A little bit late, but oh well.
I’m here now.
I have been churning through books at a speed even I don’t recognise.
How do I have that time?
I can think of three reasons:
Lots of flights in May and June to the US
Decrease of watching TV
It’s easier to read someone else’s books than write my own (she says in a whisper)
Throne of Glass Series - 4.75/5
Most notably, I finished the Throne of Glass series. I read the first half of the series in March and April, and finished Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn and Kingdom of Ash.
Did I ever think I’d find another series to match ACOTAR? No. Did this one? Yes and no.
I have so many thoughts on each book (yes, you do need to read Tower of Dawn and yes, you will like it!), but I’ll try to summarise without giving away spoilers.
I loved this series. I loved seeing SJM’s writing evolve from teenage exclamation points and italics to true adult fantasy. I loved how the plot just blew wide open after Heir of Fire. I loved the complexities of a huge main cast, and even those in the sidelines. I loved how it tied up in the end. I loved how the light overcame the darkness, even when you had no idea how it would.
Could things have been better? Yes. The whole series was supposed to span over an entire year (questionable). It’s not a very diverse cast and there are some racial stereotypes (though it gets more diverse with Tower of Dawn). There are some verbal remarks that are abusive between two characters who end up together.
In the briefest summary ever, I would say ACOTAR has better characters (both good and bad) but ToG has a very powerful, detailed plot. That said, ACOTAR isn’t finished so I may take those words back.
If you love fantasy and / or really plot driven books, this one is for you. Make sure you read The Assassin’s Blade, either first or third.
The other fantasy book I read was The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V. E. Schwab (5/5). I LOVED this book. I loved the unique story and use of magic in this. I loved that the downsides of what Addie wanted were told more than the positives, but that Addie still had spirit and the determination to live and outsmart. I even loved Luc - a dark baddie with a heart. Schwab (no relation) is coming to the Book Fest this year, and I cannot wait to see her.
In non-fantasy news, I jumped on board with two recent waves: Happy Place by Emily Henry (3.75/5) and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (3.75/5).
Both books seem to have taken our culture by storm (especially in America), with 2023 being heralded as The Year of Emily Henry, and Bonnie Garmus as the ultimate Third Act Queen.
I liked both.
Happy Place had a wider cast of characters that had more depth to them than Emily’s past books. There are sweet scenes, love scenes that expand beyond romantic love, you can understand the character’s different points of views on a situation and how they handled their reactions. While it annoyed me reading it (just speak to each other, characters!), I thought she did a great job at showing how grief and expectations can drift and spiral and close up.
Lessons in Chemistry was really unique in that there aren’t many books about female scientists / chemists, especially set in the mid-1900’s. I liked the characters. I felt for Elizabeth. I raged at several characters. I laughed in the scenes between Elizabeth and her producer and her neighbor - both of which made Elizabeth warmer. I really liked how Bonnie used a cooking show as a way to arm women with information and self-power.
But, I didn’t love them.
In my opinion, Emily’s best book is still People We Meet On Vacation (or also You and Me on Vacation depending on what side of the pond you bought the book from). I loved the banter of Poppy and Alex. I cried and laughed and stayed up until the wee hours of the night finishing the book.
At first glance, I didn’t find a lot wrong with Lessons in Chemistry as a book. I missed all of the marketing behind it, mostly just seeing the book name pop up on several book podcasts, so I didn’t see that it was being sold as ‘historical fiction’. But then I listened to this episode of One More Chapter. Clare and Clara opened my eyes to how this book employs “revisionist history packaged as empowerment” as the term ‘sexual assault’ wasn’t coined until the 1970’s by Fannie Lou Hamer, a black American activist. They also argued that in 2023, we haven’t really come very far from the events that Garmus puts in 1950’s, which is probably why my rage was so blood boiling.
Diving into a Scottish classic, I read my first Ian Rankin book Knots and Crosses (3.5/5). I find reading books from the past a bit hard to get into, but this was easy to read and I can understand how Inspector Rebus has become a hit. Filming for the latest TV show based on this character has started in Edinburgh as well.
I finally read the Book of 2019 / 2020, Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams (4/5). Queenie, a Jamaican British woman living in London struggling to fit into either of her cultures, makes questionable decisions after a breakup rocks her world. I thought Carty-Williams did a really great job of exploring the messiness of decisions, the little and big ways that system sexism and racism comes into play, and the harshness of cities, to show Queenie trying to figure out what she’s doing, why she’s doing it, and most importantly, who she wants to be.
Two more Colleen Hoover books were devoured - It Ends With Us (4.5/5) and Confess (4/5). Both are very Colleen Hoover - universal truths, very modern American names, and a plot that doesn’t end how you think it will. I loved the relatable messiness of It Ends With Us and Lily’s character arc. I loved the unique way Confess ties together a la Invisible Strings.
Finally, I picked up a thriller called The It Girl by Ruth Ware (3.75/5) in the airport. The first year at Oxford, a woman is murdered. Ten years later, the man convicted of killing her has died. As Hannah dives into the past, she realises not all - and everyone - is as they seemed. You can taste the cobblestone history and the haze of class that clouds Oxford in this novel.
Twelve books in two months. Damn. I think that is a record for me - one I don’t think I’ll hit again!
What’s your best read of 2023 so far?