My reading goal for 2024 was to read at least 12 books. With a toddler in tow, my reading time is quite limited, and I find that my attention span is even shorter than it had been before having a child. Which, since college, was pretty horrible to begin with. Most of the books I read were book club selections for my work book club as well as one I have with three of my best friends. Despite my less than ideal hours spent reading, I was able to surpass my reading goal, and I read 22 books. Looking over my list, I read a fair bit of fantasy, several nonfiction, and, for me, a surprising amount of mysteries and thrillers. As I have done the past few years, here are my 2024 reads, ranked by nothing more than just my general opinion and overall enjoyment of the book. 

I might have ranked Mirrored Heavens higher had I reread the first two books of the series right before the third and final book was released. While a satisfying conclusion to the Between Earth & Sky series, there was a lot to keep track of, and I felt a bit lost trying to remember everything from the previous books. However, the world Roanhorse created is so refreshing and beautiful that I'll be rereading the series in the future. I read Fourth Wing for a book club. I wasn't too excited to read it because I felt that the synopsis was just like a different book I had read that was kind of meh. I devoured Fourth Wing, and it kept me distracted while I fought off a cold. It was the first book in years that I had actually had to force myself to put down so that I would go to bed. After I finished it, and reflected on the story, I had some issues with the plot, but I had to rank it pretty high for how much I could not put it down.

The Storm We Made is a grim reminder of the untold stories of World War II and how vast the suffering was of civilians around the world. It's a powerful story of colonialism and war, and although it is a good book, it is a difficult read emotionally. The Poisoner's Handbook was written by one of my college professors and it had been on my to read list for almost a decade. It did not disappoint. While I did expect a bit more complete narrative with beginning, middle, and end, I did like the various tales and stories of how poison was used, abused, and thankfully studied so that restrictions could eventually be put in place. My biggest take away is that I'm thankful to be alive in 2025. As long as our regulations on food and contaminants stay in place under our current administration...

My first ever cozy fantasy/sci-fi was A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and it did not disappoint. I read it right before the holidays, and it was the perfect mix of philosophy and science fiction. It didn't require too much brain power, the pacing was peaceful, and the world was calming and thought provoking. As for A Court of Mist and Fury, I found the audiobook on Hoopla and thought, "Why not?" I did enjoy the first book, although the world building was not great. I was curious to know what happened next, and I found that I enjoyed book two much more than book one, which is unusual for me. The world building got a little better, and I enjoyed the new cast of characters.

I read Disability Visibility for a training at my job, and I learned so much that I continue to think about on a regular basis. Some of the essays were hard to read; people can be so heartless and bigoted. But overall, the voices were so strong and uplifting that it made an inspiring read. My next top read was not uplifting, as it was a dark fiction anthology: Never Whistle at Night. I don't read a lot of dark fiction or horror, but this was the perfect amount of terror for me. Each story was eloquently written and filled with Native lore as well as poignant takes on modern issues facing indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada. A few stories have still stuck with me, their visuals hard to erase from my memory.

I sit at a desk for eight to ten hours a day, typing emails and instant messages, documents and presentations. Some days the last thing I want to do is sit in front of my personal computer to work on my novels or blog posts. However, writing by hand is slower and my hand cramps. Plus, I'll have to type it all up anyway, so what's the point? Which brings me to one of my most frequent internal debates. Which is better? Writing by hand with a pen or typing with a keyboard? 

The answer is not so simple, and usually by the time I've thought through all the pros and cons of each, I've used up so much brain power and mental energy that I feel too exhausted to write by either method and choose to read a book instead of writing one.

Okay, that only happens some of the time. Most of the time, I can quickly assess what my immediate writing goal is and choose the method that will help me accomplish that goal the best. 

My default method for writing is to type because of several main reasons:

1. Typing is faster. Although my words per minute rate is not super stellar, I can still type faster than I can write. And when I consider that I need to type up everything I write, even if I am pretty fast at handwriting, typing something one time will always be faster than writing something by hand and then typing it up.
2. Typing is more comfortable. Now that my hand is not used to filling notebooks with class notes, it does not take long for my hand to tire and start to cramp when I write. My body and hands are conditioned to type, so I find it pretty comfortable to curl up in a cozy chair or couch with my computer on my lap as I type away. Writing requires me to also have a lap desk or write at a table. Even my back can get sore hunched over a notebook.
3. It is easier to edit, revise, and share typewritten text. If I think ahead to what I want to do with my writing, typing just makes sense. I can use spellcheck, I can easily move paragraphs around, I can send my work to friends or post to online critiquing groups. My writing program on my computer keeps all of my story notes one click away for me to refer to at any moment, which is much easier to locate and read than a folder full of paper notes. (Although imagining me at a table or desk covered in character mood boards and story and plot lines is quite appealing.)
4. It is easier to track word counts. Many of my goals revolve around word counts either by day or week or month. It is time consuming to try to count words written in a notebook. 

While typing is more convenient and a time saver, there is just something about writing by hand that keeps me coming back to it every now and again. My main reasons for choosing to write by hand include:

1. I am more focused. With a keyboard beneath my hands, it can be tempting to navigate to another site (usually social media) when I'm trying to think of where to go next. Or if I have a question about something, off to a search engine I go. But when I am writing by hand, it is easier for me to keep my focus on what I'm writing. When my mind wanders, my pen pauses, and I stare off into my surroundings, deep in thought until I'm ready to return to my work. 
2. My imagination feels more vivid. It's not that I think my imagination is not strong or that I'm not fully immersed in a story as I type, but I definitely feel that when I am writing by hand, it's like what I'm seeing is filling more of my mind. I think that's because as I type, I'm paying attention to what I am typing and correcting mistakes, so it's like my concentration is split between what I'm seeing in my head and what I am putting on the screen. When I write, my hand knows how to spell, and if I make a mistake, there isn't a red squiggly line to suddenly interrupt my flow. It's muscle memory for my hand to carry the pen across the page, allowing me to focus more completely on the images in my head I'm trying to write down.
3. I can take my pen and paper everywhere. A laptop can be cumbersome when I want to write on the go. Notebooks come in all sizes, and it is easy for me to always have one with me no matter my purse size and no matter where I'm going. On nice days when I want to spend time outdoors, I don't have to worry about my notebook overheating in the sun or being hidden by a glare or my own reflection. I need the internet to use my Chromebook and my writing app, but I can write in the middle of nowhere with just my paper and pen.
4. I use more senses. I love that when I write on paper, I use almost all of my senses. Beyond the obvious sense of sight, I hear the scratch of my pen as it scribbles across the page and the crinkle of paper covered in ink as I flip it over. I feel the smooth paper beneath my wrist as I write and take time to run my fingers over the ridges formed by the pressure of my pen once the page is filled. The smell of the paper slowly filling with ink floats into my nostrils. The smell of a blank page is different than one covered in ink.

When it comes time for me to sit down and write, the things I consider most in order to choose between the two methods are:

1. What is my writing goal? Is my goal to write a certain amount of words or write for a certain amount of time? 
2. Where am I going to write? How much space will I have?
3. What am I going to write? Do I need access to the internet or my current draft?

And there you have it. A sneak peek into the inner workings of my brain. Maybe it's curiosity or maybe it's subconscious procrastination that leads me to have these mental meanderings. Or maybe it's proof that there's always some idea or question churning in a writer's mind. Sometimes it just takes a little time to find the best way to get to the writing part.

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.

(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.

(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.