2023! Halfway through the year, I gave birth to my second kid. My 2.5 year old kept us very busy, though we kept him in daycare so while on maternity leave and looking after the new baby I was able to do some multi-tasking and reading. I started the book reviews a bit earlier (something about finishing the 2022 reviews in August 2023 made me want to try getting on top of it sooner). I can’t believe this will be the 6th year since I started doing summary book posts! Its been a nice way to help encourage thinking about what I read and what I thought of it.
Books I regularly reread are the Dune trilogy by Frank Herbert, A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. Its a rarity for me to add new books to my “Want to Reread Sometimes” list (this list needs a catchier name). However, multiples from my 2023 reading have earned a place on this list: Adrian Tchaikovsky’s writing in Children of Time and Children of Ruin and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I recommend reading all the books listed in this paragraph.
I also watched the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica (For the first time!) AMAZING: How have I skipped this before?
Anyways, this year I read 23 books.
Links to other reviews:
HIGHLY RECOMMEND – 5 STARS
made me think a lot, in different ways for each book. recommend reading
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen
Educated by Tara Westover
ALSO ENJOYED – 4 STARS
Read the synopsis and see if the topic appeals to you
The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Any Man by Amber Tamblyn
The Writing of the Gods by Edward Dolnick
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Mass
Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
MEH – 3 STARS
I didn’t like these much, but maybe you will
For Small Creatures Such as We by Sasha Sagan
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by K.C. Davis
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Anthem by Ayn Rand (reread)
NOT GOOD – 2 STARS
I finished these but am not sure why. Good enough to keep reading but maybe mostly out of frustration.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
A valuable read for trying to conceive or trying not to conceive; good information. I learned things about my body I didn’t know, that I think are valuable to know. The book is pretty long (and non-fiction!) which made it daunting for me to start, but wasn’t a hard read once I opened it. And the information is invaluable to have for understanding the rhythms of my body.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I haven’t read anything since The Expanse by James S. A. Corey and A Fire Upon the Deep/A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge that has made me gripped. This is fast paced like The Expanse, but the universe has a lot that makes me think of Vernor Vinge’s world building (Sympathetic spiders; though I believe the author claims to have not read these). Avrana Kern is so interesting narratively, as are the spiders. There are later chapters that give me similar feelings of horror as Ridley Scott’s Alien, and the end gives Star Trek homage. Uplift by David Brin (but I haven’t read) also seems to have some similarities. Sci-fi fun all around. A must read if you enjoy sci fi.
Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Octopus! Also really fun. I think I preferred the first but both were binge read. More terraforming, more humanity survival. Plot twists and OH MAN surprises.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
I typically don’t read books like this (I typically primarily read sci-fi, fantasy, and non-fiction). But I LOVED this book. Shortly after starting reading, I was hooked. I loved the characters of Sam and Sadie.
This book follows Sam and Sadie from their meeting in a hospital video game room, to them meeting in a chance encounter when both in university, to creating a video game together, to the troubles their relationship suffers over the years. The book follows good times and successes – it is so satisfying reading about success sometimes – but also pain and failure. The ups and downs of life.
This book is about video games: Playing them, loving them, making them. I am not the biggest video game nerd by any measure, but I have a big appreciation for them.
This book is about friendship and relationships. They are complicated. How we relate to others, what is said and unsaid. I felt deeply when reading this book.
I recommend trying this book even if it sounds like something you usually wouldn’t read. It will sit with me for a while and probably end up on my reread shelf sometime, which doesn’t happen often, and has not happened for a non-sci-fi book.
One aside: There was a moment in the book which kind of broke my immersion in the story, which is weird given I read sci-fi and fantasy where things are wildly unrealistic. The author describes one of the characters as working on a video game so hard and long that their fingers started to bleed as they typed. I don’t think this is normal?, though maybe someone who works on video game crunch time schedules can correct me.
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
This is the second book from the Oxford Time Travel books I read. I had a much harder time getting into it but when I did I loved the ride it took me on. Highly recommend. Much lighter than Doomsday Book, so if you’re picking between the two pick this if you want light and the other if you want heavier.
Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
Linking my review out to a different post since I took lots of notes. This is a parenting book I quite liked. I also love her podcast of the same name, Good Inside. See more here: https://danikalaw.com/book-notes-good-inside-by-dr-becky-kennedy/
Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen
My husband’s twitter/X friend wrote this.
The premise and happenings are really awesome. I had a great time reading this and highly recommend for other sci fi fans (if you liked reads like The Expanse especially I can see this one having a chance of going over well).
Marcus, the owner of an asteroid mining ship, is hijacked by a wealthy heiress Miranda to run a dangerous heist. I also was burnt by the last heist I read so was a bit skeptical. This was great though!
I didn’t like the main character’s internal monologue at times, even though I’m usually a fan of flawed protagonists. I think this is because the flaws of the male lead are sex driven thoughts, and I’m not usually in the mind of a man.
Educated by Tara Westover
Very dark and not what I usually read. As a mom of two young kids I just can’t fathom how parents would not provide for their children medical care, safe employment/hobbies. I was gripped reading, though, and inspired by Tara’s break away from the darkness of her childhood.
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Oh this was fun! I am glad I didn’t read this peak Covid. The time travel/historians elements are very fun, and the writing style had me eager to find out what happened next (and satisfyingly guessing some of the surprises). The historical elements merged with near future sci-fi was very fun. I look forward to reading more of the Oxford Time Travel books. Highly recommend if you want to read something “Time Travel” – but if you want something lighter, pick one of the other books by Connie Willis.
Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I just really like Tchaikovsky’s writing, and this book is no different. While I preferred the first two, there was enough happening here too to keep me interested and gripped. Keep reading if you made it this far and read this one too! There are always surprises.
Any Man by Amber Tamblyn
This was very dark but surprisingly gripping. Lots of trigger warnings: Rape, assault, and more. The writing style is very divisive and I can see some people not liking it, but I loved it. Some parts of the book are poetry, some are written as dating app message logs, some are written as computer pop up notifications. If you feel like something dark and upsetting, this is a good read.
The Writing of the Gods by Edward Dolnick
This is interesting! I had a slow read of this though. Nonfiction can be hard for me to pick up.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Mass
I thought I’d hate this because I’d found Nesta so annoying in other books, but this was written so I actually ended up finding Feyre and Rhysand annoying. I gave it 4 stars but this is generous, the actual fantasy plot was not gripping to me. Yet, I had a fun time reading this so 4 it is!
Things I disliked: Baby in danger of killing the mom pregnancy trope. HATE THIS trope. The friendship sleepover vibes kind of took me out of the fantasy universe. Felt very modern day 90s. Though I guess cutesy and nice and fun. The actual fantasy part of the plot re: finding the Dead Trove.
Things I liked: The sex scenes really did it for me. Spicy, good. Nesta’s redemption arc: Nesta and the stairs, training, library, etc. Cassian.
The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies
I like the descriptions of set ups for encouraging independence in your home, but I think a lot of Montessori set up has drifted into parenting culture that I didn’t get a lot out of this. It wasn’t bad, but like all non-fiction, more something I want to skim (and feel I skim many days on e.g. Instagram).
Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey
This was really great. There is an Apple TV series I might check out on this when I finally finish watching Battlestar Galactica.
At parts it jumps to new POV characters and at first I was always hesitant, but always liked their stories as I got into it. I liked that the stakes were real for the characters. Terrible things happened as a result of their decisions and they had to live with the consequences. Dystopias are also interesting to read and discover: How did the world end up like this? Who is lying? What is freedom? What is truth?
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
A fun queer romance with time travel on the subway in NYC. This was one of the fluffier reads I had this year. At times it was a bit annoying; I can’t fully place why I feel this, but it was a light read and good to mix up amidst some heavier books this year.
For Small Creatures Such as We by Sasha Sagan
I wanted to like this, but I found it not concrete enough to help. I love the idea of “Ritual”, but I think I wanted something more grounding to help determine how to create ritual from scratch. There was a lot of reflection on different rituals and such from many cultures and religions, but I don’t know that I got a lot out of this.
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by K.C. Davis
This book has some great ideas, but I would listen to Good Inside episode on this book instead of reading the book itself.
Some ideas to immediately incorporate: Reframe chores as self care/setting household up for ease later (for example, doing the dishes clears counter space to make mornings with kids easier; and then when enough counter is clear you have permission to stop), not seeing not doing chores as a reflection of your self worth, and brainstorming ways of tasks that work for you. Your house should work for you, you shouldn’t work for your house. K.C. Davis’s example is having a “Family Closet” and instead of folding laundry, sorting it unfolded into bins for each family member.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
I don’t know why but I didn’t really enjoy this book. Another one I wanted to like. I may try it again sometime since its a sci fi series and those are nice to get into so I don’t have to pick a new book to read after finishing the first, second, … and so on.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
This book is very ‘navel-gaze-y’. Its a collection of chapters, like essays, about random topics. Some had tidbits where I thought “aha” and others felt very self absorbed. I liked a chapter on Phone use, one on parenting boys and how with girls parents point to all a woman can be but boys we don’t point to all the good ways men can be, and others (these are just some I can remember now while sitting down to write this).
Anthem by Ayn Rand (reread)
This is one of the second sci-fi-esque books I read, via high school English (the first was The Giver by Lois Lowry). I’d been mostly into fantasy prior.
Its a quick read and I also knew I could up my 2023 book count by wrapping it up at the very end of the year 😉
Its interesting. Another of those sci-fi books. I now look at books like this that uphold a dystopia that is so dark and miserable so fully, and wonder … HOW. Like, I understand if one group is miserable to the benefit of another how those benefiting may uphold what is going on. But if everyone except a small group of bureaucrats is no smiling, laughing, experiencing joy enough. How effective is drilling in misery from childhood (these books always have a stronghold on the education system)? We have to be really careful about ensuring the education systems remain free thinking so they don’t get taken over into a monoculture that may be incorrect or oppressive.
This book isn’t really about exploring that, it’s about exploring individualism vs collectivism. And its short so I don’t expect it to have all those answers. Just something I’m thinking about.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
UGH. I wanted to like this. Mech sci fi inspired by Chinese History. However, the protagonist was supremely unlikeable and her arch makes no sense. They didn’t motivate how she became so staunchly feminist when all the others who grew up like her were not. Her form of feminism is… Destroy everyone and everything in her way? There is one moment where another character says that they had to sell her out to protect her own kids, and the protagonist kills her immediately. What? Completely unsympathetic. There is a full love triangle and polyamory which is interesting…. but even these love interests and why they fall in love/like each other feels forced in some ways.
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Another unlikeable protagonist, for me. She seems defiant just for the sake of defiance, and when that defiance falls… I don’t know why she falls for her love interest. She thinks guys are ew gross until she all of the sudden is in love with the guy who kidnapped her? Not sure why she suddenly likes him. She is inconsistent, immature, and annoying to read (Especially because its first person narrative). The sex scenes are unsatisfying to me. I don’t know. Just couldn’t get into the protagonist and so can’t like the book.