I’ve made no secret of the fact that my reading has been uneven post-pandemic. The balm to this pox upon my soul (for which reading has always been food and fuel) is that I know I’m not alone. Our world does not reward slow and ostensibly selfish time. It barely allows for it, let alone encourages it. Screens are ubiquitous and intoxicating. I can’t even open TikTok or else a half hour is gone, just disappeared, under the gentle swipe of my fingers. Lately I’ve found myself doing crosswords on my iPad when I should be, or previously would have been, reading a book instead. When I look at the totality of this year, that feels like an apt metaphor for the experience. I’m pushing my brain to work, even when I’m supposed to relaxing, because rest is too hard, too unnatural, too indulgent, to give myself. And frankly, if I give myself even a few minutes of rest, I’ll want more of it. And there is too much to be done. Bills to be paid—more of them than ever. Errands to run—so many. And a new stage of parenting that I’m adjusting to that requires more of me in different ways.
In the midst of all this, a year that felt hectic, harried, and even terrible, I found pockets to read because it’s still who I am—and all I know. I have had to forcibly, and brutally, shut things out to make time to read a book. 2023 was not kind to any hobby that wasn’t “work as often as possible, with as much enthusiasm as one can muster.”
Let us hope for a kinder, softer 2024. Let us hope that we feel more ownership over our quiet moments, and how many of them we allow ourselves.
In the meantime, I managed to squeak through about 122-124 books. Two are still in progress, and I absolutely will take the credit for those if I complete them in the next week. Anyway, here are notes on a few of them.
Happy reading.
Best fiction of the year
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff - It’s hard to surprise me anymore and I was truly stunned by this. Taken fully aback by the scope, audacity, and raw intensity that pulsates off every page. It is beautiful and brutal, and the most astounding writing of a near-wholly internal character.
Runner-up for best fiction of the year
Starter Villain by John Scalzi - Bit of a dark horse choice, I’ll give you that, but this was such a joy to read. An utter pleasure from start to finish. Astoundingly witty.
I am in my sci-fi era and you should join me
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - No book has challenged me more this year. Completely original and intellectually satisfying at every turn. I’m reading the second one now.
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie - Loaded with plot, delicious twists, and wonderfully rich characters, an aspect sometimes overlooked in lesser sci-fi in favor of complex world-building.
Dragons are cool but have you considered werewolves for your fantasy romance
Wolfsong by TJ Klune - I understand that everyone is very deep in their Rebecca Yarros or Yarros-like series right now (or they were until book 2, more below), but have you tried the quieter vulnerability of TJ Klune’s universe? His focus on real emotion and relationships is a breath of fresh air in the genre.
Incredible fiction you may have missed
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips - Utterly dark. I kept thinking it felt just like when I first read Cold Mountain, but more approachable (not maudlin, though). Flew through this one.
Daughter by Claudia Dey - The connection or lack thereof to parents is a universal theme and Dey explores it with force here.
Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter - Today’s corporate workplace satirized, but barely, to perfection.
They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey - Stunning, from the insight about the artistic process to the emotional ties that bind us.
Incredible fiction you definitely didn’t miss
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - Deserved every single bit of the acclaim it received.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - I had a complicated reaction to this but can’t deny the epic scope of the accomplishment.
The Guest by Emma Cline - A divisive read, but that’s my bread and butter. I love an odd book, and the tension throughout this is unbearable in the extreme. Deeply unsettling. There are missteps, but forgiveness is easy to confer because the ride is so fun.
You already know I love octopuses
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler - No plot captured me more fully than this one. It’s not just the octopuses (though that helps, I know). It was the painstaking world building, the interwoven plots, the complex but realistic characters. It’s inventive, and timely (AI, ugh), but deploys all of it to be thought-provoking rather than just provocative.
Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins by Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith - If you want your brain tickled, voila.
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler with Simon Ban - A near perfect book, combining marine science essays with poignant memoir. Mesmerizing.
A lean year for nonfiction that wasn’t about crypto or politics
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann - Oh, it wouldn’t be a year without me reading about a ship or two doing something naughty!!! This one was VERY much so.
Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes by Christine Yu - FASCINATING.
Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles - Growing up nearby the area in question, I found this even more poignant and fascinating.
Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock by Jenny Odell - I can’t say enough about this book but I also don’t feel qualified to for how complex and genius it is. Odell’s thesis is that our sense of time is “the restlessness and change that runs through all things.” The rest of the book explores our relationship to/from/about/through time, and how our worldly context impacts and changes that relationship. Since becoming a parent, my existential musings on time have increased exponentially, and I find this entire subject remarkable, mind-bending, and wonderful.
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel - If it’s a year and I’m reading, I will read about ships and I will also strive to read about people stealing art, and forging art. This year I managed all three, but the forgery book was below average. The thievery book, this one, on the other hand—very good.
Books with promise that couldn’t fully deliver on their brief
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang - Areas of strength here, particularly at the beginning, but the steam clearly went out of the engine by the final third. It becomes painfully predictable, and the problem with creating an antagonist main character is that the driving themes get lost because you have to keep following the unlikable character long after they’ve served their purpose.
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia - DID NO ONE EDIT THIS?
Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang - Oh, so much promise. Deliciously creepy and relevant. Gets lost as the plot narrows.
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor - DID NO ONE EDIT THIS?
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai - Too long, too droll, too derivative.
Spare by Prince Harry - Fewer helicopter training stories next time, more family behaving badly.
They are just feeding us drivel now and whether you like it totally depends on your state of mind
Community Board by Tara Conklin - Shameless crowd-pleaser.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - Absolutely zero basis in reality at any point throughout and yet monstrously heartwarming. So pick your spot if that’s what you need.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid - So many problems but WILDLY enjoyable.
Won’t be everyone’s cup of tea
Chlorine by Jade Song - Extraordinarily dark material here. Deep exploration of mental health and trauma. But wow, what a book.
Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong - Impossible to describe—essentially a mystery, fantasy, and thriller all in one, but the main character is one of the best I read this year. She’s written with incredible depth and nuance. Flew through this.
Margot by Wendell Steavenson - Coming-of-age-at-university was a popular theme this year. You could reach out at any bookstore and grab at least three of them at any time during big publication cycles. Anyway, I read a few, and this was the most well-written, memorable, and disturbing iteration.
Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky - Absolutely menacing.
Everything else
A few more I enjoyed my time with this past year, from the very literary to the very not:
My Husband by Maud Ventura - Quick, enjoyable thriller.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - I could barely get a page in of this before I fell asleep every night. Nothing helped my sleep more. But it was soothing and kind, so I’ll give it that.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros - What a mess, lol. The problem with having a monster first book in a planned series that is incredibly dependent (derivative) on themes from other popular series such as Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and A Song of Ice and Fire is that you may get a note from a publisher to rush book two and realize you have nothing more yet to say except “dragons/vague war/love.” So that’s what we got here. The reason this made the list at all is that I so deeply enjoyed getting sucked into the fantasy book horde. The thrill of waiting for this to come out was wonderful. Yarros can also write the hell out of an action sequence. The last ~200 pages of this were fun but my hopes for book 3 are very, very low. She does not know what she’s doing with this story, everyone!
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei - Interesting premise, but not fully realized. Good ride, though.
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub - Another interesting premise that couldn’t quite reach the finish line.
Wellness by Nathan Hill - Messy. First quarter - stunning. Middle - incoherent. Last quarter - redemption.
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb - Slocumb writes these classical music-centric thrillers and I will read every single one because they’re so unique and this is a sub-sub-genre we need more of.
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll - Kept my attention!
Prom Mom by Laura Lippman - The best Lippman I’ve read in years.
Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini - A fascinating, but somewhat inscrutable novella to accompany his Fractalverse series (which I love).
Lucky Dog by Helen Schulman - Almost made my “won’t be everyone’s cup of tea” list but is not a strong enough entry from an execution perspective.
Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda - See above.
We Are Too Many: A Memoir by Hannah Pittard - Biting, raw nonfiction.
My Murder by Katie Williams - Great premise.
Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh - Beyond twisted. The entire book is cryptic in the extreme and I almost said, pfft, unreadable, but the final bit, there is one final bit…
Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World by Lauren Fleshman - A lot of running memoirs out this year. I liked this one best.
Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay - Have always loved Tremblay but not often a lover of short stories. An exception is made for this excellent collection which was immersive and imaginative.
I have ALWAYS looked forward to your reviews since the deep, bright days of tumblr circa 2009-2015. I'm hooked by your honest. I've added many on the list to my GR and still dream of having you read my book someday when it's published! <3
Always love reading your book reviews and any thoughts about anything. Thank you! Happy New Year. 🎉