#read 2023

[date-prisa-estamos-leyendo]

La muerte es para el que se queda, no para el que se va. Y para soportar eso hay que inventarse algo que justifique la ausencia. La muerte es un medio, no un fin. A mí los árboles nunca me han curado un duelo, pero poco a poco he ido entendiendo que la tierra nos acoge cuando ya la vida no nos quiere. La muerte es un abismo si la separas de la naturaleza, por eso me compadezco de ti y de tu amigo, porque la desvinculáis. Ya verás que el día que él descanse en la tierra entenderás mejor la lluvia.

Por qué lloran las ciudades, Elisa Levi.

[bruiselikeviolets]

read in 2023: dracula by bram stoker

I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul.

[fairyinpages]

2023 reads ⋆ mindfuck series by s. t. abby ♡

“he's bringing back parts of me that i thought were dead, resurrecting my soul from ashes.”

for my honest reaction and ratings, check out my goodreads.

[booksandwords]

The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Deer by Ember White. Illustrated by Marta Maszkiewicz

Age Recommendation: Pre-School Topic/ Theme: Integrity/ Authenticity (it's all about being true to yourself so...) Setting: Unspecified, America at a guess

Rating: 4/5

I never would have found this or read it without stumbling across the author on social media showing some of their... weirder reviews, and tbh asking for Aussies to balance out the crazy. I saw at least one review calling The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer grooming and to be honest, if you want to see it that way, that's how you will see it. Though why you would choose to see it like that I don't know. That's just weird. To look at this absolutely beautiful book as something with a malicious message is beyond me. I'm glad I did read this though. Not so much for Ember White's story as lovely as it is but for Marta Maszkiewicz's stunning illustrations.

I will make some comments on Ember White's story first. Let me start by sharing a quote from one of Ember White's tumblr posts. "I wanted to tell that story of anyone's who ever felt that they didn't belong anywhere. Whether you are a nerd, autistic, queer, trans, a furry, or some combination of the above, it makes for a sad and difficult life. This isn't just my story, and this is your story as well." Ember's story is quite unlike anything I've read in a while. Their story is well thought out well, and you can see that all their heart is in their book. You can see that their book is the book that they wish they could of had as a child. Embre gives us Tommy a young boy with a secret. In his case it is a pair of deer antlers that he keeps in a box and a want to be something else. The message of The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer is to just be you. It shows the pain of repression, the pain that happens when you try to be someone you aren't. The phrasing is beautiful and enjoyable. I can see how this could be a very good read-to, it has the right message and easily memorable writing. The choice of a deer as the animal the boy wants to be is a good one. It's one of the animals with the most diverse symbolism some of the basics are harmony, happiness and innocence (phrased as being in touch with your inner child).

I would love to know who paired illustrator, Marta Maszkiewicz and Ember White. Marta's a perfect match style-wise for Ember's script. I adore her beautiful style it feels young and playful when it needs to and adds that moment of darkness when it is necessary. Her dark stormy moments with the purples and blues have the perfect depressing tone for Tommy's sadness. Storms have a rainbow-like background a nice touch. There is a scene where Tommy is looking at potential future careers (doctor, accountant, engineer), I love the choice Marta makes to give Tommy oversized clothes, a child playing dress up. Not just playing dress up but uncomfortable and awkward more than expected. Marta has done a fantastic job of aging Tommy up from his child self to his adult self to his true self. His true self is kinda in the middle in appearance, like he has shed the weight that he was carrying around as an adult that he has now shed. The dance/performance element is executed particularly well. I can sense the movement coming off the page and that outfit is lovely. The final illustration is just beautiful it is light and hopeful and innocent. Honestly, I can't praise the illustrations enough. I really want to find more of Marta Maszkiewicz's illustrations.

This is highly controversial and will remain so. It does what Ember wanted it to, it challenges the status quo and some people aren't ready for that. But some of us, librarians, parents and those outside the neurotypical, cishet sociocultural norms that are ready for it. The ending is unexpected but I really like that The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer chooses to break the conventions that the children's publishing by giving the reader an unexpected ending of fulfilled dreams. I'm happy I read this and I think many others willing to look beyond the judgemental reviews probably will too.

Ember White is @emberwhite on here.

[elusivemellifluence]

Inspired by this post, here are some of my 2023 reads sorted into very normal and logical categories

My ongoing C-boo phase:

Dragons!*

*rocs and kaiju count, shut up

Cooking leads to queer romance:

Twins!

What's hotter than a butch small business owner:

Legends retold:

Weird Space Math and Morally Dubious Mentors:

The SFF aspects are an excuse to talk about the human condition:

Old-timey smut fiction is vital to the plot:

Fat heroines having adventures:

Ocean!

[july-19th-club]

oooh what did you think of The Farm I also read that this year and I have thots

haha it did send twice so i'll just answer once: It was pretty good! Strong voice, a good group of characters/perspectives, each very different, to bounce between, a very chilling premise that is chillingly delivered on, and an ending that both satisfies and frightens. it's been a while since i read it but i think the one gripe i had was that there were a few things i wished had been fleshed out a little further, as it isn't a MASSIVE novel - but in the space it had, it absolutely did what it promised to and i wouldn't say i had an 'enjoyable' time reading it, as it's not really a 'fun' book, but it was definitely time well spent.

[vaelnothing]

I made my reading journal with notion and I'm so happy with how It turn out, my god 💜 (made it base of a anime tracker template I found long ago on redit)

[foxounderscorecube]

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

4¼ ⭐

I was recommended this book by my Latin teacher when I was a teenager and the copy I had still had the scrap of paper she'd written the title on for me to look for, so that was a cute little surprise.

Anyway, I liked it then, and I like it now. A Little Life put me into a bit of a reading slump, sadly, so it took me a while to get through, but this book is so sweet and lyrical, and it's really what I needed after that total shitshow.

The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles is beautifully written, especially as it's developing in their adolescence. Who knew that throwing a fig at somebody could be so adorable? There is a sort of plushness to the writing that I think works wonderfully, particularly in how Patroclus views Achilles.

Of course, things get rockier towards the end, as Achilles' pride is tested against Agamemnon's (and what a total arsehole Agamemnon is!). The heartache Patroclus feels is almost tangible, and it's frustrating even as a reader to see Achilles so closed-off and stubborn over something so stupid - especially when it affects Briseis' safety.

Tangent: I love Briseis. Love the fact that Patroclus essentially runs a rescue shelter for some of the imprisoned slavegirls. That's kind of king shit. And his platonic love for Briseis really shows, even if he doesn't return her romantic feelings. When he betrayed Achilles in an attempt to save her from god-knows-what… ah! good shit.

The ending is, well, decidedly Greek tragedy, would you believe it. If only Patroclus hadn't got so swept up in his cosplay!! Ugh, so preventable. And Achilles trying so hard to die but being close to invincible is devastating.

I think what makes this book, though, is Thetis' realisation that she was wrong after all. Wrong about Patroclus; wrong about Achilles' choices; wrong about Pyrrhus being a superior man (the horrid little shit). I think what makes her so interesting as a character, and something other than just a bitch, is that her love for Achilles is undeniable, and her hatred for mortals is honestly kind of justified, given the nature of Achilles' conception. She's not exactly likeable, but she's sympathetic, and so when she lets Patroclus' soul rest in the underworld, it feels particularly poignant and lovely.

In terms of being an adaptation of The Iliad, I couldn't comment, because I haven't gotten round to reading it, but this is certainly a book crafted with a lot of care, and it's a gorgeous love story and tragedy.

[thequeerlibrarian]

Reading wrap up 2023

My favs this year:

[j3mcarsta1rs]

if you see glitter and don’t automatically think of noah czerny RED FLAG

[date-prisa-estamos-leyendo]

Pero no sucedió nada, porque a la vida siempre le falta alguna cosa para ser perfecta.

Sin sangre, Alessandro Baricco.

[bruiselikeviolets]

read in 2023: the invisible life of addie larue by v.e. schwab

“Because happiness is brief, and history is lasting, and in the end,” he says, “everyone wants to be remembered.”

[bisexual-finger-guns]

Currently reading

I have to be honest, I'm living for the cozy vibes this book is giving off.

Thistle Grove is witchy Stars Hollow and I love it.

How are there not a million books with bisexual witches?

[fairyinpages]

2023 reads ⋆ verity by colleen hoover ♡

“no matter which way i look at it, it's clear that verity was a master at manipulating the truth. the only question that remain is: which truth was she manipulating?”

for my honest reaction and ratings, check out my goodreads.

[econometricsstudyblr]

Review of "Just My Type" by Falon Ballard

Rating : 1 / 5 ⭐️

The description of this book initially sparked my interest, but it ultimately proved to be a considerable letdown. I only finished it to add to my reading challenge.

Nearly all the characters as high schoolers, especially the main couple who are, in reality, in their 30s.

Lana's character was particularly irksome and difficult to bear. Her repeated declarations of being a "huge Marvel fan" rapidly became tiresome. While the phrase "Thank Loki (Thor, Odin); Holy Hemsworth" was fine once, it was overused. She can’t draw her own conclusion to safe her life. Throughout the novel, she dwelled on her need to be single, and that she and her love interest could not be together for now. However, her mother's single remark, "Hey, you’ve already been alone almost all your life, you can be with him," was all that was needed for Lana to suddenly realize that it might be possible to have a relationship. This dependence on others for decision-making occurred repeatedly throughout the book, and she never took responsibility for her own life or actions. It was baffling that she had only recently discovered the joy of helping others, given that she was thirty years old.

As for Seth, I have little to say. He was as emotionally immature as Lana, and I would have despised him even more had I been forced to be inside his head. They both acted like children, and the same issues were repeatedly the source of their arguments, even though they had already been discussed. By the end of the book, I had little desire to see them together.

Ultimately, the novel was merely satisfactory, and the characters were exasperating.

[elusivemellifluence]

Read 2023

Like I do every year, I've made a bunch of graphs analysing my reading habits. I read 101 books/30,778 pages in 2023, much much more detail under the cut.

A bar graph of the total number of books I've read over each of the last ten years. This year it was 101, which is the lowest so far (one less than last year). It's because reading's not my only hobby anymore, I also spent a lot of time writing fanfiction (77,798 words) and studying Mandarin Chinese (I'm speaking actual sentences now 😎). Plus embroidery, but I mostly do that while listening to audiobooks so it probably doesn't make a difference.

A line graph of my total pagecounts over the last ten years. It follows a similar trajectory to the books graph. The 2023 total (30,778 pages) is very slightly higher than the 2022 total (30,760 pages).

A line graph showing my average book length over the last ten years. There's not a lot of variation: the maximum is 356 in 2015 and the minimum is 301 in 2022. This year's average was 305.

The Books

A pie chart showing that I read mostly ebooks (65) followed by audiobooks (25) and paperbacks (11). The proportions are looking a bit different this year, with significantly more audiobooks (I got a scribd subscription) and for once I didn't read a single hardback.

A pie chart showing where the books I read were sourced from. 40 were my own, 36 were borrowed from the library, 24 were from scribd and 1 was borrowed (an audiobook my sister played in the car while we were roadtripping together). I only got scribd in October so I suspect that proportion will be a lot higher next year.

A bar graph showing the length of the books I read. The biggest chunk were in the range of 300-399 pages. There's just one under 99 pages (The Fox's Tower and Other Stories by Yoon Ha Lee at 77 pages) and just one over 600 (A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon at 880 pages). The average length was 305 pages.

A pie chart showing the original language of the books I read. 96 were English, 1 was translated from Korean and 4 were translated from Chinese. I'm glad I read at least a little literature in translation, but I'd like a wider variety of source languages next year.

A bar graph showing the publication dates of my books. The vast, vast majority were from the 2020s (66), distantly followed by the 2010s (26). Then the 2000s had 5 and the 1980s, 1960s, 1930s and 1920s each had one. The oldest book I read was Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, from 1925, and the newest was A Power Unbound by Freya Marske, published November 7 2023. Every year I see these stats and go "So much recency bias, I should fix that! Or should I? Is it snobbery to value new books less than old ones? I like diverse books and there are obviously far more of those getting published nowadays, and engaging with books as they come out is important to authors. But am I getting caught up in the capitalism machine by focusing so much on what's shiny and new?". In the end I'll probably keep reading mostly new books but maybe aim for a bit of a wider spread, and at least something from before the 20th century.

A horizontal bar graph showing how I rated the books on a scale of 1-5 stars (including half stars). My most common rating was 4 stars and the average was 3.75. The lowest rating was a single 2. I had only 9 five star reads this year, and 2 of those were rereads. That's by far the lowest number of five star books since I started keeping track, no wonder it felt like a bit of a bummer year. Hopefully in 2024 I'll find some more books that knock my socks off.

Since the number of five star books was so low, I can just list them here: A Restless Truth and A Power Unbound by Freya Marske (historical fantasy/mystery/queer romance), Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (YA contemporary thriller about the repatriation of stolen indigenous artefacts), Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo (from a series of cosy fantasy novellas about the power of stories), Burning Roses by S.L. Huang (fantasy novella about Red Riding Hood and Hou Yi the archer from Chinese mythology as middle-aged sapphics with a lot of regrets), Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage by Rachel E. Gross (nonfiction dive into the medical and cultural history surrounding the vagina, clitoris and ovaries, the title sounds like it could be some t*rf shit but it's not, there's a whole chapter about the development of vaginoplasty surgery) and He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (historical fantasy about fucked up, terrible, deeply compelling queer people fighting for the throne in medieval China).

A pie chart showing the target age of my books. 75 were adult, 23 were young adult and 3 were children's books. I also read some baby/toddler books for babies/toddlers I know but didn't record them in my stats. I loved An A-Z of Australian Bush Creatures by Myke Mollard and so did my almost 3 year old cousin, the illustrations are gorgeous.

A pie chart showing that 96 of the books were new reads and 5 were rereads. Similar proportions to last year.

A pie chart showing the genres of books I read. The most common was fantasy, as usual, with 48 books. It was followed by science fiction (18), romance (17), historical fiction (15), contemporary (12), nonfiction (11), mystery (7), memoir (4), literary fiction (3), magic realism (3) and thriller (2). I usually have a couple of horror, but not this year.

This one is new this year: a pie chart showing the books' status in a series. 53 were standalones, 13 were series starters, 34 were sequels and 1 was an omnibus.

The Authors

A pie chart showing the authors' gender. 64 were by cis women, 21 by cis men, 9 by nonbinary people, 4 by trans men, 3 by trans women and 1 by an author of unknown gender. I'd like to read more trans authors next year.

A pie chart showing the authors' nationality. As per usual, the USA was the most common with 51 books (it's only barely a majority). It's followed by the UK and Ireland (19), Australia (10), China (5), Canada (4), Singapore (3), France (2) and Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Germany and the Dominican Republic with 1 each. Next year I'd like to read more Australian books, since I am Australian - my own country should be at least in second place.

A pie chart showing the authors' race. As usual, I was aiming to read two authors of colour for each white author. This year was the first time white authors weren't the largest single group - there were 32, and 42 Asian authors.

The Characters

A pie chart showing the protagonists' genders. There were 50 cis women, 30 cis men, 6 nonbinary people, 3 trans women and 2 trans men. It's similar proportions to the authors, and I'd also like to read more trans characters next year.

A pie chart about how many protagonists were people of colour. 59 were, 25 were not, 4 characters were impossible to meaningfully classify in these terms (a dragon, an orc, a koala and a cyborg) and 1 character's race was unclear.

A pie chart showing the protagonists' orientations. Straight characters were the most common but not the majority - there were 40 of them, and a total of 56 queer or indeterminate characters. 29 were gay/lesbian, 12 were bi/pan, 8 were unclear, 5 were ace/aro and 2 were queer/questioning. I'm always pleased when the straight characters are outnumbered.

That's all for this year ... on to 2024!