Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Use this thread to tell us about your holiday, year-end, or other reading!

I'm summoning my festive mood by reading Hogfather by Terry Pratchett 🥳
HO HO HO

I plan to finish both Parable of the Sower and Orbital. Hoping to start The Name of the Rose.

I'm slogging through Hidden Figures to use in two other challenges.

Finishing two non-fiction books:
The Year of Reading Dangerously
A Hitch in Time: Writings from the London Review of Books

And fiction:
Evvie Drake Starts Over
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

I have two books left in my #20BooksByLatinaAuthors challenge this year. I am currently read Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I also have The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez that I am going to read. Those are both on audio. I also am reading the physical book: Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. I lost it for several weeks, but I finally found it and am reading it again. When I get done with that one, I am going to read Anyone But Her by Cynthia Swanson. One of my choir members is an author and gave me a copy of Black that I am going to read over the school break.

The RiftFor December, I'm finishing up on these books begun in November:

-Horse by Geraldine Brooks
-The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation by Richard Rohr
-The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
-The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

I should be able to begin in December
-Jabbok by Kee Sloan
-The Rift by Nna Allan

Just completed my first book for the Winter Reading Challenge, No Rules Tonight: A Graphic Novel by Kim Hyun Sook & Ryan Estrada. This wasn't originally on my TBR for the challenge, but it fit one of the prompts so I figured why not.

While it's not quite the same as Banned Book Club, I really enjoyed this book.

I’m currently reading

The Rarest Bird in the World: The Search for the Nechisar Nightjar
Somewhere Beyond the Sea

And plan to read
Music of the Ghosts
And maybe
Daughter of Fortune

I’m packing up my house and getting ready to move. To stressed about this transition to read a lot, and have turned to online mahjong!

EEK. I'm on track to finish ATY this month, but just barely.

49. A book with a senior citizen character - The Vibrant Years - in progress
50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 or 2024 - Good Material - in progress
51. A book published in 2024 - hoping the Tournament of Books shortlist comes out before I have to decide on this one
52. A cozy mystery - The Mistletoe Mystery (if my hold comes in on time)

No book club pick this month (we read a holiday rom com of our own choosing for December), so I'll be filling up the rest of the month with Tournament of Books shortlist reads once it's released.

I also have a few ARCs I would like to get to before the new year, namely Wild Dark Shore and A Sea of Unspoken Things.

Why Me? – Donald E Westlake – 3***
This is book # 5 in the Dortmunder series, featuring a “professional “ burglar with a gang of inept misfits. I love this series. Dortmunder is a pretty good guy – for a thief. He does have his standards, and his crew of accomplices is laughably inept. Except for his lady companion – May. What a woman! Unflappable, loyal, assertive … she is not to be messed with and she doesn’t take any guff from anyone.
LINK to my full review

The Five – Hallie Rubenhold – 5*****
Subtitle: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. The book is divided into five parts, each victim getting as full an accounting of her background and life as possible given the years that have passed since their deaths and their relative obscurity in society at the time. Rubenhold did extensive research and she really brings these women to life.
LINK to my full review

I don't usually read books seasonally but I am in the mood for Christmas books.
The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog - - Dave Barry is fast, funny and also touching. It takes place around 1960 when the character is about 12 and contains vintage photos and ads as illustrations.

Robin, I don't usually either, but I was also in the mood for something Christmas-y. I picked up A Quilt for Christmas, but I haven't had a chance to start it. That and finishing Pointe will probably be it for the year for my read. If I can squeeze in the rest of The Fox Wife, that would be a bonus.

For holiday vibes I’m reading Small Things like These by Keegan Claire & Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier

Books I want to finish in December
1. Twenty-Four Seconds from Now... by Jason Reynolds
2. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (I've been reading this since like February, so hopefully I can get it done.)
3. The Witches Almanac: Sorcerers, Witches and Magic from Ancient Rome to the Digital Age by Charles Christian.

Also, if anyone has any holiday romance recommendations, I'm all ears. I'm looking for something sweet, cute, and medium levels of spice.

I now plan to listen to The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert because I loved another Christmas book of hers, Better Not Pout. (fyi - probably explicit M/M sex) and to read a few Christmas regencies. Of course, in the Regency, Christmas wasn't a big deal. The tree, lights, gifts, feasts mostly were introduced by Queen Victoria, the German Prince Albert, and Charles Dickens. But the literary world of the Regency romance is already a fantasy where people have good teeth, treat servants well and take a lot of baths, so why not beef up Christmas?

An Elephant In the Garden – Michael Morpurgo – 5*****
A frail and elderly Lizzie tells the story of her youth in Dresden Germany during World War II, the elephant her zookeeper mother helped save from American bombing. What a wonderful and heart-warming story! Inspired by true events, Morpurgo has crafted a tale of courage, perseverance, and kindness in the face of horrific deprivation. He shows that while nations may be enemies at war, individual people can (and do) disagree with their leaders. Morpurgo also shows people doing what they believe is best and morally right despite the difficulty and even personal danger in doing so.
LINK to my full review

The Trouble With Christmas – Debbie Mason – 2.5**
If you’ve seen one Hallmark Christmas movie, you’ve seen them all. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy these sappy films and the books that inspire or are inspired by the movies. But they aren’t really memorable. Here you have a big city real estate developer sent to a small Colorado town to calm the residents after the developer’s plans have been leaked. It’s a fast read and the snowy setting helped keep me cool during the heat of summer.
LINK to my full review

Is this a good place for year-end "airing of grievances" about GR? I really wish they wouldn't list audiobook editions as having "pages" equal to the hours in length! I tried using librarian privileges once to change a bunch and delete out the page numbers, but got smacked down by the powers that be. Now my yearly page count AND "shortest book of the year" stats on the Year in Books review are way off. :P

I found Orbital disappointing. It won an award and was on a lot of 2024 lists. It is an extended essay composed of daily details on a space station and views of the earth, with unoriginal comments about how important it is to preserve it. There are short segments about members of the international crew but not enough to care about them.

Chrissy wrote: "Is this a good place for year-end "airing of grievances" about GR? I really wish they wouldn't list audiobook editions as having "pages" equal to the hours in length! I tried using librarian privil..."

I would just change your record to the print edition, regardless of the format you consumed it in.

Chrissy wrote: "Is this a good place for year-end "airing of grievances" about GR? I really wish they wouldn't list audiobook editions as having "pages" equal to the hours in length! I tried using librarian privil..."

I agree with Robin. I always use the print versions for my GR because of the page count. I'm with you - it sucks.

No, I keep my hours and pages separately, so I don't want that either - and I like to have the image match what I read/listened to.

On a more happy note, I finished the AtY challenge today! I've also surpassed my annual goal and met my 40/50 goal for Popsugar.

Chrissy wrote: "No, I keep my hours and pages separately, so I don't want that either - and I like to have the image match what I read/listened to.

On a more happy note, I finished the AtY challenge today! I've a..."

Congratulations, Chrissy!

The Paris Library – Janet Skeslien Charles – 3.5*** (rounded up)
This is a work of historical fiction based on the real story of the librarians and staff at the American Library in Paris during WW2. The dual timeline features Odile in 1939, and Lily in 1983. I loved all the literary references. In both cases there will be betrayals and the parties involved will have to come to terms with whether they can forgive. Charles did a fine job of exploring the various emotions and reactions to incredible stress.
LINK to my full review

Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook – Celia Rees – 3.5***
This was an interesting twist on the typical WW2 story, taking place after the war. It is a spy novel at its heart, so there are twists and turns in the plot, betrayals and double (even triple) crosses. I liked the central premise and enjoyed reading the recipes that Edith uses to convey information, though I never did crack that code!
LINK to my full review

I've read Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret and The Mistletoe Promise, very different books but both garnered 4 stars from me.

Big Panda & Tiny Dragon – James Norbury – 5***** & a ❤
Two unlikely friends set off on a journey of discovery. They have no specific plan and go where life leads them over the course of four seasons. The story is told through Norbury’s wonderful drawings and the pair’s quiet conversations. There were times when I just sat and looked at one of those drawings and let my mind take me where it wanted. I recommended this to my F2F book club as a lovely quick read during the holiday season. They LOVED it. Brought everyone a sense of peace and joy and hope.
LINK to my full review

Anybody have any final gotta-read-this-before-the-end-of-the-year books? Personally I'm hoping to sit down and read The Christmas Guest and maybe finish The God of the Woods.

I need to finish 4 books to beat last year's numbers. I'm finishing The Book of Love today or tomorrow, and I have The Mistletoe Mystery lined up for audio after.

I also started A Sea of Unspoken Things, and then hope to follow that with a short TOB book (one of them that's under 250 pages) to round out my four books left!

I just started All Fours and it would be nice to finish while traveling this week but it isn’t due back to the library till the 6th, so also no pressure. I may use an audiobook credit on a ToB selection for the plane ride home too.

The Book of Love has been good on audio, and it will give you a bang for your buck (23.5 hours long lol). I also loved The History of Sound on audio.

(sorry, I don't remember what you've already read!)

Dragon Pearl – Yoon Ha Lee – 3***
First book in the Thousand Worlds series. This space opera is a quest, an adventure, and a coming-of-age story. I was intrigued by the world the author has created, melding traditional Korean folk tales / mythology with a futuristic space odyssey plot. Thirteen-year-old Min is determined, resourceful and intelligent, but she is young and makes several mistakes.
LINK to my full review

Emily wrote: "The Book of Love has been good on audio, and it will give you a bang for your buck (23.5 hours long lol). I also loved The History of Sound on audio.

(sorry, I do..."
I’m thinking about Margo, and finish it after the 1st to be my first prompt for AtY 2025.

Chrissy wrote: "I just started All Fours and it would be nice to finish while traveling this week but it isn’t due back to the library till the 6th, so also no pressure. I may use an audiobook cre..."

Right now there are several ToB (some from the short and long list) as part of audible’s 2 for 1 credit sale. Margo's Got Money Troubles is part of the sale and was great on audio.

I had a long run this morning and listened to The Mistletoe Mystery in its entirety!

I'm now two books away from beating last year's number, and I'm 75% through my current print book. So close!

A Snow Country Christmas – Linda Lael Miller – 3***
A typical cowboy Christmas romance. The tropes are all here, but who cares. Love the snowy setting, the Christmas cheer, the uber wealthy Branson who has managed to get unique and spectacularly appropriate gifts for virtually everyone, and the fiercely independent Raine who is ready to succumb to “Mr Hollywood.”
LINK to my full review

I read The Parable of the Sower, XOXO by Axie Oh (YA Romance with K-pop characters), Quicksand by Nella Larsen, and Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman (5 stars and I highly recommend, especially to anyone who’s ever been a teacher). I’m currently reading a 1930s classic mystery The Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor and The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. I’ve never seen the movie so I don’t have any expectations for Name of the Rose but I think it will be good once I get immersed in it!

Artificial Condition – Martha Wells – 3***
Book two in the Murderbot series. Science fiction is not really my jam, but I am enjoying this series. It feels fresh and inventive, and I’m surprised by how much I connect with Muderbot and ART – two non-human characters that fully support this story.
LINK to my full review

Jackie wrote: "Anybody have any final gotta-read-this-before-the-end-of-the-year books?"

I did - Russka by Edward Rutherfurd. It has been on my TBR for 30 years. :) Someone on here (I think) mentioned it and put it back on my radar. I looked on Audible, and it was in the included catalog until December 31! So, I gobbled it up. I finished two days ago.

Jacqueline In Paris – Ann Mah – 3.5***
This is historical fiction that gives the readers a glimpse into the life of a young Jacqueline Bouvier, spending a year as a student in Paris shortly after the end of WW2. Mah did extensive research, and while most of Jackie O’s private papers have remained private, many of the people she came in contact with have made their remembrances available. What we see is a young woman just beginning to spread her wings and try independence from family.
LINK to my full review

Frontier Christmas – Ana Leigh, Carolyn Davidson & Kate Bridges – 3***
There are three novellas in this collection of Christmas stories set in the latter part of the 19th century: Ana Leigh’s The Mackenzies: Lily, A Time for Angels by Carolyn Davidson, and Kate Bridges’ The Long Journey Home. They are all predictable historical holiday romances, and suitably entertaining.
LINK to my full review

Hark! The Herald Angel Falls – Tricia Goyer – 3***
This is number 31 in the Sugarcreek Amish Mystery series (I think), but the first one of the group that I’ve read. It is a charming cozy mystery featuring an Englischer woman, and her Amish mother-in-law as the amateur sleuths. I like how the women go about gathering information and deliberating about possibilities. I figured out the perpetrator as soon as the character was introduced, but still enjoyed watching how the women (and law enforcement) came to the same conclusion.
LINK to my full review

The Book of Dragons – E Nesbit – 3***
This collection of short fairy tales was first published in 1899. Nesbit populates her stories with all manner of dragons … big, small, hungry, kind, fierce, curious, sleeping. Some feature children as the heroes. All of them are delightful and all feature marvelous illustrations by H. R. Millar.
LINK to my full review

Book Concierge wrote: "

The Book of Dragons
– E Nesbit – 3***
This collection of short fairy tales was first published in 1899. Nesbit populates her stories with all manner of d..."

I grew up on original copies of books by E. Nesbit, the forerunner of J. K. Rowling and so many others.

Raymie Nightingale – Kate DiCamillo – 4****
On the first day of baton-twirling lessons, Raymie Clarke meets Louisiana Elefante and Beverly Tapinski, her fellow competitors in the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition. This is a lovely coming-of-age tale suitable for the middle-school crowd, where three girls with different circumstances form a bond of friendship. As far as I’m concerned, these three girls are ALL winners.
LINK to my full review

This Lovely City – Louise Hare – 4****
Hare’s debut work captured me from beginning to end. There are several twists in the story as we learn a bit about these young people’s background and history, and watch their relationship mature. London shortly after the war is still experiencing rationing. And while the Jamaicans who have come to London were invited to come (and are British subjects), they are not necessarily welcomed by all the residents. Prejudice and discrimination are the rule rather than the exception, and things get ugly. But these two face the future with hope.
LINK to my full review