2023 Year Review & Top Picks

Hello all! Sorry that I've neglected posting the last few months. Life is truly a whirlwind sometimes. I started 2 separate part time jobs, and then moved to full time hours for all of December!

Working at my local Indigo has given me a fresh perspective on popular reads, as well as access to snagging cool covers I walk by when shelving.

Despite all of that, I have read a ton of books this year, and wanted to share my top favorites with you all. Small spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk.

I picked up a BookTok recommendation from one of my Indigo coworkers, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. I went in blind knowing only two things; it's YA, and fantasy. For a rating, I give it a solid four out of five stars. I loved the prose, the author's way of drawing me in. I'm already such a sucker for the rivals to lovers trope, but it hit a soft spot for the addition of them being rival journalists. I wish it would explore more of her boss's point of views, and maybe spend some time on the political aspects of war. Iris and Roman compliment each other, and I can't wait until I read my copy of Ruthless Vows.

“I think we all wear armor. I think those who don’t are fools, risking the pain of being wounded by the sharp edges of the world, over and over again. But if I’ve learned anything from those fools, it is that to be vulnerable is a strength most of us fear. It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are.”

This cover caught my eye on the way to the break room one day, and I passed it for several days before picking it up. "Oh maybe someone else will grab it, it's the only copy we have." This was one of the few horror books I read this year, along with How To Sell A Haunted House. This book by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey, The Dead Take the A Train, was some high end, gritty, bloody, and gore filled fun. The switching point of views allowed you to see some plot twists coming, and left you blindsided by others. The main character in this dark, urban, queer fantasy, a monster hunter for hire named Julie, has a way with words so special that I was running out of sticky notes for quotes halfway through. A solid four stars, and I'm excited to hear that it will (eventually) get a book two!

“You’re the best friend a girl could ever ask for,” said Julie, thoroughly ruining the moment.

“I don’t say this lightly,” said St. Joan. “But you are an absolute and complete idiot.”

No way I'm letting a year go by without something Frankenstein, and what better than a book by debut author C. E. McGill? This queer continuation of the Mary Shelley tale goes from Frankenstein's niece's point of view, and not her as a young child, but as a full grown adult. You follow Mary and her husband Henry, recently mourning over a loss of their own, and the discovery of her uncle's work. The slow burn queer love had me giggling over sidelong glances and subtle touches. Also, dinosaurs. Four and a half stars, as it didn't make me cry.

“We shall steal fire from the heavens, and I shall not repent, even for one minute- for what sort of God would condemn us to such a cold world without it? We are merely taking what should have been ours from the beginning.”

Andy Weir. You've made me love science fiction with The Martian, and you did it again. The sheer dedication to make this book easy to read, but also information and detail-oriented. This gets five stars, yes I cried, and yes it beats my previous sci-fi rec of Saturn Run. A first-contact novel that proves humans can pack bond with literally anything. Ryland Grace's dual timeline point of view was a little hard to understand in the first few chapters, but by the end of the book it makes all the difference. I had such a good laugh at Ryland at the start of the book, and Weir keeps that level of humor throughout what is supposed to be a Hail Mary mission.

“I pull the sheet off the bed and wrap it around my torso a couple of times. I pull one corner over my shoulder from behind my back and tie it to another from the front. Instant toga.

"Self-ambulation detected," says the computer. "What's your name?"

"I am Emperor Comatose. Kneel before me."

"Incorrect.”

I have, and always will be, a dragon-girlie. Unicorns, vampires, werewolves be damned. Christopher Paolini's Eragon, with Saphira being such a core childhood memory; Chris d'Lacey and The Last Dragon Chronicles that created a love for painting dragon statue ceramics every summer at the town fair; C. S Lewis and Narnia; and J. R. R. Tolkien's various tales.

I didn't read Fourth Wing when it first came out, I was in the middle of moving, and it went right over my head. Until I started seeing quotes and fanart of Tairn, and I knew I needed to read it. Both of these get my five stars. I sobbed, sobbed, reading both of these books. You get so easily attached to these characters, and I knew from the parapet that someone wouldn't live. A dragon-riding college, a main character with a known disability, an in-depth political system, an immersive and detailed map to follow along with, and of course, the dragons. OH. They have their own history, their own distinct personalities, and I wish for nothing more than that kind of bond. I try to stay away from in-progress series, because of the wait, but this is entirely worth it. Both are worth several re-reads to catch all the little details Yarros hides in here.

“Going for blood today, are we, Violence?"

"My name is Violet."

"I think my version fits you better.”

“I can handle pain.” I turn toward her.

“I live in pain. I practically built a house there and set up a whole economy. I can take whatever they dish out.”