Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Happy November! I can't even believe we are here.

Drop your books read in October, your plans for November, and let us discuss here!

My loose plans for next month are:

1: On Point by Annabeth Albert (just about to start!)
2: The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham
3: Wheels Up by Annabeth Albert
4: A Killing in November by Simon Mason (Did I delay reading this until November because of the title? Yes, yes I did)
5: Squared Away by Annabeth Albert
6: My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin
7: Tight Quarters by Annabeth Albert
8: A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K.J. Charles
9: Rough Terrain by Annabeth Albert
10: Good Man Friday by Barbara Hambly

We'll see how this goes. I don't really like the winter, so I end up not reading much over it! But hopefully this year I'll buck the trend...

Hoping to tackle these, along with making my first NaNoWriMo attempt in several years--

Print/ebook:
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez
Black Tie Required by Craig Schaefer
The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow
Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson

Audio:
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather by Mark Seal
Sistersong by Lucy Holland

I feel very loosey goosey with my reading plans, and it's frankly annoying me to have to decide what to read now that I'm done with the ATY challenge lol.

Some definite reads for November:
BOTM: Again and Again by Jonathan Evison
Book Club: The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
Currently Reading: The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
12 Friends Rec: Still Life by Sarah Winman
12 Friends Rec: The Days of Afrekete by Asali Solomon

Additionally, I have these checked out from the library, in anticipation of the Tournament of Books list:
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
The Unfortunates by J.K. Chukwu
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane

I certainly won't read all of these, especially because my print reading has been SO SLOW. But we will see...

@Emily, are those books ones you think will be on the list for the tournament? I am not sure how it works.

Me either. I’ve only just recently heard of Tournament of Books, and coming in after it’s over makes it hard to figure out. Emily, is there a good source for understanding this?

Ashley Marie wrote: "Sistersong by Lucy Holland"

I'm reading this one right now. I'm not very far in, but I am enjoying it. It was a Christmas gift last year from one of my kiddos.

My plans for the month:

1. All's Well (character with a disability) Almost half done and November hasn't started
2. The Book of Cold Cases (recipe word) - I hope receipes use the word "cold" and this isn't a cheat on my part.
3. Alvin Journeyman - last series book of 2023 (W award prompt)
4. Doctor Zhivago (I don't think there are any ATY prompts that fit, but I still want to read it.)

Tracy wrote: "Me either. I’ve only just recently heard of Tournament of Books, and coming in after it’s over makes it hard to figure out. Emily, is there a good source for understanding this?"

They release a long list in November, then a shortlist in December. People do make guesses about what will be on these lists, but there are always surprises! The tournament itself happens in March.

Tracy wrote: "Me either. I’ve only just recently heard of Tournament of Books, and coming in after it’s over makes it hard to figure out. Emily, is there a good source for understanding this?"

Anastasia wrote: "@Emily, are those books ones you think will be on the list for the tournament? I am not sure how it works."

@tracy @anastasia
There is a GR group focused on the ToB. They will post the lists when they become available. They have links to the official pages, but they also have their own tournament of favorites. I enjoy reading their discussions. (I lurk when my other groups slow down.) I added a handful of the Tob books to my 2023 ATY plan, some that I hadn’t seen on any other lists. I was happy with most of them, and I’ll do the same for 2024.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Thanks for that link, NancyJ. Last year was the first year I was super intentional about reading (most of) the list. They always have a few curveballs -- last year there were two books with only a couple hundred reviews and they weren't available at my library.

These books I listed are books that I found on a GR listopia as possibilities for the list, and others said they were worth reading.

We have a thread here that followed the 2023 list, and I'll start a thread for 2024 when we have the longlist posted! https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

NancyJ wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Me either. I’ve only just recently heard of Tournament of Books, and coming in after it’s over makes it hard to figure out. Emily, is there a good source for understanding this?"

Ana..."

Thank you for the link NancyJ! From what I gathered poking around on this group's page, it looks like ToB is a bracketing "game", similar to the first episode of the month for Book Riot's podcast 'First Edition', but they do a bracket for new releases of the month and determine their guess at a winner before they even read the books — correct? Sample: https://bookriot.com/listen/october-2...

I finished 10 books in October, which is remarkable for me! My favorite was a reread of the Norwegian/American classic Giants in the Earth by O. E. Rölvaag. I’m sure I read this in high school, over 40 years ago. For November, I plan to read 2 more classics: Green Mansions by William Henry Hudson and Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring. I’m also finishing the audiobook Hoot by Carl Hiassen. (I would’ve finished it last night but I fell asleep!) I’ve decided to not worry about challenges in other groups, even though I could finish them. It’s just not that important. I’m happy reading whatever appeals to me at the moment!

Tracy wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Me either. I’ve only just recently heard of Tournament of Books, and coming in after it’s over makes it hard to figure out. Emily, is there a good source for understand..."

Sort of, Tracy, except for the Tournament, they have a guest judge who reads the two books facing off that day and choose the one that will progress. They write a commentary, then all the judges weigh in as well. Each day, two books face off. It's really fun if you've read all of the books and have your own opinions on it.

It's Nonfiction November month so I'm pulling from this pile of possibilities:
The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight (currently reading)
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy
Poverty, by America
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them
Testament of Youth

Testament of Youth is the group read for a BookTube group called World War November. I don't have time to read more than a few book for the prompts but the one that intrigued me was reading colonial WWI fiction. I'll be reading David Diop's At Night All Blood Is Black (also fulfills the 193 countries Sengal prompt). I'm looking forward to watching the movie based on Testament of Youth.

I have 4? books left for the ATY challenge. That's what I'll do in December.

Velvet Was the Night – Silvia Moreno-Garcia – 4****
This is the third book by Moreno-Garcia that I’ve read and by far my favorite. In this work she does NOT include paranormal, horror, or magical realism elements. Rather she writes a wonderful noir crime novel based on historical events in Mexico, with interesting characters, multiple twists and turns in the plot and an unlikely partnership that I’d love to see again.
LINK to my full review

October reads:
The Cat Who Saved Books
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Good House
Olga Dies Dreaming
The Midnight Library (re-read)
Wrong Place Wrong Time
Bookshop by The Sea

November:
Yellowface
Before We Were Yours
Hamnet
A Single Man
Parable of the Talents
Before Your Memory Fades

Push – Sapphire – 5*****
Precious Jones is a young pregnant black teenager, who is functionally illiterate and the product of an abusive home. But Precious has a fierce determination to care for the baby growing inside her and to better her life. The issues raised are horrific and difficult to read about and process. Brava to Sapphire for highlighting the plight of young people such as her protagonist. The writing is raw and brutal; the story is gripping and inspiring. My heart broke for Precious, even as I cheered her on.
LINK to my full review

Well, I'm on track for finishing my reading challenges but I definitely have a few hard prompts still left. I think I'm going to try to grab some shorter stuff so I can burn through a few potentially easier things in case some stuff doesn't work or doesn't come from the library on time, etc. Plus I'd really like to finish this year's challenge so I can let myself plan next years!

Ursula Under – Ingrid Hill – 3***
I don’t remember why I put this on my TBR list, though I suspect it was a recommendation from my local indie bookseller back in 2004. Having finally read it, I wonder why I kept it on the list for so long. Hill does have some strikingly original and beautifully written passages in the book. And those fed my love of literary fiction and kept me turning pages, hoping for more of this. But it was a slog to get through. It took me over a month to finish it, because I kept putting it aside for other books that required less brain power to enjoy.
LINK to my full review

Feelings: A Story in Seasons – Manjit Thapp – 4****
What a lovely and remarkable graphic novel! Thapp explores one young woman’s feelings over the course of a year, from the highs of a sunny summer day to the doldrums of a gray winter. The artwork is beautiful and evocative. The text is spare and poetic.
LINK to my full review

(This would work for 2023 prompt 38: Sun moon or stars on cover)


How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love With the Universe – Raquel Vasquez Gilliland – 3***
This is a pretty typical enemies-to-friends-to-lovers scenario. It’s also a YA coming-of-age book that deals with bullying, body-image, and self-confidence. The up-and-down, on-and-off romance drove me a little crazy, but it’s part of the package for this genre. At least Gilliland had the couple get to know each other over several months before they acted on their attraction.
LINK to my full review

(Would fit 2023 prompt 45: By an author who has published more than 7 books.)


The Children’s Blizzard – Melanie Benjamin – 3***
Benjamin is known for writing novelized “biographies” of historical figures (usually women) who have been under-represented (or completely ignored) by history. This time, she turns her attention of an historical event, the blizzard of 1888 that caught residents of the great plains completely unawares, and invents the characters to populate the story. She focused on two sisters, both schoolteachers, who took different approaches which resulted in dramatically different outcomes. Unfortunately for Benjamin, I had previously read David Laskin’s nonfiction account of the same blizzard, and this work fell short of that excellent read.
LINK to my full review

I just finished my first book of November (it's been a doozy of a month already!) and I don't know how any book will top it. Yerba Buena was so surprising and wonderful!

I just started Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. These big fantasy/adventure/romance series are hit or miss with me but I had a lot of fun reading Fourth Wing, and we’re reading about dragons in another group. I think Dragons are to this generation what Vampires were to mine.

My entire Goodreads feed was Iron Flame yesterday lol. I haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, but I have a few friends that I trust that assure me I will love it, so I think that will be a 2024 read for me (mostly because the library holds are LONG).

The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller – 4****
Miller turns her remarkable talent to Greek mythology in this retelling of events leading up to and including the Trojan War. The novel is narrated by Petroclus, a young prince who has been exiled to the court of King Peleus, where he meets Achilles. Of course, I knew the basic storyline of the Trojan War going into the book, but Miller makes this such an intimate tale that I felt I was first hearing this story. There are two young men learning about life, honor, duty, and love. I was initially taken aback by Miller’s choice to have Petroclus narrate the tale, but I quickly came to love his point of view.
LINK to my full review

Emily wrote: "My entire Goodreads feed was Iron Flame yesterday lol. I haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, but I have a few friends that I trust that assure me I will love it, so I think that will be a 2024 rea..."

My daughter and I have been devouring the new book since yesterday morning. She's almost done. I am about 2/3 through. I love it, love it, love it!!!!!

Ripley Under Ground – Patricia Highsmith – 3***
This is book two in the series, featuring psychopath Tom Ripley. Highsmith was a talented writer, and she could craft a chilling psychological thriller. In the first Ripley book we met a charming, somewhat socially inept, closeted gay young man with ambition. But THIS Ripley is a drudge. Still, lies and killing come naturally to him. As the bodies pile up and investigators get closer to the truth, Ripley’s ability to charm his way out of things is taxed to the max. By the end, he seems to be completely unraveling, The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. But I suspect Highsmith just ran out of steam and decided to stop.
LINK to my full review

I just finished Beartown by Fredrik Backman and I am DONE with the ATY challenge! 🥳🥳🥳 I'm putting this down for the prompt "A book by an author from continental Europe" which is a somewhat loose interpretation of the prompt (since Sweden isn't always considered part of "continental Europe", but anyway...)

Gave it 4 stars. It was good, really heavy, with a few shining moments from the characters, but I found the pacing so slowww. I'm still going to continue with the series and excited to see what will happen to the hockey club. I enjoyed A Man Called Ove better than this one.

Congrats Bana! What an excellent way to end the challenge! My favorite of the series was The Winners, so you're in for a treat.

The Good Guy – Dean Koontz – 4****
Tim is an average guy having a beer when he’s mistaken for a hit man, and given an envelope with cash, a photo and an address. Minutes later the real hit man shows up and mistakes Tim for the man who is hiring him to commit the murder. Then things get really complicated. This thriller just grabbed me. I could not figure out why this woman was targeted, and why the killer was so relentless in his pursuit. Several of the close calls stretch credulity, but Koontz kept me turning pages to see what would happen next.
LINK to my full review

Finished Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism
I've been reading and watching things in the last few years that link Waco to Oklahoma City to Columbine. This is the first book that has linked OKC to more recent events. While I could see links from other things I've read and watched, this went a little deeper. Most of the book I found it annoying that the author kept dropping in comparisons to January 6 while talking about McVeigh. It took me out of the narrative of McVeigh. The last 50 pages or so it didn't bother me. But during the rest of the book is what took this from 5 stars to 4. Maybe readers in later years won't mind it because it won't seem so obvious after some time.

Prompt 35. A school subject in the title


Lessons In Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus – 4****
Elizabeth Zott is a chemist, but in 1960s America her intellect is not valued, which is how she winds up hosting a TV cooking show. This is basically a fairytale, with many improbable coincidences and a strong heroine. I loved it. Now, excuse me while I sharpen my pencils.
LINK to my full review

Fits prompt 42 . Related to a ghost, spirit, phantom or spectre.


The Haunting Season – Bridget Collins, et al – 3.5***
Subtitle: Eight Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights. I enjoy short stories. I marvel at how much a talented author can cram into them. No wasted words. No over-the-top exposition. No cast of thousands. In this case they are, as the title hints, “haunting” tales featuring ghosts, monsters, witches, and evil spirits. All are set during winter months, with several being set around Christmas. But there is no holiday cheer here. They are Spooky with a capital ‘S’!
LINK to my full review

The Tournament of books longlist is out.
https://www.tournamentofbooks.com/the...

Here is the listopia for the 58 books on the longlist.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

I only read 2 books so far, and I loved them both.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
Hello Beautiful

I want to start with:
Birnam Wood
Wellness Nathan Hill
Mobility
Open Throat - I’m taking a big chance with this one

There are many others that look interesting. What do you want to read or recommend?

NancyJ, I'm going to start a thread for it!

There’s a new category for the Goodreads awards this year, Romantasy. I originally was excited because I love them, but am disappointed with the options as some of them I don’t think count. Like I LOVE Fourth Wing. But Romantasy it is not.

I finished ATY at the weekend with Starling House for birds/bees/bunnies. I've really slowed down reading these past two months so I'm happy to have my main challenges done. Now I can read anything I want! But also now I can read anything so it's hard to choose what to read next...

Congrats Ellie! I'm specifically doing the challenge in order next year so that I don't finish too early and have to spend time trying to decide what to read lol

Alicia wrote: "There’s a new category for the Goodreads awards this year, Romantasy. I originally was excited because I love them, but am disappointed with the options as some of them I don’t think count. Like I ..."

I had never heard of Romantasy, but it seems to me Fourth Wing combines romance and fantasy (also adventure). Is Romantasy supposed to be something like paranormal romance? I personally think it's too niche of a category, but I imagine it appeals to younger women, who are most likely to post and vote about it.

As far as categories in general on GR, they are often questionable when a book isn't absolutely straightforward in its genre.

I'm also curious why you think Fourth Wing doesn't qualify, Alicia. I'd heard it described as fantasy with some very spicy scenes, which I thought was what romantasy was supposed to be?

I haven't read Fourth Wing, so can't comment on it specifically, but I think romantasy is generally where the romance is the main plot of the story which just so happens to be in a world with fantasy elements. Most romance readers expect a happy ending too, and not all fantasies with romantic elements deliver that. Of course, with romantasy being popular, publishers are probably trying to shoehorn a lot of regular fantasy novels into the category!

The Haunting Season – Bridget Collins, et al – 3.5***
Subtitle: Eight Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights. I enjoy short stories. I marvel at how much a talented author can cram into them. No wasted words. No over-the-top exposition. No cast of thousands. In this case they are, as the title hints, “haunting” tales featuring ghosts, monsters, witches, and evil spirits. All are set during winter months, with several being set around Christmas. But there is no holiday cheer here. They are Spooky with a capital ‘S’!
LINK to my full review

Alicia wrote: "There’s a new category for the Goodreads awards this year, Romantasy. I originally was excited because I love them, but am disappointed with the options as some of them I don’t think count. Like I ..."

That's so cool that they have a category for romantasy now. I love it. That genre has really gotten popular since lockdown, and I think it's awesome. I am going to look at what they have in the category. I would absolutely put Fourth Wing and Iron Flame in that category. I am not a big romance reader, but I am a big fantasy reader, and I have been loving the "romantasy" genre.

Ellie wrote: "I haven't read Fourth Wing, so can't comment on it specifically, but I think romantasy is generally where the romance is the main plot of the story which just so happens to be in a world with fanta..."

That's exactly how I see it. And there are a lot of those like Lana Harper's ThistleGrove series Payback's a Witch or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

With Fourth Wing, there are definitely spicy scenes, but it's a 5 series book. And after reading the 2nd, the plot is about the fantasy world and elements. To me its like Game of Thrones, sure there are vivid sex scenes, but the romance is just incidental. And I truly hope Game of Thrones is not romance or we're all doomed.

Similar to how there is usually some love interest in most fiction books, but we don't call them all romance because that's not the focus of the book. I read a lot of fantasy and I'm having a hard time thinking of one that has no romantic relationship of any kind. But they can't all be Romantasy.

Alicia wrote: "... And I truly hope Game of Thrones is not romance or we're all doomed...."

Hahaha. This is the best thing I've read on here.

I'm happy that there's a Romantasy category too since that subgenre has been winning the Fantasy category for so long, it just needs its own category.

October books were:
40. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
41. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
42. The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
43. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
44. The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange
45. The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
46. Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
47. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

And my November reads:
48. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
49. Taste: My Life through Food by Stanley Tucci
50. Watership Down by Richard Adams
51. Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
52. Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

And that's a wrap for 2023!

A Natural History of Dragons – Marie Brennan – 4****
Subtitle: A Memoir by Lady Trent. This was a wonderful romp of an adventure. Isabella is a wonderful heroine. She’s intelligent, tenacious, curious, and determined. I was completely engaged from beginning to end. I’ll definitely continue with the series.
LINK to my full review

Christmas is just around the corner. I am looking for book suggestions that have a Christmas theme but are not sickly sweet.
Someone suggested Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer. Please add as many as you can think of.