Having had such a successful first year of doing this, I once again requested book recommendations for the coming year - and I’m looking forward to diving in to the diverse set of books I’ve got on the horizon! /thread.

I’ve got less than 100 pages left in “The Covenant of Water,” and I’m really enjoying it. This felt similar to Shantaram in many ways, but has been far more gripping for me. The story is heartfelt, and I’ve teared up a few times. Despite the scope, the author successfully connects to each character.

Another one it’s weird I hadn’t read earlier. “Neverwhere” was enjoyable, but (in my opinion) a little over-rated. It felt very reminiscent of Charles de Lint’s Newford books, and I could easily see the two worlds overlapping. I understand why people love this book. For me it was good, not great.

“The Serpent’s Shadow” was a delight. It’s honestly weird that I haven’t read Mercedes Lackey before, but I definitely intent to read more. This was a delightful foray into magical realism that also grappled with issues of gender and race with a sometimes surprising level of nuance, and stayed fun!

“The Golden Thread,” was a very different read as the only non-fiction book on the list, but I was the target audience. While the author was a little repetitive at times, that was mostly born out of necessity in terms of showing how the ‘thread’ ties each element of fabric’s history together.

“Hell Followed With Us” was a combination of thoughtful and adventurous, and I very much enjoyed it. It brings horror elements to the very real struggles of queer and trans kids, and I thought the exploration of body dysphoria/morphia through the lens of literal monsters was remarkably well done.

“The Name-Bearer” was exactly the kind of book I could have used in May. While it wasn’t necessarily ‘lighthearted,’ it had the feeling of adventure and escape that I’d really needed. I deeply enjoyed this and sped right through both the first and second book, then bemoaned the wait for book three.

“Geek Love” was… weird, which I think was the point. I enjoyed it, although it was definitely the kind of book I could only read a chapter or two of at a time rather than plunging in and reading it all. I was more ready for books that made me think than in May, and this one sure made me think.

I didn’t dislike “The Alchemist,” but I think it was a bit of a miss for me in terms of timing. My dog passed in early May, so I was definitely more in the mood for easy reads and light hearted escapes, and this made me think a little too much.

“Howl’s Moving Castle” has been on my list for a long time, so it was nice to be able to check that off. This was a pretty quick read and very fun. It was fascinating to compare the book to the much loved movie. Lots of similarities, lots of differences, and both delightful in their own ways.

I enjoyed “Shantaram,” but it felt very self-indulgent at times. I got the sense that the main character (and thus, the author) was trying so hard to be wise that he came across as full of himself. Too long, but this was a decent read, and I’m certainly not complaining about the recommendation.

"Last Night at the Telegraph Club" was beautiful and a little heartbreaking, and brilliantly presented a difficult scenario in an even more difficult setting. It was interesting looking at this time period in terms of race (the Red Scare) and sexuality through the lens of a Chinese-American girl.

"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" was such a delightfully cozy sci-fi book - and I promptly read the whole series. It's socially conscious without seeming too forceful in its "wokeness," and just overall a great balance of comfort food with some genuine plot and very 'human' conflict.

At the end of 2023, I asked my friends to recommend books for me to read over the coming year. I’m almost done with the last one. Here are my thoughts. [1/?]

Does anyone else hate backgrounds? I feel like I’ve done all the fun parts and now the rest of this is such a slog.