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Happy new year! I started working on my annual reading retrospective when I got back to Prague from a campervan trip with family in Arizona last week but haven’t been able to get Goodreads to play ball. It says I read 67 books last year but persists in showing two titles I didn’t actually read—even though I’ve tried to remove them from the shelf. So I think it was 65 books. But then I started wondering if I’d actually remembered to add everything I’d read… After a few days of back and forth on this with myself, I'm calling it 66. It’s a good number. Of these, in 2023 I read 20 books by authors who are not located in North America. Most of these were UK-based writers, it seems, but not all were writing about the UK. Last year I read books that were randomly recommended to me as usual but also sought out titles set in countries/locations that I was visiting or that I would like to visit one day. That’s how I found the book that was probably my favorite read of the year, 10 Minutes, 38 seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak, which is set in Turkey. I picked it up (along with Belshazzar’s Daughter, Labyrinth and Silent House, all described below) because I traveled to Istanbul for a client’s conference in September. (Deadlands, another favorite, evoked the Arizona desert I just drove through. *chef’s kiss*) My reading journey this year led me to revisit some favorite authors (including 2 books each by list-toppers Leigh Bardugo, Rachel Howzell Hall & SA Cosby). I pounced on the newest titles from Andrea Bartz and Shannon Chakraborty (who wrote the Daevabad trilogy as SA Chakraborty). I also tried to keep current with some of the books that had “everyone” buzzing (who is “everyone”? can I unsubscribe?) with less satisfying results: RF Kuang’s Babel, This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone and Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney all ended up at the low end of my recommendation lists. I did enjoy Kuang’s Yellowface and the buzzy cosy fantasy blockbuster Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Speaking of Legends & Lattes, it kicked off a mini trend in my reading material of “books where nothing is happening but I’m riveted,” as I described it to my husband. This vibes-only reading also describes other books I very much enjoyed this year, like The Nakano Thrift Shop and Inspector Imanishi Investigates, both set in Japan, Deadlands by Victoria Miluch, and Labyrinth by Burhan Sönmez. On the opposite spectrum, non-stop action, tension, and excitement kept me flipping pages in Falling by TJ Newman (do NOT, I repeat DO NOT, read before getting on an airplane), Ninth House, and The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi. I’m super proud of several friends who published books last year too, and it was a joy to read their works: Sarah Tatoun’s Raise the Wind is a historical adventure set in colonial Georgia; Colleen Winter wrapped up her Canadian-set dystopian eco-thriller trilogy with a bang in The Storm; and fellow Mid-May writing group members Vanessa Lillie and Marie Hoy-Kenny added to my thriller list with Lillie’s Blood Sisters, about a Native American archaeologist who seems to dig up trouble as often as bones, and Hoy-Kenny’s YA romp The Girls from Hush Cabin, about four friends from summer camp who team up to solve a murder. (Shout out to Brian Hathaway from the Mid-May group too—his middle grade contemporary fantasy Hope for the Hounds came out in November and I’m currently reading it!) What did you read last year? Click through to see my full list and recommendations. The BooksMy top recs10 Minutes, 38 seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak (Turkey) www.elifsafak.com.tr/book/10-minutes-38-seconds-in-this-strange-world I usually give a skeptical little sneer when I hear someone say a book gave them “all the emotions.” Welp, it finally happened to me. This is the story of a woman whose body is found in a Dumpster in Istanbul—as remembered by her while her life ebbs away. It’s sad, salacious, tender, and gets a little bit of absurd humor in too. It stayed with me, and vividly, for long after finishing. White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link https://kellylink.net/books/white-cat-black-dog These fantastical, fable-like yet somehow contemporary stories felt like a fever dream while reading. I was delighted. The Raven Spell by Luanne G Smith (Historical) (UK) https://www.luannegsmith.com/books By the same author as The Vine Witch (which I also loved), this fantasy historical book about sisters who run a junk shop in London and a police detective was a feel-good read for sure. Gerta by Kateřina Tučková (Historical) (Czech) https://www.katerina-tuckova.cz/en/the-expulsion-of-gerta-schnirch-en-2/ Harrowing. I don’t read a lot of WWII-set fiction now because I read too many stories where it felt like the emotional core of the book was handwaved so the events of the war did the heavy lifting of the plot and character logic. I’m glad I made an exception for this book. On a surface level, it describes the forced deportation of thousands of German-speaking people from the now-Czech Republic after the German army was defeated (and the Russians took Czechoslovakia into the Communist fold) and the decades that followed. The main character is torn from everything she loves, brutalized, beaten down, ground to dust…and that’s just in the first 10 years. However, my theory is that this is one of a few pieces of media I’ve encountered recently where the characters are meant to symbolize a whole country’s characteristics. I think Gerta, the title character, is meant to represent the Czech Republic, while other characters represent decades or movements within the country’s recent past. I should probably read it again, to be honest. Other books I’ve read recently I theorize do this characters-as-a-country thing are Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (the house is Australia, right? and the characters are each aspects of the country’s character? Like the war vet etc? Ok, probably need to reread this too), and Silent House by Orhan Pamuk (I really don’t know enough about Turkish history to confirm this. Anyone have a take on it?) and then my favorite movie last year The Banshees of Inisherin absolutely does this with the characters (the two friends are the two sides of the civil war, the sister represents Irish emigrants, etc.). Also, I have to add that every year I say I will read more Czech literature and every year I have not. Let’s try again in 2024! The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami (Japan) https://www.europaeditions.com/author/213/hiromi-kawakami A calm, beautiful book where nothing happens and I didn’t want it to end. The main character works at a thrift store. She is amused by cats and customers. The boss buys them lunch sometimes. She dates a co-worker who’s shy. The boss’s sister is a nonconformist. Loved it. Hit List by Lawrence Block https://lawrenceblock.com/series/keller/ Recommended by my critique partner Jeremy because I’m also working on a project of short stories about assassins. This was a fun and surprisingly tender read. It's interconnected stories about one hit man who collects stamps and thinks about life—but not too much. It felt similar in tone to me to David Fincher’s movie The Killer (2023), which I also recommend. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo https://www.leighbardugo.com/book/ninth-house/ I picked this up because I enjoyed the Shadow and Bone trilogy (disappointed Netflix isn’t continuing the series! boo!) and was quickly immersed. This is much darker than those books, with a near-real-world setting at Yale University. I inhaled the sequel Hell Bent this year too and am waiting for the as-yet-unnanounced third book. Deadlands by Victoria Miluch. www.victoriamiluch.com/books I don’t remember where why or how I got this ebook (promotion? Kindle First? maybe?) but I’m glad I did! It’s a near-future dystopian set in what was once Arizona. The 19-year-old main character lives in the middle of the desert with her brother and dad sheltering from what’s left of civilization when suddenly two strangers appear. I both liked the descriptions of survival and also the interior thoughts of the main character as she adapts to contact with the outside world and learns that things outside the borders of her compound might not actually be how her father has taught her they are. The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda https://meganmiranda.com/books/adult-novels/ I love hiking and I also apparently love stories about hikers disappearing (see last year’s The Hike & Force of Nature). This setting was perfect for a thriller, and the characters were so fun to read about. **BONUS recommendation**Slightly Sweetly, Slightly Creepy anthology ed. Sonya Lano https://books2read.com/u/3JorOg *ahem* my paranormal crime story “The Cracked Compass” is in this collection of gothic romantasy stories. Obviously I recommend it! Crime Fiction (Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Dark)*in no particular order* Little Pretty Things by Lori Rader-Day Like Me by Haley Phelan https://www.hayleyphelan.com/fiction This book was super fun. If you’ve ever spent too long looking at “perfect” strangers on Instagram or TikTok, you might enjoy it. The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty (Historical) (Northern Ireland) http://officialadrianmckinty.com/books/ I have one of the sequels cued up for this year! Great procedural set during the Troubles. Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard. (Ireland & elsewhere in Europe) https://catherineryanhoward.com/ds/ This author’s COVID-set 56 Days was also one of my faves last year! Set in Ireland and on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown The Mistress of Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (Historical) (UK) I would read another in this series. Complicit by Winnie M Li https://www.winniemli.com/books/ A #MeToo story about the film industry, based on the author's own experiences. Gritty, uncomfortable read – just as it sets out to be. Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun (South Korea) https://otherpress.com/author/kwon-yeo-sun-2270172/ A murder mystery but also very chill vibes. Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott Women in STEM gettin’ into trouble. The Monster of Florence by Magdalen Nabb (Italy) I read this because we went to Florence in the spring. A procedural based on a set of real crimes and had some fun characters, but I didn’t like it as much as I hoped. The Hive by Gregg Olsen Not for me. Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg Not for me. Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781466828193/landofshadows The first book in her Detective Elouise Norton series. Excited there are three more for me to read! The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley I couldn’t suspend disbelief for this plot. My Flawless Life by Yvonne Woon A YA thriller that’s kind of Veronica Mars style. Recommended for teens. The Spare Room by Andrea Bartz Falling by TJ Newman https://tjnewmanauthor.com/falling/ Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier https://jenniferhillierbooks.com/books/things-we-do-in-the-dark/ Excellent psychological thriller. The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish (UK) http://www.louisecandlish.com/books.html Lots of twists and a fun London river setting. The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz The Girls from Hush Cabin by Marie Hoy-Kenny https://mariehoykenny.com/ Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie https://vanessalillie.com/blood-sisters/ Inspector Imanishi Investigates by Seichō Matsumoto (Japan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seich%C5%8D_Matsumoto Takes place (and I believe was written in) the 1960s--and so the murder investigation & plot are not, shall we say, cutting edge. But the real strength of this for me was the look into Japanese lifestyles in the 1960s and the many descriptions of the main character and his sidekick taking trains around Japan and eating a lot of food. What Never Happened by Rachel Howzell Hall https://a.co/d/6x3GHNK The main character, a Black woman, goes to majority white Catalina island (in California) to take care of her aging aunt even though her family was brutally murdered on the island when she was a teenager. She then gets stuck there because ferry service back to LA is suspended during COVID—and is someone stalking her?? Another great, immersive book from Howzell Hall. Belshazzar’s Daughter by Barbara Nadel (Turkey) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Nadel This is the first in a long series of detective novels following Inspector Ikmen in Istanbul. Barbara and I follow eachother on social and I have always wanted to check out this series. I’m so glad I did! However, I will next go to some of the more recently published books in the series (she has one coming out this year too) as I think some of the tropes from the 90s thriller canon (self-hating women characters, always-drunk detectives, lots of racial slurs, etc.) just aren’t my favorite to read now. No shade on the author—this would have been a clear fave if I’d read it when it came out. You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa (Sri Lanka) https://www.amandajayatissa.com/you-re-invited Jayatissa’s My Sweet Girl was also a twisty psychological thriller so I was super excited to get into this. A Sri Lankan woman who now lives in California returns back to her homeland when she learns her boyfriend from college is marrying her ex- best friend. She’s gonna stop the wedding—and it’s so much dark fun! My Darkest Prayer by SA Cosby https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250867636/mydarkestprayer His debut novel, about former Marine who now works in a funeral home and tries to solve a murder as a favor for some local church ladies—check it out if you liked Razorblade Tears or Blacktop Wasteland. All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250831910/all-the-sinners-bleed I saw on Twitter he’s thinking of making this a series of procedurals with Titus as a recurring character. I hope so! In this one, Titus, a Black sherrif in a small Southern town, stops a school shooting and then tries to find out what set the shooter in motion. HorrorDaisy Darker by Alice Feeney Not for me. The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes I want to read more from this author! But I didn’t love this plot. I explain below. The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas (Historical) (Mexico) https://www.isabelcanas.com/ So spooky! I don’t usually have dreams from books I read, but this and Falling, above, gave me some strange dreams! Yellowface by RF Kuang This is social horror (a category I like more and more!) about book publishing and racism, and American society, and fame. I enjoyed this and it’s seen wide acclaim, so you might like it too! The Green Man by Kingsley Amis (UK) Nope. Not for me. Written in the 60s. Supposedly a classic. Real sexist. Not much fun. Literary/General FictionThe Promise by Damon Galgut (South Africa) Not for me. Plot conflicts could have been solved with a phone call. Emerald City by Jennifer Egan I don’t remember reading this because I was sick The Candy House by Jennifer Egan Ditto. Does this reflect whether I liked it or not? Not sure. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Recommended to me by my critique partner Robin. Great read! The show on Apple with Brie Larsson is also fun. Labyrinth by Burhan Sönmez (Turkey) https://burhansonmez.com/books/ Set in Istanbul. A mystery where a man with amnesia searches for the truth of who he truly was. Silent House by Orhan Pamuk (Turkey) https://www.orhanpamuk.net/books.aspx A man with Dwarfism serves a crotchety old lady over a week when her family—two grandsons and a granddaughter—comes to visit her house by the seashore from their homes in the city. Each of the family members has their own fatal flaws on display. A look at classism, ablism, ageism and probably a whole bunch of other things I didn’t get because I need to learn more about Turkish society and history. But still a very satisfying and memorable read even at the surface level. Raise the Wind by Sarah Shaw https://sarah-shaw-books.com/#books A young, newly married English woman arrives in the American colonies in the 1700s and her rosy view of how things should be is shattered by the realities of slavery, homesteading, and marrying someone she hardly knows. She finds a family in her friends instead and tries to save herself. Fantasy/SciFiHell Bent by Leigh Bardugo https://www.leighbardugo.com/book/ninth-house/ Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree https://www.travisbaldree.com/books The cosy fantasy sensation! Babel by RF Kuang (UK) The translation-based magic in this book was SO COOL. But I wasn’t totally sold on the characters or the plot. Jumper by Steven Gould I read this becasue I remember liking the movie and I’m interested in writing a time travel project myself. Fun book but some plot tropes didn’t age very well. The Raven Spell by Luanne G Smith (UK) A little fantasy, a little adventure, a little mystery, a little romance. All in Victorian London. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (Middle East) (Historical) https://www.sachakraborty.com/ Lady pirate! Magic! Adventure! I didn’t love this as much as I did her Daevabad trilogy but I will read the next books when/if they come out. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone Not for me. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon The premise of this book and the magic and the dragons are SO COOL. I loved the beginning of the book more than the end. I wish she’d stretched it into a trilogy to do the last half of the plot justice. The Storm by Colleen Winter https://a.co/d/iSlI2U4 This wraps up the trilogy started with The Gatherer, about a powerful company in Canada using mysterious technology to create a never-ending electricity source with unforeseen and deadly consequences. NonfictionDeep Work by Cal Newport Not for me. I hated it so much, in fact, that I led an insurrection in my accountability group and we all stopped reading it. That said, if it helps you, great! Atomic Habits by James Clear My accountability group also read this but I gave up after a while. These are not things my brain will do, thanks. Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI by Reid Hoffman & GPT-4 I read this trying to get my head around AI. Then I joined the Authors Guild because of their work helping protect authors from AI and got real stubborn about it. So, thanks, I guess! https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/ Solo Tú me Tendrás: Celos, mentiras y muerte en el crimen de la Guardia Urbana by Toni Muñoz https://amzn.eu/d/fTMzdJj I went to Catalunya in August for vacation and found this splashy true-crime book in a used book store. It felt good to read in Spanish again (but man was I rusty! Time for más libros, tía). The story is about a pair of married Barcelona cops (kind of like state troopers). The husband ends up burnt to a crisp in an abandoned car and the wife, famous in her department for being outspoken about sexual harrassment within the force, is accused of his murder. Fascinating and well told. Here's a newspaper article in English about the case: https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/05/17/inenglish/1495028157_608491.html# Other Short Story Collections (ones not mentioned above)CWA Anthology of Short Stories Mystery Tour (2017) ed. Martin Edwards Some good stories in this! Cathedral by Raymond Carver I can’t believe I’d never read this before! I will re-read at some point, I know it. Further explanation about the books I just wasn’t into (all books also mentioned above)I don't usually go into detail about the books I didn't like. However, this year there were more than usual and I want to explain.
The Green Man by Kingsley Amis (UK) As I wrote above, I tried to keep in mind that it was written in a different time. But I don’t think I liked it even through the lens of the time and place it was written. The Promise by Damon Galgut (South Africa) I call plots that could have been solved with a phone call a Captain America: Civil War problem. This had it, big time, as did The Hive, below. Atomic Habits by James Clear If this stupid book helps you, great! Deep Work by Cal Newport I might have gotten farther in it except I listened to it as an audiobook and I just felt like the guy was a snob, did not credit his wife enough for all the shit that she took care of so that he could do his bullshit, and that he was personally biased against me and all that I stand for. Anyhoo… The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes I wanted to love this and I did love the main character but I guessed the twist really early and I didn’t love that trope at all. I watched a series with the same problem (and same trope!) this year too and gave up on that as soon as I guessed. I stayed with Reyes until the end of her book, at least, and hope I can read her next book! Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney I guessed the twist and then did not enjoy the read even after the reveal. Oh well. Babel by RF Kuang (UK) As I wrote above, the magic premise kept me reading through this. I thought the characters lacked a little bit of definition and sometimes felt a bit cardboard, and there were some plot holes, but I understand why a lot of people loved this book so much. I have actually recommended it to a few people who I thought would appreciate it, but the longer I go thinking about it, the less I liked it. The Hive by Gregg Olsen Another Captain America: Civil War problem. Plus the twist wasn’t great. And there were some factual things about the bees and beekeeping and makeup industry that were the heart of the plot that just didn’t make any sense. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone This one pains me. I know the Internet loves this book. You, reader, might love this book. I could not love this book. It was an epistolary sci-fi romance with robots and time travel and war. Those are all things that I love to read about. But somehow it did not have enough of any of those elements. Some people I know found the writing profound, beautiful. It had so many grandiloquent words, true, yet they all added up to such shallow meaning. The shifting times and locations were beautiful and interesting—but they didn’t build on each other or mean anything to the characters or thus, to me. I deeply wanted to like it—I’ve listened to the authors on various podcasts and I thought they were extremely clever and would write something I’d like. Oh well, I’ll try their solo stuff. What were your bookish faves and passes this year?
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