#read2023

[breath-of-fresh-eyre]

Book: Feed (Newsflesh #1)

Author: Mira Grant

Dates: Apr 2023 (finished ~3 days later)

Reread? Yes

Recommended By: Ananana, as being her favorite book

Notes: I don't think there's a single post-apocalypse book I like better. What if we survived the zombie outbreak? How did it change us? I love that you think it's a zombie book but it's, like, journalism and political thriller? With zombies.

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 29) It's definitely not necessary to read all of them, but it was fun. Shakespeare went through some MOODS, all of which appear to be well documented in 154 sonnets. I’ve included some of my favorites, including a particularly funny one for your enjoyment. #read #read2023 #readersofinstagram #shakespeare #poetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWSamBvBwL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[rijanjks-blog]

(via Best Books of 2023! @LBroday @StaciTroilo @Virgilante @SueColetta1 @FionaTarr @DLFinnAuthor @bakeandwrite @m_morganauthor @CaroFrostWrites) My top best reads for 2023! 

[poetlcs]

tagged: @jeanmoreaux

tagging: @astravrs @kahans & @ravencycle !! + everyone who would like to do it, please tag me I would LOVE to see some faves lists

I was gonna do some honourable mentions but decided against it, as I felt these were the books that really stuck with me the most. I had a bit of a meh reading year, reading a lot of books I thought were okay, but when thinking on the year these ones really do stand out as having some sort of lasting impact.

[radiusofcirc]

Such a fun read. Devouring it, can't wait to read the others that continue the story.

[breath-of-fresh-eyre]

BOOK: Pendric & Desdemona, pt 3

AUTHOR: Lois McMaster Bujold

DATES: March '23 -

RECOMMEND BY: Mom got me on the author 20+ years ago (fuck me running)

NOTES: currently on Physicians of Vilnic, 8th novella in the Pendric & Desdemona series. Last time, I fell off on the 7th, with the orphans. At this point, with ZERO evidence, I have this "I'm not going to like it" in my head, which is making it hard to keep reading. It's inaccurate. It wasn't even accurate for Orphans, though that's why I lost momentum last time. I hate my fucking brain sometimes

I started to count the novellas individually, but I have the first three collected in a book, so I might as well do the same with the others. The first arc (1 - 3) covered him getting the demon and their individual runs together, second arc (4 - 6) covered him meeting and eventually marrying his wife, not sure yet of the thematic spread of the third set. Or if it even HAS an arc, since I'm the one grouping it

I fuckin LOVE these two, though. Penric and Desdemona. You want to talk about zero toxic masculinity, get you a male protagonist with a two-hundred-year-old, ten-woman-conglomerate consciousness in his head

[breath-of-fresh-eyre]

BOOK: Transmetropolitan

Author: Warren Ellis

Dates: March '23 - March '23

(maybe fourth or fifth reread, maybe more)

Recommended By: ...Puppy? I know ExHusband loved them too, but I think initial exposure was from Puppy. Most of my comics were

Notes: I love these comics. They probably fall under that header of "If you dig it, cool. If it's your FAVORITE, 😬" because this is a Very Flawed Character but it's easy to revel in that. They were UNCOMFY to read with Trump in office.

[breath-of-fresh-eyre]

Nora Roberts does excellent sex scenes, right? God knows she's done enough of them. I tend to skip or skim the myriad ones in her "In Death" series, but sometimes I catch a bit that just, like... doesn't go. Just like a weird bit of grammar can pull you out of your reading flow, I caught this bit in my skim and my visualizations did a record scratch

The problem is in the pluralization of "hands". They've been rolling around just previous to this, and there's a pretty clear indication of missionary position. So my brain's doing this "hang on I want to figure this out" refusal to move on and flipping through the possibilities of how he's not doing some bujangasana hoverboard shit

Like if he shifted to one hand and lifted her hips with the other, makes sense. Otherwise "he shifted" is gonna have to cover him, like, strugglebussing around to get his knees under him -though he'd have to be lifting her hips REALLY high to still get the "long hard strokes." Or scootching them both down until he can stand at the edge of the bed, if it's high enough to accommodate his long legs (which hasn't been much mentioned before)

It's really not important but it's definitely one of those "I think the author lost track for a bit" moments

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 28) Beartown by Fredrik Backman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 This one really got to me. It took me forever to read this one, but it was worth it. In a word, this book is heavy. The subject matter is heavy. The writing is excellent, but heavy. The characters come burdened with so much baggage you can almost feel the weight on your own shoulders. It took me almost two months to read this book, and it might take the rest of the year to process it. Backman is a fantastic author. He creates engrossing settings and vivid characters. He includes profound thoughts on almost every page, using the lives of everyday people to examine the human experience on a deeper, thought-provoking level than one would normally attribute to small towns and sports teams. When I say heavy, I mean heavy. Each chapter will give you your own little existential crisis. I didn't give this five stars because of language and some content, but mostly I didn't because it's made me terrified of having teenagers. However, I was deeply moved by this book and will probably read it again in a few years. I would give some trigger warnings (there are plenty), but I think that would defeat the purpose of the book. #read #read2023 #readersofinstagram #fiction #modernliterature #sweden https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLtUy5vT1E/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 27) A Little History of Science by William Bynum ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "At any moment of history, the science has been a product of that particular moment." I love the way science and history go hand in hand. This book was a great overview - I might even revisit it later. Of course, there are some conclusions that I take issue with, but this is a great place to start if you're interested in learning about the history of science or want to get some ideas of specific scientific topics that interest you enough to explore more. #read #read2023 #readersofinstagram #nonfiction #science #history #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CqD3RK3voyX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 25) Impeached by David O. Stewart ⭐️ I'm glad this was free on audible, because it was incredibly dry. Here's my main take-away (it's pretty much been my take-away from all of these presidential biographies): there's nothing new under the sun. Attempted impeachment, actual impeachment, constitutional scholars fighting over the definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors", it's all the same stuff that we hear today. It's a little discouraging that almost two hundred years later, we're still having the same arguments. Unfortunately for Mr. Johnson, after being drunk at his own inauguration as Lincoln's VP, it was all down hill from there. #read #reading #readersofinstagram #read2023 #americanhistory #ushistory #potus #impeachment https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp0Zb2TgLfp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 23) A. Lincoln by Ronald C. White Jr. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "The Almighty has His own purposes. 'Woe unto the world because of offenses for it must needs be that offenses come but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.' If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which in the providence of God must needs come but which having continued through His appointed time He now wills to remove and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him. Fondly do we hope- fervently do we pray- that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.'" I don't know what more can be said of Abraham Lincoln than what has already been said by generations. I found myself deeply moved multiple times during this read. As far as the actual book is concerned, this biography was well-written, engaging, and is one I would recommend. #read #read2023 #nonfiction #presidentialbiographies #ushistory #civilwar #potus #lincoln https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdO_0xPg8i/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 22) 101 Great American Poems ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A nice sampling from American poets, both familiar and unfamiliar. While I don't always get poetry, I usually enjoy it. One of favorites from this collection was "Dream Deferred (Harlem)" by Langston Hughes: What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. <i>Or does it explode?</i> #read #read2023 #readersofinstagram #poetry #springreading #americanpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CpWDL_8vePl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 21) The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner ⭐️⭐️ I wanted to like this, but I think I went in with expectations too high. Overall, it was okay. The plot was a little flat and the characters were likeable but not particularly compelling. The only thing I found charming was the setting. The most interesting part of this book was how the couple in the book were written to mirror some couples in Jane Austen's novels, but even that only went so far to keep me engaged. This one wraps up my February theme of chick-lit and light romance. I’ve concluded that this just isn’t my genre. In January, I read psychology and personal development, which I enjoyed more. However by the end of the month I was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the ideas for improvement. 😅 February was a nice change of pace, even if some of it was just plain silly. So far I’m enjoying reading “seasonally”. While at times I feel a little boxed in, it has forced me to read some things that have been on my TBR for years and not constantly returning to favorite genres. Today being March 1st, I will start my spring reading, which I plan to do through April. Spring genres include poetry, classics, and whimsy for fiction and natural science and physical health for nonfiction. #read #reading #readseasonally #readersofinstagram #read2023 #historicalfiction #janeausten https://www.instagram.com/p/CpPwMhzAKFf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 19) Book Lovers by Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I'm still not a huge fan of this genre, but this one grew on me. While it's full of Hallmark tropes, it's fully self-aware. If you love Hallmark movies and books about books, you would enjoy this. Both main characters work in publishing, and part of the plot involves saving a small town bookstore. However, unlike Hallmark movies, it's not clean - there's language throughout, a couple of steamy scenes, and one smutty chapter to be skipped. The last few surprisingly heart-warming chapters bumped this review up from three stars to four. #read #reading #readersofinstagram #read2023 #fiction #books #romancebooks #chicklit #booksaboutbooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CoxV4-LO2xF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kathryninthelibrary]

(Book 16) An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire by Amanda Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Not as good as the first one, but still fun. This one was just a little too heavy handed with the feminism, and the romance was a little flat. No language warnings, but there was a brief bit of smut to be skipped over. I still enjoyed this start to my February (light romance/chick-lit) reads, although I think this season is going to have me rolling my eyes. A lot. #read #readersofinstagram #reading #readingchallenge #read2023 #romancebooks #chicklit https://www.instagram.com/p/CoXKujRg94a/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=