50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 or 2024

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

We love recommendations from friends, and at ATY, we are all friends here! This week, you are scouring the Best of the Month lists to find a book that may intrigue you. You can use this as an opportunity to read a popular book you've had on the back burner, or a chance to find something new and wonderful for you!

You can find all of our Best of the Month lists HERE.

ATY Listopia - 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
ATY Listopia - 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

What are you reading for this prompt? How did you decide?

[Nancy]

This is one of my least favorite prompts but I know I'm in the minority. The books on my to-read from 2023 are:

Eternal
Shrines of Gaiety

[dalex]

Nancy wrote: "This is one of my least favorite prompts…."

Same. I seem to have such different reading tastes than the majority of the group. I can find something to fill the prompt but it just feels … isolating, or something.

[Jillian]

Ah, just realizing this is near the end. I tend to have trouble with this prompt because I’ve already read so many of the books on the list. On a positive note, most of the books are really good. I made the mistake of saving this for the end 2022 and had read so many books that fit. I’m definitely going to have to save a book I want to read.

[Nancy]

Yeah, my reasoning is the same as Jillian, I've already read so many on the list.

[Dixie]

I'm planning to read Children of Time, which I have been wanting to get around to for quite awhile.

[LeahS]

Reading Insomnia (finally a prompt for Sleepy the dwarf) and The Marriage of Opposites,

[Ellie]

I've been pretty bad at adding my favourite reads to the threads this year, but I'll try and do better now we have this prompt again. I will probably pick something from next year's threads, but from the list so far I have Chain-Gang All-Stars, Juniper & Thorn, Children of Time, Drowning, Girl, Serpent, Thorn and War with the Newts.

[Marie]

I'm not a fan of this prompt, for a few reasons. I'm a planner, so I only get nine months to choose from. Those of you who are free spirits and just pick something in December next year get more than twice as many, that doesn't seem fair :)

I wonder if these lists are a bit samey? If they're full of really good books, how many people post the book they read for this prompt in the thread, so it appears in the next year's list, and on and on forever. I also wonder how many people who vote for this actually post their best books in the threads.

I'll be reading Big Swiss by Jen Beagin. It was on my priority TBR for 2024, and I struggled to fit it in elsewhere, so maybe I should be grateful I could just pick it off a list for this, and stop with the pointless grumbly thoughts about the prompt!

[Pam]

Like a few others, this is not my favorite prompt but I can always find something. I found a surprise late this year! The one book from 2023 that I really wanted to read this year and will likely push off (again) to next year is The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I just checked out Big Swiss from the library! Since I'm planning on reading in order, I'll likely pick a book from the 2024 list, so no planning for me for this one, just yet.

[Dubhease]

I love this list. It is the only list I 100% upvote. I will admit that the first 50 or so books tend to be useless to me. Someone will finally read a best seller and make it their best book of the month and then other people upvote it because they loved it too. So the first page, is books I've read or don't care about.

When I want to see what's new, I read from back to front. Lots of people leave it to the moderators to add their books to the list. So, the ones with the lowest votes aren't bad, just the newest to the list because the mods start running out of votes.

I also keep a running list during the year of books I want to read from the list so that I have lots to choose from (current and past year).

[Kendra]

I love the ATY BotM threads and read every post looking for books to add to my TBR. I am probably going to plan to read Project Hail Mary, just like I planned to read it for this years' ATY BotM book. And then I'll probably see someone's post about some new book and get distracted and read that instead...😁

[Pam]

Dubhease - I do the same thing - keep a running list throughout the year of the books I like. I don’t even look at the listopia.

[dalex]

Pam wrote: "Dubhease - I do the same thing - keep a running list throughout the year of the books I like. I don’t even look at the listopia."

I post directly to the listopia and never contribute to the monthly thread. I can’t be the only one that does that. You might miss some books if you don’t look at the listopia!

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

There are more than 400 books on just the 2023 listopia, and that's not even done yet, so there are a lot of options! I have no idea what I'll go with.

[Pam]

dalex wrote: "Pam wrote: "Dubhease - I do the same thing - keep a running list throughout the year of the books I like. I don’t even look at the listopia."

I post directly to the listopia and never contribute t..."

Well, thanks for letting me know! That list gets too long for me. Maybe I will check it next year.

[Denise]

Look like this will be the first one I finish since I chose Apeirogon for my book club for January

[Book Concierge]

dalex wrote: "I post directly to the listopia and never contribute to the monthly thread. I can’t be the only one that does that. You might miss some books if you don’t look at the listopia!t..."

Okay ... but the PROMPT says it's a book that is in the monthly thread, so technically, posting direct to Listopia without posting to the monthly thread would disqualify the book.

[Wendy]

I really enjoyed the books I discovered for this prompt from previous years (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Enchanted April), but nothing is jumping out at me yet from this list. I don't generally go for book club pick-type of reads, so I may wait and see what recommendations drop for 2024.

War with the Newts is the current contender for that slot.

[NancyJ]

Dubhease wrote: "I love this list. It is the only list I 100% upvote. I will admit that the first 50 or so books tend to be useless to me. Someone will finally read a best seller and make it their best book of the ..."

I love your strategy to start from the end. I do that too, especially when I run through to click on the books I loved. If I vote for them first they get more points to balance out the disadvantage.

[Kendra]

You can change the order they appear on your list, giving your favorites a point bump. Just click on the number beside the book you voted on and change it to where you want it on the list.

[Dixie]

Wendy wrote: "I really enjoyed the books I discovered for this prompt from previous years (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Enchanted April), but nothing is jumping out at me yet from this list. I don't generally go for ..."

I read War with the Newts a few years ago and thought it was very good.

[Mary]

maybe razorblades tears-it's on my physical tbr and i've wanted a reason to read it.

[Hayley]

I'm planning on reading East of Eden for this prompt. I found it in the Best of January thread. It will be my second Steinbeck novel in 2024. I bought it and Grapes of Wrath in 2022 and haven't gotten to reading them yet. I missed it when it was read by one of the Classics groups earlier this year.

[SadieReadsAgain]

A wee mixed bag of possibles from my shelves

- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
- Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
- Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
- This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

[Denise]

I'm changing this the The Traveling Cat Chronicles and used Apeirogon as #3

[Laura]

for Prompt #50 read The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. It was an interesting read about a dysfunctional family, a very dysfunctional family.

[Pam]

I’ve been keeping a list and adding books to it as people post them. My list is getting ridiculously long! I already have 10 from January with 4 I was already planning to read. I may use The Gift of Rain. Thanks Sherri for posting that one!

[Severina]

I read Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. I didn't plan it for this prompt, I just noticed it on the list after I'd finished reading. :) Loved the book

[Stacey]

This was an eagerly awaited read that unfortunately, didn't work for me. Big Swiss by Jen Beagin was all over the place. From start to finish, the author introduced character after character, each one with so much backstory, it felt gimmicky after awhile. Above all, the ending was unsatisfying and forgettable.

[GailW]

I read The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen, a first in series mystery/thriller about a small town in Maine and the retired CIA agents living there. Not a cozy but it was a very good read. (Will be on the 2024 list very shortly -it's my best of the month for March.)

[Denise]

I read Demon Copperhead

[Dubhease]

I read The Writing Retreat

[Rae]

So far I'm using We Are Not Strangers: A Graphic Novel for this book prompt. I liked that it's on both the 2023 and 2024 list and I hadn't heard of it before.

[D.L.]

I read Northanger Abbey from the 2024 list. I enjoyed it a lot.

[Book Concierge]

# 34 on the 2023 list


✔ - 18Jan24
The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese – 5*****
An epic tale of one family in Kerala, India, over nearly eight decades, spanning the time frame from 1900 to 1977. Gosh, but Verghese can write! There is a lot of drama in this decades-long story. Verghese touches on classicism, colonialism, racism and sexism. But this is NOT an unhappy book. The family relationships are loving and tender. And that ending. My heart swelled.
LINK to my full review

[J]

I read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke for this prompt. Props to whoever posted it there for me to take advantage of.

This has been on my TBR since it was announced and I already owned it. So, easy to track down. And it was an amazing read to boot (not surprised).

[Tracy]

Emily wrote: "We love recommendations from friends, and at ATY, we are all friends here! This week, you are scouring the Best of the Month lists to find a book that may intrigue you. You can use this as an oppor..."

MODS - fyi - the name of the "2024 Best of" Listopia doesn't have 'ATY' in the name like all of our other Listopia names. It simple says [2024] instead of [ATY 2024].

[Sibylle]

I read The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

[lexiskat]

The book I chose for this prompt


short and sweet review: 3.5
I was half way in when I realized this book was just not it. The book got repetitive. The only reason I continued on is bc I fell in love with the dad. He was so pure and wanted nothing but the best for his daughter. Carrie was just what they nicknamed her 🙄. She was so afraid of her feeling love. Carrie had a lesson to learn and no one could teach her that lesson but herself.

[Misty]

I am reading Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. My kid loved this book and has been wanting me to read it forever, so it works for two things! :)

[Joy D]

For this prompt, I read:

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett - 6/24/24 - 3* - My Review

This book is from the 2023 list.

[Robin H-R]

I read:
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

BIO: A book that has been on your TBR for over a year
REJECT: A book recommended for or related to your zodiac sign (Cancer/Moon Child)

Finished: 07/07/2024
Rating: 5 stars

An incredible series of events, meticulously researched. Didn't learn this in my history classes.

[LeahS]

I read Zen in the Art of Writing and Educated,both from the 2023 list.

I enjoyed Ray Bradbury's enthusiasm and excitement about writing, which seems to have lasted since his childhood. I also liked that he agreed with Stephen King about not over-worrying about plotting. (Different, I presume if you're writing a murder mystery).

I thought Educated was a powerful book, about a family who are rather more interesting and complex than a first glance at the book would suggest.

[Misty]

I went with Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao for this one, and I was not disappointed!

plus the cover is very cool:

[Pam]

There are still 2 days of reading left in the month to find your favorite! I’m waiting to see if I can finish the one I’m reading because it MAY be my favorite, if not for July, then August.

[Samantha]

I read Arch-Conspirator. It is a retelling of Antigone which I wasn’t that familiar with prior to starting, it is also a novella so a quick read. I think it could have been better as a longer book but overall enjoyable.

[Liz]

I read Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson.

I read this book out of order, having read Benjamin Stevenson's second book Everyone on this Train is a Suspect several months ago. I liked the second book better.

I'm not sure why I felt so totally disengaged with this one. I still enjoyed Ern's funny and irreverent tone. I also liked the premise where each family member had something in their past that led to murder. Yet, as the story progressed, I just lost interest in the characters and the outcome.

2.5 stars (rounded down to 2 stars)
My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Wendy]

I have had great luck with this prompt the past few years, and once again I was not disappointed. This time I picked up Booker Prize winner Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner, recommended in January of this year, about a woman writer escaping from some mysterious scandal to a hotel on Lake Geneva. Though written roughly 50 years later, it reminds me a lot of The Enchanted April which I read for this same prompt last year! Relaxing, timeless backdrop and slow burn relationships.