riida's 2023 TBR challenge

oooooh! a clean slate...a new reading year!! ^.^

i had a rough(ish) 2022...and i dont see it improving much in 2023...or at least not in the first few months. so, since this group is my main reading road map, i thought its ok to take it a little easy on myself and just fill my list with 'popcorn*' reads. ticking off books from my TBR is a reliable source of dopamine :D

*no offense to these books, or to popcorn...i would not have purchased these if i didnt think them interesting in the first place. these are just books that to me are almost pure escapism

i've come up with an audiobook-heavy list (50%). my aim is to finish 12 books, minimum.

also, last year i managed to read books (not just from this challenge) as tall as a hobbit! (https://www.librarything.com/stats/riida/share/u37d8d6ca.u517a6918)

i'm going to try to match that again too...and if i can manage it, i'm going to aim for a pony ^.^

DNF(0/0)

FIN (24/12)
You by Caroline Kepnes (3/5)
Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston (4/5)
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (4/5)
Holes by Louis Sachar (5/5)
Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden (5/5)
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (5/5)
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (5/5)
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (5/5)
How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent (5/5)
How to Be a Girl by Marlo Mack (5/5)
Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined by Stephen Fry (5/5)
Verity by Colleen Hoover (1/5)
Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie (3.5/5)
The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (4/5)
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (4/5)
The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (5/5)
Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton (4/5)
An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard (4/5)
The Wall by John Lanchester (5/5)
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (5/5)
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (4/5)
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (4/5)
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (5/5)
Foe by Iain Reed (3.5/5)

TBR (0/24)

Nice! Wouldn't trust Coetzee or Hersey to go well with popcorn, however, so be on your guard there. :) I want to read more Agatha Christie, I tripped across a list of her 'best' in someone-or-other's opinion and noted them, will be looking for one of those.

Ooh, I've heard great things about Dark Matter!

You have an interesting list. Good luck in 2023 with your readings.

Fun list! I'm looking forward to what you think of many of those. Good luck :)

>2 Cecrow: uh oh...so much for easy reading :p thanks for the heads up! i think i'll be reserving those then for when i'm feeling braver ^.^

agatha christie is a comfort read for me. something about murders...i'm sure you have a christie list by now, but if i may add to that, i liked The Mysterious Affair at Styles. its been a while, but it was my first christie (so nostalgia points), and i believe it was also the first published poirot. although in the book, i had the impression he was already retired or retiring...so very different energy from the other hims in the series (less...arrogance...which makes his solve even more brilliant to me).

>3 handshakes: me too! its been forever in my TBR, and im looking forward to finally get to it ^_^

>4 mnleona: thanks ^_^ happy 2023 to you too!

Some fun books on your list - loved the Klune book, almost always adore Agatha Christie, Dark Matter and Station Eleven were also quite enjoyable. You do have one book on your list that was just not for me, though I know I'm quite in the minority with that opinion. Looking forward to following your reading.

Happy New Year!

>9 LittleTaiko: now im curious which book you meant :D

happy new year! ^.^

>10 riida: - Once you read it, I’ll tell you. :) Unless you really want to know…

Happy New Year to you too!

>11 LittleTaiko: hahaha ok then, pls tell me after i read it :) or at the end of the year, in case i'm not able to read it this year

just finished: You
3/5



my first book for 2023! and i am sooooo glad i'm done with this book.

from the first few pages, i hated the main character. the whole time we are inside his head while he obsesses and stalks a girl, and we hear his thoughts and musings....an interesting concept, i think. but oh my goodness was it a terrible experience!

it may have been the author's intent for us, the reader, to feel like we were the one being stalked. if so, she succeeded. i listen to the audiobook on my walks and i get a mini heart attack every time a jogger passes me by from behind. unfortunately, i feel that this was the book's only silver lining.

its not that we get any unique insights from being in the stalker's head. its just twelve hours of obsessive, misogynistic, self-centered, arrogant, and hateful thoughts. which made me angry every time i listen to it. there were no twists too. you can pretty much predict how things will turn out 10 chapters in. and the ending offers no saving graces.

extra half star for making me feel so passionate about a book.

>13 riida: Thanks for taking one for the team. That sounds like a book to avoid.

>14 Narilka: yeah...i think the book cover should've been my first clue. but there's been a lot of hype around this book and a netflix series...my curiosity got the better of me.

My wife watched it on Netflix, consequently I saw quite a bit, and I knew it wasn't for me. Sounds along the same lines as Lolita but not nearly so well done.

Oof that does sound like one to avoid. Here's hoping the rest of your 2023 is much better.

>17 LittleTaiko: tnx ^_^

>16 Cecrow: yeah, Lolita was also cringe, but at least you can argue it is literature. I mean, obviously You's writing is effective in that it induced a lot of emotions in me. But I gained no new insights after hours marinating inside a stalker's head....I was also thinking of watching the Netflix adaptation after reading the book, but maybe its just not for me.

just finished: Amari and the Night Brothers
4/5



its been a long while since i enjoyed a middle grade book. i picked this up as a palette cleanser, and it worked wonders for my mood :) a very easy and pleasant read. a bit like percy jackson, with men in black thrown in the mix (with some social commentary, the lead character being a 12 year old black girl from the wrong side of town and all...but not at all preachy or heavy handed). not your next harry potter...or skulduggery pleasant...but i'm glad there is this book for the next generation of readers.

(btw, the ending genuinely caught me off guard, so, well done ^_^)

My son and I are going through the Redwall books, and darned if they don't threaten to choke me up a little now and then. YA can be easy and pleasant as you say, but can also have hidden depths.

>20 Cecrow: wow! i vaguely remember watching the cartoon adaptation for redwall and looking desperately for the books (way back when i was not yet comfortable ordering things online). i mean the world of redwall is very rich, and the character and plot development was superb (in my memory, at least). are they as good a read as i suspect? maybe i hunt for them again :)

i think depth was the one thing the amari book was lacking (at least as compared to redwall, or hp)...considering the target audience, i think that's just fine. but i imagine i wont still be thinking about it years from now (like i do with redwall, apprently ^_^)

>21 riida:, very repetitive from book to book (and sooooo much eating), but then those elements grew on me. It's reading it to my son that really makes it work, but might be good even so. Brian Jacques had a gift for descriptions and characterizations. Surprising amount of violence happening, but I guess it's cartoonish?

>22 Cecrow: loved the "sooooo much eating" comment :D i imagine the cartoon adaptation's violence must have been sanitized already...the book version must be something!

Maybe I shouldnt be too surprised...I read Podkin One Ear recently...and for a story about rabbits, that also went quite dark!

maybe a relatively light book like amari is nice once in a while ^_^

just finished: Her Royal Spyness
4/5



Nancy Drew set in the world of Bridgerton (if Bridgerton was set in London in the time between the world wars.) So a lot of royal and nouveau riche socialites partying and gambling and trying to bed each other (this is not an R rated book though)...and I didnt get the first dead body until I was about a third of the book in....which was a shame. The 'detective' aspect of the book was kind of meh and easily guessable...and, honestly, not a lot of detecting was done!

Having said all that....i kind of enjoyed reading/listening to this book ^_^ These are not your stereotypical 'bimbo' heroines in spite of the limitations imposed on them by the times (the men are a different matter all together). This might be the equivalent of a guilty pleasure for the detective mystery genre (ironic, considering the genre itself is thought of in some circles as nothing more than a guilty pleasure itself).

Love your review! This is a favorite series of mine and you nailed it exactly. I think the detecting gets better throughout the series. Well, at least mostly, there are a few duds. I think cozies are best when there is character development throughout the series and you do get that with Georgie and company. However, that can then lead to some limitations with the mystery aspect since the books become more about the people than the case. All that said, I look forward to a new book in this series every year and save it for when I need a nice break from something heavy.

>25 LittleTaiko: Thanks! ^_^ i did hope the mystery aspects of it will improve in future installments when the characters' dont need too much introductions. i love Georgie and her mum, and am rather hoping there'll be more of Belinda in the future books too ^_^

I feel like in any other setting, these characters will just annoy me to death...but here, they have charmed me to bits ^_^

just finished: Holes
5/5



when i started this book, i thought i made a mistake cause i really was not in the mood for another YA story. by the end of the first part, i am thoroughly hooked and very emotionally invested! i dont really want to talk details or i may not be able to control myself from spoiling the story. suffice it to say, this was easy reading/listening and was a wonderful adventure and redemption story!

(ps...i just found out that there's a sequel to the book...i'm not sure i will pick it up. the ending of this first book was perfect for me.)

For me this is one of those "100% know I read it, remember 0%" titles. Something about ... holes? ;)

>28 Cecrow: that...is very accurate :D :D :D

just finished: Mrs Death Misses Death
5/5



Very lyrical prose, and raw performance by the author herself. It's a very cathartic read. Also, very triggering. I had to take long breaks, and at times I wish it was over already. Do not read when you're depressed... Or maybe you should...

Among the many quotable quotes, I remember this (paraphrased): "life is s**t...might as well give a s**t"

just finished: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
5/5



My first non-audiobook book of the year! I have to admit...it feels slightly weird to be 'reading' stories again ^_^

This has all the trappings of a YA murder mystery...but it turned out to be so much more sophisticated. Sure, there were moments of levity that were welcome breaks from the surprisingly dark plot (i think this should come with some trigger warnings), and I really enjoyed the protagonists' humor...but this was a really complicated cold-case murder mystery, a very well crafted puzzle, with satisfying twists and ending. The titular good girl makes for a brilliant detective too. By the end I was exhausted and heavily invested and very much looking forward to the second book in the series.

Well that sounds like a lot of fun! I’ll have to be on the lookout for it.

>32 LittleTaiko: it was rather fun! ^_^ and when i said i got invested in the story, i meant i cried a couple of times...i usually dont do that when reading a murder mystery :p

but it was cathartic fun :D

just finished: Before The Coffee Gets Cold
5/5



Yet another book that made me cry....

This is more an anthology than an actual novel, with the cafe setting and its staff and regular visitors the only overarching elements...And of course the very strict and peculiar rules for time travel (you can stay in the time you visited, but only until your coffee gets cold.)

This is very typical 'slice-of-life' style of Japanese story telling...each chapter is its own tale, and its all about the very ordinary (relatively speaking) things and concerns of the people highlighted in that chapter. There is not much else to move the plot or develop the characters. One can maybe describe it as very superficial or soap opera-ish....but the narrative is very good at tugging at your heart strings and playing imaginary violins or concertinas while you sit there and let the story wash over you.

At times the translation was not very good, and it affected some of the transitions...and I feel there's a lot that went over my head as a non-Japanese reader...but really, that all seem irrelevant. I thought this was a beautiful read.

At the end, there was a central question tying everything together: if there is absolutely nothing you can do to change the present, then what even is the point of travelling through time?

just finished: The Well of Ascension
5/5



i've finally come around to picking up this second book in the mistborn trilogy...a big part of the intimidation is the size of this tome. i need to be in a certain mood to tackle 700+ page books. i need not have worried though as this, like the first book, was a page turner!

vin quickly became one of my favorite heroines, and am very glad her story has continued to grow organically here. while the first book was a heist, this one was more an exposition on politics, war maneuverings, philosophy, and theology...and she fits perfectly well in both. that sounded boring, but sanderson has actually included a lot of twists, clever reveals, and lots of action to keep it from being so.

this was a really fun read. im thinking it will not be too long before i pick up the 3rd book.

>34 riida:, I like that central question, sounds interesting.

>35 riida:, if you liked 1 and 2, you won't be disappointed with 3. Great series.

>36 Cecrow: i also really wanna get deep into sanderson's world, but as you can see, i'm waaaaay behind! :p and he writes long books that are emotionally exhausting :D

I haven't pursued him very far, but his quality seems to be consistent.

>37 riida: If you're enjoying Mistborn, you're in for a treat once you continue farther :)

>39 Narilka: >38 Cecrow: sounds very promising! ^_^

i already have the way of kings series in audiobook...but i've been enjoying mistborn in paper so much, i'm considering buying the physical books.

just finished: How to Kill Men and Get Away With It
5/5



A very readable thriller. The plotting was not as tight as I would have liked, and it felt at points that the story was on the verge of getting out of hand...but it held on to the end. I liked its dark humor.

But then it gets dark...really dark. So dark that it hurt to read. Trigger warnings for gore, mental health issues, and violence against women. The hardest part is knowing that this fiction is rooted in reality. Women all over the world, of all ages, have lived, is living, these nightmares.

There are no words.

>41 riida:, given the title and cover, I would have anticipated more from the humour side, and that's not the warning I anticipated. Seems like misleading branding.

>42 Cecrow: i know right!! it was still quirky and entertaining a third of the way in....and then suddenly I was in a dark, dark place. Actually, the tone of the words were still on the silly/light side...its just that you know its no longer funny. the contrast was very effective!

I too was expecting it to be a light and funny book so am surprised that you said it was dark towards the end. Sounds a bit like My Sister the Serial Killer.

>44 LittleTaiko: actually, yeah, it was a bit like My Sister the Serial Killer. But 'My Sister' was better written, in my opinion. I mean, that felt like the author has been writing for a while already, whereas in "How to kill men", it felt very much like a first novel (not that it was not a good first novel). its like comparing an apple to...a redder, juicier apple :P

just finished: How to Be a Girl by Marlo Mack
5/5



i stumbled onto marlo mack's podcast (of the same title) by accident a few years back. i was immediately mesmerized by the mother raising a very young (less than 5yo) transgender daughter in a time when transgender is a much less understood word (circa 2010s or just about, if i'm right). marlo (all names are faked) narrates in a calm, steady, and honest voice, and she slips in snippets of her daughter just talking, playing, singing every once in a while.

after 40 episodes, marlo stopped updating her podcast, and i missed her and her daughter. then last year, i discovered she spent the time developing their story into a new audiobook! and, it's not just a retelling of the podcast, its almost all new, with more details she could not fit into her previous medium.

the book and the podcast are some of the most powerful storytelling i've ever listened to. many times i have asked myself if there's a book that has really affected or changed me and i could not find an honest answer. now, i do.

quoting marlo early in the first chapter...

"i'm going to save my son from himself"

...and then to say later on before the chapter ends...

"i will re-shape the world in my daughter's image".

just finished: Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined
5/5



when i was very young, i remember borrowing (a lot of times without consent) my older sister's copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology. It was probably the first book I can think of that I have re-read multiple times. My last memory of that book is that it was well worn.

so, naturally, i was drawn to stephen fry's retelling of the greek myths in his Mythos trilogy. it is not as scholarly as hamilton's (by a narrow margin), but is more approachable and readable. in spite of splitting the project into 3 books, it does not feel dense.

in this second book, he focuses on the stories of mortal heroes (in the first, he focused mainly on the gods). fry's wit and humor shows through (i even read all the footnotes!). also, this is for me probably the most enjoyable retelling of the stories of Jason (my least liked hero) and Oedipus and Theseus (my favorite heroes).

Read into that what you will ^_^ or maybe dont :p

So it's true to the original myths, just in modern style?

>48 Cecrow: yeah, and its not even very 'modern'...i mean, it's not disney-fied per se...i'd say its very pat barker (Silence of the Girls) or madeline miller (Circe), only a lot more true to source, and humorous and entertaining rather than dramatic and broody :) the ancient greeks do love their tragedies, though...

just finished: Verity
1/5



i hated this book from the very first chapter. its not even the raunchiness that's rife in the book. its just poorly written, the characters unreal and unlikeable, and i could not squeeze joy out of it (ok...maybe a little). the last few chapters, specially, where i think the author wanted the twists and reveals to wow me, just managed to annoy me more. i feel i have been gaslighted.

wow, i just hit my minimum target of 12 books for the year! \o/
i don't think i've ever managed to do that this early ^_^

also, my stack of read books has surpassed the height of a garden gnome, and is now just 1.6 feet away from a hobbit ^_^

in spite of my last read, this has surprisingly been a very good reading year so far ^_^

Congrats on your progress!

Congrats!

>52 Cecrow: , >53 Narilka: thanks! i'm unreasonably giddy about this ^_^

Congrats on your progress! Also, loved your review of the Colleen Hoover book - I tried reading one of her books once and had a similar reaction. It’s challenging since she’s from near the same small town I grew up in and is immensely popular there.

>55 LittleTaiko: thanks ^_^

yeah...i knew i wouldn't like verity from the first pages...but somehow, it was compelling enough for me to finish it...it was like it was urging me to hate it! :P (days after reading, i was still thinking about this book...so i guess colleen got me there. i think she can write good raunchy scenes...but she can't craft a good story with 3D characters around these scenes)

i looked for youtube reviews of verity and her other books, and i was surprised that more people actually liked her works than hates them (but those of us who do hate them with a passion ^_^). i saw short clips of her interviews too, and she seems a perfectly like-able lady, and i think i'd enjoy coffee with her...which leaves me even more confused!

btw, is this the book you were trying to warn me about earlier this year?

just finished: Caribbean Mystery
3.5/5



its rare that i get disappointed with a christie...i mean, its still good...but it felt a bit too contrived and the final solution sounds logical but felt rushed and unsatisfying.

>56 riida: - Nope! You haven’t gotten to that one yet.

>57 riida: - Hmm. I read that eons ago. I’ll have to see what I think when I get to it again during my Christie rereading project. I’m getting closer to the end so hopefully in the next year or two.

>58 LittleTaiko: really, i havent gotten to it yet!? i thought verity would have been my most controversial read so far...

ok, that gives me one more reason to keep on reading ^_^

just finished: The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas
4/5



witty, funny, brisk, ingenious, and weirdly relatable. i did not quite like the main character's character. he's self-centered and strikes me as lazy and borderline delusional. but he feels like a very real person living in his times. the social commentaries on slavery and the morality of the privileged were almost subtle, but always striking. i think it deserves a more critical reading than i did.

>60 riida:, had never heard of that, interesting.

>61 Cecrow: i also discovered that there's a movie adaptation that looks good and true to source. unfortunately, its in Portuguese (?). id really be interested in watching a dubbed or subtitled version.

>60 riida: - I am not familiar with this book at all but now I’m completely interested.

just finished: Dark Matter
4/5



a good sci-fi thriller...but somehow, it was just not for me. i dont really want to say more because i genuinely think a lot of other people will enjoy this and that they'll enjoy it better without any kind of spoilers. the third act earned this book a whole extra star for me.

Happens to me sometimes. I review every book but then there's some ... anything I say might take away from it.

I quite enjoyed it - the premise was pretty much in my wheelhouse for things that I enjoy. Totally get where it’s hard to review without giving too much away.

i dont know why...i didnt feel like i was enjoying it until the last third of the book. its a page turner though, i'm not surprised the movie rights has already been sold.

i guess there's just something that didnt click with me, even though i'm glad to have read it.

just finished: House in the Cerulean Sea
5/5



This story is set in a world of watercolors and pastels. The characters and settings are vivid and the plot is straightforward but poignant, melancholic, and whimsical at the same time. There are some philosophical and sociological discussions on morality and prejudice, a lot of on-the-nose examples, but all in all this book shows more than it tells, so it does not come across as preachy. It was too easy to fall in love with the characters. If you've seen any Studio Ghibli films, you'll get the idea.

just finished: Eaters of the Dead
4/5



Years ago, I saw the movie "The 13th Warrior" starring Antonio Banderas and I was entranced. Something in one of the early scenes (the Viking burial of an old chieftain) and the final battle scene had gotten firm hold of my imagination. (Maybe Anotnio had something to do with it too...maybe...)

I then found out that this movie was based on a book, and I spent years looking for said book because I desperately wanted more of the story. Only recently did I discover, that the book's actual title is "Eaters of the Dead". And so, here I am.

It's a retelling of Beowulf...well, actually, its a fictional re-telling of a 'true' story that may have been the basis for Beowulf. The story is as gorgeous as I remember, and I got all the extra details I craved for, and then some (and then some more).

Now I want to watch the movie again! (Thankfully available in Disney+ ^_^)

>69 riida:, those are some of the most satisfying reads: been meaning to for a while + ties into other things you've enjoyed or been interested by.

>68 riida: - I loved that book too!
>69 riida: - Thanks for sharing the backstory on how you came to read the book. Very satisfying to have it work out.

>70 Cecrow:, >71 LittleTaiko: thanks! ^_^ it was rather a very satisfying read for me. probably wont win best book in the world, but definitely one of the best reading experiences in my recent memory.

just finished: An Unkindness of Magicians
4/5



i was surprised at how much i liked this book and the main character, sydney. its darker and more complicated than your regular magician stories. this could be 'throne of glass', if that book was better (meeeow!). the only bad thing i can think of was that it felt like the story was trying to do to much...but it tied up things in a satisfying way, and i enjoyed breezing through the pages. i'll have to pick up the next book in the series.

Reminds me of The Magicians; I see someone else recommended that on its book page.

>74 Cecrow: i had the same thought! tho i have not yet read the magicians (hopefully next tbr ^_^)

just finished: The Wall
5/5



a dystopian story that's hypnotic and so, so claustrophobic...this is a future that we humans might just be foolish and careless enough to bring down on us, and maybe soon, too...

i've just finished this and i feel spent.

concrete, water, wind, sky...concrete, water, wind, sky...

*when i first listed this as part of my challenge, i mistakenly cited the author as John Hersey instead of John Lanchester!!

Look at you go - only 5 left! Sounds like the last book was rather intense.

>77 LittleTaiko: thanks ^_^ im excited, i dont think i've ever ticked off all 24 books in my list before!!

its now a mad dash to the end of the year :P

just finished: Daisy Jones and The Six
5/5



this is a well crafted book. at once simple, straightforward, and bursting with nuances and side stories. its about just trying to live your best life, love, sacrifices, sorrow, and rock 'n roll. the dynamics of the band members were compelling, and i specially loved the female characters.

now im wishing i could binge watch the series they based off this so i can actually see and hear the music and performances described in the book.

>79 riida: - And you finally got to the book that I absolutely hated. 😄 Did you do the audio or print version? I’ve heard that the audio is great and wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if I had gone that route. As it was I DNF’d it as I was bored out of my mind.

>80 LittleTaiko: hahahaha oh wow! that bad, eh? :P actually, i did find a lot of similar reactions too, so it seems to be more divisive than i realized. at times, i did find myself getting bored cause of the interview-style presentation of the story, but it also somehow kept pulling me back :P

i read the ebook version, so wondering too if the audiobook would be a better experience. really want to be able to watch the series.

i wonder if it would make a difference to know that at the end of the book they printed full lyrics of the songs in the band's main album. that did irritate me a little, i would have loved being able to flip back and forth and understand better what the characters are talking about.

I think I did know about the lyrics at the back because I remember flipping to the end of the book to get an idea of how it ended and probably saw them there. Doubt it would have helped that much though.

It comforts me to know that there are some others out there who didn't enjoy it as I've only come across one other person who shared my opinion. Ah well. This is why there are so many books - something for everyone.

just finished: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
4/5



beautifully written (and narrated). its nice to read/hear east asian mythology retold lovingly. however, the book has this sense of disorder or untidiness bursting off the seams that's keeping the plot together. its also somewhat predictable, and borders on being too preachy and on the nose.

maybe its just me though, and the mood i'm in when i read this. i imagine this would be a good read for others.

also, i just adore the book cover!

I like all things Japanese, and have read some Japanese mythology. Looks interesting.

i love all things Japanese too, hence my LT profile pic ^_^ i wish i could live/work there!

but although this story gives off very 'hayao miyazaki' vibes, im not sure its Japanese...i mean i'm just basing from the character names (Shim Cheong, Joon, etc), they sound Korean to me...I could be wrong tho

Edit: i googled the author Axie Oh...she's very into K-pop and Korean literature, so maybe the myths in the book are Korean. But maybe, as often happens, myths from different nations in that region have overlaps.

Argh, I try not to leap to assumptions like that, oops. Somehow "Japanese" popped into my head and I would have sworn you said it first, but nope, lol.

just finished: Station Eleven
4/5



a story set in the first few years after a deadly flu variant caused the swift and sudden end of civilization (starting from the night the virus first landed in north america). i believe this was first published around 2015 and caused a sensation, and its easy to see why. however, reading it for the first time in the post-COVID era ups its sense of surreal-ness, in ways i dont think the author originally intended. its sometimes creepy, sometimes ominous, sometimes downright upsetting. i'll have to read this again some time (perhaps after reading King Lear).

Would have been a very unpleasant read in 2020!

>88 Cecrow: yeah...unpleasant now, with new cases of covid on the rise where i live!

>87 riida: - I loved that book when I read it, but wonder how I would feel now in a post-COVID world.

>90 LittleTaiko: i loved the book too...but i think i keep getting distracted by recent events. i'd really love to read it again. it feels like a very...'intelligent' book, and that i have been missing nuggets here and there left by the author that are more significant than they seem.

and i like the author's writing style too...lots of low key tension that drives you nuts but about mainly everyday things, kind of broody but also romantic. i'd definitely pick up another book by her.

>87 riida: I've got to get to her stuff.

>91 riida: - I have one of her books, The Glass Hotel, on my 2024 challenge list. I've read two other books by her and haven't been terribly impressed by them, but I think they were her earlier works - The Lola Quartet and Last Night in Montreal.

>93 LittleTaiko: yeah, i did notice it on your TBR challenge list for next year. i also have the glass hotel somewhere on my unread stack...mandel is a very intriguing author, so far anyway...i look forward to your thoughts on the glass hotel if or when you get to it :)

i'm 30% into reading Foe, when i realized its not written by JM Coetzee!! Instead its a book with same title written by Iain Reed! second time I made a similar mistake this year (earlier, I discoverred that my copy of The Wall was not by John Hersey but by John Lanchester).

must be a problem with books with very short titles. i mean, i dont think anyone would mistakenly reuse You Don't Have to Be Evil to Work Here, But it Helps for their book title.

Books share the same title quite a lot (same with songs). Usually the consequences of a shared name are nothing worse than a marketing mistake, like if you use the same title as something famous (then you're left in its shadow). But I can imagine legal action happening if the name was unique or trademarked.

just finished: Legends and Latte
5/5



cozy fantasy indeed ^_^ what could be cozier than a cafe, good people, and falling in love! Viv the orc introducing coffee to a fantasy world was a very charming conceit. i somehow dont see this working as a series tho...but who knows, maybe i will crave the second/prequel book after some blood, gore, and murder...

now one more book to go from my tbr!!!

just finished: Foe
3.5/5




in the not so far future, a man and his wife living in a remote farm receives news that they have been drafted to a space program, but only the man gets to go work on the space station. the wife gets left behind. they have two years to prepare themselves for the separation, and the story focuses on how they struggled with this.

its intriguing, lots of thought provoking ideas, and its a clever book. only...this annoyed me so much and i could not wait to finish it. i almost dnf-ed this.

the thing is...its so confusing the way the characters are acting and reacting to one another and to the situation, and how there's so little pertinent detail given to the reader. the twist is guessable half way through, at which point there was little need to be subtle about things and i wish the story did...more. there was a second mini-twist though that's almost a saving grace, but too little too late.

i think this book was just not for me...but i can see others enjoying this. also, i wont mind reading other works by iain reid. good book...just really didnt enjoy it.

wow! i did it!!! i ticked off all 24 books in my tbr!!!! i dont think ive ever managed to do this, and definitely did not expect this year to be a marvelous reading year.

now i get to make a new reading list! ^_^

Great job! It might be an easy challenge for some fast readers, but I always find it comes right down to December for me.

Congratulations on finishing the challenge!

Oh, good job!

I didn't finish, but that's okay. There are some books I just avoid, no idea why, since I think I'll love them. Maybe I'm afraid I won't love them?

Anyway, great job.

>100 Cecrow:, >101 LibraryLover23: thanks! ^_^ more than finishing off my list, it was really a fun reading year for me

>102 majkia:, i have learned recently that some books are better left alone, even if they were really appealing when i first acquired them...and like you said, sometimes our feelings for the books just change. the price of growing! in any case, i love this group because there's so very little pressure ^_^ as long we get to have some enjoyable reads along the way.

Congratulations on finishing all 24 books! That is definitely an accomplishment. I think I've only pulled it off a couple of times. Definitely not this year as I got derailed by a different personal reading challenge I had relating to turning 50 this year.

>99 riida: Congratulations on finishing your challenge!