The year 2023 brought with it a milestone: I became a mother! Well, I actually had my child at the end of 2022, but 2023 was my first full year of motherhood. And while I had plans to read a book a week while on maternity leave, I found that reading was harder than I thought it would be with a newborn. It was much easier to watch nearly 40 seasons of Survivor instead of reading. My modest goal for 2023 was to read 12 books, and I ended up reading 15. Most were for my book club at work or a friend's book club. Only a couple were my pick, and while I liked almost every book I read, I'd like to read more books that are from my own "to be read" list in 2024. But that is neither here nor there. Based mainly on just my enjoyment, here are my 2023 reads, ranked.
Because I only read 15, I feel like highlighting my top ten as in prior posts is a bit much, so I will only give a quick review for my top five books.
Because I only read 15, I feel like highlighting my top ten as in prior posts is a bit much, so I will only give a quick review for my top five books.
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 11 (3.5 stars) |  10 (3.5 stars) |  9 (3.5 stars) |
 8 (4 stars) |  7 (4 stars) |  6 (4 stars) |
 5 (4 stars) |  4 (4.5 stars) |
(5) A Court of Thorns and Roses was a book club pick for one of my work's book clubs. it sounded interesting, although I knew very little of what the book was about. I knew the author had many bestsellers out there and that her series were very well received. I had read a collection of short stories that belonged in the Throne of Glass series, and I enjoyed that, so I figured this was probably something I would like, too. I didn't know that ACOTAR, the acronym these books are known by, was SO big until I was reading it. I messaged a friend, who is in the same book club, asking her if she was reading the book because, "It's like a rewrite of 'Beauty and the Beast.' I think you'd really like it." To which she responded, "Oh yeah, I've read that series. I love ACOTAR!" I listened to the audio book for the first half of the book, and I didn't realize it had some steamy bits. What a surprise to my husband and me while we were driving to visit my parents. Anyway, I had fun reading this book, all in all, and will read the rest of the series at some point. My biggest complaint is that the history of the world is very hard to follow, so it was really hard to understand why the enemy was the enemy and what was at stake if the enemy should win. And, as much as I love fantasy, to me, there can be stories with too many monsters, and the last quarter of this book had too many monsters. But, the magic of the fairies is fun, and if you're looking for a bit of court intrigue and romance tied into your fae fantasy, this book is for you.
(4) The Valley of Horses took me so long to read, I ran out of renewals at my library. However, that's not because it is a bad book. The pacing of this series is just slower than most as the characters' lives are chronicled in a very detailed way. And the details are what I love most about this series. Some books are just not meant to be burned through, in my opinion. I did feel like this book was slower than the first one, but I think that is reflective of the nature of the story. In the first one, Ayla is learning to live among a strange people, so there is a lot of human conflict. But in this sequel to The Clan of the Cave Bear, Ayla's strife is much more internalized. Her struggle while she lives independently from her clan is felt deeply in how the book unfolds. The research the author has done is evident with every sentence she crafts. I love letting myself be immersed in the Upper Paleolithic world the author paints for her readers. The life and humanity she writes into our human ancestors is amazing and well worth the slower read through.
(4) The Valley of Horses took me so long to read, I ran out of renewals at my library. However, that's not because it is a bad book. The pacing of this series is just slower than most as the characters' lives are chronicled in a very detailed way. And the details are what I love most about this series. Some books are just not meant to be burned through, in my opinion. I did feel like this book was slower than the first one, but I think that is reflective of the nature of the story. In the first one, Ayla is learning to live among a strange people, so there is a lot of human conflict. But in this sequel to The Clan of the Cave Bear, Ayla's strife is much more internalized. Her struggle while she lives independently from her clan is felt deeply in how the book unfolds. The research the author has done is evident with every sentence she crafts. I love letting myself be immersed in the Upper Paleolithic world the author paints for her readers. The life and humanity she writes into our human ancestors is amazing and well worth the slower read through.
 3 (4.5 stars) |  2 (5 stars) |
(3) Woman of Light was so well done. It was a historical fiction unlike others I've read, and I hope that more like this are coming. It tells the story of an indigenous Chicano family living in Colorado and shares a different view of U.S. history than most of us are proably used to. The writing is superb. The characters are fun and relatable. Kali Fajardo-Anstine is so very talented, and I'll happily read anything she writes. I read this book with a few friends, and it was so much fun discussing this book with others and hearing what characters and events stood out to everyone. If you can, grab a friend and read this one together.
(2) Babel. What. A. Story. R.F. Kuang tackles so much in this novel about language, colonialism, imperialism, and the exploitation of people at the hands of the British. Almost sounds like history, right? If it weren't for linguists at Oxford's tower of Babel crafting magical silver bars to power the world, it basically would be history. Which is what made this book so riveting. R.F. Kuang crafted a masterpiece that reads like the speculative fiction it is, but also overtly tackles racism and colonialism in a way that helps you understand the history and current affairs of our world. Even though her points are obvious, they're written with enough wit and sarcasm that you can either laugh bitterly with the quips or nod and say, "Oh, I get it now." The tale Kuang spins is captivating and heartbreaking, even to the very last page. It's a long book, but well worth your time.
(2) Babel. What. A. Story. R.F. Kuang tackles so much in this novel about language, colonialism, imperialism, and the exploitation of people at the hands of the British. Almost sounds like history, right? If it weren't for linguists at Oxford's tower of Babel crafting magical silver bars to power the world, it basically would be history. Which is what made this book so riveting. R.F. Kuang crafted a masterpiece that reads like the speculative fiction it is, but also overtly tackles racism and colonialism in a way that helps you understand the history and current affairs of our world. Even though her points are obvious, they're written with enough wit and sarcasm that you can either laugh bitterly with the quips or nod and say, "Oh, I get it now." The tale Kuang spins is captivating and heartbreaking, even to the very last page. It's a long book, but well worth your time.
 1 (5 stars) | (1) And finally, my number one book of the year was The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree. This book is a story of a Persian family caught in the midst of the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath. The story's magical realism whisks the reader away into a world of tragedy and beauty, of hope, and of despair. With very little knowledge of the history of Iran and Persia, I let myself be carried along with the stories and tales the narrator weaves together. Although I understood very little of the deeper meanings of everything, I very much felt that the whimsical storytelling was a coping mechanism for the narrator as she recounts all of the horrors her family endured. The folklore embedded in this tragic story is beautiful and eye-opening. I came away from this book saddened at how little I know of the ancient and current history of the Middle East, and saddened at how religious wars have killed the dreams and culture of so many people who want nothing more than what we all desire: a safe home, a happy family, and the freedom to live in peace. |
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