Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

And we are at the second to last month of 2024! You can use this thread to discuss books you're planning on reading, planning for 2025, and anything else you'd like to discuss!

this month I am tackling:
Brooklyn
Say You're One of Them
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat
The Only Way is the Steady Way

Miss Julia Meets Her Match – Ann B Ross – 3***
Miss Julia is back in the 5th book of this charming series about a Southern lady of a certain age and her household. This time practically the entire town joins Miss Julia in her favorite “exercise” – jumping to conclusions. From Hazel Marie to Pastor Ledbetter and his wife Emma Sue everyone is ready to act on suspicions.
LINK to my full review

This month I’m reading my last book for the ATY Challenge! It’s a book by a Canadian author - Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. I’m also reading Michael Chabon’s Yiddish Policemen’s Union for a library book club. And, I just picked up a non-fiction book from the library which looks interesting, especially with the Presidential election next week and also because I used to live in AZ. A Race to the Bottom of Crazy: Dispatches from Arizona by Richard Grant.

Canary Girls – Jennifer Chiaverini – 3.5***
Chiaverini turns the reader’s attention to the British women who, during The Great War (i.e. World War I), worked in munitions factories to produce the shells the British men fighting on the continent needed to win the war. I was completely unaware of this part of the history of WWI, and I really appreciated learning more about it. Parts of the book reminded me of the nonfiction work, RADIUM GIRLS, while other parts made me think of the movie, A League of Their Own .
LINK to my full review

The Paris Apartment – Lucy Foley – 4****
Foley has crafted a mystery / thriller with more twists and turns than the most treacherous mountain road. Not a single character – including Jess – is to be trusted. Everyone has a hidden agenda, a secret they wish to keep hidden. Most are master manipulators and accomplished prevaricators. I was engaged and enthralled throughout and could not put it down.
LINK to my full review

Do you all find you pick up more books or less when you're stressed? I don't have the mental energy to read atm.

I am reading The Chateau (my mystery/thriller of the month) and Jane of Lantern Hill (because this month is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lucy Maud Montgomery).

It took me a week to get The Chateau because I got an email that it was in from inter-library loans. When I got to the library, it was gone. Some other patron took it and it took them a week to realize they picked up the wrong book.

I’ve got depleted energy for reading too, Jennifer. Might be time for an easy page-turner side read.

I tried to read a sci-fi book Tuesday night to distract me from politics, and found that although it was sci-fi, it was really about politics! (just on another planet and with different weapons) So I had to quit reading it.

Everything We Didn’t Say – Nicole Baart – 2.5**
Been there, read that. There’s all kinds of crazy going on in small town Jericho, Iowa. Juniper’s secrets are par for the course, as her parents, her brother and just about everyone else in town seems to harbor secrets. I get that authors use this device to help build suspense, but I just found it tiresome. Also, I am so tired of the ubiquitous dual timeline. Still, it held my attention throughout. And I can see the appeal for a great many readers. So. my final rating is just shy of “okay.”
LINK to my full review

My hold for the audio book The Fox Wife came in this afternoon! Getting back into a book I was thoroughly enjoying is just what I need right now.

Book Concierge wrote: "

Everything We Didn’t Say
– Nicole Baart – 2.5**
Been there, read that. There’s all kinds of crazy going on in small town Jericho, Iowa. Juniper’s ..."

I am tired of dual timelines also!

Jennifer W wrote: "Do you all find you pick up more books or less when you're stressed? I don't have the mental energy to read atm."

Yes - but I usually listen to them because I can keep my hands busy as well.

I picked up A Study in Drowning on Tuesday morning and it has been an excellent distraction this week. Fantasy, but (so far) not political. I've been having to leave my phone in another room so that I don't end up doomscrolling, so having my kindle handy has been a plus.

I've been listening to the audio for James, and I know I'm not giving it the attention it deserves. I've had to pause listening to it this week, too.

@Jennifer W. It depends. I pick up more pulp fiction that is a distraction when I am stressed. It is a good procrastination technique. If I am too stressed or depressed to concentrate, I watch tv where the protagonist is guaranteed to win.

I’m having trouble reading too. It helps me to choose a genre I don’t typically read. So, I just started The Housemaid by Freida McFadden.

Explosive Eighteen – Janet Evanovich – 3***
Ah, Stephanie Plum. So, this starts with a bang as Stephanie is on a plane coming BACK from Hawaii, alone, but with an obvious tan line on her left ring finger. There are the usual stops at Cluck-in-a-Bucket, the usual “problems” with Stephanie’s car(s), the usual skips who refuse to be captured, the usual viewing at the funeral home and the usual push/pull between Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve read one of these, and I’m sure that’s why I found it so entertaining.
LINK to my full review

Emily wrote: "I've been having to leave my phone in another room so that I don't end up doomscrolling, so having my kindle handy has been a plus."

Same. I have been "comfort reading." I rediscovered Mrs. Pollifax - something I hadn't read since I was in my 20s, and I have been binge reading the series. I'd like to say it is helping, but at least it is distracting me sort of. Actually, I don't think it is distracting at all, but it is keeping me from doomscrolling.

The President’s Hat – Antoine Laurain – 4****
A fable for adults. Can a hat make a difference in one’s life? Apparently. I found the entire story charming and fun. I loved roaming the streets of Paris along with each person who had possession of the hat. I liked learning about each one of them, what made them tick, why they felt “less than” and how they found their courage to move on and up. It left me feeling happy and optimistic. Just delightful.
LINK to my full review

I just started the 2024 Booker Prize winner Orbital by Samantha Harvey. I want to vote for it on the GR choice awards so I want to read it while the voting is open, rather than wait until 2025.

The Rose Code – Kate Quinn – 3.5***
Quinn uses her talent for historical fiction to explore the women (and men) who worked at Bletchley Park during WWII, and who were credited with breaking the German Enigma code. She focuses on three women who would never have met were it not for the war work they undertook. I really liked how Quinn showed how the friendship between these three developed. And how their loyalty to one another, though severely tested, became central to the conclusion of the story.
LINK to my full review

I'm trying to finish the Fall Challenge with the following books:
- Elsewhere by Dean Koontz
-In One Person by John Irving
-Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon

I also have one final book to read for our library's book discussion group, which is:
-Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Has anyone seen the Goodreads beta challenges? One of my friends pointed out to me, and it looks like Goodreads is going to be expanding their challenges to more prompt and list based things, as well as just the number. I already had 5/6 completed without realizing it.

Thanks Emily for the heads up on the beta challenges. I hadn’t seen it. I like the idea, especially for readers who don’t participate in group challenges. It will be interesting to see how they expand it.

Agreed! It looks to be a bit tied to their blog posts (at least, the one I'm missing is tied to their fall books blog post) but I don't mind it! What's one more challenge? lol

EDIT: Looks like it may only be in the app right now? I can't find it on my laptop.

Emily wrote: "Agreed! It looks to be a bit tied to their blog posts (at least, the one I'm missing is tied to their fall books blog post) but I don't mind it! What's one more challenge? lol

EDIT: Looks like it ..."

I think it is only in the app...they VERY closely mirror the challenges found in the amazon kindle app. Makes sense they would expand those into goodreads.

Trespasses – Louise Kennedy – 3.5***
A novel of one woman’s longing for a positive, peaceful life, in Belfast during the Troubles. Kennedy packs a lot into a slim volume. Cushla is a marvelous character. She’s caring and passionate about her teaching. She longs for a steady life on her own. She does her best to help her students navigate this troubling time. She wants to live her life without strife and terror. The novel made me think of how often I want to just hide from what is happening around me and be left in peace to live my life, rather than to face the issues head on and DO something.
LINK to my full review

The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott – 3.5***
Prescott’s debut is a literary espionage novel told from the perspectives of three different women and revolving around the publication of Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago . Although I have gotten tired of the multiple-narrators device, I have to admit that Prescott did a good job of it in this novel of intrigue and manipulation. Sally and Irina, in particular, each had information that the other lacked, and their push/pull relationship had to be affected by this.
LINK to my full review

The Unbearable Lightness of Scones – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
Book number five in the 44 Scotland Street series, featuring the residents of a particular apartment building in Edinburgh, as well as a few of their neighbors. I really enjoy reading these books. It’s like visiting with old friends. The story bounces around from character to character, so the reader gets a glimpse of Bertie, then of Domenica, then of Matthew, etc. It’s the same way we frequently experience our friendships. You don’t learn someone’s entire life story in one sitting but get snippets here and there before you eventually truly feel you know him or her.
LINK to my full review

How’s November going for everyone? I’ve only finished four books this month (yikes!) but I have two that I’m nearly done with. Such a slump I’ve been in (too much scrolling, I think).

I’ve finished 4 books and will likely finish 2-3 more. That’s a good month for me.

A slow month for me is around 8 books, but October and November of this year seem to be the lowest I've had in years (probably since 2020). Not sure what's going on... hopefully I can find my way back by the end of the year.

Emily wrote: "How’s November going for everyone?"

The only way I have survived this month is to pretty much have a constant audio book going. I sort of went on a reading binge and read 11 Mrs. Pollifax books. LOL - well, I'm still sane, so there's that. I mean, mostly sane.

My reading's been dragging a bit this month... I usually average 6-7 books/month but have only read 3 so far in November.

I've read: Orbital, The Traitor of Sherwood Forest and The Wrong Daughter.

All 3 are pretty far outside my usual genre/book style, so maybe that's why!

I’m stuck on The Maniac, partly because I could only get a hardback. Doing well with audio though. Hopefully with the week off I’ll finish out my November plans.

The Lido – Libby Page – 3.5***
Also titled “Mornings With Rosemary.” A young journalist with anxiety disorder befriends and elderly woman who wants to save the public swimming pool. Their friendship helps them both deal with various issues and I really grew to love these characters. This is Page’s debut work and I’ll be watching for what she writes next.
LINK to my full review

Emily wrote: "How’s November going for everyone? I’ve only finished four books this month (yikes!) but I have two that I’m nearly done with. Such a slump I’ve been in (too much scrolling, I think)."

Same, definitely reading more news, or not reading anything and vegging out to the TV or listening to music. I've finished 1 graphic novel this month, but I have 2 books that I'm close to finishing and want to be done with by Dec 3 (when I go back to the library).

December is usually a tough reading month for me, though, because we're so busy.

I'm on the last 2 books of the challenge- one, the cozy mystery I'm reading It's Elementary for is wizzing by. But... for the 5 books prompt I wanted to challenge myself so I'm reading This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War and omg, it's dragging. I keep thinking I should pick a lighter book from there but I have 5 weeks to go, I can do this with some breaks for lighter fare.

Encore Provence – Peter Mayle – 3***
Subtitle: New Adventures in the South of France. Gosh, but I love Peter Mayle’s memoirs of his move to and life in Provence! This is the third in the series and he writes with his usual humor.
LINK to my full review

Crowdsourcing:

I'm in charge of picking a book for my book club to read. It's for June, and the genre is contemporary (realistic/literary) fiction that has a LGBTQIA+ protagonist. I'd like to pick a book I haven't read before, but I'm not sure where to start. Have you read any this year that would be a good book club pick?

@Emily, Mad Honey is good, or if you a historical fiction will work, Italian Party is also good.

Emily wrote: "Crowdsourcing:

I'm in charge of picking a book for my book club to read. It's for June, and the genre is contemporary (realistic/literary) fiction that has a LGBTQIA+ protagonist. I'd like to pick..."

If you haven't read it yet: The Five Wounds

I’m looking for something by an LGBTQIA+ author as well (if that information is available). Thanks for the suggestions!

Emily wrote: "I'm in charge of picking a book for my book club to read. It's for June, and the genre is contemporary (realistic/literary) fiction that has a LGBTQIA+ protagonist. "

The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (not the MC, but an important character, and this book is just fantastic)
Disoriental by Négar Djavadi

Emily wrote: "Crowdsourcing:

I'm in charge of picking a book for my book club to read. It's for June, and the genre is contemporary (realistic/literary) fiction that has a LGBTQIA+ protagonist. I'd like to pick..."

We Deserve Monuments!!!
Flamer (set in the 90s, but not obvious except for a mention of listening to Nirvana on a Walkman!)