Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

This week we're off on a treasure hunt! What covers can you find with wings?

Some possible sources of wings: birds, insects, angels, airplanes, a wing of a building, bats, costumes, fairies, helicopters, pegasus, dragons, Icarus, paragliders, hang-gliders...
Books with wings on the cover https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

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

My choice will be made from these:

I’ve got:

dragons


airplanes


a lot of birds including but not limited to


and a wing devoid of identifying origin

I like this prompt.

I am reading:


and

I plan to read Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein. It’s on the 2023 Booker shortlist and the Scotiabank Giller longlist.

This was one of my favourite prompts, I love the treasure hunt cover prompts. I could've gone for:



but in the end I chose The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard:

Here are a few I've read and would recommend



(she is sitting on the wing)

My plan for this prompt is When the Angels Left the Old Country



This is the book that inspired me to suggest this prompt! I hope it's good...

If by chance it isn't going well, I may go with The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, which has a close-up of a wing.

I think I'm going to try Me: Moth but we'll see if I can hold off and not read it before 2024 starts.

i think i am going to go with

Going through my physical books, I discarded anything that was just a bird sitting (surprising lot of those!) and went just for ones where you can see the wings properly. So possibles are:

I plan to read

I plan to read Strange the Dreamer for this prompt. I chose this book because the main character has the same name as one of the sims from the Sims 2 and I like the idea of an author writing his backstory. (I have no idea if the idea actually came from the Sims.) In addition, one of my favourite Booktubers said that this is one of her favourite books. I don't really know what to expect. Can anyone who has read this book recommend it?

I will be reading Flying Angels by Danielle Steel. It is about flight nurses in WW2

This is the book I picked for this prompt

short and sweet review: 5.0
This book captivated me—I almost gave in at first, but the hype kept me listening. Once I delved deeper, I was drawn to Stevie and Zander, and their quest for acceptance. Zander's behavior frustrated me, yet I'm relieved his family problems found resolution.

I'm going to read The Mists of Avalon which I started but did not finish last year. There is a swan in the corner with wings

I'm working through ACOTR and do we think its fair to use A Court of Wings and Ruin here? There aren't physical wings on the cover but the actual word 'wings' is.

I just finished this one - part of a great series so far, and pretty much all the books could be used: Throne of Jade


It's sort of historical fantasy about the Napoleonic War and the world at that time, except with dragons! And the relationships between the dragons and their captains are so amazing and heartwarming.

I am currently reading the Booker Prize for 2023 which satisfies this prompt: All The Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow.

I read Fire & Blood for this topic. Although, it's the other cover that has wings on it.



Here it is:

I plan to read , Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker.

Title: Night Flight
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
How it fits the prompt: airplane wings on cover
Rating: 3.5*
Also fits: #1 title ends in A,T or Y; #5 set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities (Buenos Aires, Argentina); #15 author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX); #29 related to air; #33 involving travel; #46 related to night


It's only 87 pages if you want a short book.

The Night Circusbut I don't recommend this book.

I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy The Night Circus Ashley. I remember really enjoying it when I read it several years ago. I only really recall the scenes in the circus near the end, but they were magical. I wonder how I’d like it now as I think I’m a bit of a different reader from then.

I thought it was way too long and the wasn't much of a point but to even get to the point the story was so drawn out. I tried it but it wasn't for me. I typically read mystery thriller so ther wasn't enough to really hold my attention.

I thought there was too much about what people were eating and wearing, making it longer than it needed to be

I probably read it (The Night Circus) 12 years ago, so maybe it’s like child birth and you sort of forget the hard parts…?

OMG.

If you're still looking for a title - can I suggest this one? I just finished it (a bonus read for this prompt, unplanned just serendipitous).

Little Exiles by Robert Dinsdale

My pick for my January best book!

I read First Person by Richard Flanagan for this prompt. (Read 24th Jan; 4*)

Reread The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Didn't like it as much this time around and had a harder time getting into it than the first time.

The Harpy - Megan Hunter
That one was my worst book 2024 so far and for the first time I thought about quitting a book.
It sounds quite exciting, the revenge of a betrayed wife on her husband.
But there are so many confusing parts where she talks about this Harpy thing that she already admired when she was a child.
The end is even more confusing.

For non-fiction readers, I suggest . Lots of information and a good read!

I was surprised that I had a bit of a hard time finding something for this prompt. I ended up reading The Tourist Attraction, there is a airplane in the sky and its wings are visible. It was a fun enough read but pretty forgettable.

I would recommend:
Now You See Us
The Reckless Oath We Made
Drowning

I read:
Nighthawk's Wing by Charles Fergus

BIO: Title includes a "winged" object

Finished: 01/27/2024
Rating: 4 stars

I read Weyward by Emilia Hart. A 4 star read for me

I read Victory Disc which has an aeroplane and birds on the cover.

It is a while since I read the first 2 in this series but a treat to come back to it

I read Round Up the Usual Peacocks. This is the 31st book in Donna Andrews's long running Meg Langslow cozy mystery series. All the books reference birds in their titles. The main character in this cozy mystery series is a blacksmith with a penchant for solving crime. Lots of hi-jinks with her larger extended family and in her small college town.

For this prompt, I read:


The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar - 3* - My Review

Amy wrote: " I read Round Up the Usual Peacocks. This is the 31st book in Donna Andrews's long running Meg Langslow cozy mystery s..."

I’m using an earlier book from the series for this prompt, Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon.

Heather L wrote: "Amy wrote: " I read Round Up the Usual Peacocks. This is the 31st book in Donna Andrews's long running Meg Langslow co..."

My book was from this series also!

How about "Legend" by Marie Lu? Looks like a military wings pin -kinda?

I read Disoriental by Négar Djavadi for this prompt. It was really good.

I read

Sherri wrote: "I read "

I loved that book!!!

I read Fourth Wing too. It was fun at first, but questionable later on. The love interests were toxic.

Misty wrote: "I read Disoriental by Négar Djavadi for this prompt. It was really good.
"

Good to hear. I want to try this one too.

I read The Astonishing Color of After. I liked the book but not quite as much as I loved the cover. I also re-read an old favorite - This is How You Lose the Time War

I'm reading a doorstopper - The Bee Sting by Paul Murray.

I finished Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan yesterday and woah, what a story!

My romanian edition also has wings on the cover:

I'm doing the challenge three times. Once with fiction, once with non-fiction, and once with picture books.
I've finished wings on the cover with all three.

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott

The Language of Butterflies: How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists, and Other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World's Favorite Insect by Wendy Williams

On Wings of Words: The Extraordinary Life of Emily Dickinson by Jennifer Berne