Last year was a bit better than the previous one for my reading. At least page-wise, even though I read fewer books. I did a lot of traveling, which greatly supported my reading habits. I don’t think I’ll ever reach my 2020 levels, because my current job is a bitch (nless somehow I become rich and famous and won’t have to work anymore.)
But I think I’m doing pretty okay. Moreover, this year I had some clear favorites.
I started 2022 with 40 books on my TBR. Now, at the start of 2023, my TBR has 80 books, including almost all of the original ones.
Firstly, some of my friends released their debuts this year. Zara J Black, Christiana Matthews, Daan Katz, congratulation. I love you and I’m proud of you.
Secondly, I finished the Tensorate series by Neon Yang and while every next part was a bigger disappointment than the last, I’m glad to have it out of the way. I actually wrote my thoughts about it on my author page. You can read it here.
Now, onto my favorites.
Peter Darling by Austin Chant – getting sick of their real-world surrounding, the eldest Darling child returns to Neverland to resume the mantle of Peter Pan. Beautifully written, poignant book, a must-read.
Flowerface by Christiana Matthews – a retelling of Welsh myth, one that could easily turn out to be another love story, but was saved by a beautiful prose and brilliantly-written protagonist. I know Christiana is a great writer, but even I was surprised at how much I loved this book.
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree – very cute, low-stakes story about an orc lady who opens a coffee shop. If you’re on a reading slump, too-tired to tackle another heavy, twelve-volumes series, give it a go. Though I don’t have much to say review-wise. It’s cute. Just read it.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa – it’s about a cat. Enough said.
Seriously, though, this book had me bawling my eyes out. Which is interesting, given that it’s almost entirely told, not shown. There are no description of character’s emotions or internal thoughts At all. But if someone wants to say that it makes the book boring and the characters unrelatable, I dare you to read it and not cry. I double dare you.
The World Maker Parable (Adjacent Monsters #1) by Luke Tarzian – very short, very dark. Hard to say anything without spoiling, so all I can say is just go and read it. You can do it in an hour or two and if you don’t like, you don’t lose anything.
What was the best book you read last year?
