Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

NancyJ wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Nike wrote: "Hm, this round consists of no Wow, yeses! It's maybe, maybe, maybe, no and don't know.

One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife Conservation. I love nature,..."

Yes, thankyou - it turned out I already had one of her books on my TBR, so this might be the opportunity to read her!

Dixie wrote: "Nike wrote: "Is there a list of baking-connected books that does Not focus on recipe books, feelgood, romance or cozyness?"

Lots of lists related to baking: https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/ba..."

Yes, but they all seem to be in the above mentioned genres. Romance, feelgood and cozy mysteries - the genres I want to avoid.

It might be a bit of a stretch, but in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone books, Kinsey's landlord and neighbour is a retired commercial baker and he's usually baking or feeding her the results when she calls in to see him. They're PI mysteries, not cosy (despite the baking!).

That’s good to know about the Sue Grafton books. I’ve only read one of hers and it was a LONG time ago. She lived in our town, and the location of her books is set in a fictionalized version of it. E.g., a street in her books is Missile St (if I remember correctly) but it is based on the actual Mission St.

I like the option of reading a baking related mystery that is not cozy.

I wasn't super jazzed about this round. I did have two upvotes though:

10. A book about wildlife or nature conservation
13. A book related to medical science or health

I would definitely be into those. There were a few that, if they get in, I will probably have fun with them, but I didn't like them enough to vote for them. I don't usually downvote 6, but I did this time.

Marie wrote: "It might be a bit of a stretch, but in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone books, Kinsey's landlord and neighbour is a retired commercial baker and he's usually baking or feeding her the re..."

Thank you! Found her books in my audiobook app.

NancyJ wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Nike wrote: "Hm, this round consists of no Wow, yeses! It's maybe, maybe, maybe, no and don't know.

One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife Conservation. I love nature,..."

Robin P wrote: "Nike wrote: "Hm, this round consists of no Wow, yeses! It's maybe, maybe, maybe, no and don't know.

One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife Conservation. I love nature, I love spending..."

Thanks to you two I upvoted wildlife!

Well, I guess that's part of the point of ATY, to get introduced to some kinds of books you might not ordinarily read.

Just a few thoughts on voting this round...

1. A book title that contains the name of a professional sports team - upvote - I'm anything but a sports fan; however, this checks off creative prompt that will be a scavenger hunt for me.

2. A book with twins, doppelgängers, or mistaken identity - down vote for me - I think its my reaction to reading the Bobsey Twins as a child.

5. A book with a character who appears in more than one book - upvote - I just finished Guards! Guards! (Discworld #8) and Death made an appearance a couple of times. I would probably use this series or one of the others that I read that have characters appearing unexpectedly.

7. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026 - neutral - I would be surprised if this suggestion needed my vote to get in.

10. A book about wildlife or nature conservation - neutral - I'm not really interested, but found a book that will work from an earlier round.

11. A book with a title that contains a pun, a dad joke, or other word play - upvote - I love word play in titles

I voted 3 up and 5 down (again - I keep looking for a round to be more positive with)

Jette wrote: "Just a few thoughts on voting this round...

I voted 3 up and 5 down (again - I keep looking for a round to be more positive with) ..."

Are you suggesting prompts? If not, please do!

Dixie wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Samantha wrote: "5. A book with a character who appears in more than one book
Maybe, I know it can be more than a series and love the creativity but it seems hard to..."

Thanks!

Deborah wrote: "Trish wrote: "I like this list a lot more than the last one. I had to limit my upvotes!

Nike wrote: "One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife Conservation. I love nature, I love spending..."

I've read every book C.J. Box has written, and I didn't even think about the Joe Pickett series as fitting, but it would. The first book in the series is Open Season and is about a endangered animal. Hopefully, they have been translated to Swedish. They have been translated into 27 languages, but I couldn't find a list.

Another of the Joe Pickett series that would fit the prompt is Free Fire. It is set in Yellowstone National Park which has a unique ecosystem. Anything about Yellowstone will be fascinating to read.

"Yellowstone's ecosystem is unique for being one of the largest nearly intact temperate ecosystems on Earth, featuring an exceptional concentration of geothermal features like geysers and hot springs. It also supports an abundance of megafauna, including the oldest and largest public bison herd, grizzly bears, and wolves, all thriving in a vast landscape where natural processes like predator-prey dynamics and seasonal migrations are preserved. Its geology, marked by a super volcano, also contributes to its unique hydrothermal activity and the resulting landscapes and ecosystems, including unusual bacteria found in the hot springs.

Jette wrote: "I voted 3 up and 5 down (again - I keep looking for a round to be more positive with.."

I think we get more prompts voted through when there's lots of anti votes. Esp if they're focused

For the non-fiction fans among us, I really really recommend Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, if that prompt makes it in.

Joanna G wrote: "For the non-fiction fans among us, I really really recommend Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World, if that prompt makes it in."

Sounds intriguing!

A very interesting book.

Charlsa wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Trish wrote: "I like this list a lot more than the last one. I had to limit my upvotes!

Nike wrote: "One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife Conservation. I love nature,..."

I’m glad I read the comments before voting. I almost overlooked wildlife conservation. I liked the national parks idea, and this is even better. I like the Joe Pickett series and i want to read about Yellowstone. Thanks for mentioning that.

I’m glad to see the medical health idea again without the memoir requirement. I have plenty of fiction and nonfiction for this topic. .

I like the ideas about rebels, trials and planets, but I don’t have as many books as I thought I did. If rebel means revolution, then that’s an upvote. I’ll look for books with juries.

I would read Persepolis or an lgbtqt book for identity, and I have books leftover from the returning home prompt last year for 6. The sports teams works too.

Charlsa wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Trish wrote: "I like this list a lot more than the last one. I had to limit my upvotes!

Nike wrote: "One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife Conservation. I love nature,..."

I knew about the animal life but I had no clue there are geysers! I'd love to go there some day.

The C J Box books are not translated into Swedish but finding a nonfiction about (or a novel taking place in) Yellowstone would be possible. Thank you Charlsa!

Dixie wrote: "Jette wrote: "Just a few thoughts on voting this round...

I voted 3 up and 5 down (again - I keep looking for a round to be more positive with) ..."

Are you suggesting prompts? If not, please do!"

I do usually try to suggest, but my creativity is limited. Maybe that is why I value it in suggestions.

Just got my First Reads email from Amazon and one of the choices has a magical sourdough starter -- A House Between Sea and Sky

I saw that too and then promptly forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder Pamela :) 🍞

Judy wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Trish wrote: "I like this list a lot more than the last one. I had to limit my upvotes!

Nike wrote: "One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife Conservation..."

I think I should have directed this to Judy, not Nike. Oops!

Nike, for books with a trial you may want to take a look at Steve Cavanagh's Eddie Flynn series. Eddie a bad guy attorney gone straight. All of the books will have a trial in them. I've read several of them, and they are all 4 or 5 stars books for me.

The best things about his books is that yo do NOT need to read them in order. In fact, he told us at a book event that most of his readers do not read them in order. Cavanagh is Irish and lives in Ireland. I don't know if that increases the likelihood that they will be translated to Swedish.

Nike wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Trish wrote: "I like this list a lot more than the last one. I had to limit my upvotes!

Nike wrote: "One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife Conservation..."


I asked google Ai for wildlife conservation books in Swedish. I can’t read the answer, but I hope it has something of interest. there were more links as well,

AI Overview

+12
Det finns flera böcker på svenska som behandlar vilda djur och naturvård, från populärvetenskapliga titlar till mer fackmässig litteratur. Här är några exempel:
Popular science and nature descriptions
Skogslandet: En granskning by Lisa Röstlund (2022). This award-winning book is an investigative report on the Swedish forestry industry, highlighting the conflict between industrial interests and the threat to biodiversity and climate.
Vildplockat kokboken by Niki Sjölund and Lena Flaten (2023). Although it is a cookbook, it aims to inspire people to make use of nature's resources with a "no waste" mindset, thus contributing to a sustainable approach to nature.
Sångsvan: Tillbaka i ljuset. This non-fiction book describes the return of the whooper swan in Sweden after being threatened with extinction. It offers exciting facts and beautiful pictures.
Löpa varg by Kerstin Ekman (2021). A novel that touches on nature and the forest, seen from the perspective of a retired forest manager, which gives a personal angle on the relationship between humans and nature.
Non-fiction books and practical guides
Biologisk mångfald i Sverige, published by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (2011). This is a comprehensive review of the state of the Swedish flora, fauna and ecosystems. The book describes how diversity has changed, what threatens it and what measures are being taken to preserve it.
Biologisk mångfald, naturnyttor och ekosystemtjänster: Svenska perspektiv på livsviktiga framtidsfrågor (2021). An anthology compiled on the initiative of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, where over 50 researchers describe different aspects of biodiversity and its importance for society.
Skyddsvärd skog: Naturvårdsarter och andra kriterier för naturvärdesbedömning by Johan Nitare (2019). The book functions as a reference book for conservationists and describes species of vascular plants, mosses, lichens and fungi that indicate valuable forest. It also provides guidance for the management of different types of nature.
Naturligtvis: Biologisk mångfald i din trädgård by Justine Lagache and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (2023). A practical guide to attract more plants and animals to the garden. The book shows how small efforts can contribute to biodiversity.
Djur och rätt: Förvaltningslagen, djurskyddslagen och tillsynslagen m.m. by Sirkku Sarenbo and Helena Striwing (2024). A non-fiction book that deals with animal protection legislation in Sweden from a legal perspective and describes the laws that protect animals.

8 upvotes for me!

1. A book title that contains the name of a professional sports team - No brainer, I'm a fan-atic!

2. A book with twins, doppelgängers, or mistaken identity - Yes, twins

3. A book with a rebel - Will probably re-read The Bastard

4. A book with a trial - Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Courtroom Drama in which Two Men Wage the Legal War of the Century or To Kill a Mockingbird

5. A book with a character who appears in more than one book - I have an abundance of Jack the Ripper books

9. A book where all or part of the action takes place in a library, a museum, a school, or another public building - The Herring in the Library: Ethelred & Elsie #3

11. A book with a title that contains a pun, a dad joke, or other word play - Love word play titles

14. A book with a window on the cover - Have several choices here

Pamela wrote: "Just got my First Reads email from Amazon and one of the choices has a magical sourdough starter -- A House Between Sea and Sky"

Seems interesting.

Charlsa wrote: "Judy wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Trish wrote: "I like this list a lot more than the last one. I had to limit my upvotes!

Nike wrote: "One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife..."

Thank you but I'm sorry, I really, really don't like trial stories. Lol! Not even the most wellknown movies or series or books.

NancyJ wrote: "Nike wrote: "Charlsa wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Trish wrote: "I like this list a lot more than the last one. I had to limit my upvotes!

Nike wrote: "One suggestion I'm struggling with is the Wildlife..."

Wow NancyJ! Thank you so very much! Super interesting! I never thought of using AI in this matter, I must confess I'm quite new to that but I have tried it a few times. This is so good. And it mentions one of the most awarded and talked about novels of recent years (Löpa varg - translated into several languages but not English I notice) which I haven't read yet so I'm so grateful. I would hug you if you were closer. 🙏🥰

Pamela wrote: "Just got my First Reads email from Amazon and one of the choices has a magical sourdough starter -- A House Between Sea and Sky"

Ooh. Cheers. I hadn't checked my Kindle Firsts yet this month.

Results will be a bit delayed this morning, just a head's up.

Nike, a new way to think of trials (if you need to):

1) Time Trials: where athletes in racing sports (car, running, etc.) race against a clock instead of each other.

2) Clinical Trials: testing of drugs or medical devices before releasing to the public.

I don’t know if any books that have these sorts of trials, but it’s possible. And maybe this will help you or someone else think of some other type of trial besides legal.

OR a different kind of legal trial? Not sure what this is called, but sometimes small communities or Native American tribes have sort of a community trial. One book I can think of that has this sort of community trial (Circle Justice in this book set in Alaska) is Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, which I read years ago and enjoyed. It’s YA. As far as I can tell it was not translated into Swedish, but maybe there is another book with this sort of Circle Justice in it that was (or was written in Swedish of course). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Another thought Nike: maybe the trial is off page, but the book is really about AFTER the trial?

Tracy wrote: "Nike, a new way to think of trials (if you need to):

1) Time Trials: where athletes in racing sports (car, running, etc.) race against a clock instead of each other.

2) Clinical Trials: testing o..."

Really good ideas! Thank you!

Tracy wrote: "Another thought Nike: maybe the trial is off page, but the book is really about AFTER the trial?"

If it counts - yes, good idea! 🙂