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2022 ATY Completion Thread
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I finished the ATY Challenge on 12/31/2022. Five Star Books from The Challenge were : Boys Life by Robert McCammonBoy's Life, The Song Poet by Kao Kalia YinThe Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father, The Genius Under The Table by Eugene YelchinThe Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, The Ursulina by Brian FreemanThe Ursulina, Hamnet by Maggie O'FarrelHamnet,
I didn't cheat on any prompts.
My most creative twist on a prompt was #34 and #35 Books related to Flora and Fauna: in # 34, Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser LausseUnder the Bayou Moon the story is set in the Bayou of Louisiana and the setting descriptions are quite intense, in #35 In The Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Weber, In the Middle of Hickory Laneeach chapter begins with a description of a plant/flower and its meaning and use.
My most favorite prompt was #46, A Book with a non-human as one of the main characters--Other Birds by Sarah Addison AllenOther Birds because I have waited for years for that book to be published.
My least favorite prompt was #31 A book related to Mythology because I don't enjoy reading those sort of books. However, I did read Fox Creek by William Kent KruegerFox Creek and it is related to Native American Mythology.
A book I might not have read if it wasn't for the ATY challenge but I am so glad I did was #17 A book from NPR's Book Concierge was The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que MaiThe Mountains Sing
A book I might not have read if it wasn't for the ATY challenge and I wish I hadn't was A book with a Jewish Character, The Hunt by Faye Kellerman. The HuntI wish I had made a different choice this book was awful.
1. A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y-Serpentine by Jonathan Kellerman
2. A book connected to a book you read in 2021—Lightening In A Mirror by Jane Ann Krentz
3. A book with 22 or more letters in the title—The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
4. A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan
5. A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name—A Boys Life by Robert McCammon
6. A book with an image of a source of light on the cover City Of The Dead by Jonathan Kellerman
7. A book related to psychology, neuroscience or the mind- I Remember You by Brian Freeman
8. 3 books set on three different continents - Book 1 Give Unto Others by Donna Leon
9. 3 books set on three different continents - Book 2 The Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith
10. 3 books set on three different continents - Book 3—Citizen K-9 by David Rosenfelt
11. A book from historical fiction genre—The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
12. A book related to glass—Reckoning, FBI Thriller 26 by Catherine Coulter
13. A book about a woman in STEM—State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
14. A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Goodreads-South Of The Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber
15. A book without a person on the cover-Storm Front by John Sandford
16. A book related to Earth Day— The Sacred Bridge by Ann Hillerman
17. A book from NPR's Book Concierge--The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
18. A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander author A Memoir To My Father:The Song Poet by Kao Khalia Yang
19. A book that involves alternate reality, alternate worlds, or alternate history—Hell And Back by Craig Johnson
20. A fiction or nonfiction book that is set during 1900 -1951—You Belong Here Now by Dianna Rostad
21. A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover-Seven Year Witch by Angela M. Sanders
22. A book with a Jewish character or author—The Hunt by Faye Kellerman
23. A book that features loving LGBTQIA+ relationship-The Book Haters’ Book Club by Gretchen
24. A book related to inclement weather—The Mercies by Marjorie Killian
25. A book less than 220 pages OR more than 440 pages—Something to Hide by Elizabeth George
26. 2 books with the same word in the title - Book 1—The School by The Sea by Jenny Colgan
27. 2 books with the same word in the title - Book 2—The Rules at The School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan
28. A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards—Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
29. A book set on or near a body of water-Ocean Prey by John Sandford
30. A book related to mythology—Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger
31. A book published at least 10 years ago—In The Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
32. A book where the main character is a female detective/private eye/police officer—Deep Deep Snow by Brian Freeman
33. The next book in a series Abandoned In Death by JD Robb
34. A book with an academic setting or with a teacher that plays an important role—Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Boris Yeltchin
35. 2 books related to flora and fauna - Under The Bayou Moon by Valerie Frasier Luesse
36. 2 books related to flora and fauna - Book 2—In The Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Webber
37. A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name The Lights Of Strawberry Cove by Hannah Webber
38. A book by a Latin American author—Sinister Graves by Marcie R. Rendon (Substitution A Book written by an Indigenous Author
39. A book from the TIME list of 100 Best YA Books of All Time—Dante and Aristotle Discover The Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
40. A book related to one of the 22 Tarot Major Arcana cards—The Ursulina by Brian Freeman
41. A book with a theme of food or drink—The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
42. A book with a Language of Nationality in the title- I Go To America: Swedish American Women and The Life of Mina Anderson by Joy K. Lintelman
43. A book set in a small town or rural area—The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins.
44. A book with gothic elements—A Fountain Filled With Blood by Julia Spencer Fleming
45. A book related to a game The Winners by Fredric Backman
46. A book with a non-human as one of the main characters—Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
47. A book with handwriting on the cover—The True Love Book Store by Annie Rains
48. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2021 or 2022—Grace Under Fire by Julie Garwood
49. A book connected to the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons” The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu
50. A book that involves aging, or a character in their golden years-The Witches of Moonshine Manor by Bianca Marais
51. A book published in 2022 Nothing To Lose by JA Jance
52. A book with a time-related word in the title--Stingray Afternoons by Steven Rushin
With hours to spare, I finished the challenge! There were multiple prompt options and last-minute substitutions, but it all worked out for a rather enjoyable experience.1. 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
-Half Life by Jillian Cantor
-Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
-Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
-Tinkers by Paul Harding
-The Winshaw Legacy or What a Carve Up! by Jonathan Coe
-All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
2. My most creative twist on a prompt
I pretty much approached the prompts in a direct fashion, but I did briefly consider using Zoo Quest for a Dragon, a book about searching for Komodo dragons, for the dragon prompt!
3. The prompt I cheated on
I suppose that using an alternate title could be considered stretching parameters a tad. For the "book with a time-related word in the title," I used the Midnight Riot title instead of the Rivers of London title for the first book in Ben Aaronovitch's series
. 4. My favorite prompt
I loved "2 books with the same word in the title" because it was a fun search. I ended up using the word night.
5. My least favorite prompt
I suppose that "23. A book that features loving LGBTQIA+ relationship" was my not one of my favorite prompts because I anticipated having to read a romance or erotica selection.
As it turned out, I stumbled upon a 5-star qualifier that skirted the "sizzly" genre—Anxious People by Fredrik Backman.
6. A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
I had so many options lined up for the mythology prompt but ended up reading Another Fine Myth by Robert Lynn Asprin because of availability. This snarky fantasy was an unexpectedly entertaining read.
7. A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
Verity was a tough read for me.
Oops I forgot to do this. I did finish the challenge on 30/12. Anyway, I'll answer the questions now.- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
- My most creative twist on a prompt
Hmm I think it's the use of Only a Monster for the A book connected to the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons" prompt. I struggled with this prompt, so when I was reading this book and the use of the phrase and that it was a meaningful part of the world-building, I instantly added it for this prompt.
- The prompt I cheated on: I did my best to not cheat and I think I succeeded ☺️.
- My favorite prompt The three continents prompts was a great idea!
- My least favorite prompt:A book connected to the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons"
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!): The Past Is Red a new fave
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!):The Spanish Love Deception 😐😐
Finished on the very last day of 2022!!!-5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge:
8 of my 12 5-star books this year were part of this challenge!
"You've Lost a lot of Blood" by Eric Larocca/ "Song for the Unraveling of the World" by Brian Evenson/ "Know My Name" by Chanel Miller/ "Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century" by Kim Fu/ "Shadows of the Short Days" by Alexander Dan Vilhjalmsson/ "The Border" by Erika Flatland/ "Border" by Kapka Kassabova/ "Winter in Sokcho" by Elisa Shua Dupasin/ "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury
- My most creative twist on a prompt
Prompt 49: A Book Connected to Phrase "Here There Be Dragons": Initially I wanted to read a dragon book but dnf'd my choice. I ended up reading "Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury and twisted the colonizing and frontier element of going to Mars into meaning the same as that phrase :-) More of a bend than a twist, me thinks.
- The prompt I cheated on
Prompt 39: A Book from the TIME list of 100 Best YA Books of All Time: I don't read much YA these days and none of the unread ones here seemed appealing to me, so I settled for simply picking up a YA and chose "Bones & All" by Camille DeAngelis
- My favorite prompt
Prompt 8, 9 and 10: 3 Books Set on 3 Different Continents. Since I am trying to read around the world, this was so perfect.
- My least favorite prompt
Prompt 21: Cover with a Monopoly Token. I am usually not a big fan of the cover challenges. I read a lot from the library so covers can be tough to plan
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
I was on the fence about reading "Why We're Polarized" by Ezra Klein. I pushed for it since it fulfilled prompt 22 (Jewish Author) and while not a favorite (gave it 3 stars) I was glad to get taken out of my comfort zone by trying some political Non-Fiction
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
My most disliked book this year "The Final Girl Support Group" by Grady Hendrix but I would have tried that anyway since I used to love Hendrix in the past but this was sadly a miss.
I came in just under the wire, but I've finished the challenge! This is my first year of finishing on time — the last two years, I've spilled over into the new year. 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
Nine Stories
The Sparrow
Embassytown
A Closed and Common Orbit
Klara and the Sun
Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future
In the Dream House
The Door
My most creative twist on a prompt
I used Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger for the prompt "related to glass," because several of the stories in this collection are about members of a fictional family named the Glasses.
The prompt I cheated on
I used Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile for the monopoly token prompt, forgetting that the token hat is definitely a top hat, whereas this hat is clearly a bowler. Not to mention that then my library copy showed up with the movie cover anyway — no hats in sight!
My favorite prompt
#49. A book connected to the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons" I love a theme prompt and I especially enjoy it when the prompt encourages me to think about the book I read for it with a different perspective. I chose The Sparrow for this prompt and loved it and I thought the prompt really captured the spirit of the book, about uncharted territory that might be inhabited by great and terrible, noble and dangerous creatures.
My least favorite prompt
#32. A book where the main character is a female detective/private eye/police officer. I love the idea of this, but I just don't read a lot of mystery/thriller/police procedurals and I had a hard time finding a book I wanted to read (and then I didn't like it!)
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
A lot of the books I read for the challenge tend to be books I would have read anyway, but I feel pretty confident in saying that I wouldn't have picked up Walks Away Woman by Ki Longfellow anytime soon if I hadn't been searching for a book under 5000 reviews in my very long TBR. I really liked this and it was a bit outside my comfort zone.
A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
I had decided to not continue with the Broken Earth trilogy, because I had such mixed feelings about the first book. But because I didn't have any other good ideas for the inclement weather prompt and it fit so well, I decided to read The Obelisk Gate. It wasn't terrible, but I felt the same way I did about the first book and I still don't want to keep reading!
- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY ChallengeI Kissed Shara Wheeler
Even Though I Knew the End
Lessons in Chemistry
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Little Thieves
The Merciful Crow
The Faithless Hawk
Love on the Brain
The Prioress' Tale
Sway with Me
The Verifiers
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts
Two Can Keep a Secret
The Love Hypothesis
Olga Dies Dreaming
Immune: a Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive
Homegoing
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Fishwives
Ace of Spades
The Album of Dr. Moreau
Betty
Freshwater
- My most creative twist on a prompt
I was pretty proud of myself for filling prompts 26 & 27 (2 books with the same word in the title) with two books that had two of the same words in the title ( The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo). "Oho! I'm such a clever nerd! 🤓", thought I. "I've noticed something no one else has!"
I felt a little less proud of myself when I read an interview with Stuart Turton, the author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. He explains that the difference between the American and UK versions of the title (it's called The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in the UK) occurs because the two books were so similarly named that they were worried that people would confuse them. So I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed the similarity in the titles... 😅
- The prompt I cheated on
#20 - A fiction or nonfiction book that is set during 1900 -1950.
I ended up filling this prompt with the novella Even Though I Knew the End. It's a bit of a cheat because a) the book takes place in an alternate universe and b) I don't think the year is ever explicitly stated. The story is a clear riff on Dick Tracey and has the same 1930s/1940s noir vibe and setting, so I rationalized that I could use it for this prompt since Dick Tracey is so explicitly associated with the 1930s/1940s.
- My favorite prompt
#5 - A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name
I really like prompts of this nature because they allow a lot of flexibility in genre while adhering to a random lexical restriction. I ended up filling this prompt with Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross.
Not only did I love surpassing the prompt by finding an author with three sets of double letters in her name, but Pope Joan had been on my TBR list forever. If it hadn't been for the catnip of overachievement provided by this prompt, it would probably still be there.
- My least favorite prompt
#11 - A book from the historical fiction genre
Prompts like this feel like wasted opportunities to me: they don't require much searching to fill, and I almost certainly would have read a book that filled this prompt even without the ATY challenge.
It doesn't help that I hated the book that I used to fill the prompt, Mistress Suffragette. It is one of only two books that I have ever one-starred, and of those, it's the only on that makes me truly *angry* when I think about it.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
Freshwater, which I used to fill #7 (A book related to psychology, neuroscience or the mind). This book was on my TBR list, but I am certain it would have languished there forever if it hadn't been for the ATY Challenge.
This book was a completely immersive experience and unlike any book I have ever read. One of my favorite reads of the year.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!)
Lincoln in the Bardo, which I used to fill #28 (A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards). I thought the prompt itself was great, but ended up disliking this book and wondering how it won the Man Booker Prize in 2017.
°~Amy~° wrote: "I finished the challenge on June 7th- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
[bookcover:A Master of Dj..."I had the same issue with the "Handwriting on the cover" prompt! The ambiguity I felt in deciphering that prompt means that it doesn't feel like I really nailed it the way I did others.
Severina wrote: "I finished on June 26th! Yay!5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge:
I had 13 five-star reads this time!
01. The Skull Throne / Peter V Brett
02. City of the Dead
I added The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break to my TBR list based off your description!
- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
- My most creative twist on a prompt
I don't get too creative with my prompts. I don't think I was creative at all.
- The prompt I cheated on
The Rooster Bar they were supposed to be in college but they dropped out to practice law so technically it wasn't a school setting maybe. They started out living in a dorm. And they dealt with the school. The were two other prompts that I read graphic novels for. The mythology prompt was one of them. I just didn't want to read anything mythology. I haven't been finding it interesting. The other one was the loving LGBTQIA+ prompt and that was mostly due to time. I wasn't going to be able to fit in What if it Was Us.
- My favorite prompt
I love title prompts so really all of the title prompts or cover prompts I love. Except for 2023 I seem to be having a problem with them.
- My least favorite prompt
The mythology prompt I guess.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!)
The book under 5,000 ratings because it pushed me to read The Fox and the Hound.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!) Fault Lines wasn't the best I guess. I read that for the Asian or Pacific Islander author.
Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, I have ALMOST completed the ATY, but this time I only had 3 more books to go.Still, I'd like to put these stats/answers here:
- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig; Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman; Lore Olympus: Volume Two by Rachel Smythe; Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston; The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill.
- My most creative twist on a prompt: Not sure I had any creative prompts this year.
- The prompt I cheated on: For 2 books with the same word in the title, I used volumes 2 and 3 from the Lore Olympus series.
- My favorite prompt: 3 books set on three different continents.
- My least favorite prompt: A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!): I kinda did the reverse challenge, so there aren't any that I read for a specific prompt that I wasn't going to read anyway.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!): Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare for one of the books set in different continents.
Prompts I haven't read anything for:
22. A book with a Jewish character or author
28. A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards
29. A book set on or near a body of water
Mod
Finished and (for the first time) in order! Squeezed in right at the end of the year.- 5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge
I gave 5 stars to MANY of the books on my list. Here are a few particular standouts.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
A Marvellous Light
She Who Became the Sun
Portrait of a Thief
Interior Chinatown
Even Though I Knew the End
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
The Golden Enclaves
- My most creative twist on a prompt:
For the three different continents, I made them all have the world sun in the title as well.
She Who Became the Sun
Half of a Yellow Sun
Klara and the Sun
And for the flora and fauna books, I made them be from the same author.
Shipped
Dream On
- The prompt I cheated on: none
- My favorite prompt: related to a game. I love sports, video games, and table top games of all kinds, so this was lovely!
- My least favorite prompt: I never like list prompts, but the 100 Best YA Books of All Time one nearly did me in this year. I had read a huge chunk already, and the rest I wasn't interested in. Ended up going with The Black Flamingo cause at least it was a fast read.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!): Interior Chinatown has been sitting on my shelf for a while, and I finally got around to it because it was on the Powell's list. Absolutely LOVED it.
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!): The only book I read really explicitly for this challenge and not other reason was The Black Flamingo. I'm not sad I read it, as it was perfectly fine and very quick, but I didn't fall in love with it by any means.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Interior Chinatown (other topics)Portrait of a Thief (other topics)
A Marvellous Light (other topics)
The Black Flamingo (other topics)
She Who Became the Sun (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Arto Paasilinna (other topics)William Kent Krueger (other topics)
Kim Ae-ran (other topics)
Sacha Naspini (other topics)
Philip K. Dick (other topics)
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5 Star books that I read for the ATY Challenge:
*The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (5 stars)
*The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (5 stars)
*Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe (5 stars)
*Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (5 stars)
*Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild (5 stars)
*The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (5 stars)
*The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer (5 Stars)
*Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (5 stars)
*Night by Elie Wiesel (5 stars)
*Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (5 Stars)
*The Secret History by Donna Tartt (5 stars)
*Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (5 stars)
- My most creative twist on a prompt
Book Related to a Game: I Came As a Shadow: An Autobiography, by John Thompson (3 stars) Pretty sure I am the only one that read basketball autobiography for this one
- The prompt I cheated on
None!
- My favorite prompt: A book with an academic setting: The Secret History.
- My least favorite prompt: Here There be Dragons :The Hobbit. I know...not popular review but this book was painful. How many times could they state "BILBO BAGGINS."
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (but I’m so glad I did!): NPR Book Concierge - Empire of Pain
- A book I might not have read if not for the ATY Challenge (and I wish I hadn’t!) A Little Life- Painfully long and depressing