2024 ⤴
reading goal: 25 books - at least 3 non-fiction books
reading reality: 7 books - 6 fiction, 1 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
read
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
read
I liked it! good heart. nice message. talk to your neighbours.
february
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
read
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
read
a short story collection in my preferred genre! relationship-focused spec fic. I'd like to write a collelction 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
read
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
book club pick
read
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.
on the shelf
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.
Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley
set aside
started in april 2021 and was enjoying it right up until I set it aside! I am a distracted reader, but keen to pick this one back up.
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
read
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 :)