@fskornia@bookstodon Great list! And Frank, if I ever get you to read one (short) book, I hope it is Malka Ann Older's ... and Other Disasters. (The Ellipses are part of the actual title.) 😊
As a reader, do you prefer when people give you random books as gifts, or do you prefer getting a gift card to a bookstore (so you can pick the book)? Just curious.
Last night I finished Starling House by Alix Harrow. I had no idea what it was about when I started it, but I loved it. It's hard to describe without spoilers, but it's a complex story of families and poverty and bad luck woven into a great haunted house story. It wasn't scary, just creepy. Alix Harrow is now one of my favorite authors, she's brilliant. @bookstodon#Bookstodon#Fantasy#HauntedHouse#AlixHarrow
You ever get the feeling that you just can’t read fast enough? I’m usually happy to mosey along, but this book I’m reading right now—Weyward, by Emilia Hart—is so interesting I just want to devour it, inhale it, consume aaaaall of it at once.
@kristianeleigh@bookstodon To keep the rest of December light, I'm going to be tackling poetry, and reading the graphic novels which my favorite reference librarian has recommended. I have loved 100% of her rec's! Next up:
Eight Billion Genies, Charles Soule, Ryan Browne (illustrator)
American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang, Lark Pien (illustrator)
Okinawa, Susumu Higa, Jocelyn Allen (translator)
recently finished Us by Sara Soler and it was an excellent graphic novel about transitioning, told with such tenderness, care, and exuberance!
Someone on @bookstodon was asking for books of the year. I always struggle with this - remembering, but also, books may have had a profoud meaning for me that I have then absorbed into my understanding.
However, two I will highlight:
Flowers for Algernon.
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting (currently reading). I will say more on this when I have finished it, but it is quite superb.
@Likewise@bookstodon Of course, I'm looking forward to all the NetGalley reads. Beyond those, in 2024, I am planning to read some of the books I actually own. Crazy, right? Top selections include [walks over to bookcase]:
@bookstodon As we approach the end of 2023, I would love to know about the very best books you read this year. (They don't have to have been published in 2023 for your "best of" list.)
@Arlenecw@bookstodon holy moly this is an incredible list of mighty authors. So glad you got to read so many great books. I'm dying to read In Ascension.
@JD_Cunningham@bookstodon These are all new to me. So, now I'm intrigued. I'm still working on mine. It will only be books published in 2023, 'cause I gotta narrow it down somehow.
@Rhube@bookstodon I don't think most people understand what living rough is like. If we believe in our humanity, we should be addressing the problem of the unhoused with compassion.
@bookstodon December 12, 2023 is not a big standalone book release day in the U.S. for some reason. I did find these titles which look promising:
Tali Girls, Siamak Herawi. [The difficult experiences of oppressed women and girls under the Taliban.]
The Lace Widow, Mollie Ann Cox. [In this wildly spun tale, Alexander Hamilton may have been involved in a vast murder conspiracy. The MC joins a network of widow lacemakers to discover the secrets they share.]
The main character looks back on his time as a German soldier at the eastern front in World War II. With the wisdom of old age he describes the horror and absurdity of war. And he reflects on the questions of guilt and shame, of being on the wrong side as a German.
This is a less known perspective on WWII, at least to me. Very impressive. Very well written.
@MarianHellema@bookstodon Sounds very impressive and evocative. How does it compare to ALL QUIET ON THE EASTERN FRONT (Remarque)? I've always wondered if there were another book similar to this classic, and it sounds like maybe you found it!
@bookstodon Just out of curiosity, how close are you to your reading goal for the year? I need to read 12 more books to meet the goal I set for myself. 📚📚📚📚
Not everyone works the same way, of course. We've discussed before that reading goals are counterproductive for many. Having a goal really helps me, but it doesn't work for everyone. Just like reading for pleasure and reading to write a review are very different processes.
@templetongate@bookstodon Each year is so different for each of us, depending not only on what books come out, but also what is going on with us at the time.
@Arlenecw@bookstodon@Likewise Only one week?!? That's unreasonable for, as you say, for any longer book. (I hear that The Covenant of Water is very good.) I get Libby books for two weeks at one library system, and up to 21 days (if not a new title) at the other library.
@ronsboy67@brucy@bookstodon@thestorygraph Whoa! I thought I was the only one who had goals of 300 or more! I read everything from short stories to graphic novels to big ol' doorstopper tomes.
