Kathy's 2023 "Read Whatever I Want" ATY Challenge

[Kathy]

ATY 2023
✅ - Finished ➡️ - Currently reading ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
52/52 Finished 8/19/23
1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
✅Crossed Skis - Carol Carnac (Austria) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. A book by an author you read in 2022
✅Sad Cypress - Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list: A book from the Totally Biased List of Tookie's Favorite Books
✅Regeneration - Pat Barker ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. A book with an interracial relationship
✅The Final Revival of Opal & Nev - Dawnie Walton ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
✅A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

6. A book where books are important
✅The Bodies in the Library - Marty Wingate ⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. A book with ONE of the five "W" question words in the title
✅Where the Lost Wander - Amy Harmon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. An author's debut book
✅From Doon With Death - Ruth Rendell ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W
✅Still Life - Sarah Winman ⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities"
✅Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray ⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. A book about a person/character with a disability
✅House of Glass - Susan Fletcher (Osteogenesis imperfecta) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
✅How the Penguins Saved Veronica - Hazel Prior ⭐⭐⭐⭐
13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
✅Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe - Jenny Colgan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
14. A book with a con, deception, or fake
✅Passenger to Frankfurt - Agatha Christie ⭐
15. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 1
✅Little Fadette - George Sand (1800s) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
16. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 2
✅The Last Train to Key West - Chanel Cleeton (1935) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 3
✅Girl with a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier (1600s) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
18. A book related to science
✅A Room Full of Bones - Elly Griffiths ⭐⭐⭐⭐
19. A book related to the arts
✅The Marriage of Opposites - Alice Hoffman
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
✅The Innocents Abroad: Original Illustrations - Mark Twain ⭐⭐⭐⭐

21. A book by an Asian diaspora author
✅The Bonesetter's Daughter: A Novel - Amy Tan ⭐⭐⭐
22. A book with a faceless person on the cover
✅Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës - Isabel Greenberg ⭐⭐⭐

23. A book with a body of water in the title
✅Sea of Tranquility: A novel - Emily St. John Mandel ⭐⭐⭐⭐
24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
✅Shadows On The Water - Elizabeth Cadell ⭐⭐⭐.5
25. A book with a tropical setting
✅Six Months in the Sandwich Islands - Isabella Lucy Bird ⭐⭐⭐⭐
26. A book related to pride
✅Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
27. A book by an author from continental Europe
✅Embers - Sandor Marai ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
28. A book that is dark
✅A Sleeping Life - Ruth Rendell ⭐⭐⭐⭐
29. A book that is light
✅A Light in the Window - Jan Karon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
30. A book related to a chess piece
✅Blandings Castle = P.G. Wodehouse ⭐⭐⭐.5
31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com
Input Anthony Trollope
✅Some Tame Gazelle - Barbara Pym ⭐⭐⭐⭐
32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature
✅The Getting of Wisdom - Henry Handel Richardson (Melbourne)
33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
✅The Condor Passes - Shirley Ann Grau ⭐⭐⭐⭐
34. A novella
✅At the Sign of the Cat and Racket - Honore de Balzac ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
35. A book with a school subject in the title
✅Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmu ⭐⭐⭐⭐
36. A book that has been translated from another language
✅The Plain in Flames - Juan Rulfo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
37. A book with the theme of returning home
✅Instructions for a Heatwave - Maggie O'Farrell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
38. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover
✅The Woman in the Moonlight - Patricia Morrisroe ⭐⭐⭐
39. A western
✅The Fire and the Ore - Olivia Hawker ⭐⭐⭐.5
40. A book with a full name in the title
✅Nathan Coulter - Wendell Berry ⭐⭐⭐.5
41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
✅Mary Jane - Jessica Anya Blau ⭐⭐⭐⭐
42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
✅City of Ghosts - Victoria Schwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐
43. A book that involves a murder
✅A Dying Fall (Ruth Galloway #5) - Elly Griffiths ⭐⭐⭐
44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal
✅The Outcast Dead - Elly Griffiths ⭐⭐⭐⭐

45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books
✅Hickory Dickory Dock - Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐
46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe
✅Cheaper by the Dozen - Frank B. Gilbreath, Jr. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
47. A book related to a geometric shape
✅The Man on the Balcony - Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo ⭐⭐⭐.5

[rectangles on cover; balcony is rectangular]
48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story
✅Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
✅Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance - Alison Espach ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt
[6. books are important]
✅The English Bookshop - Janis Wildy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
51. A book published in 2023
✅Weyward - Emilia Hart ⭐⭐⭐⭐
52. A book with an unusual or surprising title
✅Where the Forest Meets the Stars - Glendy Vanderah ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

[Kathy]

ATY Rejects
23/23
1. A book connected to Ireland - Poll 1
✅Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter - Kate Clifford Larson ⭐⭐⭐
2. A book with a two or three word title - Poll 2
✅My Friend Maigret - Georges Simenon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. A book with a 2 and a 3 in the page count - Poll 3
✅Dust Tracks on a Road - Zora Neale Hurston ⭐⭐⭐
4. A book related to one of the 12 Western astrological signs - Poll 4 Capricorn, Earth, Goat, Winter
✅Missing Joseph - Elizabeth George ⭐⭐⭐
5. A book involving hope or hopepunk - Poll 5
✅Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club - J. Ryan Stradal ⭐⭐⭐.5
6. A book from the Totally Biased List of Tookie’s Favorite Books - Poll 7
✅The Red and the Black - Stendhal ⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. A nominee or winner of an Australian book award - Poll 7
✅Burial Rites - Hannah Kent [Australian Book Industry Award for Literary Fiction 2014] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. A book set in the Indian subcontinent - Poll 9
✅Black Narcissus - Rumer Godden ⭐⭐⭐.5
9. A book set in an apartment building/complex - Poll 9
✅The Paris Apartment - Lucy Foley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. A book set during the Roaring Twenties (1920's) - Poll 9
✅Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos ⭐⭐⭐
11. A book from one of the Millions Most Anticipated lists - Poll 11
✅Agatha of Little Neon - Claire Luchette ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
12. A book involving journalism or journalists - Poll 13
✅New Grub Street - George Gissing ⭐⭐⭐
13. A book with a secret passage - Poll 14
✅The Wintringham Mystery - Anthony Berkeley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
14. A book that has won a diversity award in the 21st Century (2001-present) - Poll 16
✅Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates (Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee 2016) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
15. 4 Weeks: Four books connected to each other through publication date (week 1), cover color (week 2), country setting (week 3), and title starting letter (week 4)
week 1 - published in the same year as the last book you read
✅Cheerfulness Breaks In - Angela Thirkell (1940) [last book read: [book:The Trees|32713153] by Conrad Richter] ⭐⭐⭐⭐

week 2 - same color cover as the book from week 1
✅On Forsyte 'Change - John Galsworthy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

week 3 - set in same country as book 2
✅The Ghost Fields - Elly Griffiths [England] ⭐⭐⭐⭐
week 4 - title starts with same letter as book 3
✅Gösta Berling's Saga - Selma Lagerlof ⭐⭐.5
16. A book told from the villain’s perspective - Poll 16
✅The House on the Strand - Daphne du Maurier ⭐⭐⭐
17. A romance novel - Poll 16
✅The Lost and Found Bookshop - Susan Wiggs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
18. A book shelved as literary fiction - Poll 16
✅Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
19. A book that is one of the top 23 Goodreads rated books in your TBR - Poll 16
(with more than 5,000 ratings as of 12/4/22)
✅A Great Reckoning - Louise Penny ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
20. A magical realism book - Poll 16
✅Aura - Carlos Fuentes ⭐⭐⭐⭐
21. A book set during a revolution or uprising - Poll 17
✅The Glass-Blowers - Daphne du Maurier ⭐⭐⭐⭐
22. A book about the environment or nature - Poll 17
✅The Puma Years - Laura Coleman ⭐⭐⭐.5
23. A dark academia book - Poll 12
✅Special Topics in Calamity Physics - Marisha Pessl ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Kathy]

Repeat Prompts
Some prompts I'd like to read more than one book for.
1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
(Australia) (Turkey) (Tennessee) (Tunisia) (Yorkshire seaside town)
(Australia) (Australia) (Aleppo) (Tehran)
Finished


6. A book where books are important (Poll 1)

Finished

DNF
Writers & Lovers
The Dictionary of Lost Words
Cloud Cuckoo Land

8. An author’s debut book

Finished


18. A book related to science

Finished

DNF
American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic

25. A book with a tropical setting

Finished

[Kathy]

Repeat Prompts
Some prompts I'd like to read more than one book for.

32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature
Barcelona (Barcelona)
Exeter, England Barcelona (translated)
Beirut Quebec City
Krakow Seattle
(Dublin) (Edinburgh)
(Dunedin, NZ) (Edinburgh)
(Prague) (Edinburgh)
Finished


37. A book with the theme of returning home


Finished

DNF
I Have Some Questions for You

39. A western


Finished


36. A book that has been translated from another language

Finished

[Kathy]

Repeat Prompts
Some prompts I'd like to read more than one book for.

41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists

Finished


19. A book related to the arts

Finished


40. A book with a full name in the title

Finished


27. A book by an author from continental Europe

Finished

[Janice]

You have some really great-looking books listed. I may use some of them for my prompt if that is ok? :)

[Kathy]

Janice wrote: "You have some really great-looking books listed. I may use some of them for my prompt if that is ok? :)"

You surely may, Janice! I'll have a look at your plan to see what you've chosen.

[Lizzy]

And I may use Remarkably Bright Creatures for the large animal prompt… This is the first I’ve seen that book.

[Shannon SA]

Ah, I've been stuck on the large animal prompt, I have Remarkably Bright Creatures too, so sorted now, thank you :)

[Kathy]

I didn’t think of Remarkably Bright Creatures for the large creature prompt, but it would work, wouldn’t it? Giant Pacific octopus!

[dalex]

Good luck with your challenge!

[Kathy]

Thanks, dalex!

[Kathy]

Cover Collage
ATY Challenge


ATY Rejects Challenge


Repeat of ATY Prompts, Other Challenges and Side Reads

[Kathy]

Somehow I finished 20 books in January, 15 for ATY, 2 for ATY Rejects, plus 3 others. I guess the Readathon helped!

5 stars
ATY 4 - A book with four or more colors on the cover
A House for Mr Biswas - V.S. Naipaul


ATY Rejects - A book from The Millions Most Anticipated lists
Agatha of Little Neon - Claire Luchette


4.5 stars
ATY 48 - A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt

ATY 3 - A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the list this year: A book from the Totally Biased List of Tookie’s Favorite Books
Regeneration - Pat Barker


4 stars
ATY Rejects - A book with a two or three word title
My Friend Maigret - Georges Simenon

ATY 13 - A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe - Jenny Colgan


ATY 2 - A book by an author you read in 2022
Sad Cypress - Agatha Christie

ATY 9 - A book nominated for an award beginning with W
Still Life - Sarah Winman [Walter Scott nominee]

ATY 10 - A book related to one of the Spice Girls' personalities
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

ATY 6 - A book where books are important
The Bodies in the Library - Marty Wingate

ATY 7 - A book with one of the five "W" questions in the title
Where the Lost Wander - Amy Harmon

ATY 1 - A book with a location that begins with A, T, or Y
Crossed Skis - Carol Carnac [Austria]

ATY 41 - A book from the NPR "Books We Love Lists"
Mary Jane - Jessica Anya Blau [YA]

ATY 4 - A book with an interracial relationship
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev - Dawnie Walton

ATY 8 - An author's debut book
From Doon With Death - Ruth Rendell


3.5 stars
ATY 42 - A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or spector
City of Ghosts - Victoria Schwab [childrens]

ATY 28 - A book that is dark
A Sleeping Life - Ruth Rendell


3 stars
These were the "extras" I read, all 3 stars!
Thank You, Jeeves
For the Love of Books: Stories of Literary Lives, Banned Books, Author Feuds, Extraordinary Characters, and More
The Sorrows of Young Werther

Lots of 4 star books. I usually DNF when I don't like a book after 50 pages.

Best Book of the Month

[Kathy]

I finished 18 books in February, 10 for ATY, 2 for ATY Rejects, plus 6 others.

5 stars
ATY 29 - A book that is light
A Light in the Window

ATY 19 - A book related to the arts
The Marriage of Opposites


4.5 stars
ATY 35 - A book with a school subject in the title
Lessons in Chemistry


4 stars
ATY 11 - A book about a person/character with a disability
House of Glass (Osteogenesis imperfecta)

ATY 12 - A book related to birds, bees, or bunnies
How the Penguins Saved Veronica

Other - Classics Challenge
The Ball At Sceaux

ATY 16 - A book set in the 20th Century
The Last Train to Key West (1935)

ATY 18 - A book related to science
A Room Full of Bones

ATY 15 - A book set in the 19th Century
Little Fadette

Other - Classics Challenges
The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun

Other - Reading the World
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (Albania)


3.5 stars
ATY Rejects - A book about the environment or nature
The Puma Years

ATY 39 - A western
The Fire and the Ore

ATY 40 - A book with a full name in the title
Nathan Coulter: A Novel


3 stars
ATY Rejects - A book with a 2 or 3 in the page count
Dust Tracks on a Road (324)

Other - Classics Challenges
Cakes and Ale


2.5 stars
Other - Classics Challenges
Down and Out in Paris and London


2 stars
Other - Classics Challenges
Henry of Ofterdingen: A Romance.


Best Book of the Month

[Kathy]

March Update
I read/listened to 20 books in March.

ATY
1. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax - Dorothy Gilman - ATY1, set in place starting A,T,Y ⭐⭐⭐.5
2. The Lending Library - Aliza Fogelson - ATY6, books are important ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Passenger to Frankfurt - Agatha Christie - ATY14, con deception or fake ⭐⭐ pretty bad
4. Girl with a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier - ATY17, set in 17th century ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. The Innocents Abroad: Original Illustrations - Mark Twain - ATY 20, route of travel on cover ⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Embers - Sándor Márai - ATY27, author from continental Europe ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel - ATY23, body of water in title ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. The Getting of Wisdom - Henry Handel Richardson - ATY32, UNESCO City of Lit. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Daisy Darker - Alice Feeney - ATY40, full name in title ⭐⭐⭐

ATY Rejects
10. Aura - Carlos Fuentes - magical realism ⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. A Great Reckoning - Louise Penny - top 23 Goodreads rated books on TBR ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
12. Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell - shelved as literary fiction ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
13. The Paris Apartment - Lucy Foley - set in an apartment complex ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Other Challenges or Side Reads
14. Unto a Good Land (The Emigrants #2) - Vilhelm Moberg ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
15. State of Terror - Hillary Rodham Clinton - IRL Book Club ⭐⭐⭐⭐
16. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - Kate Douglas Wiggin - childrens book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
17. Bless Me, Ultima - Rudolfo Anaya - U.S. States, New Mexico ⭐⭐⭐.5
18. The Custom of the Country - Edith Wharton - Giants of Literature ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
19. A City of Bells - Elizabeth Goudge ⭐⭐⭐.5
20. Ballet Shoes - Noel Streatfeild childrens book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had many 5 star reads this month which was really nice. I was moved by an emotional story, or the perfection of the writing, or amazed at the writing.

I'm going to slow down my reading. 20 books in one month is too much. I think I'll put more space between my audiobooks rather than just going onto the next one in line. I want to remember what I've read!

Best Book of the Month

[Kathy]

April Update

Print books - 7
ebooks - 2
Audiobooks - 9
18 total

5 stars
At The Sign Of The Cat And Racket by Honoré de Balzac
34. a novella
I'm starting to read Balzac's The Human Comedy which consists of 90 novels and novellas. This would also fit for 36. translated or 27. author from continental Europe

The Plain in Flames by Juan Rulfo
36. translated book
Devastating, brutal stories, but so well-written

4 stars
Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
31. input favorite author literaturemap.com
Entered Anthony Trollope

The Red and the Black by Stendhal
Rejects: a book from Tookie's List

The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths
44. text not completely horizontal


A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark
Readathon. All Spark's books are pretty short and good for Readathons.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Rejects: a diversity award

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
Rejects: related to Ireland (this may be a stretch, but...)

The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury by Marc Levy
27. author from continental Europe
I'm reading for some prompts more than once.

Weyward by Emilia Hart
51. book published in 2023
Received this in a Goodreads giveaway. I liked the witchy parts. Lots of triggering episodes though.

The Europeans by Henry James
Side read. This would fit 10. posh Spice

Theater Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
19. related to the arts
Another prompt I'm doing more than once

3 stars
An Academic Question by Barbara Pym
Classics group read

Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse
30. related to a chess piece
Would have been a 4 star read for just the Blandings stories, but about 5 other stories about Mr. Mulliner were tacked on.

Loitering With Intent by Muriel Spark
19. related to the arts
Another repeat

A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
43. involves a murder

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie
45. by an author who has written 7 or more books

The Bonesetter's Daughter: A Novel by Amy Tan
21. by an Asian diaspora author

Best Book of the Month

[Kathy]

May Update

Print books - 7
ebooks - 1
Audiobooks - 13

Novels - 15
Novellas - 2
Short Stories - 3

5 stars
Mary Barton - Elizabeth Gaskell
ATY 32. UNESCO city of literature [Manchester}

[book:Instructions for a Heatwave|17406647] - Maggie O'Farrell
ATY 37. theme of returning home

The Trees - Conrad Richter
Classic novel about pioneers in Ohio in the late 1700s. It's like you're there experiencing the same things as the characters. Part of a trilogy. I'll be reading the next one, The Fields

Burial Rites - Hannah Kent
ATY Rejects: nominee or winner of an Australian book award [Australian Book Industry Award for Literary Fiction, 2014]

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
ATY 26 a book related to pride
I kept putting this off, then listened to an audiobook. I think that helped me understand the stream of consciousness. I had the book also so I could look to see what happened when a jump to another character occurred.

4.5 stars
The Blue Room - Georges Simenon
Classic novella

Where the Forest Meets the Stars - Glendy Vanderah
ATY52 unusual or surprising title

4 stars
The Five Orange Pips - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Classic short story

The Five Red Herrings - Dorothy Sayers
Classic mystery

The Scent of Water - Elizabeth Goudge
Read for Elizabeth Goudge group on Goodreads

The Condor Passes - Shirley Ann Grau
ATY33. first name popular in 1923

The Lost and Found Bookshop - Susan Wiggs
ATY Rejects: a romance novel

Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather
Giants of Literature

3.5 stars
Shadows On The Water - Elizabeth Cadell
24. tinker, tailor, soldier, spy [characters met during war]

Quick Service - P.G. Wodehouse
Classic starting with Q

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club - J. Ryan Stradhal
ATY Rejects: involving hope or hopepunk
Stradhal writes upbeat novels

3 stars
New Grub Street - George Gissing
ATY Rejects: Involves journalism or a journalist
A bit long and some parts were boring to me

The Yellow Face: A Sherlock Holmes Short Story - Arthur Conan Doyle
Classic short story

Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës - Isabel Greenberg
ATY22 faceless person on the cover


2 stars
Green Tea - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Classic short story

1 star
Destination Unknown - Agatha Christie
Reading all Agatha Christie novels. I really dislike her international intrigue novels.

Book of the Month

[Kathy]

Votes in ATY 2024 polls
✔ =prompt was chosen ✸ = Rejects challenge

Pre-Poll
✔Published in 2024
NPR list

Poll #1
All upvotes
✔1. A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs"
✸4. A book in honour of Wilkie Collins
✔6. A book set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world
7. A book with girl, boy, man or woman in the title
✔9. A book with a number in the title
10. A book set in Paris
11. A book from the Canada Reads Book Lists
13. A book that features a hobby

Poll #2
✔1. A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y
4. A book about or featuring a landmark
✔7. A book related to the name of one of Snow White's seven dwarfs
8. A book related to masks or a masquerade
9. A book related to or by an author we lost in 2023
13. A book related to X marks the spot

Poll #3
✔2. A book with a title containing 6+ words
3. A book with a divided, or split, cover
✔4. A book that is not a novel
✸5. A book set mostly in or around a building
8. A book related to Friends
✸12. A book set in a new-to-you location
14. A book set in a different hemisphere than where you live
15. A book related to a mountain

Poll #4
1. 3 Weeks: Three books related to the lines in a Roses Are Red poem
2. 3 Weeks: Three books whose titles create a sentence or short poem
3. 2 Weeks: A work of fiction and nonfiction that are related
✔4. 2 Weeks: Two books with similar covers
5. 3 Weeks: One book for each of the three forms of water - solid, liquid, gas
✸6. 2 Weeks: A book with "life" in the title, and a book with "death" in the title
7. 2 Weeks: Two books that are part of a series
✔14. 3 Weeks: Three books where each one is related to land, sea, or air

Poll #5
1. A book with a hidden object on the cover
✔3. A book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
5. A fiction book with a real person as a character
✸7. A book by an author from a Southeast Asian country
✔10. A book with a chilling atmosphere (scary, unsettling, cold)
✔11. A book with a main character who is Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color
12. A book related to something you take for granted
13. A book related to athletics in honor of the Summer Olympics
✸A book set in BCE [didn't vote for]

Poll 6
✔2. A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet - JQZX
4. A book relating to a catchphrase
5. A book related to one of the traditional full moon names
✸7. A book featured in a “staff picks” display at a bookstore or library
9. A book related to summertime blues
11. A book with a timepiece on the cover
✔12. A history or historical fiction book
✸14. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists

Poll #7
1. A book related to Going for the Gold
3. A book related to the British rhyme about Henry VIII's six wives: "Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived"
4. A book with a main character who is in "domestic service" - butler, maid, cook, chauffer, etc.
✸9. A book told from multiple character POVs
✸10. A book with a musical instrument on the cover or in the title

Poll 8
1. A book related to Sailor Moon
2. A book related to Going for the Gold
3. A book featuring a person who works in one the jobs that Barbie has had
✸5. A book recommended by an independent bookseller
8. A book that was the basis for an Academy Award (Oscar) winning movie
✸9. A book that takes place in one of the world's 100 smallest countries
10. A book with a great first line
✸14. A book with a word in the title related to reading

Poll 9
✔3. A book connected in some way to any of the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream — current or retired
4. A book with rock, paper or scissors on the cover
6. A book with a chair on the cover
✔8. A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads
✸9. A book on a summer reading list
✔10. A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea
11. A book connected to Anne of Green Gables
15. A book over 500 pages

Poll 10
✸1. A book whose title is a prepositional phrase
4. A book related to the theme of a Las Vegas hotel
5. A book with a character that could be described as one of the classes in Dungeons and Dragons
✸6. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list
8. A book for leap day/year
✸12. A book with a cover design that reminds you of one of the four seasons
✔13. A book with a botanical cover
✸14. A book shelved as literary fiction

Poll 11
✸2. A book with a main character who is a bookseller, writer, journalist or librarian
✸4. A book with a character who works in an eating establishment
✸5. A book by an author from a country bordering the Indian Ocean
✸6. A book with a common household object on the cover
8. A book with a real person as a character
✔10. A book with a senior citizen character
✔11. A book involving a crime other than a murder
✸12. A book that is on a Five Books list (readers choice of which list)

Poll 12
2. A book related to mushrooms
3. A book connected to Anne of Green Gables
✸4. A book from the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards (winner or nomination)
✔6. A book by an author from an African country
10. A book with a poem in it
11. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 or 2024
14. A book with a character whose name that starts with a letter in the phrase LIBRARY CARD
15. A book with a hand(s) on the cover, but no torso

Poll 13
1. A book with a warm or heated atmosphere
2. A book another ATY group member gave 5 stars
5. A book related to the Addams Family
✔6. A book related to “Going for the Gold”
✸7. A book nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award
12. A book for a prompt that was used in a previous year
✸13. A book longlisted for a Booker Prize
✔15. A cozy mystery

Poll 14
✔1. A book by an author from Canada, Australia or New Zealand
✔4. A book that is on a Five Books List; reader’s choice of which list
6. A book adapted by Masterpiece Theatre
✸7. A book by an author born between 1965-1980 (Generation X)
8. A book with a strong sense of place
12. A book involving Intelligence – AI, espionage or abilities
✔13. A book with a pronoun in the title
15. A book with an insect in the title or on the cover

Poll 15
✔1. A book with a sound-related word in the title
5. A book with a leap
✸6. A middle grade book that was nominated for or won an award such as the Newbery, Caldecott, or Carnegie
✸7. A book that includes a love story
8. A character that is a fish out of water
12. A book with a character dealing with mental health or cognitive challenges
14. A book with a child character
✔15. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 or 2024

Poll 16
1. A book by a female or non-binary author which won an award that's also open to male authors
✔2. A book with wings on the cover
✔3. A book with an X connection
✔4. A book featuring a character in education
5. A book where at least one character is trapped
7. A book with a character who is marginalized
9. A book with a clock on the cover
10. A book shelved as literary fiction

Poll 17
2. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format)
✔3. A book involving a wild animal or endangered species, in the content, title, or on the cover
4. A book that helps you reflect or recharge
6. A hot book, or a book with a hot topic
8. A book connected to one of the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet
✸12. A book featured on a list for a media or celebrity book club
13. A book with a trial or with a legal term in the title
15. A cultural book

[Kathy]

June Update

Print - 5
ebook - 3
Audiobook - 8

Novels - 8
Novellas - 6
Short Stories - 2

I mostly worked on the Summer Reading Challenge since I only have 5 prompts left for ATY.

ATY
47. A book related to a geometric shape
The Man on the Balcony by maj sjowall ⭐⭐⭐.5

Summer Reading Challenge
June 2b: plants on the cover
Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery ⭐⭐⭐


June 4a: author identifies as LGBTQIA+
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire ⭐⭐⭐

July 3a: even number of pages
Cheerfulness Breaks In by Angela Thirkell 328p ⭐⭐⭐⭐

June 3a: at least 400 pages
The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles 528p ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

August 1c: first letter of title appears in BIBLIOMANIA
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

July 4c: author's initials appear in GUGLIELMO MARCONI
Shear Trouble by Elizabeth Spann Craig ⭐⭐⭐.5

August 3a: author's initials found in SURFBOARD
Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

July 1c: published in year ending in 3
The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903) ⭐⭐⭐

August 4a: connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna ⭐⭐⭐⭐

July 4b: set in 19th century
On Forsyte 'Change by John Galsworthy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

June 3b: fire on cover
Summerwater by Sarah Moss
⭐⭐⭐⭐

ATY Rejects
A book with a secret passage
The Wintringham Mystery by Anthony Berkeley ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Classics or Side Reads
The Red Inn by Honoré de Balzac ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Indigo Necklace Murders by Frances Crane ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Caiman by Maria Eugenia Manrique ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best Book of the Month

[Kathy]

July Update

Print - 6
ebook - 2
Audiobook - 10

Novels - 14
Nonfiction - 3
Poetry - 1

ATY
50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt: #6 A book where books are important
The English Bookshop - Janis Wildy [also used for Summer August 1b] ⭐⭐⭐⭐
46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe
Cheaper by the Dozen - Frank Gilbreth Jr. [also used for Summer June 1a ]⭐⭐⭐⭐
25. A book with a tropical setting
Six Months in the Sandwich Islands - Isabella Lucy Bird [used for Summer June 2a: a book with 5 or more letters in the title] ⭐⭐⭐⭐
49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Books of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance - Alison Espach [used for Summer June 1c] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ATY Repeats
41. A book from the NPR "Books We Love" lists
Postcolonial Love Poem - Natalie Diaz ⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. A book where books are important
The Lost for Words Bookshop - Stephanie Butland ⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. An author's debut book
The Maid - Nita Prose ⭐⭐⭐

Summer Reading Challenge
August 3c: a sea creature on the cover
Gift from the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
⭐⭐⭐

August 2c: inspired by or retelling myths
Girl Meets Boy - Ali Smith [myth: Iphis] ⭐⭐⭐
July 1a: first letter of book's title found in HORSE AROUND
How to Stop Time - Matt Haig [also used for Summer August 1b] ⭐⭐⭐⭐
June 2c: set in Northern Hemisphere
As for Me and My House - Sinclair Ross [Canada]
⭐⭐⭐⭐
August 4b: a ghost story
The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice - Wilkie Collins ⭐⭐⭐

ATY Rejects
A dark academia book
Special Topics in Calamity Physics - Marisha Pessl [used for Summer June 4c] ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Week 3: set in the same country as the book from Week 2
The Ghost Fields - Elly Griffiths [England] [used Summer July 3b] ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Week 4: starts with the same letter as the book from Week 3
Gösta Berling's Saga - Selma Lagerlof [S} ⭐⭐.5

Classics or Side Reads
[book:Deerbrook|3237367] - Harriet Martineau ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best Book of the Month

[Kathy]

August Update
I finished the ATY Challenge on 8/19/23.

Books read this month:
The Maid 3*
As for Me and My House 4*
The Haunted Hotel By Wilkie Collins 3*
Black Narcissus 3.5*
Mrs. Bridge 3*
The Alice Network 3*
The Fields (30) 5*
His Family 4*
The Woman in the Moonlight 3*
The Good Sister 4*
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 2.5*
The House on the Strand 3.5
The Mistress of Bhatia House 4*
The Axe 4*
The Echo of Old Books 4*
Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop: A Memoir 3.5

Best Book of the Month

[Kathy]

Cover Collage - October - December 2023

[Kathy]

September Update
I'm working on the Fall Reading Challenge, my Classics challenges, and otherwise I'm free reading.

Books read this month:
Ordeal by Innocence 4*
Adam Bede 4*
The Kitchen Front 5* Loved this.
Angel 4*
All Grown Up 4*
Zuleika Dobson 2* What a bore!
Strange Weather in Tokyo 3.5*
The Taste of Ginger 4*
The Direction of the Wind 4*
Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops 5* Laughed so hard, I cried.
The Spiral Staircase 4*
The Simplicity of Cider 4*
Death in Venice 4*
A Haunted House and Other Short Stories 4*

Best Book of the Month

[Kathy]

October Update

I finished 15 books and 3 short stories.

Fall Reading Challenge Books
Our Missing Hearts - Was published in October ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last of the Moon Girls - Feels cozy ⭐⭐⭐.5

Fire in the Thatch (1946) - Has a tree on the cover
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hunter's Green (1968)- Fits the phrase "a falling out" ⭐⭐⭐

The Immortalists - Is in the fantasy genre ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Northline - Features a found family ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Fortune's Daughter - Is witchy ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Classic books - published 50 or more years ago
House of Mist (Chile) (1935) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Great Fortune (The Balkan Trilogy #1) (British author, set in Romania) (1960) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In at the Death (England) (1952) ⭐⭐⭐

Elephants Can Remember (England) (1972) ⭐⭐⭐

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (U.S. Arkansas, California) (1969) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Driver's Seat (English author, set in France) (1970) A short, powerful books. Wow! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Death of the Heart (1938) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Quest for Christa T. (East Germany) (1958) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Short Stories
The Adventure of the Final Problem - a Sherlock Holmes Short Story (1894) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Double Clue By Agatha Christie : A Hercule Poirot Mystery (1923) ⭐⭐⭐

The Jungle Book (1894) ⭐⭐⭐

Best Books of the Month

[Kathy]

November Books

Glass Houses (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #13) - Louise Penny ⭐⭐⭐
The Shell House Detectives - Emylia Hall ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Green Mansions - William Henry Hudson ⭐⭐⭐
Snow Country - Yasunari Kawabata ⭐⭐⭐.5
The Glass-Blowers - Daphne du Maurier ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The Spoilt City: The Balkan Trilogy 2 - Olivia Manning ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Delta Wedding - Eudora Welty ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Missing Joseph (Inspector Lynley #6) - Elizabeth George ⭐⭐⭐
The Woman in Blue (Ruth Galloway #8) - Elly Griffiths ⭐⭐⭐
Alice Adams - Booth Tarkington ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Town - Conrad Richter ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce ⭐⭐⭐.5

Best Books of the Month