Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Happy halfway mark through 2022! I can't believe how quickly this year is going by. Hopefully we've all got some great books to share this month!

Answer the following questions:

- Title
- Author
- Rating
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
- Brief reason why it was the best

- Title - When the Reckoning Comes
- Author - LaTanya McQueen
- Rating - 5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - ebook and audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - n/a but could be for Flora, Gothic elements, small town, without a person on the cover and probably some others I am not thinking of.
- Brief reason why it was the best - I think for some the slow pace doesn't work but for me the slow build just added to my anticipation/anxiety and the creepy vibe feeling.

Title: The Once and Future Witches
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: 440+ Pages
Brief reason why it was the best:
I loved every character in this book for vastly different reasons, and the pace of the plot was so captivating. It took a while to read due to vacation, but I loved every minute of it.

- Title:
The Winter Soldier

- Author
Daniel Mason

- Rating: 5 stars!

- Format: Audio

- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a
It would fit 20. A fiction or nonfiction book that is set during 1900 -1951

- Brief reason why it was the best:
This book is a masterpiece of traditional storytelling. The characters are fully realized. The writing is beautifully descriptive and emotionally evocative. Themes include love, war, art, medicine, parental pressure, tenderness, suffering, chance, and personal journeys. I cannot praise this novel highly enough. It would make a great film. I loved it.

My Full Review

- Title: Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride
- Author: Lorenzo Carcaterra
- Rating: 5 star
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 29. A book set on or near a body of water
- Brief reason why it was the best: A spitfire grandmother people on the island look to when they have a problem to solve.

- Title How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe 
- Author Thomas Cahill
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) : print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book with a language or nationality in the title
- Brief reason why it was the best: Never before has a history book been so interesting.

- Title The Paris Apartment
- Author Lucy Foley
- Rating 4 stars (really 4.5)
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable); A book published in 2022
- Brief reason why it was the best: It was even better than the Guest List.

Title: The Woman in the Library
Author: Sulari Gentill
Rating: 4,5
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Book with handwriting on the cover
Brief reason why it was the best: A story within a story. I love who dunnits where it is clear that the culprit has to be one of a small group. The stories are gripping, one with an unhealthy obsession for an author, the other one is a murder case.

Title Dream Girl
Author Laura Lippman
Rating 4 stars
Format Audio
ATY I used it for the Summer challenge
but it could be used for 34. A book with an academic setting or with a teacher that plays an important role
Brief reason why it was the best
The narrator Jason Culp was awesome and it was funny and engaging. A really good Summer read.

- Title: The Jade Temptress
- Author: Jeannie Lin
- Rating: 5/5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 8/9/10: 10. 3 books set on three different continents
- Brief reason why it was the best: an astonishingly touching romance between a police constable and a courtesan far beyond his reach. Really grabbed me, and made me cry a few times!

Title: The Broken Girls
Author: Simone St. James
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt: 15. A book without a person on the cover
Why it was the best:
Both storylines are well done, and I don't think either one goes in the direction you would expect.

Title: Clap When You Land
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: ebook
ATY Prompt: 17. A book from NPR's Book Concierge
Why it was the best:
I don't think Elizabeth Acevedo is capable of writing a bad book. This was emotional and powerful and so well written.

- Title: Warbreaker
- Author: Brandon Sanderson
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Either 31. Published over 10 years ago or 48. A book connected to "Here (There) be dragons"
- Brief reason why it was the best: This book is criminally underrated. An amazing and captivating fantasy with exceptional world building and truly dynamic and enjoyable characters.

Title: The Path of Thorns
Author: A.G. Slatter
Rating: 4/5/5
Format: ebook
ATY Prompt: a book with a gothic element
Why it was the best:
The atmosphere and tension in this book is incredible, and it also fit the angry feminist mood I was in at the time perfectly

My one 5-star was a reread of one of my favorite mysteries.

- Title - The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side
- Author - Agatha Christie
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - didn't, but it would work for a book related to glass (a cocktail glass is poisoned & mirror on some covers), a book published at least 10 years ago, a book set in a small town, and a book involving a character in their golden years
- Brief reason why it was the best - my favorite Miss Marple mystery. She is a bit disconcerted by the changes to her beloved village, but human nature hasn't changed and she figures out who put the poison in the victim's cocktail glass and kills others to cover up the crime.

- Title - Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family
- Author - Thomas Mann
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - didn't use, but it would fit: character with name A,T,Y, 22 or more letters in title, set in Europe, more than 440 pages, published at least 10 years ago
- Brief reason why it was the best - It was an epic family saga with fully realized characters.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

5 stars

I just loved this book so much; so thoroughly exactly what I needed

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby, 5 Stars

- Rating: 5 star
- Format: Audio version
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): N/A
- Brief reason why it was the best: A believable, suspenseful drama that keeps you rooting for the good guy. (Well, the "good-ish" guy...) I think I saw it listed as someone's best book of May, and that is how it made it's way to my reading list.

Title Seveneves
Author Neal Stephenson
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Well 4.5 and it might get bumped up. I just felt a little let down by the ending)
Format Paperback
ATY Prompt you used it for I used it for the palindrome title on Popsugar.
Brief reason why it was the best It left me sobbing (A sign that the characters felt real). And it reminded me of The Martian with the being stuck in space and having to come up with solutions on the fly.

- Title: The Complete Maus
- Author: Art Spiegelman
- Rating: 4 stars
- Format: Graphic novel
- ATY Prompt you used it for: it would qualify for several, but I’ll probably be using it for the Powell’s List prompt.
- Brief reason why it was the best: It’s a very powerful story told in a very unique format.

- Title: Not My Problem
- Author: Ciara Smyth
- Format: audio book
- ATY Prompt: none
- Brief reason why: It's funny and cute and romantic and real. It's one of those YA books that you wish you could jump in time and give your younger self - but still worth a read as an adult since time travel doesn't quite exist yet.

Title: Legendborn
Author: Tracy Deonn
Rating: 5 stars
ATY Prompt you used it for: A book related to mythology
Brief reason why it was the best: I love a fantasy and I really enjoyed a modern Arthurian look at magic and how it coexists in the world with Root magic. It also looks at the pain of losing a parent as a teen and explores a generational trauma

Title: Ex-Heroes
Author: Peter Clines
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a
Brief reason why it was the best: It mixes one of my favourite genres (zombies/post-apocalyptic) with a genre I'm not very familiar with (superheroes) in a very unique and fun way.

I think my favorite this month was Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, which I gave 5 stars and read in 2 days while on vacation and staying with family. It is a great exploration of mental health and relationships and I found it really moving. I think the only prompt it would fit is 7, relating to psychology, neuroscience or the mind.

Title: The Book of Gothel
Author: Mary McMyne
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Paperback
ATY Prompt: 40. A book related to one of the 22 Tarot Major Arcana cards (The Tower)

Fantastic reworking of Rapunzel from the witch's point of view, combining the midwifery elements of the original.

- The Witch's Heart
- Genevieve Gornichec
- 4 stars
- Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for: mythology
- Brief reason why it was the best: interesting take on a story from Norse mythology, well-written

- Title: All Her Little Secrets
- Author: Wanda M. Morris
- Rating: 4 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audiobook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 3 books set on three different continents - Book 2 (North America)
- Brief reason why it was the best: I loved the protagonist and the diversity, I was really sad of what she was going through and felt sorry for someone who had died.. But it was truly intense at some point and I enjoyed it through the end.

Updated the listopia through here!
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Author: T.J. Klune
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name
Brief reason why it was the best: This book was absolutely incredible, and easily my favourite of the year so far. I loved the character dynamics and the overall atmosphere, which reminded me of a combination of Harry Potter, Miss Peregrine, with mild Addams Family vibes.

Being a Beast: Adventures Across the Species Divide by Charles Foster
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. Authors don't always do a great job of narrating their own books, but this one really worked well.
I read this for the "Book related to fauna" prompt and gave it 4 stars.
This is a pretty bonkers book about a guy who tries to experience life as certain animals experience it (a badger, a fox, an otter, etc) by employing some extreme methods. Quite funny but I also learned a lot about the animals he chose to emulate.

- Title - Silver Sparrow
- Author - Tayari Jones
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - None
- Brief reason why it was the best - Compelling and believable. I didn’t expect the change in perspective half way through but it totally made the book.

- Title: What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City
- Author: Dr. Mona Hanna-Atisha
- Rating: I don't do these
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Woman in STEM
- Brief reason why it was the best: Compelling look at the Flint water crisis from the perspective of the whistleblower. Additionally, interesting look at her family history as Iraqi Immigrants and their strong belief in fighting against injustice

- Title My Monticello
- Author Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) 47 - A book with handwriting on the cover
- Brief reason why it was the best - A debut short story collection. The first story, “My Monticello,” tells of a diverse group of Charlottesville neighbors fleeing violent white supremacists. Led by Da’Naisha, a young Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, they seek refuge in Jefferson’s historic plantation home in a desperate attempt to outlive the long-foretold racial and environmental unravelling within the nation. Well told story.

- Title : How to Be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good for You, Others, and the Planet
- Author: Sophie Egan
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Kindle
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 14. A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Goodreads (had 830 at the time)
- Brief reason why it was the best: My second book this year on the topic (see my entry in ATY Best Books in April 2022 for We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer). This book also talks about how relying more on plant based foods is better for the planet and climate change. This book had more concrete steps to take and resources than the Jonathan Safran Foer book.

- Title : Wish You Were Here
- Author: Jodi Picoult
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Kindle
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 8./9./10. 3 books set on three different continents (South America/Ecuador/Galapagos Islands
- Brief reason why it was the best: The story of a woman stuck on the Galapagos Islands at the start of the COVID pandemic (she lives in NYC). Written DURING the first weeks of the pandemic as well, so very 'real time'. I had this book on hold from the library FOREVER, so it was pretty ironic that I finally got it when a) 2 of my friends were on their trip to the Galapagos that gone postponed due to Covid, and b) I had just tested positive for Covid. What I actually liked: Great descriptions about what is was like in the early days of Covid, and beautiful descriptions of nature. Also an unexpected twist. I don't usually have twists in the books I read, so it was extra fun!

Title: Miss Benson's Beetle
Author: Rachel Joyce
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: audiobook
ATY prompt: woman in STEM/ set in rural/ flora and fauna
Reason: This is a quirky story involving a middle aged spinster from England who sets off to New Caledonia in search of the legendary golden beetle, my review


Title: One Last Day of Summer
Author: Shari Low
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: ebook
ATY prompt: published 2022
Reason: This is a feel good beach read chic lit story, set mainly on the plane to St Lucia my review

Listopia updated through here!