Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Weekly Topics 2024
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02. A book connected to something you read in 2023
I'm going to read Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang. I discovered it when I went looking for books similar to How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang, which I read this year for the western prompt and loved.
This year I read Deborah Levy's Things I Don't Want to Know - next year I'm following that with The Cost of Living: A Working Autobiography.
I'm reading The Flea Palace. Last year I read The Architect's Apprentice for the same prompt, having read The Island of Missing Trees in 2021. Slowly working my way through Elif Shafak's catalogue.I'm also reading All the Sinners Bleed. I read Razorblade Tears last year which was excellent.
I will either use this prompt to finish a series or nearly finish one. I have 2 series in mind at this time.Or I will read another non-fiction book about nature.
Mod
I have some longer books planned for the first prompts so I’m planning on reading a cozy from a series I’m currently working on for this prompt to balance out my reading.
I usually go for the non-creative approach to this kind of prompt and choose an author I read in the previous year.I am most looking forward to reading more by these authors in 2024:
Alice Feeney
Claire Keegan
Maggie O'Farrell
Failing that, I try to read from the Women's Prize longlist each year so that is another easy connection for me if I can't fit one of those in elsewhere.
I moderated a Latin American author classics buddy read this year but I kept finding more current books by authors from this region that I wanted to read! So, I may read something contemporary or a classic that I didn't get to (which there are many) or a bi-lingual short story collection.
Usually I like to do something like read a non-fiction book to learn more about a person or time period that a novel introduced me to, and that I realized I didn't know much about. (i.e. after reading Milkman, I read Say Nothing, nonfiction about the Troubles). This year, nothing like that has jumped out at me, so I might do a sequel or next in a series instead. Feels a bit boring! Or maybe these last couple months will present me with an opportunity.
I have quite a few good options, as I usually read other books (or next in series) from authors I read the previous year.I have a lot right now, so I'll mood-read something when I get there, as I plan to read in order.
Update: I finished Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood on the 8th of February. It was a 3.5 star rounded up and with this I finished the trilogy (I read the third one last year in January).
This is a bit of a long story!My 2023 book is Big Sky by Kate Atkinson. It's the latest in a series I enjoy, and my plan was to read the ebook copy from my library. But when the time came, there was no ebook anymore, though they did have a physical copy. Unfortunately, I had temporarily lost my library card. I managed to get myself registered for another library that had an electronic copy, but it was the American version. I just couldn't get on with it, reading about a British man in Yorkshire wearing pants and putting stuff in the trunk of his car. It took me a week to get through the first quarter of the book.
Just round the corner from my house there's a Little Free Library. It was really poorly constructed and lost its doors a while ago. We had a tropical storm coming and someone thoughtfully took all the books away for safekeeping. Which was lucky, because the box didn't survive the storm. Someone left a bag of books in the bus shelter next to it, but I wasn't venturing in for a look because it's cockroach central in there.
A few days later, I'm walking past on my way home from work and the bag is gone from the bus shelter, and there are just two books left on the bench. I'm brave and I go in for a nosy. The top book is Big Sky, and it's the UK version! This is a gift from the universe and I'm taking it!!! I can't leave the other book, because it'll be lonely (this is how my brain works), so I take it home too. It's The Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley, and it's what I'm reading for this prompt.
Marie wrote: "This is a bit of a long story!My 2023 book is Big Sky by Kate Atkinson. It's the latest in a series I enjoy, and my plan was to read the ebook copy from my library...."
What a lovely story, Marie :) the Universe does conspire!
Marie wrote: "This is a bit of a long story!"I love this!
Great story Marie! I love when a book you’re looking for just shows up unexpected! Hope you enjoy it’s partner book.
Mod
Marie wrote: "This is a bit of a long story!My 2023 book is Big Sky by Kate Atkinson. It's the latest in a series I enjoy, and my plan was to read the ebook copy from my library...."
Marie - I love the serendipity and synchronicity of your story! I think you could use it at the end of next year when listing your "creative twist" for a prompt.
Another idea for this prompt is to read a book or author that was referenced in a book that you read in 2023. Sometimes in my book journal I will make a note of these books/authors of interest.
Question .... does this have to be a book I read in 2023 FOR the ATY 2023 challenge? Or any book I read in 2023?
Book Concierge wrote: "Question .... does this have to be a book I read in 2023 FOR the ATY 2023 challenge? Or any book I read in 2023?"I count any book I read in 2023.
Mod
I'm planning on reading A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. The connection to 2023 is that I read A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers in this year.
I could also use this title for A book that has been on your TBR for over a year. I've actually had this book for close to 25 years. I tried reading when I first got it, but reading about our history from the point of view of the victims of history instead of the victors was depressing to me at the time — partially due to my reading style then, and I think partially because I had 2 small children and I had higher hopes for the country we would be handing down to them.
I anticipate that this time I will find the book more enlightening rather than depressing. I probably won't read it straight through, but will read one chapter/part of history at a time between other books.
Continuing with either the Daniel Faust series or the Harmony Black series for this prompt! Craig Schaefer
I was at a book sale and I picked up 2 books that would work perfectly: The Auschwitz Photographer: The Forgotten Story of the WWII Prisoner Who Documented Thousands of Lost Souls (to connect to The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive) and This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession (to connect to This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You). But that means I'll have to wait 2 months to read them.....
@Kendra - my husband read This Is What It Sounds Like and loved it! He kept his phone nearby to pull up music mentioned in the book, which made it even better.
Tracy wrote: "@Kendra - my husband read This Is What It Sounds Like and loved it! He kept his phone nearby to pull up music mentioned in the book, which made it even better."I did too! I really loved it and it's going to be in the running for my best book of the year (It's the best nonfiction for sure).
Chrissy wrote: "Usually I like to do something like read a non-fiction book to learn more about a person or time period that a novel introduced me to, and that I realized I didn't know much about. (i.e. after read..."My wish came true! I just finished The Bandit Queens, and the author’s note recommended books to learn more about Phoolan Devi, whom I hadn’t heard of before. She sounds fascinating, and there’s a highly reviewed graphic biography about her, Phoolan Devi, Rebel Queen.
I've not had a big reading year in 2023, but I've pulled the following possibles:- 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad (I read and enjoyed Bunny this year)
- Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay (I read Empty by Susan Burton this year, and as someone who has struggled with my body and food this is a topic I'm drawn to)
- A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal by Jen Waite (I'm moving past it, but this is something I've been through and I like to read from those with similar experiences, such as Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal which I read this year)
Beth wrote: "I usually go for the non-creative approach to this kind of prompt and choose an author I read in the previous year.I am most looking forward to reading more by these authors in 2024:"
Uhh, great list of authors!
Dixie wrote: "This year I read Deborah Levy's Things I Don't Want to Know - next year I'm following that with The Cost of Living: A Working Autobiography."
I really want to get in to reading more Levy after really liking Hot Milk. Hoping I can fit The Cost of Living into a prompt this year.
I really enjoyed The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford this year, and so I'll likely read Love in a Cold Climate for this prompt, unless I shelve that over in the "chilling atmosphere" section.Another book I read this past year that got me excited to read more, both by the author and in the medieval setting, was The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. Related options for this could be Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography, The Decameron, The Portable Medieval Reader, or Foucault's Pendulum.
I'm planning on reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan for this prompt. I read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane this past year and it was my favourite book of the year. I don't know anything about footbinding and this is perhaps the author's most well-known book, so I am looking forward to reading it.
I will be reading The Steps of the Sun by Caroline Harvey, a pen name of Joanna Trollope. I read one last year under Caroline Harvey.
I will be continuing the 'Beartown' series. I read Beartown and Us Against You in 2023, and have planned to read
for the 2024 challenge.
I will be continuing The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, and the way it is connected to my 2023 reads is that it is a memoir. I also read Tom Felton's memoir in 2023. Looking forward to finishing this one up!
Kristin wrote: "I will be continuing the 'Beartown' series. I read Beartown and Us Against You in 2023, and have planned to read
for the 2024 challenge."Nice! I read and loved Beartown and Us Against You last year too. I'll be reading Winners but maybe for a prompt in February
For this prompt I'm rereading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I read this more than 10 years ago. It's the pick for a book club that I'm in and it's related to something I read in 2023 because I've been reading books for that book club in 2023. (It's kind of a stretch to fit the prompt, but oh well.)
I'm reading The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley. It's part of the "British Library Crime Classics," from which I read Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac and Fire in the Thatch by E.C.R. Lorac.
This is the book I picked for this prompt
short and sweet review: 3.0
This book talked about friends who were like enemies. They weren't true pals—they took things from each other and made money from what they took. I rated this book 3 stars because it felt slow. The main character, who was white, took an Asian story and claimed it as her own. She even tried taking credit for kids' work until they realized she was stealing. Eventually, she confessed, feeling like she was losing her mind and thinking her dead friend was alive.
I read Sally Brady's Italian Adventure about an American socialite caught in Italy when WW2 breaks out. I connected it to Lisa Scottoline's Eternal, also set in Italy during WW2.
Italy isn't typically the setting for this particular era, so it was pretty cool to find TWO books inside a year.
And for the record, Scottoline's book was better, imo, but this one was a nice read as well.
I have chosen The Seven by Chris Hammer. It is the third book in the Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan series. Read the second book The Tilt towards the end of 2023. Just downloaded an e-audio version from the library.
I read the first half of NK Jemisin's Great Cities duology in 2023, The City We Became, so I think I'll go for the second book, The World We Make, in 2024!
I will read Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie. Last year I read The Mysterious Affair At Styles which is the same author and same character (Hercule Poirot)
I read Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid. I read A Study in Drowning by this same author in 2023 so I picked up another book by her for this prompt. TBD what I'm doing for my Take 2 prompt option (doing the challenge twice), but it'll quite possibly be a BOTM book, a book from the TOB shortlist, or yet another book by an author I read last year.
Last year I read a lot of AA literature, so this year I read another AA book: The Best of Bill. I learned a lot about the history of AA and its early days. Very interesting!
I've completed reading Killer Traitor Spy by Tim Ayliffe for this prompt. The espionage theme of this book is similiar to a 2023 book I read, The Frenchman by Jack Beaumont
I read The Flea Palace. Last year I read The Architect's Apprentice. They are both by Elif Shafak and both feature buildings in Istanbul. I've read several of Shafak's books and enjoyed them all, but this one took much longer to get into - a multi-cast story centering around a decaying apartment block - what is causing the smell of garbage? Yes, slightly odd. I came to like it, but it was a long run-in.A friend lent me The Gathering by Anne Enright. I read The Forgotten Waltz by the same author last year. This one was a Booker winner, which is always a bit of a red flag for me. There were some parts of the writing which prompted an 'oh, yes, this is just right' reaction, and others where the writer seemed to be reaching for peculiar similes to be more literary. The story is told breathlessly by a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown, trying to remember or reinvent the past. Definitely an unreliable narrator, and a powerful but not pleasant book/
I read:
Final Justice by Fern MichaelsBIO: A book that is connected in at least 2 different ways -- Author and characters (#12 in series)
TASK #2. A Book Related to Something I Read in 2023My 2024 plan is to "not plan."
BOOK 1 ~ I work at a big library and I'm just going to go with the first book that appeals to me that crosses my returns desk.
BOOK 2 ~ And I'm challenging myself to work on clearing out my old TBR shelf this year, so I'm going to read the dustiest "fits the prompt" book on my TBR shelf as well.
~ ♞ ~
BOOK 1
Sally Brady's Italian Adventure by Christina LynchRead ~ 1.2.24
Pages ~ 368
Rationale ~ Connected to
Eternal by Lisa ScottolineBoth books take place in Italy during World War 2. That particular era of Historical Fiction is my personal favorite, as I find the stories they tell rich in character development and courage in the face of overwhelming tragedies. The time period is far enough removed from today's "current events" that I'm able to enjoy the reading without ending up with a serious case of personal PTSD. Italy, however, is sort of off the beaten path for the traditional setting of this genre - Central Europe is more usually featured - so I was pretty happy to find a second book set in Italy during Mussolini's time as dictator.
Review ~ ★★★☆
Interesting premise, a party girl socialite stuck in Europe (Italy) when the second world war breaks out. There is a light-hearted approach to the whole thing that somehow just doesn't seem real or believable, but in spite of this, I found myself really liking Sally. She's plucky and has a way of looking at the best of every bad situation. Still WW2. Italy. Mussolini. She makes me almost want to BE there with her, which would have been a very VERY bad idea.
~ ♞ ~
BOOK 2
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise ErdrichRead ~ 1.6.24
Pages ~ 368
Rationale ~ Connected to
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrichwhich I did not enjoy at all. I've read several of her books, and came to the conclusion that she is simply not an author that I can connect with, and I had decided to quit trying.
Review ~ ★★★☆
The story is one of a woman who lives a hidden life as a priest in a Ojibwe village, and as she nears the end of her life finds an overwhelming need to give her own confession, which takes an entire book to make happen because she has to lay all the groundwork. She has to tell all the stories of all the tribal members that she interacted with, that she cared for, that she considered her flock. She does this to explain the necessity of what she did and why she went so long without disclosing that she wasn't a man. It seems to be extremely important to her that you understand her motives - the whole book is one long confession. Or maybe it's not important to her that you understand the why at all so much as it is that she is finally able to die as her own person - the one she was underneath the deception all along.
As a side note: this would be the first Louise Erdrich book that I've read that I actually managed to finish. I think it's her slow, round about almost hesitancy to get to the point writing style that I find frustrating. She talks "around" an idea, and you're left really having to dig deep into the structure or each sentence to get the idea of what she is trying to say, so why the prose is lyrical and beautiful, it's not easy to follow. My BFF in high school was a full blood Cherokee, and reading this book was a lot like having a conversation with her. She was brilliant, but conversations were slow, methodical, and infused with innuendo and inference. It would take her all evening to "get to the point" and I absolutely adored her. She was soft and kind on the surface and hard as brick underneath. I realized about half-way through this story that I was actually hearing her voice as I was reading, and it felt like I was back in my 63 Chevy Impala, cruising main, shooting the breeze and telling stories with Diana.
Title: The Lone Wolf's Rejected MateAuthor: Cate C. Wells
Rating: 3 Stars
Shelves: Paranormal Romance
How it fits the prompt: I read The Heir Apparent's Rejected Mate in December 2023 - this is the next book in the Five Packs series
My first choice for this prompt turned out be inspired by a book I read in 2022, so I moved it to a later prompt.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Saint Peter's Fair (other topics)Casket Case (other topics)
Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death (other topics)
Best Love Rosie (other topics)
Almost There (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ellis Peters (other topics)Nuala O'Faolain (other topics)
Agatha Christie (other topics)
Agatha Christie (other topics)
Anne Enright (other topics)
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ATY Listopia https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
What are you reading and how is connected to what you read in 2023?