goodreads – Chronicles of a Homebody Adventurer

On to my top 10 favorite books I read in 2023, not including re-reads, in order of how I read them.

House of Sky and Breath, Crescent City #2, (series) Sarah J Maas: In 2022, I discovered ACOTAR and read the first of the Crescent City books. I have unabashedly joined the ranks of SJM girlies and am waiting with bated breath for the third installment of this series. Admittedly, when I started Crescent City I was put off by the ~*modern*~ setting rather than the historical one, but like all of her other books, I was sucked in.

Thursday Murder Club, (series) Richard Osman: I read all of the books currently released in this series this year. I love a good multi-narrator mystery where the line of good and bad is constantly redrawn and characters are a little morally gray. This series is a great addition to the canon of murder mysteries set in Britain–it follows a group of 4 septu- and octogenarians who solve murders. It’s not your grandma’s Murder She Wrote though (I say as someone who deeply loves her some Jessica Fletcher and MSW.)

Kingdom of Ash, Throne of Glass #8, Sarah J Maas: I’m not great at separating individual books from their series. They’re all one big story. Throne of Glass was an adventure. I laughed. I cried. I think it–for all intents and purposes–has replaced Harry Potter as *my* series. It also might be why I failed to hit 100 books this year. I think I spent the rest of the year recovering from and trying to find the next best thing to TOG. Forever chasing that feeling of reading an amazing new series again. I have already been fighting the urge to re-read it. (Should we take bets on how long it takes me to reread it into 2024?)

A Shadow in the Ember, Fire & Flesh #1, Jennifer L. Armentrout: An incredibly polarizing author on BookTok, I was nervous about starting to read Armentrout’s books. It helped satiate my desire for a bunch of romantasty books and fill that SJM hole in my life, even if her books need some massive structural editing (especially the From Blood and Ash series.) I would not make the argument that her books are good in quality but they are candy. I think a lot of the problems with FBaA are fixed in the F&F books. They are much better and tighter reads and narratives.

Fourth Wing, The Empyrean #1, Rebecca Yaros: This is an interesting one to include on this list. I read this and devoured it. I was sucked in immediately. It wasn’t perfect, but I was immediately taken in by the DRAGONS and the enemies-to-lovers plotline. I couldn’t wait for the upcoming sequel Iron Flame. However, Iron Flame disappointed me so much that I didn’t finish it. It was a painful read and I just didn’t want to keep going. I skimmed the rest and it’s up in the air whether I will ever finish it. I debated whether to put Fourth Wing on my favorites list then…but I think it qualifies. I even BOUGHT MERCH.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna: This is a book that I tried to read once before but just wasn’t in the right mood (a frustrating thing for me). I decided to try again during the spooky season and fortunately, I was in the right mood. It was a charming story about found family, love, and magic.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, Melinda Taub: I have had an uneven history with sequels or re-tellings of Jane Austen. I find that most try too hard to be like Austen in style (which feels off) or they do something that tries to disrupt the “happy ending,” which I think is boring. I saw authors I enjoyed saying that they quite liked this book, and I do happen to LOVE imaginative retellings through the eyes of other characters and I was especially interested in how one would rehabilitate Lydia Bennet, the incredibly scandalous and obnoxious youngest sister in Pride & Prejudice. Reader, it was not like Austen, and it didn’t try to be, it was simply the story of a known character and it was good. I enjoyed it thoroughly and I look forward to what this author does next.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, Bright Falls #3, Ashley Herring Blake: The first book in this series was in my top 10 last year. I had the wonderful privilege of getting this book at an author event at one of my favorite Nashville bookstores, Parnassus Books. Like the two books in the series, it was a charming and emotional romance that hit all the right spots for me, totally grumpy sunshine, and very cute. I can’t wait to see what Ashley Herring Blake does next!

Six of Crows, Six of Crows #1, Leigh Bardugo: I started Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse a little backwards, starting with this duology rather than the main trilogy but I think it will be fine. This quasi-dystopian, multi-perspective heist was so much fun and tense. I happened to read this around when I saw Inception for the first time (yes, I know I’m 10 years late on that), and it was so fun to think about what goes into a heist movie.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Benjamin Stevenson: This was a great whodunit, definitely a twist on the unreliable narrative trope, with tons of fun twists that kept you guessing. I had a hunch, but I didn’t figure it out and I usually do, so that was nice.

2023 Take Aways

2023 was the YEAR OF ROMANTASY for me. Though I first read ACOTAR in 2022, it was the majority of what I read in 2023, and it’s the kind of stories I want more of.

Historical Romance–the kind without magic and fae–my longstanding ‘home’ genre–barely made a dent this year; though it did make a mild appearance. There have been more closed-door/non-spicy historical romances popping up and that proved annoying to me.

I only re-read 6 books, which is wild for a committed rereader. (And five of them were ACOTAR -.-).

While I didn’t read to my goals (diversity, non-fiction) I did read more adventurously. I tried a lot of new authors.

Gosh I’m a sucker for a series. I love finding something that’s reliably good and knowing that there’s more where that came from. Hence, I think, why I was so bummed Iron Flame in no way lived up to The Fourth Wing.

I read long books. My average book was 456 pages long in 2023. Almost 100 pages higher than my 2022 average.

In 2021, I turned over a new leaf. I think some of it is finally being free from that initial pandemic anxiety and also settling into post-grad school routines. I still only read one fiction book at a time, but I’m learning how to mix and match non-fiction (usually the popular kind, not the academic variety) in a way that works for me.

Goals in 2022 are to continue to expand my horizons in terms of reading. It will still be a heavy diet of romance; that’s never going to change. I particularly want to reincorporate direct academic reading into my routine. It’s a different kind of reading for me, one that is infinitely more active, but I miss it. I miss the active output of reading too (writing), and part of my goal in this blog space is for this to be a remedy to that.

**1. These Truths, Jill Lepore**

This book was a magisterial feat. Essentially a history of political thought and ideals, Jill Lepore traces the central tenets of American government from European colonization to the Trump presidency. Equally engrossing and enraging, this book highlights the manner in which discrimination based on race, gender, sex, and religion has always played a role in American public life and discourse; the role of Christianity in American government; and how absolutely nothing ever really changes.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I found the earlier portions of the book to be more interesting and enlightening than the later bits. The later part of the 20th century and the first part of the 21st century just made me too angry and discouraged. It also was interesting to read this volume during the pandemic—thinking about how a theoretical next version of this history would have to include the pandemic.

To borrow John Green’s style of rating, I give These Truths 4.5 stars.

**2. The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, John Green**

If I had to pick a favorite book I read this year, it might be John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed. In this series of essays, Green rates and reviews things that belong to the Anthropocene, from Diet Dr. Pepper, velociraptors, to Halley’s Comet. At once memoir, history, and contemporary cultural commentary, John Green ties together his life experience with that of great thinkers, writers, artists, and events. Truly his masterwork.

I give the Anthropocene Reviewed 5 stars.

**3. The Trials of Apollo, series, Rick Riordan**

This summer, I did a massive reread of Rick Riordan. I reread the Percy Jackson series, as well as the Heroes of Olympus, each containing 5 books. I was a little unsure about The Trials of Apollo, because it didn’t seem like quite the same thing from the outset, but I really ended up loving it. It was classic Rick Riordan, an engaging and fun epic that emphasizes being who you are, even when you’re different or it’s hard, and working together with people who might not look like they bring a lot to the table. In this book, Apollo loses his immortality after messing up one too many times for Zeus. Apollo, not unlike a certain demigod of yore, has to complete some tasks before regaining his immortality. Trapped in the body of an acne-ridden 16-year old, it’s hard to imagine a being more helpless. Apollo struggles with this past and the repercussions of his actions while learning how to grow up.

I give The Trials of Apollo 4.5 stars.

**4. A League of Extraordinary Women, Evie Dunmore**

I am a sucker for a good historical romance and tend to prefer those that take place in 19th-century England. This series, currently comprising 3 books, is about a group of like-minded women that find love against the backdrop of the fight for women’s suffrage and rights. In keeping with this theme, Dunmore manages to take classic romance tropes and turn them on their head, providing a more satisfying AND romantic feminist ending. There are three books in the series so far and a 4th on the way.

I give A League of Extraordinary Women four stars.

**5. Written in the Stars, Alexandria Bellefleur**

I picked up this book at my favorite local bookstore on their romance shelf. I picked it up not realizing it was an LGBTQ+/sapphic romance. When I started reading (and took at look at the front cover, you’d think my visual analysis skills were more on point as an art historian…) I realized that the two romantic leads were both female. I was frankly thrilled. How cool was it that I, a straight woman in 2020, unknowingly picked up a romance between a lesbian and a bi character? I kept reading and it was a delightful romance. Gave me all the right heart feels that I look for when reading a romance. Even better, this is the first in a series—the second book was just as good (the second couple was a straight/cis couple). The third books comes out in early 2022.

I give Written in the Stars four stars.

**6. Kiss Quotient series, Helen Hoang**

Continuing the section of romances with an inclusive twist is Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient Series. The other two books in the series are The Bride Test and The Heart Principle. Diagnosed with high-functioning autism (what once would have been called Asperger’s) in her 30s, Hoang writes romances with characters that have autism. The tie that binds the series together are male members of a Vietnamese American family in the Bay Area: Michael (Stella), Khai (Esme), and Quan (Anna). The best part: autism isn’t presented as a barrier to romance, but just simply a part of who they are. Fair warning, book 3, the Heart Principle, what Hoang called the most autobiographic of the series packs a real bunch. I cried for almost the whole second half of the book.

I give The Kiss Quotient series four stars.

**7. Get a Life, Chloe Brown, series, Talia Hibbert**

The Brown sisters series is a total treat. Again continuing the inclusive romance, Talia Hibbert writes characters with disabilities and who have multiracial relationships. These books generally makes visible things that have been ignored in traditional romance (though sometimes left to the imagination). I loved each book, though I want to say that Take a Hint, Dani Brown was probably my favorite.

The new romances I read this year really demonstrated why I love this genre and its ability to adapt and be inclusive and amazing. I only hope this trend continues. (I’m sure it will—its my opinion its inherent to the best of the genre.)

I give the Brown Sisters series four stars.

**8. Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language, Amanda Montell**

This book was quite a read. Amanda Montell, who has a degree in linguistics, examines how the English language reflects our cultural attitudes, for better or worse, about women. Exploring how we talk about women, sex, and everything in between, Montell shows how we can work to make our language more inclusive and less inherently patriarchal. I can’t wait until I get Montell’s second book, Cultish!

I give Wordslut 4.5 stars.

**9. The Viscount Who Loved Me, Julia Quinn (reread)**

I read this book every year. It probably will appear on this list every year. Starting last Christmas with the release of season 1 of Bridgerton on Netflix, my favorite romance series became part of everyone’s cultural knowledge. I loved the season when I first watched it. Though I still have generally positive feelings about it, there is one big quibble I have with the tv show, but that’s a post for another day.

Season 2 will be the dramatization of my favorite in the series, The Viscount Who Loved Me. Kate and Anthony are my favorite. I like inherently understand their personalities (both the eldest with the weight of responsibility upon them) and Anthony’s fears (his big bugaboo to overcome) is one that I oddly share. (Though I have loved this book longer than I’ve shared his fear. No spoilers!) I read it when I need to be grounded or a fast pick me up, so some years, like in 2020, I read it more than once. This was a one read kind of year.

I give The Viscount Who Loved Me five stars.

10. Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery (reread)

I have been wanting to do a big Anne of Green Gables reread for a few years now. I decided to begin it this year. I love this story—with small exceptions, this story holds up over 100 years after it was first published. I love the story to love what has been unloveable and to see beauty in simplicity. This book definitely settles in my top 10 favorite book of all time, so it definitely has to fall in my top 10 for 2021. I will be doing a bigger reread of the rest of the series probably starting in 2022.

I give Anne of Green Gables five stars.