Misty's ATY 2025 Challenge

[Misty]

I just love Carrie Fisher's books. I listened to Shockaholic. I usually listen really fast because I read really fast, and I get bored if the narration is too slow. I slowed this one down though because she narrated it, and I wanted to hear her voice. I loved her stories. Her love for her daughter really came through loud and clear in this book.

[Misty]

The Vampire short story collection Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite edited by Zoraida Córdova was mostly pretty good. There were a couple of stories in there that were pretty cringe-worthy. If I had been 11, I might have enjoyed them. There were a few that were really good though.

[Misty]

I read the first novella of the Stormlight Archive series - Edgedancer - by Brandon Sanderson. It is the first book of his that I have read that I didn't really enjoy. I did not like the main character at all. Then at the end there was a note from the author, and he said this character was his favorite. Ugh. So, apparently we'll be hearing more from this character. Hopefully, when the book isn't just about her, she'll be less annoying.

[Misty]

I really enjoyed The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan. It was a wildly and delightfully weird story - ghosts, past lives, "secret senses...." Amy Tan did not disappoint.

[Misty]

This morning at 2:30 am (thank you insomnia) I finished Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness. I enjoyed most of the book. The end got way too syrupy. Overall, it was a decent book even though it is my least favorite of the series thus far.

Thanks to that insomnia and the fact that I had to work this morning, I spent the a chunk of the afternoon relaxing on my back porch, and I read Intimations by Zadie Smith. It was a short, enjoyable collection of essays.

[Misty]

I finished The Maid and the Crocodile today. It was pretty good. It took a while to get into though, and it dragged in a couple of places. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I really liked the ending. The story definitely got better as it went along.

[Misty]

OCTOBER ROUNDUP
AUTHOR GENDER
Female = 12
Male = 3

RATING
2 - 3 Star
9 - 4 Star
3 - 5 Star

AUTHOR ETHNICITY
White = 8
Asian = 2
Indigenous American = 2
Latinx = 2
Black = 2

COUNTRIES: 5 (+USA)
Ireland = 1
China = 2
Israel = 2
UK = 2
France = 1

STATES: 4
California
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Minnesota

New to Me Authors: 6
Hannah Arendt
Kate Atkinson
Lisa See
Bear Heart
Molly Larkin
Zadie Smith

[Misty]

I finally finished The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili today. It is long and hard to read. It is well-written, but the subject matter is super challenging. I gave it four stars. I'm glad I read it, but I am exhausted.

[Misty]

Ooo - I just realized that I haven't been keeping up on adding my books here. Well, let me catch up:
I read two short stories by Lydia San Andres, and they were both great stories: How to Raise a Magician…or Two and Pearl on Her Toes. I would like to read a novel by her after reading these two stories.

I also read Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong. It was honestly more of a history of Taoism than information about Taoism. It was pretty interesting though. I'm glad I read it.

It's been a helluva couple week, and I have read some heavy books lately, so I decided to read some lighter stuff. I read Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters, and it was just what the doctor ordered. I'm very close to the end of the series, and I'm sad about that.

The next lighter book was Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu. It is the third book in the series. It's a fun series, and I am enjoying it. I have one more book.

Next I read My Conversations with Canadians by Lee Maracle. It's less "conversations" and more her response to random questions that have been asked to her. Still, it had a lot of information in it and will make you think.

[Misty]

I finished The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela a couple of days ago. I wanted to really like it, but it was kind of a mess. I like her writing, and I will likely give another book of her's a chance, but this one was not great. It was rambling. There was some Stockholm Syndrome that was weird. The stories just seemed to end. It was a little strange. I was underwhelmed.

[Misty]

I read a middle-grade book with a deaf protagonist called Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte. I have been trying to add more disability representation into my reading, and I don't remember where I found this one, but I decided to read it. I have also been reading a lot of really heavy, so I wanted something lighter. It was a good book. I enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure I had heard about the deaf community on Martha's Vineyard, so it was fun to read a story set in that world.

[Misty]

I was looking for a Welsh author for a different challenge, and I found a children's author: Dorothy Edwards. I had never heard of her, but her books were on Audible for pretty cheap, so I thought I'd give one a try. I listened to My Naughty Little Sister today. It's a cute book, and I'm glad I listened to it.

[Misty]

I listened to two short Audible originals that were both fantastic. The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel by Erin Macdonald - she talks about how sci-fi shows actual science for their futuristic technology, or how they completely disregard it! It's really cool.

The second is Harvest: The True Cost of Cotton by Maryam Aslany - It's about the exploitation of cotton farmers in India, and I had no idea. So much to think about.

[Misty]

I finally got around to reading The Running Man by Richard Bachman. It is set in 2025, so I HAD to read it during 2025. :) It was pretty good. I really want to go see the movie now. I also want to watch the old movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Misty]

I finished Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson last night, and here is my review: Where was this book when I was in eighth grade? LOL. What a fun story. I loved it. I would have eaten this up when I was 13! Even now, as a... well, much older person, I thoroughly enjoyed it. You've got mean girls, a creepy clown - er - clown-like mascot, an amusement park, ghosts, and more. It was great. I'm going to give a copy to the middle school where I substitute.

[Misty]

NOVEMBER ROUNDUP
AUTHOR GENDER
Female = 12
Male = 1

RATING
1 - 3 Star
10 - 4 Star
3 - 5 Star

AUTHOR ETHNICITY
White = 6
Asian = 2
Latinx: 1
Middle Eastern: 2
Indigenous American: 1

COUNTRIES: 8 (+USA)
UK = 3
Georgia: 2
Russia: 2
Egypt: 1
Singapore: 1
Canada: 1
Sudan: 1
India: 1


STATES: 2
Massachusetts
Georgia

New to Me Authors: 9
Nino Haratischwili
Eva Wong
Lydia San Andres
Lee Maracle
Leila Aboulela
Ann Clare LeZotte
Dorothy Edwards
Erin Macdonald
Maryam Aslany