Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

I can *feel* fall in the air (through the heat and humidity, it's there). What was your best book of August?

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

Best Books Listopia

- James
- Percival Everett
- ★★★★★ and ❤
- Format (Print)
- 48. A second book that fits your favorite prompt (Single word book title).
- A worthy companion to and retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Though-provoking and at times, satirical and humorous.

- Title: The Beekeeper of Aleppo
- Author: Christy Lefteri
- Rating: 5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): didn't use for a prompt
- Brief reason why it was the best: descriptive writing; I don't mind the back and forth timeliness I thought it worked well here. Just a very well crafted story. A little disappointed at the abrupt ending

- Title: The Night Hawks
- Author: Elly Griffiths
- Rating: 5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): #46 A book related to night
- Brief reason why it was the best: This is #13 in the Ruth Galloway series and the books keep getting better and better. The atmosphere of this book was especially creepy, with many scenes taking place at night in an old house far from town.

- Title The Frozen River
- Author Ariel Lawhon
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Part 1 of 2 books with similar covers (or chilling atmosphere if I don't get around to reading the 2nd book)
- Brief reason why it was the best The writing was excellent. Well written characters and the plot kept things moving. Plus, I always love books based on real people.

- Title There Are Rivers in the Sky
- Author Elif Shafak
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs"
- Brief reason why it was the best It was a gorgeous read, filled with lots of history and exploration of character. Just uplifting and so well written.

I have two (well, I actually have more, but I'll just do 2 here):

- Title: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent
- Author: Judi Dench
- Rating: 5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a - already completed challenge
- Brief reason why it was the best: A conversation between Dame Judi and Brendan O'Hea, an actor, of the various Shakespeare plays in which she performed - with explanations of some of the scenes (better than any English class I ever took!) and some of the antics of the cast. Absolutely delightful.

- Title: Warlight
- Author: Michael Ondaatje
- Rating: 5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a - already completed challenge
- Brief reason why it was the best: A historical fiction based just after WW2 in London. It is in the form of a memoir of sorts from the perspective of a 14 year old boy whose parents leave both he and his 16 year old sister in the care of a lodger while they travel for the father's job. I was totally absorbed in the strange life this young man lived.

The Blind Devotion of Imogene by David Putnam. Really wasn't sure how I would feel about this, but I really ended up loving it

Listopia is up to date through here!

Title: The Odyssey
- Author : Homer
- Rating: 4 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea
- Brief reason why it was the best: It's a classic for a reason. Often spoofed or alluded to, it's great to read the original book.

Title: One Perfect Couple
- Author: Ruth Ware
- Rating: 4 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Read because it was a new release . Put under A book related to Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads, or Jimmy Buffett
- Brief reason why it was the best: They say Ruth Ware is the new Agatha Christie. She's back on her game here when Survivor and Love Island (the TV shows) meet murder and intrigue.

Title Divine Rivals
Author Rebecca Ross
Rating 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) n/a
Brief reason why it was the best This book is a little like You've Got Mail but set during war with paranormal stuff. I really enjoyed it. It ends on a cliff hanger, so I am going to have to start Book 2 soon.

Title Liar, Dreamer, Thief
Author Maria Dong
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 A twisted thriller - I had no idea if the MC was even the good guy for a while. I loved all the twists and turns in the book.

Title It Ends with Us
Author Colleen Hoover
Rating 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio) audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) n/a
Brief reason why it was the best I thought this book was really well written. She gets a lot of crap for this book, and I have read the criticisms, and I disagree strongly. I felt that she wrote the abuse in a very sensitive way. I loved that a lot of the book had really great stuff in it because the book would have been super heavy without it. I really liked the book.

Honorable mentions for this month:
Evershore by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
Cytonic and Defiant by Brandon Sanderson
The first is the third novella in the series, and the last two are books 3 and 4 of the Skyward series. This series was fantastic! I loved it.

I have three 5-star reads for August out of the 45 books read:

- Title: My Friends
- Author: Hisham Matar
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: e-book
- ATY Prompt: n/a
- Brief reason why it was the best: This book combines beautiful writing, narrative arc, character, emotion, and socially relevant themes. I found it mesmerizing and read it straight through in one sitting. It is a wonderful blend of friendship, family, love, identity, exile, literature, and the downfall of a dictator. It will make my short list of best books of the year. I am adding it to my shelf of all-time favorites.

- Title: Q&A
- Author: Vikas Swarup
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: e-book/audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for: n/a
- Brief reason why it was the best: This book was the basis of the Academy-Award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. I was riveted. In addition to entertainment, it addresses many social issues. Protagonist Raj a sympathetic character, and it is easy to root for the underdog against corrupt officials. It contains both serious topics and humor. This book is an example of storytelling at its finest. I loved it.

- Title: Sparks Like Stars
- Author: Nadia Hashimi
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: e-book/audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for: n/a
- Brief reason why it was the best: This book is the story of a girl who escaped the murder of her family (and others) at the Presidential Palace in the military coup of 1978 in Kabul, Afghanistan. It follows her life afterward, migration to the US, and attempts at overcoming survivor's guilt. The historical context is based on real events. The main character is sympathetic, This book is beautifully written and constructed, contains realistic characters, and tells an emotionally moving story. I was captivated from beginning to end.

Only one 5-star read for me this August, and it was:

- Title: Drop City
- Author: T.C. Boyle
- Rating: 5 Stars
- Format: Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for: Not for ATY, but for PopSugar #16- a book set 24 years before you were born
- Brief reason why it was the best: This book expertly alternates between 5 perspectives: three take place in a hippie commune, two in the Alaskan frontier. These two communities couldn't be more different but as the narrative pushes them together, surprising relationships form, and survival skills are tested. I was fully invested in the characters (even the horrible ones), and I liked how despite all the tense and dramatic moments, the novel manages to conclude on a wholesome note.

Title: The Door of No Return
Author: Kwame Alexander
Rating: 5 stars
Format: ebook
Prompt: historical fiction
Reason: Novel in verse. The start to a family saga, beginning in Ghana.

Title: Sanctuary
Author: Ilona Andrews
Rating: 5 stars
Format: ebook
Prompt: n/a
Reason: The newest book by my favourite author.

Listopia is up to date through here!

-Title: Ishmael
-Author: Daniel Quinn
-Rating: 5 stars
-Format: Print
-ATY Prompt: (Summer Reading Challenge / August 2a.) Book you've been meaning to read
-Why Best: It gave me a whole new perspective on evolution, with humanity not the final goal, just the first conscious intelligence of many possible, one that should be aiding the other primates, the whales, the octopi, crows, elephants, dogs & wolves, not threatening their (and our own) continued existence on this fragile planet.

Title The Wonder Engine
Author T. Kingfisher
Rating 5 stars
Format EBook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book by an author known by their initials. But would work for a book related to the name of one of Snow White's seven dwarfs. (Sneezy)
Brief reason why it was the best The first book in this duology was all set up, which allowed this to be mostly action.

Title Sanctuary
Author Ilona Andrews
Rating 5 stars
Format EBook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) I used it for my rewind challenge for A book related to “In the Beginning...”
Brief reason why it was the best Grumpy dark priest who just wants to be left alone at Christmas must protect a kid from a horde of mercenaries. Slavic mythology and a spin off featuring one of my fav side characters from the Kate Daniels verse. What's not to love.

Here is my pick for August 2024!

- Title: Catching Fire
- Author: Suzanne Collins
- Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audiobook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): None
- Brief reason why it was the best: Such a satisfying sequel, even better than the first book!

Title: The Winners (Beartown #3)
Author: Fredrik Backman
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Kindle
ATY Prompt you used it for: 50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 or 2024 (I guess it's kind of circular...)

Brief reason why it was the best: Backman did a good job making this last book in the series just as strong as the first. I always love his emotional intelligence. His foreshadowing gave this a bit of the feel of a mystery, even though it's not one. I'll miss this series, which I never would have thought I'd say about reading ~1500 pages of a series, on the surface, about ice hockey.

===============================
Title: The Every (The Circle #2)
Author: Dave Eggers
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: 
Paperback
ATY Prompt you used it for:
47. A book with a two-word title beginning with THE

Brief reason why it was the best: Really made me think about all the technology we use, thinking it's a great boon and helpful for our lives. But then we you see how far things can be taken, it's not always as great as you think. With every new piece of software in the book, I'd get hooked again, thinking "well, that sounds like a good idea", even though I knew the author would stretch it's use to being something beyond a good idea. I sure hope the controlling power that he pictures in these books is a nightmare not realized!

Two for me this month.

Title: True Biz
Author: Sara Novic
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: I actually got this from these lists - it was for my from an ATY best of the month prompt.
Brief reason why it was the best: Just one of those books where I didn't want to leave the world when it ended - I wanted to spend more time with the characters, find out what happened next...

Title: Margo's Got Money Troubles
Author: Rufi Thorpe
Rating: 4.5 stars
Format:: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: Not for a prompt. I wanted to read a book by Thorpe since reading her Tournament of Books "Is it drugs?" judgment, which was so fun, but I was going to delay to see if I could fit something by her into one of next year's prompts. But then I heard so many people raving about this book that I couldn't wait any longer.
Brief reason why it was the best: Such a fun, fresh narrative voice. The switches between first and third person threw me at first, though I understood what she was doing, but I loved the meta passages, acknowledging that this was a novel. I immediately added another of hers to my TBR on finishing.

Joanna - I loved True Biz! It might have been me who put it on the list :)

- Title: Playa distal Playa distal
- Author: Celia Rios Celia Ríos
- Rating: 5*
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A book related to boats, beaches, bars, ballads or Jimmy Buffett.
- Brief reason why it was the best: I enjoyed it all, how it is written, the plot, the characters. It's not known yet, but it is a great book.

Updated through here!

- Title: An English Murder
- Author: Cyril Hare
- Rating: 4,5 stars
- Format: Kindle
- ATY Prompt: A book that has been on your TBR for over a year - but it is also on a Fivebooks list (The Best Classic Christmas Mysteries) so might use it for that in the end.
- Brief reason why it was the best: This is a classic whodunit a la Agatha Christie. Family and some friends/acquaintances are gathered at a mansion for Christmas celebrations, they are snowed in, and someone dies. Was it a murder? Who did it? Everyone is connected to each other in different ways, they all have secrets and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all about it.

- Title: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
- Author: Shunryu Suzuki
- Rating: 4
- Format: Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for: #15 Author's name includes J, Q, Z, or X
- Brief reason why it was the best: I've read several books about Zen and this is one of the better ones, and worth reading even if you're not intending to practice Zen

Listopia updated!

- Title: Carry On, Jeeves
- Author: PG Wodehouse
- Rating: 5/5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a
- Brief reason why it was the best: Such a hilarious romp of a book, made me laugh so many times.

Listopia updated!

- Title
One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder
- Author
Brian Doyle
- Rating
5/5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
Mixed: print and audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
N/A (but would have worked for a book that's not a novel)
- Brief reason why it was the best
I can't even put into words how good this book is. It is filled with essays about nature, family, wonder, and the mystery of God. It made me laugh out loud and cry out loud and is profound and deep. The audio is excellent. I wish I could have met Brian Doyle before he died. I will definitely be reading more of his work.

Updated the listopia!