scijessreads

I was going to do an all stats wrap-up for my year of reading, but instead I want to try something different. Each month of 2023, I chose my favorite book for that month. And I’m including here a link to my Goodreads review and a short summary of what I thought of each book. I know that books are subjective, like many things in life. And what I love may be absolutely detested by someone else. But that’s the joy of reading. Finding something that speaks to you. Every book has an audience, but not every book is for EVERY audience. These are the ones that spoke to me, for various reasons. This is going to be a long one, so grab a drink and settle in. And maybe you’ll find a new book to enjoy.

[January] The Foxglove King – I got to read this as an ARC and I already knew I would love it as it is Hannah Whitten, and her Wilderwood Duology is one that I devoured. Her writing reminds me of the lyrical world-building of Erin Morgenstern. From my review: “Reading this book, I was both anxious to finish to see where it went, but also wanted to slow down to savor each moment. Each word, each description of the people and the places and the environment that Lore found herself moving through was rich and layered. You can feel the unease and the desperation of the inhabitants of Auverraine. Yes, there is magic, but it is wielded in what felt like a new and dark way. Each player seeks some measure of control, whether over the magic of death, or of their own lives, or even of their place in the kingdom.”

[February] The One Hundred Loves of Juliet – This was another ARC (how I got so lucky with ARCs being this was my first year using NetGalley I will always be thankful for and never understand). It is star-crossed lovers in the best of ways. My Review: “This is a story about love, and what happens when you have to be willing to fight for it. When you have to be willing to accept that sometimes, love stories and coincidences are more than they may seem. When you have to be willing to accept that love is not always happiness. And when you have to accept that no matter how long you have it, love is worth the broken heart that can come when it is lost.”

[March] City of Gods and Monsters – A dense fantasy set in a modern world with all sorts of factions and secrets and the ultimate in ‘touch her and die’ vibes. The start of a series, and none of these books are short. You are strapping in for a long ride with this one, but the world is worth it. My review: “Damn. This was a ride, for sure. Loren is a human in the cold world of almost-immortal bounty hunters, vampires, witches, and werewolves. And for some reason she is being hunted. Darien initially is contracted to find her, and instead of turning her in, they both get pulled into the chaos and murder and kidnapping mystery that surrounds just why everyone is interested in human Loren.

As a very morally gray, bordering on black person, Darien is slow to realize that he feels more for Loren than just friendly affection. He also battles darkness, always clawing at him and pulling him away from Loren and those he cares about. And it shows in how much time he spends pushing her away. Loren is all too aware of her short human life, but she is fearless and ready to jump in to save her friends and live as much as she can in the time available. The rest of the Devils and Loren’s friends are solid characters as well. There are a lot of players on the board here that have their own stories to tell.”

[April] Light from Uncommon Stars – It’s light science fiction mixed with a story of resilience and a classic case of making deals with the Devil to save your soul. Sort of. And there’s donuts. It has trans and queer representation, and is a story of found family. From my review: “I have fallen in love with a story about intergalactic refugees living in a donut shop and making donuts while trying to build a stargate. A story about a musician that sold her soul, and can buy it back with the souls of seven others. A story about a young transgender girl trying desperately to not feel beaten down and ridiculed by everyone. A story about music and how it can transcend everything to make. us. feel.”

[May] Lola and the Millionaires (Duet) – I read a lot of romance (and smut, to be honest). And one of the sub-genres I have grown to love in this area is omegaverse. I’ve written here before about this niche, but it is something that I never thought I would go for. Specifically, the polyamorous/why choose version of omegaverse. These books can range from shifters to dark to sweet. Kathryn Moon’s Baby and the Late Night Howlers was followed by Lola. They share storylines, and Lola starts out dealing with the fallout from her actions in Baby’s book. This is by far my favorite omegaverse book, and is in general a book that deals with trauma and recovery and consent in such a careful way. It has my heart. From my review: “There was no rush to “fix” things, Lola was allowed her fear and uncertainty and independence. I devoured these books in a single night, and could not stop reading. There was humor, character, love, solid communication, and time for each relationship between Lola and the pack to develop on its’ own timeline. Even the side plots about the magazine and Indy were well-done and not overwrought. I am in love with this whole group so much. This is now the standard that I will judge all other omegaverse books. Hell, books in general, because it takes care to slowly develop a story that could have easily gone off the rails and become melodrama.”

[June] Babel – Between this and Yellowface, I am now a fan of R.F. Kuang. I listened to this as an audiobook and it was so damn good. It touches on race and power and complicity and colonialism and rebellion and what it all means to stand for something in the face of opposition. A summary of my review: “This is a story of place, belonging, and otherness. This is a story about what people are willing to either endure or give up in the name of safety and the status quo. This is a story about breaking points and the costs and worthiness of rebellion. It takes language and uses it to fuel a narrative that is prescient and still ever-so-real.”

[July] The Stardust Thief – I was transported with this one. It is stories by the campfire. It is fairytales and culture and quests. It is dark and aching and a look at what it means to have to trust in others, and what you have to risk to survive. My review: “It layers secrets and half-remembered histories upon vivid descriptions of a desert kingdom that was built upon the deaths of those deemed unworthy. It takes familiar tales like Aladdin and One Thousand and One Nights and spins them as threads into a new epic tale. Loulie is the Midnight Merchant, a criminal of sorts that finds and sells magical relics. She does this with the help of a magical compass and her steadfast companion, Qadir. In the course of selling her wares and seeking information, she ends up ensnared in the life of Prince Mazen, the third son of the Sultan. Her saving his life ends up sending her on a quest to find a magic lamp.”

[August] How to Say I Do – In my foray into Kindle Unlimited romance books, I found M/M books, and some of them I absolutely love. The Onley James Necessary Evils series being one of them. But Tal Bauer was an accidental find that I am so happy I made. Between this book and Gravity, I am now a fan. Tal writes such deeply heartfelt love stories, and stories of discovery, that just take up space in my brain. From my review: “While there was an element of instalove, most of the book was them trying to figure out (or at least Noel trying to figure out) if what they had was real. Noel had a lot of baggage, the first being that before Wyatt he had only ever been with women. When he and Wyatt met, he was in the midst of being left at the altar by his fiancee Jenna and going on their honeymoon alone.

Wyatt just loved big. He was selfless to a fault, always looking out for everyone but himself. And when he fell for Noel, he fell hard. He had deep roots in his Texas ranch and winery, and Noel was deep in the glitz and glamour of New York. But what if they could make it work?”

[September] Masters of Death – This book is also my favorite of the entire year. There is something about Olivie Blake’s writing that hits me in all the feels, that speaks to my inner sarcastic critic and yet makes me think things about myself that I would rather not. Even the books of hers that I don’t love (mostly ‘One for my Enemy’) are still fascinating and complex and worth reading. But this book… it is everything. My Review: “This book was nothing that I expected. Death gambles with other immortals, while the archangels Raphael and Gabriel run the tables. Death also has a mortal godson that at first glance appears VERY lazy. A vampire (that turns into a cat) is trying to sell a house haunted by a ghost from a cursed family. There are various demons and reapers and angels and gods and paranormal beings that play a part in the story. And through it all is a dizzying collection of ideas about immortality, mortality, love, and worthiness.

Just how far would you go – how much would you gamble – for something that is worth everything? What counts as a positive impact, and who actually decides your fate? This whole book was chaos, and yet surprisingly human and real. The bickering, the withheld truths, the push to actually examine what it is you TRULY want. And what you would give for it.”

[October] The Hurricane Wars – This book was everywhere, and I didn’t think much of it until I saw it recommended by one of my favorite authors, Katee Robert, on either TikTok or Instagram. This is enemies to lovers in the best way. And yes, it is Reylo fanfic, but I loved all of it and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. From my review: “The slow burning dance between hate and maybe-something-that’s-not-hate that happens between Alaric and Talasyn is one of the best examples of simmering tension that I have read in a long time. They are fundamentally at odds, on opposite sides of a war and both steadfast in their knowledge that they are on the side of right. Even though both are at the whims of others that hold the strings of power. Their sparring only highlights the notion that when you live with one version of events, that version is the only one that makes sense to be true. Everything else is a lie. Right?

Woven in the strands of this story of magic and war and wrangling for power is a cautionary tale of how easy it can be to hold onto the notion that there is only one right way to do things. And that you never truly know the whole story, especially as it’s being written by someone else and isn’t over yet.”

[November] The Hollow Plane – Late in 2022 I read a book called ‘Dark Night Golden Dawn.’ And in 2023 I finished the other two books of the Immortal Orders trilogy by Allison Carr Waechter and immediately had a new fantasy author that I would read anything she put out. Her characters are real and raw and flawed and so incredibly human in a fantasy world. I was lucky to get an ARC of the first book in her new duology (this book). It is loosely tied to Immortal Orders, but a very separate world. And Mina… she spoke to me in a way that even Harlow Crane from the previous series didn’t, and I already saw a lot of myself in Harlow. Maybe Allison has a line to the parts of me that I would rather not think about. Either way, I love her writing, and this book was no exception. My review: “This is a story about curses. Enemies that become lovers. Losing the memory of yourself, only to find it again and realize that who you are now is not who you were in the past. Or is it? In a world that I would describe as gaslamp science fantasy, Mina, Ash, Poe, Skye, Morpheus, Muse… all of our characters find themselves trying to solve a mystery that feels more like trying to wrestle with fate. Mina and Ash have a connection that goes far deeper than they first realize. They both have lost memories. And in the quest to solve a host of connected questions, they slowly unravel the mystery of who they are, and what they mean to each other.”

[December] The Murderbot Diaries – I listened to the first four novellas of this series on audiobook via Audible Plus’ library. And I am hooked. I had previously read Martha Wells’ fantasy books, but this series seemed to be a favorite, and now I know why. A misanthropic sentient security AI robot that would rather watch entertainment feeds than deal with humans. But Murderbot is forced to deal with humans. Oh, the indignity. If you liked Hail Mary and The Martian from Andy Weir, these books might be up your alley. From my reviews: “Murderbot wants to do its thing and not have to deal with people. Unfortunately, it finds a group of people that take a liking to it and then it ends up saving them. Even when Murderbot would rather do anything else. Murderbot [learning to deal] with those pesky ’emotions’ makes for some great scenarios, and the action never feels superfluous or slow, it speeds along at a perfect clip, while also leaving time for introspection. Although Murderbot would never call it that.”

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That’s a wrap on 2023. As for 2024, for once I don’t really have any book-related goals, and I don’t think I’m going to set any reading challenges as far as book numbers this time around. I’ve managed to read a lot over the last two years, and what I have gained most is a re-appreciation for stories and the act of reading. I read because I like it, and I’m not going to put numbers on it anymore. I think my monthly wrap-ups will be more focused on the books I loved, not the overall stats. I also think I might try out a physical book journal this year, in addition to StoryGraph and Goodreads. I think for 2024 I just want to keep reading and finding stories that stick around for a while.