Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

THE 52 TOPICS OF THE 2024 ATY READING CHALLENGE

✅ 🎧1. A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y
Malice in Maggody by Joan Hess

✅📕2. A book connected to something you read in 2023
Wicked as She Wants by Delilah S. Dawson

✅ 🎧3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list
A book about or related to technology
Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry

✅ 🎧4. A book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

✅ 🎧5. A book set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak

✅ 🎧6. A book with wings on the cover
Disoriental by Négar Djavadi

✅ 🎧7. A Book with a Pronoun in the Title
He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

✅ 🎧8. A book by an author from Canada, Australia or New Zealand
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

✅📕9. A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads
India's Story by Kathlyn S. Starbuck

✅ 🎧10. A history or historical fiction book
The Jamestown Brides: The Untold Story of England's 'Maids for Virginia' by Jennifer Potter

✅ 🎧11. A book with an X connection
How to Be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi

✅ 🎧12. A book that has been on your TBR for over a year
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

✅ 🎧13. A book that is on a Five Books List; reader’s choice of which list
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss

✅ 🎧14. A book with a main character who is Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color
Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova

✅ 🎧15. A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX)
Night Train to Memphis by Elizabeth Peters

✅ 🎧<16. A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs"
Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima

✅ 🎧17. A book involving intelligence
All Systems Red by Martha Wells

✅📕18. A book with a botanical cover
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson

✅ 🎧19. A book connected in some way to any of the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
See How They Run by Rachel Howzell Hall

✅ 🎧20. A book with a single word title
Smokescreen by Dick Francis

✅ 🎧21. A book with a title containing 6+ words
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez

✅ 🎧22. A book by an author from an African country
The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna

✅📕23. A book related to Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads, or Jimmy Buffett
The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart

✅ 🎧24. A book with a secondary color on the cover (orange, green or purple)
Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch

✅ 🎧25. A book involving a crime other than a murder
Naked Once More by Elizabeth Peters

✅ 🎧26. A book by an author known by their initials
The Girlfriend by K. L. Slater

✅ 🎧27. A book related to land
Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz

✅ 🎧28. A book related to sea
Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

✅📕29. A book related to air
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

✅ 🎧30. A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

✅ 🎧31. A book related to “Going for the Gold”
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Laehrer

✅📕32. A book with a number in the title
Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

✅ 🎧33. A book involving travel
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

✅ 🎧34. A book related to the name of one of Snow White's seven dwarfs
Red Dust Running by Anita Heiss

✅ 🎧35. A science or science fiction book
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

✅ 🎧36. A book featuring a character in education
River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan

✅ 🎧37. A book that is part of a series
A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair

✅ 🎧38. Two books with similar covers: Book 1
Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen

✅ 🎧39. Two books with similar covers: Book 2
Women of Means: The Fascinating Biographies of Royals, Heiresses, Eccentrics and Other Poor Little Rich Girls (Bios of Royalty and Rich & Famous) by Marlene Wagman-Geller

✅ 🎧40. A book involving a wild animal or endangered species, in the content, title, or on the cover
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

✅ 🎧41. A book with a chilling atmosphere
Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

✅ 🎧42. A book with a sound-related word in the title
Talking While Female & Other Dangerous Acts by Teatro Luna

✅ 🎧43. A book by an Edgar Award-winning Author
Small Kingdoms & Other Stories by Charlaine Harris

✅📕44. A book with a touch of magic
Sistersong by Lucy Holland

✅ 🎧45. A book that is not a novel
Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley

✅ 🎧46. A book related to night
Mulliner Nights by P. G. Wodehouse

✅ 🎧47. A book with a two-word title beginning with THE
The Narrator by K. L. Slater

✅ 🎧48. A second book that fits your favorite prompt
Much Ado in Maggody by Joan Hess

✅ 🎧49. A book with a senior citizen character
Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

✅📕50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 or 2024
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

✅ 🎧51. A book published in 2024
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

✅ 🎧52. A cozy mystery
Mischief in Maggody by Joan Hess

ATY-2024 Book Collage:


2024 Non Challenge Book Collage:

Women Authors:


Women in Translation:


#20BooksByLatinaAuthors

Book Count

January: 18 (18)
🎧✭✭✭✭How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Women of Means: The Fascinating Biographies of Royals, Heiresses, Eccentrics and Other Poor Little Rich Girls (Bios of Royalty and Rich & Famous) by Marlene Wagman-Geller (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Jamestown Brides: The Untold Story of England's 'Maids for Virginia' by Jennifer Potter (1)
📕✭✭✭✭✭Sistersong by Lucy Holland (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (2)
🎧✭✭✭Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (5)
🎧✭✭✭✭Naked Once More by Elizabeth Peters (27)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Disoriental by Negar Djavadi (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Night Train to Memphis by Elizabeth Peters (29)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Guns by Stephen King
🎧✭✭✭✭Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz (1)
📕✭✭✭✭✭Wicked as She Wants by Delilah S. Dawson (4)
🎧✭✭✭✭Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Brian Cox (1)

February: 26 (16)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas (16)
📕✭✭✭Who Ate the Cake? by Kate Leake
🎧✭✭✭✭Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (1) (New York) #20BooksByLatinaAuthors
🎧✭✭✭✭Smokescreen by Dick Francis (14)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair (3)
📕✭✭✭Freddy the Frogcaster and the Big Blizzard by Janice Dean (1)
📕✭✭✭✭✭Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison (2)
📕✭✭✭✭✭Because of You, John Lewis by Andrea Davis Pickney (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Girlfriend by K. L. Slater (9)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Afterlife by Julia Alvarez (3) #20BooksByLatinaAuthors
🎧✭✭✭✭Malice in Maggody by Joan Hess (1)
📕✭✭✭Bats in the Band by Brian Lies
📕✭✭✭Otis's Busy Day by Loren Long
📕✭✭✭✭And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna (3)
🎧✭✭✭✭Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch (1)
📕✭✭✭Volleyball by Matt Doeden
📕✭✭✭Buck's Tooth by Diane Kredensor
📕✭✭✭The Pizza Monster by Marjorie Weiman Sharmat
🎧✭✭✭✭Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova (2) #20BooksByLatinaAuthors
📕✭✭✭✭✭A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross (2)
🎧✭✭✭Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (5)
🎧✭✭✭✭Mulliner Nights by P. G. Wodehouse (8)
📕✭✭✭✭✭India's Story by Kathlyn S. Starbuck (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭All Systems Red by Martha Wells (1)

March: 19 (13)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Husband and Wife by K. L. Slater (10)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭See How They Run by Rachel Howzell Hall (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (6)
🎧✭✭✭✭Confessions of the Other Mother: Non-Biological Lesbian Moms Tell All ed. by Harlyn Aizley (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Narrator by K. L. Slater (11)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston (3)
🎧✭✭✭✭Mischief in Maggody by Joan Hess (2)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (30)
🎧✭✭✭✭How It Ends by Rachel Howzell Hall (2)
📕✭✭✭Pete the Cat and the Easter Basket Bandit: An Easter And Springtime Book For Kids by James Dean
📕✭✭✭Leprechaun vs. Easter Bunny by Todd Tarpley
🎧✭✭✭✭River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan (1)
📕✭✭✭Saturday by Oge Mora
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss (2)
📕✭✭✭Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora
📕✭✭✭The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey
📕✭✭✭Porkenstein by Kathryn Lasky
🎧✭✭✭Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn (1)

April: 34 (28)
📕✭✭✭✭Little Leena Learns About Ramadan by Zainab Fadlallah
📕✭✭✭✭There's Only One You by Kathryn Heling
📕✭✭✭✭I Am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde
🎧✭✭✭✭Much Ado in Maggody by Joan Hess (3)
🎧✭✭✭✭Small Kingdoms & Other Stories by Charlaine Harris (23)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Talking While Female & Other Dangerous Acts by Teatro Luna
🎧✭✭✭✭Jubilee by Jennifer Givhan (2)
🎧✭✭✭The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Carniepunk: The Three Lives of Lydia by Delilah S. Dawson (5)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭You're Not a Girl in a Movie by Hala Alyan (2)
🎧✭✭✭Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (2)
📕✭✭✭✭✭The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
📕✭✭✭✭Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by Mo Willems
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg (2)
🎧✭✭✭✭Red Dust Running by Anita Heiss (2)
🎧✭✭✭✭Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris (24)
🎧✭✭✭The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak (2)
📕✭✭✭Cloud Nine by Norman Silver
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Laehrer (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Innocence; or, Murder on Steep Street by Heda Margolius Kovaly (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Abominable Man by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (7)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Locked Room by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (8)
🎧✭✭✭✭Cop Killer by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (9)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Terrorists by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (10)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Stalking Ground by Margaret Mizushima (2)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Hunting Hour by Margaret Mizushima (3)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Burning Ridge by Margaret Mizushima (4)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Tracking Game by Margaret Mizushima (5)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg (3)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Stranger STRANGER Paperback by Camilla Lackberg (4)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg (5)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg (6)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Lost Boy by Camilla Lackberg by Camilla Lackberg (7)

May: 20 (20)
🎧✭Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa (1)
🎧✭✭✭Before the Frost by Henning Mankell (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Unashamed: A Coming-Out Guide for LGBTQ Christians by Amber Cantorna-Wylde (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair (2)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (4)
📕✭✭✭✭Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson (5)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Chicken Chronicles: Sitting with the Angels Who Have Returned with My Memories: Glorious, Rufus, Gertrude Stein, Splendor, Hortensia, Agnes of God, The Gladyses, & Babe by Alice Walker (3)
🎧✭✭✭✭Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (6)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (2)
📕✭✭✭✭✭The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart (2)
📕✭✭✭✭✭Poems To Live By in Uncertain Times ed. by Joan Murray (1)
📕✭✭✭✭If You'll Have Me by Eunnie (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭You Like It Darker by Stephen King (71)
🎧✭✭✭The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories, Volume One: Where on Earth by Ursula K. Le Guin (3)
📕✭✭✭✭✭Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson (6)
🎧✭✭✭✭Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache by Keith H. Basso (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Starsight by Brandon Sanderson (7)
🎧✭✭✭✭Manhattan Dreaming by Anita Heiss (4)
🎧✭✭✭✭Paris Dreaming by Anita Heiss (5)

June: 21 (21)
📕✭✭✭✭Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich (14)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Missing by K. L. Slater (12)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (1)
🎧✭✭✭Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (3)
🎧✭✭✭✭Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (5)
🎧✭✭✭✭Midnight Son by James Dommek, Jr. (1)
🎧✭✭✭The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Lightlark by Alex Aster (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (4)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Catching the Light by Joy Harjo (3)
🎧✭✭✭✭Elevation by Stephen King (72)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭Network Effect by Martha Wells (5)
🎧✭✭✭The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (1)
🎧✭✭✭Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (2)
🎧✭✭✭✭Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (2)
🎧✭✭✭✭✭The Bedroom Window by K. L. Slater (13)
🎧✭✭✭✭The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WWII by Jack El-Hai (1)
🎧✭✭✭✭Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris (25)

Jul - Dec on post #117

#20BooksByLatinaAuthors
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Afterlife by Julia Alvarez
Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan
Talking While Female & Other Dangerous Acts by Teatro Luna
Jubilee by Jennifer Givhan
Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Countries:

✅ 1. United States - Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff (1) (Illinois)
The Jamestown Brides: The Untold Story of England's 'Maids for Virginia' by Jennifer Potter (1) (Virginia)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (1) (New York)
Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley (1) (Tennessee)
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (New York)
Afterlife by Julia Alvarez (Vermont)
Malice in Maggody by Joan Hess (1) (Arkansas)
Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova (2) (New York)
India's Story by Kathlyn S. Starbuck (1) (California)
See How They Run by Rachel Howzell Hall (1) (Utah)
Mischief in Maggody by Joan Hess (2) (Arkansas)
How It Ends by Rachel Howzell Hall (2) (California)
River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan (1) (New Mexico)
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston (3) (Alabama)
Much Ado in Maggody by Joan Hess (3) (Arkansas)
Small Kingdoms & Other Stories by Charlaine Harris (23) (North Carolina)
Jubilee by Jennifer Givhan (2) (California)
Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima (1) (Colorado)
Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris (24) (Mississippi)
Stalking Ground by Margaret Mizushima (2) (Colorado)
Hunting Hour by Margaret Mizushima (3) (Colorado)
Burning Ridge by Marget Mizushima (4) (Colorado)
Tracking Game by Margaret Mizushima (5) (Colorado)
Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd (1) (Tennessee)
The Chicken Chronicles: Sitting with the Angels Who Have Returned with My Memories: Glorious, Rufus, Gertrude Stein, Splendor, Hortensia, Agnes of God, The Gladyses, & Babe by Alice Walker (3) (California)
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson (6) (Georgia)
Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache by Keith H. Basso (1) (Arizona)
Manhattan Dreaming by Anita Heiss (4) (New York)
Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich (14) (New Jersey)
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (1) (New York)
Midnight Son by James Dommek, Jr. (1) (Alaska)
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1) (California)
Catching the Light by Joy Harjo (3) (New Mexico)
Elevation by Stephen King (72) (Maine)
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (1) (California)
Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris (25) (Texas)
Blockade Billy by Stephen King (73) (New Jersey)
Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward (1) (Mississippi)
Sinister Graves by Marcie R. Rendon (3) (Minnesota)
Dust Tracks on a Road: A Memoir by Zora Neale Hurston (4) (Florida)
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (3) (Ohio)
Joyland by Stephen King (74) (North Carolina)
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (1) (Massachusetts)
The Squatter and the Don by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton (California)
Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong (Illinois)
Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up by Naya Rivera (1) (California)
The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates (1) (Maryland)
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (2) (Maryland)
Real Murders by Charlaine Harris (26) (Georgia)
A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris (27) (Georgia)
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris (28) (Georgia)
The Julius House by Charlaine Harris (29) (Louisiana)
Dead Over Heels by Charlaine Harris (30) (Georgia)
A Fool and His Honey by Charlaine Harris (Ohio)
Last Scene Alive by Charlaine Harris (32) (Georgia)
Poppy Done to Death by Charlaine Harris (33) (Georgia)
All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris (33) (Georgia)
Sleep Like a Baby by Charlaine Harris (35) (Georgia)
Takes One to Know One by Susan Isaacs (2) (New York)
Can't Get Enough by Connie Briscoe (3) (Washington, D.C.)
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (1) (Massachusetts)
Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster 1903 by Anthony P. Hatch (1) (Illinois)
A Secret Rage by Charlaine Harris (36) (Tennessee)
What You Owe Me by Bebe Moore Campbell (3) (California)
The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir by Leslie Marmon Silko (1) (Arizona)
The Trees by Percival Everett (1) (Mississippi)
Mrs. Pollifax Pursued by Dorothy Gilman (11) (Maine)
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (1) (Indiana)
Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King (75) and Richard Chizmar (1) (Maine)
Thale's Folly by Dorothy Gilman (16) (Massachusetts)
Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon (4) (Minnesota)
Do Not Disturb by Frieda McFadden (2) (New Hampshire)
The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden (3) (New York)
Your Blues Ain't Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell (4) (Mississippi)
Gwendy's Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar (2) (Maine)
The Girl on the Porch by Richard Chizmar (3) (Pennsylvania)
Someone in the House by Barbara Michaels (3) (Pennsylvania)
✅ 2. United Kingdom - Sistersong by Lucy Holland (1)
Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Brian Cox (1) (Scotland)
The Girlfriend by K. L. Slater (9)
Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch (1)
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (5)
Mulliner Nights by P. G. Wodehouse (8)
Husband and Wife by K. L. Slater
The Narrator by K. L. Slater (11)
Missing by K. L. Slater (12)
The Bedroom Window by K. L. Slater (13) (UK)
The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell (6)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (2)
Black Rainbow by Barbara Michaels (4)
✅ 3. The Netherlands - Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen (1)
✅ 4. France - Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (5)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (1)
Paris Dreaming by Anita Heiss (5)
✅ 5. Iran - Disoriental by Negar Djavadi (1)
✅ 6. Egypt - Night Train to Memphis by Elizabeth Peters (29)
Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz (1)
He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters (30)
The Locked Tomb Mystery: and Other Stories by Elizabeth Peters (32)
✅ 7. South Africa - Smokescreen by Dick Francis (14)
✅ 8. Sweden - Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (6)
The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg (2)
The Abominable Man by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (7)
The Locked Room by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (8)
Cop Killer by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (9)
The Terrorists by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (10)
The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg (3)
The Stranger STRANGER Paperback by Camilla Lackberg (4)
The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg (5)
The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg (6)
The Lost Boy by Camilla Lackberg by Camilla Lackberg (7)
Before the Frost by Henning Mankell (1)
✅ 9. Australia - Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss (2)
Red Dust Running by Anita Heiss (3)
Manhattan Dreaming by Anita Heiss (4)
Paris Dreaming by Anita Heiss (5)
The Fireground by Dervla McTiernan (6)
✅ 10. Jamaica - Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn (1)
✅ 11. Turkey - The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak (2)
The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gillman (4)
✅ 12. Czech Republic - Innocence; or, Murder on Steep Street by Heda Margolius Kevaly (1)
✅ 13. Nigeria - Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (1)
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (5)
Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor (2)
Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor (3)
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (6)
✅ 14. Spain - Paris Dreaming by Anita Heiss (5)
The Spy Wore Red by Aline, Countess of Romanones
✅ 15. Mexico - Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (1)
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros (2)
The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits by Elizabeth Peters (31)
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (1)
✅ 16. Japan - Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (2)
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai (1)
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (1)
Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto (2)
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (1)
✅ 17. India - Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (2)
✅ 18. Luxembourg - The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WWII by Jack El-Hai (1)
✅ 19. Germany - The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WWII by Jack El-Hai (1)
Uncertain Voyage by Dorothy Gilman (17)
✅ 20. Cuba - Refugee by Alan Gratz (1)
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton (1)
✅ 21. Syria - Refugee by Alan Gratz (1)
Mrs. Polifax Unveiled by Dorothy Gilman (14)
✅ 22. South Korea - Human Acts by Han Kang (3)
✅ 23. Argentina - Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez (1)
✅ 24. Chile - The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (2)
✅ 25. Canada - One Story, One Song by Richard Wagamese (2)
✅ 26. Tunisia - The Tremor of Forgery by Patricia Highsmith (1)
✅ 27. Switzerland - A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gillman (5)
✅ 28. Zambia - Mrs. Pollifax on Safari by Dorothy Gillman (6)
✅ 29. China - Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha by Dorothy Gilman (7)
✅ 30. Thailand - Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle by Dorothy Gilman (8)
✅ 31. Morocco - Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish by Dorothy Gilman (9)
✅ 32. Italy - Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief by Dorothy Gilman (10)
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante (2)
✅ 33. Jordan - Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist by Dorothy Gilman (13)
✅ 34. Romania - Saving My Assassin: A Memoir by Virginia Prodan (1)
✅ 34. Dominican Republic - The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez (4)
✅ 35. The Philippines - Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (2)
✅ 36. Libya - Caravan by Dorothy Gilman (19)
✅ 37. Russia - Russka: the Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd (1)

READ HARDER 2024

I decided not to do this challenge because I did not find it interesting.

For prompt #11 - 11. A book with an X connection - I read How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. This is a very, very good book that I recommend highly. I need to reread it to get more. He definitely is a man with some ingrained misogyny, and that distracted me from the issues, so I want to reread to absorb more. It was really good though. I have a great deal of respect for him. This version of the book includes his changes with annotations. I was hugely impressed that he chose to include them. I have a great deal of respect for him and his work. His story at the end of his journey with cancer was very powerful.

I am trying to get through my backlog of Audible books, and I just finished Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. It was very good, and now I want to watch the series. I saw the first episode, but I stopped watching because I got the book and wanted to read it first. I am using it for prompt #33 - A book involving travel as the characters travel quite a bit including off planet!

In my quest to clear my Audible shelf - I just finished Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen. It was fascinating. I knew very little of Audrey Hepburn before reading the book. The story was very sad, but she was quite resilient. Even with the sadness, I really enjoyed reading the book.

ETA: I realized that this book and Women of Means have similar covers, so I am using them both for ATY-2024

Another book in my question to clear my Audible shelf (she says as she just gave her children the go-ahead to add two more books to it - LOL - oh well) - I read Women of Means: The Fascinating Biographies of Royals, Heiresses, Eccentrics and Other Poor Little Rich Girls (Bios of Royalty and Rich & Famous) by Marlene Wagman-Geller. It was a good book. None of the chapters were too in-depth, but they were full of information, and it was interesting. I enjoyed it.

For prompt #10 - A history or historical fiction book - I read The Jamestown Brides: The Untold Story of England's 'Maids for Virginia' by Jennifer Potter. It was fascinating. She obviously did a lot of research for this book. I learned a lot.

For prompt #44 - A book with a touch of magic - I read Sistersong by Lucy Holland. I actually started this book last year, but I kept losing it, so I didn't get very far! :) It was a very good book, and I really enjoyed it.

My son started reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, so I decided to read it with him. We had started it as a family a few years back, and I don't know why we never finished. I ended up really enjoying the book. It's a fun ride. The characters are interesting. The story kept my attention. I really liked the modernization of the gods and their stories. I will probably read the rest of the series.

For prompt #45 - A book that is not a novel - I read Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley. I just finished this book last last night (early this morning actually), and it was - I don’t know exactly. Good? Yes, definitely. Sad? Incredibly so. I bawled through the whole thing. Well-written? Yes. Heart-felt? Completely. Hard to read? So freaking hard, and yet I couldn’t stop reading. I related so much to so many things. When she talked about her young son finding ways to connect with her mom (she had a rare form of dementia), I remembered doing something similar with my grandfather. When she talked about watching her mother’s disease take her over, I bawled remembering watching something similar with my mom. I started and finished this book today because I could not put it down. I cried so much, I got hugs from my kids. Read this book, but do it with a box of tissues handy.

For prompt #8 - A book by an author from Canada, Australia or New Zealand - I read Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. I read it as a group read in another GR group. I read Station Eleven a while back, and I loved it. Then I binge-watched the television series, and I was seriously disturbed by some of the changes that had been made. Now, I am often dismayed at changes that I think should never have happened, but this was different. I was disturbed by things they changed, and because Mandel was a part of the production, I probably would have never read another Mandel book if not for this group read. I'm glad I gave her another chance because it was a good book.

For prompt #12 - A book that has been on your TBR for over a year - I read Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. It was an interesting book, but it was marred by bigoted remarks.

For prompt #25 - A book involving a crime other than a murder - I read Naked Once More by Elizabeth Peters. One of the crimes was attempted murder, but there was also breaking and entering, trespassing, poisoning, and there was also a murder. :) I really enjoy Peters' books, and this was no exception. It was a fun ride.

For prompt #3 - A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list - I used the prompt: A book about or related to technology. I listened to Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry. The technology is what was used to create plastics. This book is really fantastic. She has a lot of great, practical suggestions. She is also sensitive to the fact that many of the suggestions will not work for people because the way the American economy is set up, many things will be difficult or unavailable to people who do not have a lot of privilege. It is still a great book, and it has forced me to think about my plastic consumption and how far I have backslid! Time to jump back on the wagon.

For prompt #6 - A book with wings on the cover - I read Disoriental by Negar Djavadi. I really enjoyed the book. The protagonist was a member of the LGBTQ+ community which I had not be expecting. I really enjoyed the Iranian culture. I was really invested in her story even though there weren't a whole lot of characters in the book that I actually liked, but I liked the story.

For prompt #15 - A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX) - I read Night Train to Memphis by Elizabeth Peters. This book was the final installment in the Vicky Bliss series. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I am sad that I have reached the end of the series. Peters' books always make me happy. I'm getting close to being done with her oeuvre.

I just finished Guns by Stephen King. It's not actually a book - more like a long essay about, well, guns. He speaks a lot of truth, and I wish more people would listen to it.

For prompt #27 - A book related to land - I read Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz. Mertz wrote under both Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels, but she was an Egyptologist. Her book is fascinating. She really dismisses colonialist and misogynistic views of Egyptian culture. I really enjoyed her book.

For prompt #2 - A book connected to something you read in 2023 - I read Wicked as She Wants by Delilah S. Dawson. I read a short Bludmen story last year, so that is how they are connected. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. What's not to love? Vampires - uh, sorry - Bludmen, flying brothels, a bratty teenager, a conflicted man with a secret, a witch on the throne, blood served in teacups - LOL - it was great.

Not a book, but I listened to Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Brian Cox, and it was so cool. I really enjoyed listening to the legends and characters.

For prompt #51 - A book published in 2024 - I just devoured House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas. I have been dying for this book to come out, and it did not disappoint. I loved, loved, loved it! It is so good.

I just finished Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova. This is a young adult book, but I read a lot of young adult books. I really enjoyed it. It is book 1 of the Brooklyn Brujas series. I have book 2 as well, and I will likely read it soon. I really enjoyed fantasy from a culture that I haven't read much.

#20BooksByLatinaAuthors

For prompt #20 - A book with a single word title - I read Smokescreen by Dick Francis. I really enjoy his mysteries. This one was very exciting. It was published the year I was born, and it was mostly set in South Africa during apartheid. Very little of the actual story had to do with the politics of SA, but he did touch on it. There is something going on with his dying friend's racing horses, and he goes to SA to investigate. He ends up being the target or several attempts on his life.

For prompt #37 - A book that is part of a series - I read A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair. This is the third book of the series - I thought it was a trilogy, and now I have to wait for the last book! Gah! I love it. It was so damn good. It came on on Feb 6, and I finished it this morning.

For prompt #26 - A book by an author known by their initials - I read The Girlfriend by K. L. Slater. She can really write a thriller! I enjoyed this book, but it made me so anxious! LOL. I guess that is the sign of a good writer. You are never really sure about who the bad guy is in Slater's thrillers. There are layers to her stories.

For prompt #49 - A book with a senior citizen character - I read Afterlife by Julia Alvarez. It was such a good book. I loved the characters. The writing was so easy to read. The book just flowed, and I was hooked the entire time. This is my third Alvarez book, and I will definitely read more.

#20BooksByLatinaAuthors

For prompt #1 - A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y - I read
Malice in Maggody by Joan Hess. I've been wanting to read it for a while becuase it is set in my home state of Arkansas. It was very enjoyable, and I am glad I read it. I have the next two books, and I am planning on reading them, too. The mystery, the cast of characters, it was all a lot of fun.

I just finished The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna
and I am using it for prompt #22 - A book by an author from an African country. Forna is originally from Sierra Leone. The book is the final one in The Gilded Ones trilogy. It was really good.

For prompt #24 - A book with a secondary color on the cover (orange, green or purple) - I read Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch. This book is her first novel, and I really enjoyed it. It is a feminist retelling of the Morgan Le Fay legend. Morgan is a great character. This was just the first book of the series. I don't know if it is supposed to be a duology, trilogy, or what. I will read book 2 when it comes out.

For prompt #29 - A book related to air - I read A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross. Bane, the North Wind, is very important to this book. This book is the second of the Elements of Cadence series. I loved this book. I was so anxious for the characters during the story. I really enjoyed book 1, and I thought book 2 was even better. I also love the series title. I am a composer who is both commercially published and independently published, and my publishing company is called Earth Cadence. I will definitely read more of her work. I have the Divine Rivals duology which my daughter read and wants me to read, so I'll read those soon.

I just finished Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, and *yawn* well, it's finally finished. I was not enjoying that book a whole lot.

For prompt #46 - A book related to night - I read Mulliner Nights by P. G. Wodehouse. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it.

For prompt #9 - A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads - I read India's Story by Kathlyn S. Starbuck. I loved it. It was super trippy, and you could never be sure who was the bad guy, what the bad guy's motives were, etc. It was great. Why are there only a handful of ratings on GR? Because she is a woman who was writing Sci-Fi in the 90s. This book deserves to be read.

For prompt #21 - A book with a title containing 6+ words - I read Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. This book is absolutely fantastic and frustrating. It's incredibly well-researched and written. The information in it will frustrate the hell out of anyone who gives a damn.

#20BooksByLatinaAuthors

Misty wrote: "For prompt #21 - A book with a title containing 6+ words - I read Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. This book is absolutely fantastic ..."

I agree so much! My book club read it, I think two years ago now, and still make reference to it, and send relevant articles around when we see them (of the 'this thing was designed for men, so here's how it failed when used by women' variety).

Joanna wrote: "I agree so much! My book club read it, I think two years ago now, and still make reference to it, and send relevant articles around when we see them (of the 'this thing was designed for men, so here's how it failed when used by women' variety)."

I had never heard of it. My daughter, who is away at college, asked me to get it on Audible, so she could listen to it. So I did, and decided to read it as well, and I am so glad I did. I was shocked actually. I was a women's studies major (double major) for a while (I ended up dropped the second major because I needed to graduate!!!), and almost all of my undergraduate and graduate academic work has focused on women's issues, so I am pretty well versed in a lot of what is going on. However, there were quite a few things that she talked about that I had absolutely no knowledge of! The problem is deeply ingrained in our world.

For prompt #17 - A book involving intelligence - I read the novella All Systems Red by Martha Wells. It was so good. I really enjoyed it. I need to read more of her work.

I finished another thrilled by K. L. Slater a few days ago: Husband and Wife. This book was really good. I was not sure who was the bad guy, and in the end, it was a little surprising. She writes a good thriller.

For prompt #4 - A book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong - I read A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair. This book was so good. I enjoyed every minute of it. It is a retelling of the Hades and Persephone story. It's magic in a modern world setting. The characters were fantastic. It was a fun ride, and I am looking forward to the sequels.

I read the novella See How They Run by Rachel Howzell Hall. It was really good. I did not see how she was going to get out of the situation. I loved the setting. I loved the main character. I would love to read more about the character. I have no idea if she has other books about her, but if not, I hope she will write them.

I realized that there is (or was - not sure) a Ben & Jerry's flavor called: Glampfire Trail Mix, so I am using this novella for that prompt since the setting is at a Glamping place.

For prompt #41 - A book with a chilling atmosphere - I chose a Nordic Noir: Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. It is book 6 of the Martin Beck series. I didn't enjoy it as much as the others in the series, but I still liked it.

I read Confessions of the Other Mother: Non-Biological Lesbian Moms Tell All ed. by Harlyn Aizley. It was really good. I enjoyed it a lot. There was one story that I kind of hated. People who decide they don't love their pet when they have a child are trash in my opinion, so I had a really hard time with that particular story. It kind of bugs me that it was even included. I probably would have given the book five stars if it weren't for that one story, but seriously? I may get rid of my cat if my partner has a child?! Please don't breed if you are that kind of a person. Gross. However, the rest of the book is great. Having a lesbian child, I am really glad I found the book. My daughter is years away from even considering a family, but one can never be too prepared! :)

For prompt #47 - A book with a two-word title beginning with THE - I read The Narrator by K. L. Slater. I just discovered Slater's work two years ago, and since then I have read 11 of her books. They are so good. I really enjoy thrillers, but there is something about her work that is special. It's almost like she writes books for women. The characters are so real. Her books give me anxiety. LOL.

For prompt #52 - A cozy mystery - I read the second book in the Arly Hanks Series by Joan Hess: Mischief in Maggody. I am really enjoying this series. It is set in a fictional town near where I grew up, so I'm really enjoying that part as well. The characters are - well - colorful! :) I have book 3, and I am looking forward to that one.

I read Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston interviewed a man who had been abducted and sold into slavery when he was 19, and he arrived in the US on the last slave ship - which was illegal. The slave trade had become illegal, but not slavery itself when he arrived in the US in 1861. The book is fascinating and an incredible resource. I recommend everyone read this book. It is important history, and because there are not many narratives from enslaved people from that time period, it feels - it's hard to explain - but like he kind of speaks for more than just himself. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but the book is amazing and sad and powerful.

For prompt #7 - A Book with a Pronoun in the Title - I read
He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters. This is book 12 in the series, and they just keep getting better and better. I think this was the best of the series so far. I've had a very stressful month, so this book was a good escape for me.