but I've got some very exciting reads coming up! Here are the ones I hope to get through:

1. The Strings of Murder by Oscar De Muriel (currently reading)
2. The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian
3. The Dragon and the Pearl by Jeannie Lin
4. The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian
5. Neon Gods by Katee Robert
6. A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian
7. Unknown by Jordan L Hawk
8. We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
9. Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall
10. Off Base by Annabeth Albert

I just finished A Company of Swans by Austrian author Eva Ibbotson is a historical rom-com set in England and Brazil 1912, featuring a strict Cambridge professor's daughter Harriet who runs away to join a ballet company performing in the Amazon. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

The Moon Sister by Northern Irish author Lucinda Riley is the fifth book in The Seven Sisters series, featuring the adopted daughters of Pa Salt, each named after one of the stars in the Pleiades. This is Tiggy’s story (Taygete) and shifts between her life on the Kinnaird estate in the Scottish highlands and the story of her Gitano (gypsy) ancestors in Spain. Here is my review

I’m on track to finish the challenge by the end of the year. I started a list of books to read in September and somehow I’m at 14! So, this is now my list for Sept-Nov! I’m currently reading El túnel (in Spanish) by Ernesto Sabato for #8 author’s debut book and The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa for #16 Book set in a different century (20th). I plan to start In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez for #45 author w more than 7 books published. I just ordered several books at our local indie bookstore’s big sale this week so I’m excited to start reading those in October!

The Distant Hours is a historical fiction with a deliciously gothic feel by award-winning Australian author Kate Morton, featuring a decaying castle, three ancient sisters, a missing man, the mythical story of the Mud Man and a host of secrets. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review (AA)

My only set in stone plan is to read Holly by Stephen King the minute it is released! :) :) :) :) :)

Midnight Howl – Clare Hutton – 3.5***
This is the fifth entry in the Poison Apple series of middle-school books dealing with various paranormal phenomena. Each book can easily be read as a stand-alone work, however. I’m not a great fan of paranormal genre, but this one is light on the paranormal and focuses more on the relationships between the kids. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. At its core, this is a story of friendship, loyalty and compassion.
LINK to my full review

Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky – Sandra Dallas – 3.5***
In this novel, suitable for middle-school children, Dallas focuses on one Japanese-American family and their experiences inside the WW2-era internment camp near Ellis, Colorado. Dallas deals well with this episode of USA’s history. She shows how ill-equipped the camps were for the influx of residents, and details the efforts made by the Japanese-Americans to improve the conditions, and form their own governing groups within the camps. I liked how she showed the different attitudes and coping mechanisms that people employed.
LINK to my full review

Non-challenge recent reading:


I read the first in this series a good while back, so thought I'd try another. This time around I found Ms Dalhousie rather annoying, disagreeing with her big 'moral moment' so didn't enjoy the book as much as anticipated. It would work obviously for 'school subject in the title', and also for book set in a city of literature.


A look at the effect of climate change on the seasons, mainly in the English Peak District. The author's sense of loss over the seasons is matched by problems with his own fertility. Much more readable than it sounds and beautifully written.


A look at the history of a great Tudor family. I liked the way the author organised her text, so the book didn't read as 'and then, and then, and then...'. I was more familiar with the later parts of the book, so the beginning was more interesting for me, particularly the almost protection racket run by Henry VII to raise revenue!


I was gripped by this - a brilliant bit of writing.


A dual timeline story involving racism, misogyny (and rape) and guilt. The writing was enough to keep the pages turning, but the revelations towards the end were not that surprising.

This is the first month that I don't really have any plans on what I'm going to read... and I don't like it lol. I hate making decisions, especially when my TBR is overwhelming! I started A River Enchanted this morning and I have Caraval on audio. Hopefully the fantasy worlds are different enough that I don't get them confused lol.

This is my September reading plan.
Currently reading, hope to finish:
1. The Song of Achilles - for another GR group
2. The Five Love Languages of Children - nonfic read

3. Ink Blood Sister Scribe - 2023 release
4. Dark Matter - felt like starting a thriller

TBR:
5. The Heart's Invisible Furies - ATY
6. Frenchman's Creek - ATY

7. Nettle & Bone - for The Hidden Library
8. Last Argument of Kings - just because

9. Going Solo - sequel read
10. Broken Islands - ATY

I only have four more books to read for ATY, but there are so many books I want to read that won't fit the challenge anymore. I'll probably finish my ATY challenge next month.

The Lifeboat – Charlotte Rogan – 3.5***
In the summer of 1914, newly married Grace Winter and her husband Henry, set sail from London back to America. But after an explosion aboard ship, Grace is hurried aboard a lifeboat that is over capacity. As days go by with no sign of rescue it becomes clear that not all (if any) will survive. Grace is not a completely reliable narrator. There are times when I felt Grace was a weak woman content to let the wind blow her where it will. And other times when I felt she was manipulative and scheming. But then again, we have only Grace’s word for what happened.

Say When – Elizabeth Berg – 3***
I love how Berg writes about relationships. There are a lot of ups and downs here as the characters navigate the aftermath of one partner’s stated wish for a divorce. Griffin is the narrator, so we get less of Ellen’s thinking than of his. There are some heartbreaking scenes, and some very humorous ones (Griffin deciding to get a part-time job as a mall Santa leads to many of these).
LINK to my full review

Aya: Love in Yop City is the next installment of the YA graphic novel series by Ivorian author Marguerite Abouet. Set in Côte d’Ivoire in the 1970s it follows the loves and heartbreaks of Aya and her friends, while giving you insight into this part of Africa.⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

Within days of posting my plan, my plan changed, of course! I bought The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll, a book I was looking to buy since my library doesn't have it, which I am almost done with. It fits perfectly for the prompt #6- a book where books are important since the narrator is an author writing a biography about his favorite children's author. I also started listening to Patina by Jason Reynolds for the Spice Girl prompt (whew, I was struggling with that one!) and it also works for 2 of the Fall Challenge prompts (orange cover and athlete).

The Redgum River Retreat is a dual timeline historical fiction by Sandie Docker set in Tasmania in the 1940s and contemporary times. It deals with the wartime Snapshots from Home project, selective mutism and the healing power of music. Here is my review

Didn't finish many in August, but ALMOST done with:
Killers of the Flower Moon


In September will read:
The Odyssey
No One is Talking About This
the Librarianist
Is Everyone Hanging Without Me?
and maybe Girlhood

The Perfume Thief – Timothy Schaffert – 4****
This was a marvelous heist caper thriller, featuring interesting characters, several twists and turns and the atmosphere of Paris on the verge of world war. I found it fascinating and exciting and when it was over, I wanted to start it again to catch what I’m sure I must have missed.
LINK to my full review

Old Bones – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Childs – 3***
First book of the Nora Kelly series. An expedition to find the “Lost Camp” of the infamous Donner Party goes awry quickly. The body count rises as a major spring storm threatens to strand the expedition members. Preston and Childs are great thriller writers. They keep the reader turning pages with short sentences and chapters. I really liked Nora and will read more of this series.
LINK to my full review

Marmee - Sarah Miller - 4.5*

This is the story of Little Women from the point of view of the mother - Marmee. I often resist retellings because what is the point when you know the story? But this book adds backstory and details, some from the life of the real Marmee - Abigail May Alcott. The author does an excellent job of capturing the style and vocabulary of the time. For fans of Little Women, it's interesting to see the incidents from a different angle, or from offstage. The author also points out in an Afterword how Louisa May Alcott toned down and prettied up both her parents. She made her father, a radical philosopher, into a respected minister, and sent him away for a large part of the book. This book centers him more and shows the disregard for material things, money, and following customs that the real Mr. Alcott had. It's not easy to be the wife of a man like that and to manage a household. The real Marmee had much the same tendency to anger as her daughter Louisa. One more thing, reading the ending of Beth's story from her mother's point of view, and having lost my own daughter, Marmee's decision to enjoy Beth as much as she could toward the end really resonated with me.

It wasn't till a few years ago that someone pointed out that, living in the Boston area, the family would have pronounced the name not Mar-Mee, but Mah-mee/Mommy! And according to local experts, he real family pronounced their last name not Al-Cot but All-Cut.

I have DNF'd as many books as I've finished this month so it hasn't been great (though the DNFs were both audio that didn't click with me). But I did finish A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless and they were so, so good. Highly recommend if you're looking for some clean (no trigger warning) fantasy that is beautifully written.

Ander & Santi Were Here – Jonny Garza Villa – 3***
This is a YA gay romance featuring two very likeable young men facing serious life decisions. Oh, the intensity of young love. The passion and fierceness of the feelings. I really liked these two young men. My only complaint: the language here (significant use of the ‘F’ bomb) and the sexual content seem more adult than YA. It’s a beautifully told love story, but Villa could have done it with much less swearing and graphic sex.
LINK to my full review

The Good Thief’s Guide to Paris – Charles Ewan – 3***
Book two in the Good Thief mystery series, has author and thief Charlie Howard in the City of Lights. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one fell flat for me. Oh, I still like Charlie and I like the way he thinks. I enjoyed the introduction of Victoria, his agent; she really added a lot to this episode. One thing I expect of mysteries is that the conclusion answers all my questions, and this one did not. Though he did set up the next in the series rather nicely, so I’ll probably read more.
LINK to my full review

The Viscount Who Loved Me – Julia Quinn – 4****
Book two in the Bridgerton series focuses on Anthony. This is a typical Regency romance. It’s so hot between the pages that the current August heat wave feels positively cool. Devilishly handsome, and very rich, gentleman meets and seduces a chaste and vulnerable young woman. Sparks fly. Multiple orgasms are had. True love results. What’s not to like? A quick read that sets my pulse racing. Perfect escape.
LINK to my full review

Emily wrote: "I have DNF'd as many books as I've finished this month so it hasn't been great (though the DNFs were both audio that didn't click with me). But I did finish A River Enchanted and [b..."

I am currently reading A River Enchanted. My son got it for me last Christmas. Unfortunately, I am a substitute teacher, and I left it at a school a couple of weeks ago. I finally got a chance to go by there this morning, so I am reading it again. I'm almost 2/3rds of the way through it. It was a rough start, but after a handful of chapters it started to get much better. I am really enjoying it now. I'm going to try and finish it up in the next couple of days - the weekend at least.

Rosemary – Kate Clifford Larson – 4****
Subtitle: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter. Intent on building a political dynasty, Joe and Rose Kennedy insisted on keeping their oldest daughter’s intellectual and developmental delays a secret from all but a few close friends. Larson does a fine job of detailing Rosemary’s life, and that of the Kennedy family. Their ups, downs, successes and tragedies have been chronicled frequently, but little has been known about Rosemary.
LINK to my full review

Pam wrote: "I’m on track to finish the challenge by the end of the year. I started a list of books to read in September and somehow I’m at 14!

I home you enjoy In the Time of the Butterflies, I loved that book.

Bombay Time – Thirty Umrigar – 4****
Umrigar’s debut novel focuses on the residents of a particular middle-class apartment building in Bombay. Umrigar’s writing is full of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of this vibrant community. Several scenes are shockingly brutal – abject poverty, violence, pestilence. And then there are scenes of loving tenderness – a new baby, a man’s love for his wife, the devotion between a mother and daughter.
LINK to my full review

Joanne wrote: "I hope you enjoy In the Time of the Butterflies..."

Thank you Joanne for the encouragement! When I bought the book, I didn't realize that it's based on a true story, which makes it much more interesting to me! I need a purple covered book for a challenge in another group so I want to read this one this year.

I liked The Land of Laughs (debut novel) so much that I looked for another book at the library by the same author, Jonathan Carroll, and only found one, his most recent Mr. Breakfast so I read that. Interestingly enough, he had some tie-ins to his first book, which was published 43 years earlier! I'm also reading In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel, an easier way to experience Proust. But even in graphic novel form, it's still long!

A Girl Called Eel is an unusual stream of consciousness story written by Comorian author Ali Zamir in which a shipwrecked teenage girl in Comoros recounts her life story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

The Lake House by Australian author Kate Morton is a beautifully written, slow and luxurious book with a ruined house in Cornwall, a mystery reaching back to the 1930s and some well fleshed out characters. Here is my review

Debesa, the story of Frank and Katie Rodriguez is a memoir by Nigena (Nyikina) woman Cindy Solonec about her family’s life on a sheep station in the remote West Kimberley region of Western Australia. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review (AA)

The Paris Daughter – Kristin Harmel – 3***
There are a number of historical threads woven into this melodrama: the Nazis penchant for stealing art, the role of the French Resistance, the many Jewish families who sent their children into hiding, and the post-traumatic stress survivors had to deal with. In general, Harmel’s story kept me interested, but I thought the writing was just okay. I guessed the central plot point VERY early in the book and noticed the foreshadowing as a result.
LINK to my full review

Joanne wrote: "I home you enjoy In the Time of the Butterflies, I loved that book."

Me, too! It was fabulous. If you liked that one, I would recommend Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras.

All the Days of Summer – Nancy Thayer – 3***
A novel that explores what a woman’s “second act” might look like. Like most of Thayer’s novels, this feature a woman in her middle years, finding new purpose as her children are leaving the nest. Heather Willette rents a cottage on Nantucket for the summer to think on what her next chapter of life might look like. But, of course, there are bumps in the road. Will everything work out? Well, there are no pretty ribbons tied around a perfect ending here, but there is positive movement and hope for a splendid future. A totally enjoyable read.
LINK to my full review

Misty wrote: "Joanne wrote: "I home you enjoy In the Time of the Butterflies, I loved that book."

Me, too! It was fabulous. If you liked that one, I would recommend Fruit of the Drunken Tree by ..."

YES to both these books!

Thank you Misty and Book Concierge for the recommendation! I have that book on my TBR along with her memoir The Man Who Could Move Clouds.

Finished the challenge yesterday with Vampires of El Norte for #10 - related to the spice girls' personalities (scary). It was a bit more heavy on the romance than I expected, but I quite enjoyed it!

Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan – 5*****
Gosh but Keegan packs a lot into a small volume! There is not a wasted word or extraneous thought. Furlong’s inner struggle is evident in the way he behaves and the things he thinks about as he walks the streets of town on a snowy evening. When he makes his decision, he acts on it, deliberately, quietly, resolutely. He is confident he is in the right, and that gives him some comfort despite the possible (probable) consequences.
LINK to my full review

Pam wrote: "Thank you Misty and Book Concierge for the recommendation! I have that book on my TBR along with her memoir The Man Who Could Move Clouds."

I hadn't heard about that one yet. I am putting it on my TBR as well.

No clear winner yet on the best book of the month but still holding onto hope. I've only read 3 4-star books this month out of 35 so far.

Bonded by Thorns
Woven by Gold
Happiness Falls

A Curious Beginning – Deanna Raybourn – 4****
Book number one in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series, set in Victorian England. Veronica is quite the heroine! An independent woman with a healthy appetite (and attitude) regarding her own “physical needs” and a no-nonsense approach to solving problems. Veronica doesn’t need much but her wits, her butterfly net, and a sharp hatpin, but she forms a partnership with the enigmatic “Stoker.” I look forward to more books in the series to see how their relationship fares.
LINK to my full review

I've finished more books this month (9, including 1 picture book) than probably any month I've been on GR! I'm hoping to finish 1 more. The last 3 all fit into my ATY52 challenge:

1) The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills. I found it while looking for Canadian authors and used it for the Ghost prompt.
2) The Next Sure Thing by Ojibwe Canadian author Richard Wagamese Library hold that came in which I forgot that I placed. I used it for 1 of 3 centuries (21st) prompt.
3) All Russians Love Birch Trees by Olga Grjasnowa. I found this title on the Are You Well Read in World Lit? list and special ordered it. Many of the books on that list are not readily available in the US. This is a good one if you are interested in an immigrant's story. It's set in Germany and Israel. Used for #8 Author's debut book.

Currently reading Ascension by Nicholas Binge for #51 book published in 2023 and Apex Magazine Issue 126: Indigenous Futurists. I might cheat and try to fit the magazine into one of my remaining prompts, depending on what the stories are about. I've heard of Afrofuturism but never Indigenous Futurists so I'm curious!

The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris – 5*****
In his debut work, Harris explores rural Georgia shortly after the end of the Civil War, when slaves had been emancipated and Union soldiers moved in to enforce the terms of surrender and “reconstruct” the South. Full of complex characters and gripping scenes that move the plot forward, this is a marvelous debut. Harris explores moral dilemmas and the difficulties of trying to do the right thing against a post-war upheaval and tension. He gives us characters with strong principles who can be blind to their flaws, some of whom overcome and some who give in to those weaknesses.
LINK to my review

The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov is the tragicomic story of a group of Moldovans trying to leave their country and find their way to Italy using a variety of increasingly ludicrous means. Here is my review

War and Turpentine is a poetic novelisation by Flemish Belgium author Stefan Hertmans of his grandfather’s life as an artist and a soldier in WWI. Here ismy review

Fish Soup by Colombian author Margarita García Robayo is a collection of gritty short stories about life, families and relationships in Colombia. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

I have been reading a lot of fantasy work by women authors. I was really disheartened to hear what a nasty person Marion Zimmer Bradley was, but her children who were also her victims are in charge or her estate, so I don't feel too bad about them receiving the money for her work. I finally started The Mists of Avalon which I have wanted to read forever. I'm really glad I didn't read it years ago though because I would really not wanted to have supported her. I am really enjoying the book.

Weird question - when I click on a thread and read it and then go back to the main page, it is showing that none of the messages are read. It was not doing that before. Is this happening to anyone else? I am really hoping it is just a weird glitch in the system that will be resolved because I really like that I can look over the page and at a glance see what I have not read.

Yes, it's a glitch in the system today. You can use the notification bell to check for new messages in the meantime.