2024 ⤴
reading goal: 25 books - at least 3 non-fiction books
reading reality: 19 books - 14 fiction, 5 non-fiction
if a single book spans more than one month of reading, it is catagorized in the month I finished it.
january
Out of Love by Hazel Hayes
oh yeah, Hazel Hayes wrote a book! ultimately, this one was not for me. it was good, though. I benefited from hearing Hazel read it. this is a real and grounded portrayal of a relationship. my interest started strong then waned the further into the book I got. your mileage may vary. *shrugs*
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
book club pick
I liked it! good heart. nice message. talk to your neighbours.
february
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
I have a used copy of this book. a previous owner has written, "Boring!" in pencil on the title page. (she's not wrong. I liked large parts of it regardless.)
Children of the New World by Alexander Weinstein
book club pick
a short story collection in my preferred genre! relationship-focused spec fic. I'd like to write a collection that could go on the shelf with this one. although, being asexual, I probably wouldn't write stories quite like these...
march
You Feel It Just Below the Ribs by Jeffrey Cranor & Janina Matthewson
it turns out that all I need to do to get into Within the Wires was skip the first season! smooth sailing from there! and then to discover this book: joy. I love when writers decide to set multiple interconnected narratives within a single fictional universe. (yeah, I should really get back to Discworld, shouldn't I?)
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
book club pick
not what I expected! but good nevertheless. I wish it had a bit more daring, a bit more bite—there are glimpses of this, real and devastating emotional impact, but it otherwise feels...too neat. this may be an example of the limits of upmarket fiction. after all, this book made it into Reese's Book Club.
we don't often read "book club" books. on the one hand, they tend to be very readable, enjoyable. on the other hand, they are rarely books that stick with me. upmarket fiction is a category describing books that straddle commercial and literary fiction. I don't know that much of what I read could be classified as commercial fiction. genre fiction, sure. literary fiction, yep. but those more cinematic page-turners? not so much. hmm.
april
Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman
charming enough. many unexpected plot threads.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
a re-read of a favourite. I love this book. it aches like the start of a sunburn after a long, glorious summer day with people you love.
may
Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George by James Lapine
Sunday is my favourite musical. or, at least, it is the musical that I feel has the most to teach me. every time I watch it, I get something new out of it. I treasure this account of how the show was born. it offers insight into the changing theatre landscape of the time and the development of this strange, brilliant show. we are particularly lucky to have a video record of the original production, with Lapine's direction and Tony Straiges's set design, both of which are excellent. (not to mention, of course, the performances of Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, which are, I think, unmatched.)
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
book club pick
read
after reading this book in October last year, I suggested it for book club and it became our May pick. I loved the book the first time, but I found it particularly devastating this time around. because by now, we have student encampments protesting the ongoing violence in Gaza being met with violence by the police...and at the root of that violence, we have words. words from the mouths of politicians and administrators, words repeated for decades so as to entrench a particular reading of history. this time, I spent a long afternoon reading the last third of this book and weeping.
in one of Ella's letters, at a point where she has lost half the alphabet, she writes of her determination to stay in Nollop. she has to write it out phonetically, because her language has become so limited, but I will reproduce it here in plain English:
“I am not going away. I will learn to talk in numerals. I will learn sign language—anything to stay in Nollop. I and the sparse-peoples still strolling Nollop's sandy, salty-air seaside, gazing at sunrises too glorious to place into words—we will possess these things always! Nollop true also in our memories—deep, deep within our souls.”
Sondheim by Martin Gottfried
from West Side Story to Assassins. a comprehensive and enjoyable read, though with a few questionable judgements and interpretations that left me shaking my head. the biggest thing I credit this book for is finally getting me to check out Pacific Overtures. the idea is daring and the score is brilliant. this book covers the original production, but I also went on to learn about the Tokyo production helmed by Amon Miyamoto. Read a review of that production here.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
book club pick
I'm glad and grateful we read this for book club, because I would not have picked it up otherwise. Based on the cover and summary, I assumed it would not be to my taste (and I was mostly correct), so I was delighted to find that after a slow first third, the story picked up and I warmed to it.
I rarely read books this "voicey" and I should say I actually listened to this one! The audiobook, performed by Moira Quirk, is outstanding. It is her narration that got me through the first third of the book (which is a lot of style and worldbuilding and attitude). her performance of Gideon reminded me a lot of Lisa Bowerman as Bernice Summerfield, which played no small part in holding my interest.
I love when magic comes at a cost, so points for well-executed necromancy. the relationship between Gideon and Harrow is the heart of the book; they are interesting together from their first scene. the sci-fi/fantasy blend is fun, particularly as I have no particular attachment to the tropes of either genre. this is a good book! I wish it were...75 pages shorter. but it's good.
june
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
devoured it. a two-day read. if you, like me, are wary of prequels about villains, know this is a good one.
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
book club pick
such a great adventure novel! to me, a little bit Tarzan, a little bit Peter and the Starcatcher, plus airships! enjoyable and fantastical setting, strong pacing with excellent setup and payoff, likeable characters and real stakes. a great pick; I highly recommend it.
september
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
book club pick
I last read this more than ten years ago. it still hits hard. that one scene, towards the end? you know the one. those of us in the club who had read it before were still traumatized.
Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson
it was after seeing John Oliver's Last Week Tonight segment on multi-level marketing that I learned how predatory these companies are. years later, I would discover Hannah Alonzo on YouTube, where I heard many, many more first- and second-hand accounts of the damage (mental, emotional, financial) inflicted by these companies and started to understand the tactics used to recruit and retain people. this book presents a first-hand account from someone who rose in the ranks of one. though it is fairly well-researched, the strongest part of the book by far is Paulson's account of her experience: an inside look at her thoughts, emotions, and actions while part of the MLM company. the justifications, the inner conflict, the stress. it's not sympathetic, but it is, I think, honest.
october
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
book club pick
this is the best new book I've read this year. it was so good, I immediately recommended that we read it for book club. gorgeous book. lyrical and mesmerizing. more about snails than I thought it would be. I anticipated that the snail would be used as a metaphor/point of comparison for chronic illness (which it is) but not that there would be so much historical and scientific background on snails. goes on a shelf (science books I actually like!) with Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. a big part of why I enjoyed both these books is down to the writing style. when the language is beautiful, I am captivated.
november
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
book club pick
this was my first N.K. Jemisin and probably won't be my last, but that's on the strength of her reputation, not the strength of this book. this book was ok.
I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron
She wrote several of my all-time favourite films and I miss her.
on the shelf
Moonbound by Robin Sloan
currently
Robin writes my favourite newsletter, and also wrote one of my favourite books, Sourdough, so I preordered this one despite the pitch being outside my typical field of interest. Robin is a skilled writer and storyteller; I have high hopes!
Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
currently
part of a micro-genre I'm investigating: sensual exploration of pleasure through food. see also Milk Fed.
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
abandoned
picked up a copy at my fave used book store while on vacation. familiar with the musical first; I couldn't help but hear the music of the prologue while reading the first chapter.
The Long Game 1996-2003: The Inside Story of How the BBC Brought Back Doctor Who by Paul Hayes
set aside
after hearing Paul Hayes on The Doctor Who Show podcast, I was curious enough about this book to buy it. there may as well be a sticker on the cover that reads "for Whovians only" but nevertheless it is a worthwhile read and offers insight into the inner workings of the BBC. it's just, uh, dense.
to-read pile
- The Broken Places by Frances Peck (« I know her!)
- The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
- Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
- The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
oh look, alicia is engaging with another story about rich people and their decadence. but you know, between this and Saltburn, I suggest going with this. compulsively readable and increasingly thrilling, this novel will douse you in glitter and pull you under. been a while since I had a weekend read I couldn't put down! books can be fun :)