Books I Read in 2023
Books I Read in 2023
In 2023, I read 17 books! This was one more than in 2022 which was my target! Smashed it (with the help of some audiobooks). It was a wonderful year of reading - especially the second half of the year. The start of the year, reading was slow, my heart was broken, my motivation low - I always read more in the summer and autumn anyway.
The books I read in 2023, were:
A non-fiction collection of essays by the late feminist icon herself. Sent to me by Evie T (this is a common theme) and devoured by me one chapter at a time. I don’t do great with non-fiction, so it did take me a long time to get through, but I did enjoy it, and I did feel a renewed sense of priority when it comes to love, platonic relationships, self-love.
☆☆☆
A historical-fiction with a very intrusive narrator, detailing the conflicts between workers and landowners in India in the 60s. Bel got me for christmas, it took me a while to get through but was genuinely a very interesting read.
☆☆☆
A feminist retelling of the story of Troy, the minotaur, Dionysus. I love greek mythology so it did appeal but I’m not too bothered by these retellings - for me, the injustice, hurt, betrayal, and pain felt by the women in the original stories doesn’t go unnoticed. But I suppose these have a purpose of being explicit highlights of these stories and how women have been used as props and tools throughout the entirety of history and the literature we consume. Bought this in Bath from the new Toppings.
☆☆☆
A quiet and reflective book set in Ireland in the 80s. It is a short book and one packed with big feelings and descriptive imagery and quiet heroism and perseverance. I think my Mum gave me this book.
☆☆☆☆
My lovely lovely Jessie wrote a goddamn slap of a novel. This made me cry in the park, on trains, everywhere I could stop, I was reading this gorgeous (inside and out) book. It was a big boi which got rid of my big book fear, and I dived right in. I love my sister! I love reading sad books, I love FEELING THINGS! Part of it was read in the sunshine in Saltaire with Evie T. I bought this on my 23rd birthday book crawl.
☆☆☆☆☆
A book I ordered for my dissertation research back in 2020 and finally read, mostly on the common after work in the sunshine. A story of resilience and taking-no-shit, and being yourself no matter who tries to dim your light.
☆☆☆
The beginning of the Kawakami obsession - bought this also in Bath on my 23rd birthday. A look at womanhood, family, parenthood, childhood, what we’ll do to chase our dreams, to feel we belong, to connect, or be connected to something. A deep dive into what it means to have been a successful woman. Beautifully written.
☆☆☆☆
A lovingly curated collection of short stories about relationships, soulmates, companionship, family, heartache, hope, LOVE. As always I struggle with collections because I put them down between stories and forget about them - but each story was beautifully constructed, unique in topic and style, but all sewn with the same thread of love and hope. I genuinely don’t remember when or where I bought this and it is making me sad!
☆☆☆
Sent to me by Evie T, this one’s a bit darker - more rooted in pain and heartache and isolation. A young boy at school is bullied, but finds some comradery and kinship with another pupil who is bullied. It questions right and wrong, motivations, childhood, happiness, emotions. I read it in Mallorca and finished it in two days - Kawakami knows how to craft a damn sentence.
☆☆☆☆
Natalia bought this at my 24th birthday bookday, from Max Minerva’s bookshop in Henleaze. She had it in Mallorca with her and I had finished the books I brought with me and so, I read this one on our beach day. The writing in this novel is fantastic. I need to get my own copy and do a re-read so I can underline all the phrases I want to. Set in India, it explores family, betrayal, neglect, over-dependence, reliance, hatred, love, marriage, manipulation, motherhood, madness, daughterhood, cruelty, partnership, misogyny.
☆☆☆☆
A glorious book - bought from Max Minerva’s in Henleaze while Evie T visited me. We follow Tom and Ming, flipping between them as narrators, with their distinct voices and each’s perspective of navigating the world through a queer lens. We explore their queer identities, preferences, self-love, self-hatred, family, friendship, vulnerability, sex, art, university, adulthood, working, graduation, loneliness, love, hate, loss, grief. All of it. I loved it.
☆☆☆☆☆
Evie T sent me this for my 24th birthday - what a fucking dropkick this was. I LOVED it. We explore an isolated character, experimenting with alcohol dependency, trying to open up, let more people in, gain confidence, grab more of life, in a downward spiral towards ruining her own life. It is compelling, beautifully written, with handful after handful of meaning and tenderness and hope.
☆☆☆☆☆
I finally read this after it had been on my Gender and Monstrosity module at university. This book had a protagonist and a writing style which annoyed me, but it was nice to return to the world of Henry James, via another writer. It made me rewatch Bly Manor, and it made me glad I never read it for my course.
☆☆☆
I loved this. Bought it from the Arnolfini on a rainy day, read it in its entirety on the train to Manchester to see Rhys James on tour, whilst Graham was undergoing his first round of chemo. I just needed to read a book about grief, and this one was so beautiful and expertly crafted and so rich and full of imagery and I SOBBED. It was brilliant.
☆☆☆☆
A fabulous neo-Victorian collection of classic tale retellings, dipped in delicious descriptions and images. I loved it. It’s taken me far too long to read this but I’m so glad I did! The vampires, the werewolves, the deranged men with their predatory-murderous wanting. It reminded me why I fell in love with these tropes the way I did.
☆☆☆☆
Strong Female Character, Fern Brady
I listened to this as an audiobook and I got to hear Fern’s story of her autism diagnosis in her own words with her own voice. It was a raw, funny, honest, and well crafted book to tell her story. This was the first audiobook I’ve ever listened to, and I thought I’d hate them, but turns out I didn’t!
☆☆☆
Final book of 2024, finished literally as I was getting ready to go out on New Years Eve. This one was also an audiobook, but I really want to read it to be able to underline all of the fabulous descriptions. This book had so many themes crammed into it, and I wish I’d read it sooner, and got to analyse it at university. A fabulous end to the year, and I’m going to carry on trying to get through the books already on my shelves!
☆☆☆☆
I beat my target of last year (which was 16 books), but most importantly, I read some wonderful stories and fell in love with characters and worlds and I felt so much.
Comments
Post a Comment