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Best Books of October 2021
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The Eighth Life by Nina HaratischwiliRating: 5
Format: Print (very heavy book)
Prompt Used For: I didn't use this as a prompt choice, but it was definitely a long book)
Reason why it was the best: I love historical fiction, new-to-me places (Georgia), and family drama. I loved the writing style and structure of the story and the pace was page turning.
Mod
Title: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
Author: Amanda Montell
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for: Published in 2021
Brief reason why it was the best:
It was so fascinating to see how language has been used to coerce and divide people. I love that the author went from Jonestown to Instagram influencers and everywhere in between to show how pervasive the use of language to create cultures is.
Title: We Sold Our SoulsAuthor: Grady Hendrix
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a
Brief reason why it was the best: The pacing keeps you smack dab in the action at all times, the world feels real and intense, and there is an awesome theme of female empowerment throughout.
Title: [book:Girl, Woman, Other|41081373Author: (My computer has been glitchy all day, so I can't add a link to the author) Bernardine Evaristo
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt: Cover with more than 2 people
Brief reason why it was the best: Even though the many characters had individual story lines, they also all related to each other. loved the unusual style of writing which really seemed to fit the format the book took. Plus found a lot of the character interesting and fun to get to know.
- Title: Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving- Author: Mo Rocca
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for: Could work for A book related to "the end" or A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry
- Brief reason why it was the best: I learned a little about many topics (people and things) and I really enjoy Mo Rocca's humor. I suggest the audio version. I don't think it would hold my interest if I read a print version. Was great to listen to while commuting to work.
I decided to go with 2 books this month. They are both memoirs and 5 star reads for me. They couldn't be more different, though!- Title: The Boys : A Memoir of Hollywood and Family
- Author:Ron Howard & Clint Howard
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for: #51- Book whose title refers to a person without giving their name
- Brief reason why it was the best- I loved the format which went back and forth between Ron and Clint's memories and the focus on the family involvement. It was a great trip down memory lane if you were a fan of shows like Andy Griffith, Happy Days, and Gentle Ben. It was also very interesting to see what life is like for child actors growing up in Hollywood and how Ron went from child actor to major movie director.
- Title: Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea
- Author: Teffi
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: Print
- ATY Prompt: #8 Book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited
- Brief reason why it was the best: I loved Teffi's writing and learned a lot about the refugee experience and the region (Russia and Ukraine)! The book is a composition of articles which were first published in a Russian newspaper in Paris. Her journey, keeping one step ahead of the Bolsheviks in 1918, shortly after the Russian Revolution, must have been terrifying but she presented her travels in a light-hearted manner, never losing focus of the dangerous political situation.
Title And Then There Were None- Author Agatha Christie
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book set on an island
- Brief reason why it was the best It is one of the best locked room mysteries ever.
Title Dracula
- Author Bram Stoker
- Rating 4 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book involving an immigrant (It was the prompt I could find - not what I read for)
- Brief reason why it was the best After watching so many movies, it was good to finally read the author's vision. It's epistolary which is always an interesting choice for author's to make.
No 5 stars this month, this was my favorite 4 star book:- Title: All Systems Red
- Author: Martha Wells
- Rating: 4 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) 42. A mystery or thriller
- Brief reason why it was the best: Murderbot is the awesome! Love its snarky tone
- Title: Nasza część nocy- Author: Mariana Enríquez
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): I haven't decided yet, but it would work for: magic, below Tropic of Cancer, female villain, deck of cards, cross-genre, involving immigrant, country never visited (but now I want to), related to past and couple of prompts that didn't make it.
- Brief reason why it was the best: It's hard to pinpoint, 'cause I loved almost everything about it - amazing imagery, setting, writing style, characters. The only thing I have reservations against was the ending, but not because it was bad, but I think it should have been given more fleshing out.
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- Title: Summer Sons
- Author: Lee Mandelo
- Rating: 5 Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audiobook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): N/A
- Brief reason why it was the best: It was a great spooky book for the month and told a unique story.
Title: Burial RitesAuthor: Hannah Kent
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book with a female villain or criminal
Brief reason why it was the best: Very poignant because we know the doomed fate of Agnes but not how she came to be the last person to be publicly executed before the practice is abolished in early 19th century Iceland.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan BraithwaiteRating: 4 stars
Format: ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for: A book set in a country below the Tropic of Cancer (Nigeria)
Brief reason why it was the best: This was a very quick and entertaining read. I really enjoyed the satirical tone throughout.
Title: When Sorrows Come
Author: Seanan McGuire
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: Ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for: A book that you consider comfort reading.
Brief reason why it was the best This is one of my favorite series and so I knew I was going to love this, but it was just so good. It is book 15, so I'd recommend starting with Rosemary and Rue if you haven't already read it.
Title: Hour of the Witch
Author: Chris Bohjalian
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audio book
ATY Prompt you used it for: A book with elements of magic
Brief reason why it was the best: Chris Bohjalian is one of my favorite authors, and this book was no exception. Although the dialog is circa the 1600's, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story, which focuses on an abusive husband and his wife.
- Title:
- Author: Sarah Foster
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - didn't use it for a prompt
- Brief reason why it was the best: A mystery and I was hooked from page 1. Set in near distant future, post COVID-19 in the UK. Gripping and thrilling. Alternates between Mother (Emma) and daughter (Lainey).
My 5 star read this month was Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I didn’t use it for a prompt but it could fit as a book with a Muslim character, past/present/future (all three!), cross genre, ensemble cast, or published in 2021. I loved the different timelines and how they thematically intertwined. It was complex without feeling difficult.
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- Author: Simon Jimenez
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 49. A book with an ensemble cast
- Brief reason why it was the best: Science fiction in the same vein as Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series. I finished it and thought wow. The POV character shifts each chapter, while maintaining the same story The final section managed to be both tense in a thriller way, and intense emotionally.
I also dug out an old favourite for Halloween: A Night in the Lonesome October, by Roger Zelazny. Always fun, and the POV character is Jack the Ripper's Dog!
My October ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ books are:Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (audio) -- pure magic. I loved this book so much!
Prompt: A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (print) -- I adore James Baldwin, and this is an amazing debut novel.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (audio) -- This is a classic I never read, and it's deliciously creepy and goosebumpy.
- Title Dark Roads- Author Chevy Stevens
- Rating 4
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Autumn Challenge
- Brief reason why it was the best
I didn't read a lot in October but I thought this was a really enjoyable thriller.
- Title The Gilded Ones- Author Namina Forna
- Rating Five Stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) 50 - A book published in 2021
- Brief reason why it was the best - There is so much to unpack with this book. There are layers upon layers. It is a West African inspired fantasy. I would love to have read this book in a book club, so I could sit around for hours and dig through it with people. So much trauma associated with being a woman (and I'm sure racism issues, but I don't feel qualified to speak on that) is explored in this fantasy. I would highly recommended it with the only caveat being that parts of it are pretty violent, so if that is a trigger for you - skip it.
Title: Nothing But Blackened TeethAuthor: Cassandra Khaw
Rating: Four stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): N/A
Brief reason why it was the best: Some of the most delicious writing (as in the actual prose itself) I've encountered in quite a long while coupled with a delight of a creepy horror story. It has given me some nice thinky thoughts about who exactly culture belongs to and what to do with that possession as well, and that was a nice bonus. Just missed five stars for me due to some slight pacing issues, but don't let that keep you from enjoying this. I will definitely be reading all of Ms. Khaw's work going forward.
- Title - Ducks, Newburyport- Author - Lucy Ellmann
- Rating - Five stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - none but it’s definitely a long book: over 1000 pages of unbroken type
- Brief reason why it was the best - definitely a Marmite book but I came down on the “love it” side. I can’t think when I believed in a protagonist more. In fact I was starting conversations with “someone was telling me about Teflon” and come to an embarrassed halt when I realised it was someone fictional.
- The Councillor- E.J. Beaton
- 4 stars
- I was going to use it for title refers to character without their name, but I waited months for this book to get processed in at my library and ended up reading something else before I got to read this one
- Well done Machiavellian (political) fantasy with enough action to keep things interesting, and it had a satisfying ending while leaving it open for a sequel, which I will await patiently
Note: I rarely can select just ONE of anything... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯I list all the ATY prompts for which I could use a book... I will assign one book to each prompt at the end of the year.
I had
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PRINT (almost always print)
PROMPTS: #1-In the beginning Grace was such a coward!, #8-Russia, #13-I read The Martian in 2020, #14-Erid at the end!, #20-Grace ended up with an unexpected future!, #23-Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, #24-In a very subtle way, #28, #29, #31, #34, #39, #42, #50
*Weir's imagination appears to be boundless! I especially appreciated the emphasis on peaceful coexistence and cooperation!
How to Be an Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi
⭐⭐⭐⭐
PRINT (almost always PRINT)
PROMPTS: #1-In the beginning, Kendi knew there was no way he was a racist!, #20- Using the past to realize the present and make changes for a much better future!, #23-Autobiography, Nonfiction, Politics, Psychology, Social Justice, Sociology, #24, #41, #44, #51
*Every single person should read this book! Kendi walks us through his own revelation that he is indeed a racist. He believes you can only be a Racist OR an Antiracist at any one time. There is no in-between. Also, if you ever have the opportunity to attend an event where he is speaking, just do it!
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
V.E. Schwab
⭐⭐⭐⭐
PRINT (almost always PRINT)
PROMPTS: #1-In the beginning, neither Addie nor Henry realized exactly what they had agreed to, #3-…whiskers on kittens…Book!, #4, #6, #8-France, #9-July 29, #10-Addie was definitely a criminal in the strictest sense…a thief! But what else could she do to survive?, #13-I read A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) in 2020!, #20-If it’s possible, Addie has too much future ahead, just as she has too much past behind her!, #23-Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult, #27-The Lovers, Strength, Death, The Devil, Judgment, The World, The Fool, #30, #34, #36, #39, #43, #46-2020 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy
*This is such a multi-layered story and Addie is a very unique and complex character with many philosophical implications.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
Abbi Waxman
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PRINT (almost always PRINT)
PROMPTS: #3-…whiskers on kittens… Phil!, #6, #20-Thrilled to see this is the beginning of a series, ‘cause I want to know what the future holds for Nina, et al!, #23-Books About Books, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Romance, #27-The Lovers, Death, Temperance, Judgment, #34-K.I.T.T.!, #36, #45-Papa, #52-In the end, Nina learned to appreciate other people in her personal life!
*I found this story to be very personal as my life has had several similarities to Nina's own. It was kinda a "happily-ever-after" but not in an off-putting way!
Sorry, got very far behind on the threads! Title: The Sun Down Motel
Author: Simone St. James
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book that incudes a haunting (for another challenge)
Brief reason why it was the best: Very creepy and atmospheric, with the perfect level of horror for me. I love this author's writing style!
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Sun Down Motel (other topics)Efrén Divided (other topics)
How to Be an Antiracist (other topics)
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (other topics)
Project Hail Mary (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Simone St. James (other topics)Ernesto Cisneros (other topics)
V.E. Schwab (other topics)
Abbi Waxman (other topics)
Andy Weir (other topics)
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