Books Read 2023

 So obviously, it's May 2024, and it has been five months since January. I'm now just finally getting around to this. I would think about posting and then get distracted. And obviously, I haven't been consistent in recording my thoughts on each book since being pregnant, moving to the States, and then having a toddler and a newborn. I've been busy. I tried, y'all!  Also, I have a lot of DNF books that I just didn't bother to record. Whether I needed to be in the right mood for them or gave up only a few pages in. I'll try to be better about this in 2024... Anywho, without further ado, here are all the books I managed to finish in 2023! Enjoy.  

 2023

January:

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (Bookclub)

I enjoyed the dual POV. The World War Two setting was my favorite. It made for a good discussion, and no one really had many bad things to say about it. 

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Mass (my favorite so far in the series).

Enemies to lovers is my all-time favorite trope.  Overall, loved the book, loved Rhys, loved it all. The tension was great! I very much enjoyed the ending. 

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Mass 

    DNF...Feyre was getting annoying. Will probably finish later.

 

February:

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

(I like Alex as an MC. The plot had me engaged from the get-go, and getting Darlington out of whatever hell he was stuck in was satisfying. Hints of romantic tension, which I really hope comes into play with the 3^rd book).  

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Bookclub)

(also, second time reading it. I read it back in college).

Smoke Gets in Your Eye & and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

(DNF. I’ll get back around to it. It’s incredibly interesting and morbidly funny, plus I now refuse to be embalmed when I die. I listened to it on audible but got distracted with other things).

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

(I finished this rather quickly since I only had about 30% left. I put it down, I think, last year and never got back around to it until now… because the second season of Shadow and Bone is coming out in March. My friend and I were discussing it, and I realized I should probably finish! All in all, I believe that this is a filler book. I haven’t gotten to the 3^rd yet, but after getting the second amplifier, nothing much happened until the end. Then, bam, the book was done).  

Clown in a Corn Field by Adam Cesare

(Easy read. Great slasher. Satisfying twists near the end. Immensely entertaining.)

 

March:

The Hunter by Kerrigan Byrne

The Highlander by Kerrigan Byrne

(I read these back-to-back. Both of them are smutty romance novels, which I needed to perk me up from my current bad mood and put me in a better mindset for reading, for real life, and even for writing. Something is refreshing about a good romance novel. I get everything I need: adventure, mystery, danger, and, of course, detailed sex scenes. Sometimes, I just want to escape where there’s a fictional man who’s both tender and masculine and, let's face it, hot and well-muscled.)

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (Bookclub)

I’m not a big fan of failing forwards type of comedy. It honestly just stresses me out. I probably would’ve put this down if it hadn’t been for the book club. I liked how the author tied up the plot and story and I commiserated on the kids-are-hard-I-need-help. And if someone had put a hit out on my ex-husband, I probably would’ve left it.  

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

(Man, this month has been filled with romance novels (besides Bookclub, which has no sex). I must be in a weird mood.

I found it in the English section at the chain bookstore in Finland while shopping for a friend's birthday present. I liked the book. Thought it was cute and had a satisfactory climax. The only thing I couldn’t get behind was the rushed accusations of betrayal… but I knew it would happen, so it was more of an eye roll/okay, let’s see how these resolve.)

 

April:

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold (Bookclub)

Whelp, we learned this month that my husband’s company is moving us back to the States. I’ve been in a massive transition/reading slump. I’ve picked up so many books and couldn’t finish them. Partly through depression and partly through having my world shaken with a huge transatlantic move looming over my head and then partly because I’m pregnant with my second child, and pregnancy hormones are not a laughing matter. I’m not going to list out all the books that I tried to read. I didn’t even get through most of the first couple of pages. And I hopefully plan to read them in the future when my mental health is in a better place.

The only book I could finish this month was my book club book, which I had to force myself to read. I’m glad I did, though. After I got used to the narration, it moved pretty smoothly. I felt like I learned much about Victorian society, especially regarding women, that I had vaguely (or not at all) known. More specifically, it was about women of the lower classes during that time. As you probably know by looking at the books I tend to read, a lot of them are romances (which are my guilty pleasures). However, those tend to be about the rich and powerful, and being an English major, I have read my fair share of Victorian authors, so I feel I have sufficient knowledge of that period. This book, The Five, left me with a sense of hollowness and injustice, and it downright made me angry and indignant on behalf of the women who had to live like this.

Hallie Rubenhold specifically set out to share the lives of these women, to voice the voiceless in a suppressive society that viewed women as second-class citizens in a world where they only had one value, and that was to produce offspring. Sorry, I’m slightly bitter, because it still feels the way sometimes. 

The faults of this book are primarily in its repetitiveness, the guesswork/ assumption/speculation needed to fill in some of the gaps in the women's narratives. That said, Hallie Rubernhold did an insane amount of research for The Five, and it shows. I deeply respect her for writing this book and having the opportunity to read it.   

May:

The Elementals by Michael McDowell (My Last Bookclub)

Uh, wow. The premise sounded way better than the actual book. My book club and I spent a solid hour trashing it, then had to take a breather to figure out why we all hated it so much, which the book club questions I presented helped with. I would have liked it a lot better if the author had just given me satisfactory answers to the questions he left dangling. The mystery was set up, the horror began to happen, and then the book ended without learning what the elementals were, why they were attacking the family, or why they decided to drown the houses in the sand. I could have put aside all my other complaints if I’d just been able to learn why...

 

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

I thought I should read Colin and Penelope’s story before the next season of Bridgerton. I liked it and thought it was cute, but I felt the book’s meek Penelope didn’t match the fiery Penelope from the show. I also like how she made Colin a writer and needed literary advice from Penelope. I know the show will make their love arc more dramatic, and I can’t wait.

Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

This was a fun, easy read. Cute and YA.

June:

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

LOVED this book! I picked it up because an old friend was doing a buddy read on Instagram, and I needed a distraction from flying out of Finland, leaving my community and friends and the life I had built there. Plus, I just love a good medieval tale. I studied medieval lit in college which turned out to be one of my favorite classes. I thought Samantha Shannon hit it out of the park. The ending to this book was so satisfying for me. I adored the love plot, the imagery, the types of dragons, and the character's excreta. I wish it had been a series because I just wanted MORE! and it was already a long book. I just feel that more character growth could've been added, which is my only critique, honestly.   This book was utterly fantastic, and I had a blast reading it.

July:

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I mean, WOW. This book started off strong and kept going. I loved every minute of it. The slow burn buildup was honestly so much fun. I'm a sucker for romantic tension. There was a reason it was so hyped. The dragon training was excellent, and I loved how unexpected the classmates' deaths were. Plus, there is a battle and twist at the end. AHH! So good.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

DNF. I’m not sure why I gave up on it. I just don’t think I was in the right headspace. However, this is the second time I’ve tried to read one of his books, and I end up being meh each time. My best friend loves these books and couldn't hype them up enough. So maybe it's the pacing? Maybe because I just found it boring? I don't know. But I want to like them. I thought the main character was funny. The kids were also cute, and the setting was interesting... I should've liked it. Ugh. I'll just have to finish. I put it next to my bed so that I'll see it and pick it back up.  

August:

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

Cute. 

Rhapsodic (The Bargainer) by Laura Thalassa

I liked how the author waited until the MC was in her late 20s to finally get together with the MMC. The flashbacks with the 17-year-old were cringe; thankfully, they got together later. 

In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace

It was cute, simple, and cozy. It was okay. It kept my attention, and I liked the characters. 

September:

Nocturnal by Scott Sigler (Finland Bookclub) …Didn’t finish.

Not my type of horror. And I just couldn’t get past the male violent sexualization and the terrible mother.  

Death Tango by Lachi (pre-review)

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

I honestly gave up on this halfway through, and it took months to finally finish it because I wanted to read Silver Flames, and the entire internet, plus several friends, couldn’t stop raving about SF. I just got annoyed that Fayre is good at everything. It really started to annoy me. The stakes were high, but…I didn’t fear for anyone’s life. I knew everyone would make it. Fayre went on one daredevil mission after another, and I just didn’t care. I wasn’t even interested in how she’d make it out. The entire last half of the book also felt rushed, and This Was A Huge Book.

October:

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

I’m a massive fan of The Strike series. For me, it’s like muggle Harry and muggle Hermione grew up in an alternate universe and got to solve crimes together. I love it. I started the series when they first came out and have been addicted ever since. This one has been my favorite so far. I love how independent Robin is. Her growth through the series feels very real to me. Her navigating the cult was like, holy shit. All her POV, I was holding my breath, waiting for her to get caught. I like how long it was as well. I like moody Strike realizing he has feelings for Robin, finally. It was just a ton of fun. I think the only thing was I couldn’t put the mystery together, even when Strike ‘figured it out.’ I have no idea how he figured out the murderer. Maybe I’ll pick it up better if I do a reread.

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

It was fine as a setup for SF, and I’m glad it was short. But Fayre was just incredibly annoying with all of her. I’m rich now money woes, I'm an artist and I paint. Plus, I was hoping for something more unique for Solstice instead of just Christmas. I think the only thing I liked about it was Nesta and Cassian’s interactions.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

Ok. This book was—well, it was okay. I could go on a rant, but I won't...There were moments where I was very much entertained, and then there were moments where I was bored, and then there were the wtf moments (which I suppose could be included in the entering parts). I feel like there are better romance authors out there who build up the tension for the sex scenes as well. SJM gave lazy sexual tension, then went full-blown porn in a matter of pages.  I'm big on sexual tension, and I love slow burn. And even though I felt like this was a slow burn, I didn't really feel it. Maybe because I just felt like the pacing was off? This might be because it was such a long book. It could have easily been two books. People expect her books to be long, so she doesn’t trim where she needs to, and then she doesn’t explain certain things. So, I just don’t know. As I said, it was entertaining, but I wasn’t into the sex scenes as much as I had hoped. A few of my friends recommended it to me, and then the internet went crazy. I will say Nesta's journey and her new friends were very well done. I did like the characters a lot.

November:

Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas

Sigh. It was entertaining. 

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

 Also, sigh. Not as good as the first. Felt like her publisher rushed her to get it out while the internet was still going crazy. Violet's self-sacrificing martyrdom got old. I mean, does she want her dragon to die? Does she really need to make friends with everyone who hates her? Can people just stay dead, i.e., Jack? Jesus, was it really that easy to cross over and be a venin? 

This book could've been two books. I felt like it was at one point and then kind of squashed together.  I'll give the next book a shot but...I'm not holding my breath. 

December:

 What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Loved how creepy it was! Should I give spoilers? I'm very bad at spoilers...as you've probably seen from above so I will say: 

Sentient creepy BORG mushrooms for the win! 

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

Uh. It was okay.

Crescent City #2 (House of Sky and Breath) by Sarah J. Maas

Ugh. Not as good as the first. Bryce was starting to get overpowered. I'm good at everything; I must save everything thing going on. And again, where is all of the sexual tension? It's like she tried, but it didn't pay off. Is this just a me thing? And again, the sex scene was weirdly placed in the book. I did enjoy the ending, however.