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2025 Plans > Misty's ATY 2025 Challenge

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message 1: by Misty (last edited Apr 29, 2025 09:21PM) (new)
Oct 16, 2024 10:11PM

Misty | 1399 comments ATY2025 Prompts

� 🎧1. A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y
Night Shift by Charlaine Harris

� 🎧2. A prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the list
(A book set before 1900)
Villette by Charlotte Brontë

� 🎧3. A book connected to something mentioned in the Do Re Mi song
The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters

� 🎧4. A book set underground, under sea or in an underworld
A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair

� 🎧5. A book with a weird or intriguing title
The Loving and the Dead: Tales of the Supernatural by Catherine Lim

� 🎧6. A book with a serpentine element on the cover
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

� 🎧7. A book by an author that uses 3 names
Ohitika Woman by Mary Brave Bird

� 🎧8. A collection of short stories or novellas, essays, poetry, or a mix of various brief writings
Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

� 🎧9. A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

� 🎧10. A book about witches, goddesses or nuns
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

✅�11. A book set in a fictional location
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

� 🎧12. A book by an Irish author
The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan

� 🎧13. A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family
Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

� 🎧14. A science fiction or fantasy novel written by a woman
City of Bones by Martha Wells

� 🎧15. A book of secrets, lies, or deception
Be Buried in the Rain by Barbara Michaels

� 🎧16. A book that fits a prompt from the 2016 ATY list (2. A book set in a different continent)
Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan

� 🎧17. A history or historical fiction book set prior to 1925
Dirrayawadha by Anita Heiss

� 🎧18. A book set primarily in nature
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

� 🎧19. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape
Day Shift by Charlaine Harris

� 🎧20. A book with an animal, vegetable (plant), or mineral in the title
The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories by A.S. Byatt

� 🎧21. A book connected in some way to any collective noun for animals
Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

� 🎧22. A translated novel from Asia
The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto

� 🎧23. A book that involves art, music, dancing or acting
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

� 🎧24. A book with a main character who is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa

� 🎧25. A book with waves on the cover
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

� 🎧26. A book by an author with a common noun in their name
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan

� 🎧27. A book set in the winter
Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn by Michelle Stimpson

� 🎧28 and � 🎧29. Two books with a pair of opposites in their titles
Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu
Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu

✅�30. A monster book
Black by Catherine Winters

✅�31. A book with a coastal setting
The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart

� 🎧32. A mystery or true crime book
The Tightrope Walker by Dorothy Gilman

� 🎧33. A book by an author you enjoyed but haven't gotten around to reading again for some time
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

� 🎧34. A book title that could be a country song
An Honored Vow by Melissa Blair

� 🎧35. A book from the NPR “Books We Love� lists
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

� 🎧36. A book with a common household object on the cover
Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

� 🎧37. A book featuring adult friendships
The Stand-In by Lily Chu

� 🎧38 and 39. Two books with a connection from different genres
The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

� 🎧40. A book you'd consider a comfort read
Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse by Harper Lin

� 🎧41. A book that involves digging up the past
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

� 🎧42. A book set in a manor, mansion, or estate
Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim

� 🎧43. A book whose title has ten or fewer letters
Skyshade by Alex Aster

✅�44. A haunting book
Anyone But Her by Cynthia Swanson

� 🎧45. A book by an author whose publishing career spans at least ten years
Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe

� 🎧46. A book related to one of the traditional full moon names
Orlando by Virginia Woolf

� 🎧47. A book relating to fire
The Burning Girl by Claire Messud

� 🎧48. A book with a character dealing with death
The Door by Magda Szabó

� 🎧49. A book that deals with time travel, alternate universes, or alternate timelines
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

✅�50. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2024 or 2025, 2024 ATY Best Book of the Month listopia, 2025 list to be added in January
Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman

� 🎧51. A book published in 2025
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

✅�52. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson

� 🎧The Anniversary List Prompts
2016: A book originally written in a language other than English
We Do Not Part by Han Kang

� 🎧2017: A book whose title doesn't contain the letter "E"
Fight Night by Miriam Toews

� 🎧2018: An author's debut book
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings

� 🎧2019: A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements
Quicksilver by Callie Hart

� 🎧2020: A book with an emotion in the title
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth

� 🎧2021: A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
Blood's Echo by Isabella Maldonado

✅�2022: A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name
It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson

� 🎧2023: A book whose author has published more than 7 books
Greek Lessons by Han Kang

� 🎧2024: A book that has been on your TBR for over a year
Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters

� 🎧2025: A book involving a "group" with at least 4 members that's not a family
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones


message 4: by Misty (last edited Jun 07, 2025 08:48PM) (new)
Oct 20, 2024 06:53PM

Misty | 1399 comments Book Count:

January: 20 (17)
✭✭✭✭Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu (1) (Singapore)
✭✭✭✭Be Buried in the Rain by Barbara Michaels (5) (Virginia)
✭✭✭✭Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (4) (California)
📕✭✭✭✭Maybe: A Story About the Endless Potential in All of Us by Kobi Yamada
✭✭✭✭Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu (2) (Singapore)
✭✭✭✭The Loving and the Dead: Tales of the Supernatural by Catherine Lim (1) (Singapore)
✭✭✭✭�The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan (7) (Ireland)
✭✭�The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto (3) (Japan)
✭✭✭✭Hindu Religious Traditions: An Introduction to Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smarthism by Kiran Atma (1)
✭✭✭✭�The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (1) (Japan)
📕✭✭✭✭Hard Work, but It's Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter by Bethany Hegedus
✭✭✭✭�Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris (38) (Texas)
✭✭✭✭�Day Shift by Charlaine Harris (39) (Texas)
✭✭✭✭�Night Shift by Charlaine Harris (40) (Texas)
✭✭✭✭�The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan (3) (California, China)
✭✭✭✭�Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (3)
✭✭Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata (3) (Japan)
📕✭✭✭✭Howard B. Wigglebottom On Yes or No: A Fable About Trust by Reverend Ana
✭✭✭✭Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters (33) (Egypt)
✭✭✭✭Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan (4) (China, Myanmar)

February: 24 (14)
📕✭✭✭✭Where Oliver Fits by Cale Atkinson
📕✭✭✭✭Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi (2)
✭✭✭✭�Dirrayawadha by Anita Heiss (6) (Australia)
✭✭✭✭City of Bones by Martha Wells (8)
✭✭✭✭�Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim (1) (Virginia)
✭✭✭✭The Door by Magda Szabó
📕✭✭✭✭The Everything Seed: A Story of Beginnings by Carole Martignacco
✭✭✭✭�The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan (5)
✭✭�Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (2) (Utah)
📕✭✭✭✭Kevin and His Dad by Irene Smalls
📕✭✭✭✭Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
📕✭✭✭✭Hatching Chicks by Michele Dufresne
📕✭✭✭✭Love Monster by Rachel Bright
📕✭✭✭✭I Love You More: A 2-in-1 Story About Love From the Child and Mother's Point of View by Laura Duksta
📕✭✭✭✭Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner
✭✭✭✭The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters (34) (Egypt, Palestine)
📕✭✭✭✭What Do You Do With a Chance? by Kobi Yamada
✭✭✭✭�The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo (8)
✭✭�Greek Lessons by Han Kang (4) (South Korea)
✭✭✭✭�Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (4)
✭✭✭✭Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe (1) (Alabama)
✭✭✭✭Ohitika Woman by Mary Brave Bird (2) (Colorado)
📕✭✭✭✭Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
✭✭�Villette by Charlotte Brontë (2) (France)
✭✭✭✭Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (2) (Canada)

March: 26 (18)
📕✭✭✭✭I9Am Love: A Book of Compassion by Susan Verde
📕✭✭✭✭�The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (14)
✭✭✭✭�An Honored Vow by Melissa Blair
📕✭✭✭✭�Black by Catherine Winters (1) (Colorado, UK)
📕✭✭✭✭Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
✭✭✭✭Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (1)
✭✭�Skyshade by Alex Aster (3)
📕✭✭�Monkey Business (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) (Pictureback by Patrick Spaziante
📕✭✭✭✭Soccer Star by Mina Javaherbin
✭✭✭✭The Stand-In by Lily Chu (1) (Canada)
📕✭✭✭✭All Because You Matter by Tami Charles
✭✭✭✭�Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (2) (UK, France, Czech Republic)
✭✭✭✭The Burning Girl by Claire Messud (1) (Massachusetts)
✭✭✭✭�Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King (76) and Richard Chizmar (4) (Maine)
✭✭✭✭�The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (1)
📕✭✭✭✭Busy Spring: Nature Wakes Up by Sean Taylor
✭✭✭✭The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories by A.S. Byatt (1) (Turkey)
✭✭�A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair (5)
�Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder (1) (Iowa)
📕✭✭✭✭Love Is a Handful of Honey by Giles Andreae
✭✭✭✭Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke (2) (Minnesota)
📕✭✭✭✭Snow Babies by Laura Ellen Anderson
✭✭✭✭Dispossession by Tayari Jones (1) (Georgia)
✭✭✭✭Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn by Michelle Stimpson (1) (Massachusetts)
✭✭�Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse by Harper Lin (1) (Massachusetts)
✭✭✭✭Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (1)

April: 22 (18)
📕✭✭✭✭�The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart (3)
📕✭✭✭✭�Anyone But Her by Cynthia Swanson (4) (Colorado)
✭✭✭✭Orlando by Virginia Woolf (1) (UK)
📕✭✭✭✭Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman (1) (UK)
📕✭✭✭✭Everything Changes: And That's OK by Carol Dodd
✭✭✭✭Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1)
✭✭✭✭�Brother, I'm Dying7] by Edwidge Danticat (1) (Haiti)
✭✭✭✭Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (15)
✭✭✭✭The Takedown by Lily Chu (2) (Canada)
📕✭✭✭✭�It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson (7) (Georgia)
📕✭✭✭✭Hide & Seek with God by Mary Anne Moore
✭✭�Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings (1)
📕✭✭✭✭Watermelon by Marian Keyes (1) (Ireland)
✭✭✭✭�Blood's Echo by Isabella Maldonado (1) (Arizona)
✭✭✭✭Fight Night by Miriam Toews (1) (Canada)
✭✭�Paris France by Gertrude Stein (1) (France)
✭✭Quicksilver by Callie Hart (1)
📕✭✭✭✭If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Joffe Numeroff
📕✭✭✭✭The Underpants Zoo by Brian Sendelbach
✭✭✭✭Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth (1) (UK)
✭✭✭✭The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (1) (Illinois)
✭✭✭✭We Do Not Part by Han Kang (5) (South Korea)


message 5: by Misty (last edited 3 hours, 15 min ago) (new)
Oct 20, 2024 06:54PM

Misty | 1399 comments Book Count:

May: 21 (20)
📕✭✭✭✭North From Rome by Helen MacInnes (1) (Italy)
✭✭✭✭Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao (2)
✭✭✭✭Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson (16) (Egypt)
✭✭✭✭Half Light by Tayari Jones (2) (Georgia)
✭✭✭✭�Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel (1) (Washington, DC)
✭✭✭✭Autumn by Ali Smith (1) (UK)
✭✭✭✭Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson (17)
✭✭✭✭Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson (18)
✭✭✭✭Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by Rebecca Solnit (1)
✭✭✭✭�The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent (2)
✭✭✭✭Dostoevsky's Last Night by Cristina Peri Rossi (1) (Uruguay)
✭✭✭✭�Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (1) (Georgia)
✭✭✭✭A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn (2) (South Africa)
✭✭✭✭�You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian (1) (New York)
📕✭✭✭✭Choices are my Superpower: A Kid's Book About Making Choices and Understanding Consequences by Alicia Ortego
✭✭✭✭The Sound at the End by Kirsty Logan (1)
✭✭✭✭�An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten (1) (Sweden)
✭✭✭✭�Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent (3)
✭✭✭✭Silas Marner by George Eliot (1) (UK)
✭✭✭✭�The Wizard Hunters by Martha Wells (9)
✭✭✭✭�Never Flinch by Stephen King (77) (Ohio)

June: 10 (8)
📕✭✭✭✭J is for Justice: A Social Justice Book for Kids by Nekima Levy Armstrong
✭✭✭✭�The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (3) (UK)
✭✭✭✭�The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken (1) (Ukraine, Illinois)
✭✭✭✭Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler (4) (California)
📕✭✭✭✭Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
✭✭✭✭�Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent (4)
📕✭✭✭✭How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going: Leading in a Liminal Season by Susan Beaumont
✭✭✭✭The Modern Scholar: Geology: The Story of Earth by Kate Zeigler
✭✭✭✭�Children of Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent (5)
✭✭✭✭Silver Elite by Dani Francis (1)

July:

August:


message 6: by Misty (last edited Jan 01, 2025 08:18PM) (new)
Oct 20, 2024 06:55PM

Misty | 1399 comments Book Count:

September:

October:

November:

December:


message 7: by Misty (last edited Jun 06, 2025 02:35PM) (new)
Nov 11, 2024 08:49AM

Misty | 1399 comments Countries: 21

� Singapore - Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu (1)
Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu (2)
The Loving and the Dead: Tales of the Supernatural by Catherine Lim (1)
� Ireland - The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan (7)
Watermelon by Marian Keyes (1)
� Japan - The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto (3)
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (1)
Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata (3)
� China - The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan (3)
Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan (4)
� Egypt - Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters (33)
The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters (34)
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson (16)
� *Myanmar - Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan (4)
� Australia - Dirrayawadha by Anita Heiss (6)
� Hungary - The Door by Magda Szabo (2)
� Palestine - The Golden One by Elizabeth Peters (34)
� South Korea - Greek Lessons by Han Kang (4)
We Do Not Part by Han Kang (5)
� France - Villette by Charlotte Bronte (2)
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (2)
Paris France by Gertrude Stein
� Canada - Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery (2)
The Stand-In by Lily Chu
The Takedown by Lily Chu (2)
Fight Night by Miriam Toews (1)
� UK - Black by Catherine Winters (1)
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (2)
Orlando by Virginia Woolf (1)
Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman (1)
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth (1)
Autumn by Ali Smith (1)
Silas Marner by George Eliot (1)
� Czech Republic - Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (2)
� Turkey - The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories by A.S. Byatt
� *Haiti - Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat (1)
� Italy - North From Rome by Helen MacInnes (1)
� *Uruguay - Dostoevsky's Last Night by Dostoevsky's Last Night (1)
� South Africa - A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn
� Sweden - An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten (1)
� Ukraine - The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken

*new country


message 8: by Misty (last edited Jun 07, 2025 08:53PM) (new)
Jan 01, 2025 08:17PM

Misty | 1399 comments States: 15

� California - Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (4)
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan (3)
Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler (4)
� Texas - Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris (38)
Day Shift by Charlaine Harris (39)
Night Shift by Charlaine Harris (40)
� Virginia - Be Buried in the Rain by Barbara Michaels (5)
Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim (1)
� Maine - The Tightrope Walker by Dorothy Gilman (20)
Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King (76) and Richard Chizmar (4)
� Utah - Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (2)
� Alabama - Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe (1)
� Colorado - Ohitika Woman by Mary Brave Bird (2)
Black by Catherine Winters (1)
Anyone But Her by Cynthia Swanson
� Massachusetts - The Burning Girl by Claire Messud (1)
Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn by Michelle Stimpson (1)
Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse by Harper Lin (1)
� Iowa - Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder (1)
� Minnesota - Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke (2)
� Georgia - Dispossession by Tayari Jones (1)
It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson (7)
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (1)
� Arizona - Blood's Echo by Isabella Maldonado (1)
� Illinois - The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (1)
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken (1)
� New York - You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian (1)
� Ohio - Never Flinch by Stephen King (77)


message 9: by Misty (new)
Jan 02, 2025 10:45AM

Misty | 1399 comments Woo hoo - I finished my first ATY-2025 book! I read Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu. It is also my first #20BooksBySEAsianWomen for the year. It was a really cute cozy. I loved Aunty Lee. I have book 2, and I will read it soon.


message 10: by Misty (new)
Jan 04, 2025 11:33AM

Misty | 1399 comments I love Carrie Fisher. I adopted my eight year old cat the day she died, so his name is Fisher. I adore her so much that when we were "fostering" kittens, I named one Carrie. She because my son's kitten, and so now we have Carrie Fisher in the house. This book was sarcastic, biting, raw, and funny. I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed listening to her narrate it. I usually listen to books much faster, but I slowed it down just to hear her voice. I have read three other of her books, but this one - Wishful Drinking - is a memoir that deals specifically with her life and the fall out from her electroshock therapy and dealing with her bi-polar disorder.


message 11: by Misty (new)
Jan 06, 2025 10:05PM

Misty | 1399 comments I have finished 3 books of my #20BooksBySEAsianWomen so far. The second one was Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials - the second book in the Aunty Lee mystery series by Ovidia Yu. The characters are fun to read, the mysteries are intriguing, and I loved reading about Singaporean culture. I learned a new word: Singlish. It's like Spanglish, but in Singapore.

The third book was also by a Singaporean author - Catherine Lim. The Loving and the Dead: Tales of the Supernatural is a collection of short stories about the supernatural. Some were better than others, of course, but I really enjoyed the collection.


message 12: by Misty (new)
Jan 09, 2025 11:16AM

Misty | 1399 comments I just finished my first five star read of the year: The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan. She really knows how to write a good mystery. I wasn't sure how this was all going to fit together. Murder, mayhem, and police corruption - a great combo for a book! I definitely recommend this one.


message 13: by Misty (new)
Jan 09, 2025 09:21PM

Misty | 1399 comments I listened to The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto. I'm not quite sure what to say about this book. It has too many things that make me go, "Ick." I gave it three stars. I was underwhelmed.


message 14: by Misty (new)
Jan 11, 2025 04:03PM

Misty | 1399 comments I just finished The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa, and I am sobbing. What a beautiful book. A mathematics professor cannot remember past 80 minutes due to a brain injury he sustained in 1975. His housekeeper and her son form an unlikely friendship with him.


message 15: by Misty (new)
Jan 13, 2025 11:32AM

Misty | 1399 comments I really enjoy Charlaine Harris' work. I read Midnight Crossroad and finished this morning. I loved it. The cast of characters are fun, quirky, weird, and interesting. The mystery was intriguing. I liked it so much that I immediately started book 2 when I finished book 1.


message 16: by Misty (new)
Jan 13, 2025 06:34PM

Misty | 1399 comments Book 2 of the Midnight, Texas series - Day Shift - was as good as the first, and I have already started book 3.


message 17: by Misty (new)
Jan 14, 2025 08:11AM

Misty | 1399 comments Book 3 of the Midnight, Texas series - Night Shift by Charlaine Harris was a great ending to the trilogy. I am very sad that there are only 3 books in the series.


message 18: by Misty (new)
Jan 18, 2025 10:20AM

Misty | 1399 comments Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter is an excellent book. I loved the part that was set in China before/during/right after WWII. The story was pretty sad in spots. Tan's writing is lush and beautiful. I loved it.


message 19: by Misty (new)
Jan 20, 2025 07:26AM

Misty | 1399 comments I read The Tightrope Walker by Dorothy Gilman. I think I am pretty much done with her books, and I'm pretty sad about that. I think I will be needing a lot of comfort reads over the next four years. I really enjoyed this book. It was a great mystery. I stayed up late to finish it.


message 20: by Misty (new)
Jan 23, 2025 07:43AM

Misty | 1399 comments I zipped through Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros in two days, and I am not okay! Gah! I can't believe I am going to have to wait another year or so for the next installment! I need to know what is happening - NOW! I also need my daughter and friends to get done, so I can talk to them about this book. I have been emotionally wrecked by a book.


message 21: by Misty (new)
Jan 24, 2025 03:09PM

Misty | 1399 comments Well, I think I am done with Sayaka Murata. I read Life Ceremony, and it was so gross and disgusting. I have read a lot of weird books and am a self-proclaimed weirdo myself, and this was off the charts. It is honestly the first time I have ever wondered if an author was sane. Blech. I'm done.


message 22: by Misty (new)
Jan 26, 2025 09:24PM

Misty | 1399 comments A friend gave me a gift of three Audible books for my birthday. With this sh!t storm of a year, I decided that I would buy two "comfort reads." I just finished the first one - Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters. She is definitely a comfort author for me. I am so close to the end of her ouevre, and it makes me sad. I really enjoyed this book.


message 23: by Misty (new)
Jan 31, 2025 08:56PM

Misty | 1399 comments Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan was the second book I got from Audible for my birthday present. I love Amy Tan's work. This book was pretty fun, and I enjoyed it. This book has been on my TBR for such a long time. I'm glad I finally got to it.


message 24: by Misty (last edited Apr 22, 2025 08:40AM) (new)
Jan 31, 2025 09:20PM

Misty | 1399 comments JANUARY ROUNDUP
AUTHOR GENDER
Female = 16
Male = 1

RATING
1 - 2 Star
1 - 3 Star
8 - 4 Star
7 - 5 Star

AUTHOR ETHNICITY
White = 9
Asian = 8

COUNTRIES: 6 (+USA)
Ireland = 1
Singapore = 3
China = 2
Japan = 3
Egypt = 1
Myanmar = 1

STATES: 4
California
Virginia
Texas
Maine

New to Me Authors: 4
Ovidia Yu
Catherine Lim
Kiran Atma
Yoko Ogawa


message 25: by Misty (new)
Feb 02, 2025 02:38PM

Misty | 1399 comments I finally finished Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. It was good, and parts of it were really good. It wasn't quite as good as the first book, but I enjoyed it, and I am looking forward to seeing how the trilogy ends.


message 26: by Misty (new)
Feb 04, 2025 10:40AM

Misty | 1399 comments I read City of Bones by Martha Wells, and I really enjoyed it. It is the first fantasy novel of her that I have read, but I will definitely read more.


message 27: by Misty (last edited Feb 06, 2025 09:51AM) (new)
Feb 06, 2025 09:51AM

Misty | 1399 comments Oh, I forgot to log Dirrayawadha by Anita Heiss. This book was fantastic. Anita Heiss really shines when she writes historical fiction. Her story of early Wiradjuri people and the white "ghosts" is sad and disturbing, but a story that needed to be told and really needs to be read.


message 28: by Misty (new)
Feb 08, 2025 07:53AM

Misty | 1399 comments I finished The Door by Magda Szabó, and I am still not sure what I read. It was an odd book. I gave it four stars because her writing is really good, and it kept my attention the whole time. The relationship between the two women is hard to describe. I really don't know what I think of the book.


message 29: by Misty (new)
Feb 10, 2025 10:11PM

Misty | 1399 comments I finished Amy Tan's The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life tonight, and I am really glad I read it. I loved all the stories in this book. Some made me sad, some happy, some stressed, some angry, and the chapter on her touring with the Rock Bottom Remainders made me laugh out loud a few times. I'm annoyed with myself that I hadn't picked up a Tan book in years, but I'm very glad to be reading her work now.


message 30: by Misty (last edited Feb 12, 2025 07:47AM) (new)
Feb 12, 2025 07:43AM

Misty | 1399 comments Last night I finished listening to Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, and I was highly disappointed. I gave the book three stars because I do think his personal recollections of nature are very valuable. However, he is arrogant, ableist, misogynistic, and racist even though he rails against people who are racist. Plus, a lot of his flowery prose just sounds like he enjoys hearing himself.


message 31: by Misty (new)
Feb 15, 2025 11:01AM

Misty | 1399 comments Elizabeth PetersI finished The Golden One by last night. It was the third book from the gift I was given by a friend. I figured a little comfort reading was in order, and it did the trick. Only six books left. *sniff


message 32: by Misty (new)
Feb 15, 2025 11:02PM

Misty | 1399 comments The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo is a collection of short stories that are folk tales from the Grishaverse. They are all good, but the last one is phenomenal. That is the story that put it up to five stars for me.


message 33: by Misty (new)
Feb 17, 2025 09:29PM

Misty | 1399 comments Greek Lessons is the fourth book by Han Kang that I have read, and it is my least favorite. I'm not sure I was in the right frame of mind for this book because I just couldn't really get into it.


message 34: by Misty (last edited Feb 18, 2025 09:27PM) (new)
Feb 18, 2025 09:26PM

Misty | 1399 comments I read Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross last August, and I loved it. I meant to read Ruthless Vows very quickly after that, but life happened, and I just forgot. I have it on Audible, and because my daughter had read it, it got marked as "finished." When I looked through my "all" section, I saw it, and downloaded it right away. I'm so glad I did. It was so freaking good. One of the best books I have read in a while, and that is saying something. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved the setting. It was so vivid in my mind. I need to read more of her work.


message 35: by Misty (new)
Feb 20, 2025 03:38PM

Misty | 1399 comments I just finished Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe, and it was not at all what I thought it was going to be! It took a very dark turn. I enjoyed it. I will definitely read more of her work.


message 36: by Misty (new)
Feb 23, 2025 05:24PM

Misty | 1399 comments I read the memoir Ohitika Woman by Mary Brave Bird who has also written under the name Mary Crow Dog. This memoir covered much of her life after the end of her last book. She talks a lot about many of the hardships faced by indigenous groups due to the mistreatment from the government. It was a very interesting book, and I am glad that I read it.


message 37: by Misty (last edited Apr 22, 2025 08:41AM) (new)
Feb 28, 2025 09:14AM

Misty | 1399 comments FEBUARY ROUNDUP
AUTHOR GENDER
Female = 14
Male = 1

RATING
3 - 3 Star
7 - 4 Star
5 - 5 Star

AUTHOR ETHNICITY
White = 7
Asian = 2
Black = 4
Indigenous American = 1

COUNTRIES: 7 (+USA)
Australia = 1
Hungary = 1
Palestine = 1
South Korea = 1
Egypt = 1
France = 1
Canada = 1

STATES: 4
Utah
Virginia
Alabama
Colorado

New to Me Authors: 2
Laila Ibrahim
Mary Monroe


message 38: by Misty (new)
Mar 06, 2025 09:09PM

Misty | 1399 comments My son got me the first two books of Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series for Christmas. I finished the first one today, and I loved it! The Way of Kings is book one. So far, I know there are five books and two in-between books - novellas I guess. Although this book was over 1200 pages, so I will be curious to see how long the novellas are!


message 39: by Misty (new)
Mar 08, 2025 12:52PM

Misty | 1399 comments I finished An Honored Vow by Melissa Blair - the last book of The Halfling Saga tetraology. It was so freaking good. I devoured this book. I loved the whole series, but I thought this was the best of the four. Definitely worth the read.


message 40: by Misty (new)
Mar 08, 2025 09:21PM

Misty | 1399 comments I've been reading Black by Catherine Winters in the evenings before bed for a couple of weeks now. It is an urban fantasy about vampires that bounces between Colorado and the UK. Winters' take on vampires is a new one, and I really enjoyed it. I'm definitely going to have to order book 2 now!


message 41: by Misty (new)
Mar 10, 2025 10:32PM

Misty | 1399 comments I read Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir after I found that it would fit prompt #35 - A book from the NPR “Books We Love� lists. It was free on Audible. I enjoyed it. It was a mix of SciFi and Fantasy. I will likely get around to reading the other books.


message 42: by Misty (new)
Mar 12, 2025 10:23PM

Misty | 1399 comments I just finished Skyshade by Alex Aster, and I was underwhelmed. I'm using it for prompt #43 - A book whose title has ten or fewer letters


message 43: by Misty (new)
Mar 15, 2025 09:47AM

Misty | 1399 comments I have always said that I am not a big romance reader, and my oldest daughter really enjoys them. I could never figure out why, but it does seem that romance books have definitely changed since I read them in the 80s and early 90s. I just listened to The Stand-In by Lily Chu. It was cute and sweet and funny, and I honestly really enjoyed it. Solid 4 star read.


message 44: by Misty (new)
Mar 18, 2025 07:21PM

Misty | 1399 comments I finished book 2 of the All Souls series this afternoon. It was so good. I can't wait to read book 3. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness is the second book, and I am using it for prompt #49 - A book that deals with time travel, alternate universes, or alternate timelines. I loved that she used historical figures in her time travel story. It was really fun.


message 45: by Misty (last edited Mar 19, 2025 01:43PM) (new)
Mar 19, 2025 01:43PM

Misty | 1399 comments The Burning Girl was my first book by Claire Messud. I am using it for prompt #47 - A book relating to fire. It was okay. I gave it four stars, but I was rounding up a little. I enjoyed her writing. The story was engaging enough. I will likely try more of her work. Not a glowing review, but it was enjoyable.


message 46: by Misty (new)
Mar 20, 2025 08:21PM

Misty | 1399 comments For prompt #36 - A book with a common household object on the cover - I read Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. It is the third book of a short trilogy. I loved the entire thing. I was literally teary at the end - Stephen King has been doing that to me lately darn it.


message 47: by Misty (new)
Mar 22, 2025 02:27PM

Misty | 1399 comments For prompt #6 - A book with a serpentine element on the cover - I read The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. I really enjoyed it. I wasn't crazy about the end, but I am going to finish the series.


message 48: by Misty (new)
Mar 23, 2025 03:49PM

Misty | 1399 comments For prompt #20 - A book with an animal, vegetable (plant), or mineral in the title - I read The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye: Five Fairy Stories by A.S. Byatt. It was pretty good. I wasn't blown away, but I would definitely read more of her work.


message 49: by Misty (last edited Mar 24, 2025 10:09PM) (new)
Mar 24, 2025 10:09PM

Misty | 1399 comments Scarlett St. Clair's Hades and Persephone series started off so good. I had high hopes for it. The actual story is good. The smut is overdone, and when I say overdone, I mean it is so overdone that it is a turn off. Ugh. It's not even good sex anymore. I'm so freaking sick of these books. I was really hoping this book was the last, but it's not. I don't know if I can handle another book. I might just get my daughter to tell me how it ends. I used A Touch of Malice for prompt #4 - A book set underground, under sea or in an underworld.


message 50: by Misty (new)
Mar 25, 2025 04:12PM

Misty | 1399 comments I listened to Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, and that is hours of my life I will never get back. I really wanted to like this book. I could relate to the MC so much, but she just did not pull this story off. Instead it was gross and stupid. It was so bad that even though the writing itself was good, I will never read anything of hers again. It was terrible. It's rare that a book actually makes me angry, and this one has. I used it for prompt #9 - A book that has been long-listed for the Tournament of Books in any year. It is the first time I have ever looked at the Tournament of Books, and after this experience, I have absolutely no desire to pay attention to it at all - ever.


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