Book Review | The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Posted January 19, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 4 Comments

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.

Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’m a fan of Beth O’Leary’s other books, and this one had been on my TBR for a while.

The Quotes

“You were healing. You’re still healing. You’ll maybe always be healing. And that’s OK. It’ll just be part of what makes you you.”

“If you’re holding someone close enough, you can be the shoulder and the crier.”

“Is it really an adventure if you don’t make at least one ill-advised decision?”

“I think part of what had made me so angry with my mum was the fact that I felt she should have been looking after me, not the other way around. But Mum couldn’t be my shoulder to cry on, not when she was bent double with grief herself. That’s the messy thing about family tragedy, I guess. Your best support network goes under in an instant.”

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the story, and I loved watching Leena and Eileen navigate their new circumstances, even if it was only temporarily for each of them. It was fun to see Eileen using online dating platforms, and I loved that we saw romance and sexual adventure happen for her. I loved how welcoming Leena’s friends were to Eileen, but I don’t really feel the same about many of Eileen’s friends towards Leena. I liked the idea and the potential of this story, but unfortunately, I don’t like the actual story very much.

My biggest issue, I think, is that I really, really, dislike meddlers and busybodies. I feel like the story wants to be a found family story, which everyone knows I love, but it falls short in execution. I’m not opposed to loved ones being busybodies out of concern, but the way it happens in this book is so much overstepping. I also feel like found family are people that become family because they prove themselves to be there for you and vice versa. In this book, it was more like they were there because of proximity. There was nothing substantial about Leena’s and Eileen’s relationship to many of the people involved. Some of them, yes, like Arnold, and Letitia, but a lot of the Neighborhood Watch were people that were just there.

It’s still a good story in itself, just not something I’d love.

My Feels

Another issue for me is more personal, and maybe it’s not fair, but this is about my feels for the book, after all. I did not like that Leena’s mother wasn’t there for her. I did not like that Eileen cared about her daughter’s feelings more than she cared about her granddaughter’s feelings. I don’t think that Eileen should have prioritized Leena over Marian, but I don’t think she should’ve prioritized Marian over Leena either.

“I think part of what had made me so angry with my mum was the fact that I felt she should have been looking after me, not the other way around. But Mum couldn’t be my shoulder to cry on, not when she was bent double with grief herself. That’s the messy thing about family tragedy, I guess. Your best support network goes under in an instant.”

The above quote feels personal for me, and I feel like O’Leary is trying to talk about the fact that sometimes you don’t get the support you need because the other person is also going through grief, and I get that, but I don’t get how it excuses Marian in this case. If you can’t look after your daughter because of your own grief, fine, but why do you think you’re entitled to her support then? Why does she have to look after you if she’s going through her own grief?

And why is Eileen getting angry at Leena for trying to have an honest conversation with her mom? Why is it okay to let Leena suffer for Marian’s avoidance? It makes me so angry!

My Rating

3/5 stars. I enjoyed the book, just not as much as I would’ve liked.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Bookish Goals for 2024

Posted January 15, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 44 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Bookish Goals for 2024.

This topic is giving me a bit of anxiety. I’ve got bookish goals for this year, don’t get me wrong, but they’ve been mostly held loosely in a “we’ll see” way. Writing them down here and talking about them make them feel more serious, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that. On the other hand, maybe this is exactly what I need to help me achieve those goals.

Many of them are related and build on each other, so in a way, I could either easily achieve most of them, or fail at most of them!

Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2024

Read more non-fiction – Specifically self-help and reference books I bought long ago that I meant to take notes on. It’s just so easy to breeze through fiction, while putting non-fic aside because I feel like I need to put aside focused time for them.

Take notes and/or annotate books – I love annotated books, but I find it hard to read while annotating because I get so engrossed and forget to stop. I also can’t annotated borrowed books, so I’ll need some kind of notebook if I want to take notes on library books.

Read slower – I tend to rush through books and end up forgetting details, and eventually forgetting the stories. I have reread books without realizing that I’ve read them before! My whole reason for wanting to take notes is so I’ll slow down and remember the books I read.

Write reviews for books I read – Another way to help me remember the books I read, but more concise. I anticipate being very long-winded with my annotations, and the reviews will help me summarize my thoughts.

Read books I own – Related to the first goal, but not limited to nonfic. I just want to read some of the books I bought long time ago because I wanted to read them then and never did. It’s so easy to get caught up in the excitement of new books, and prioritizing library books because they have deadlines. There’s no urgency with books I own because they belong to me, but I should at least try to read some this year!

Prioritize older books on my TBR instead of new releases – I mean… LOL! Look, I know me, and I know I can’t resist new releases. We just did a TTT on anticipated new releases, ya know?! But I’m going to try to read more old books than new ones?

Finish some of the series I’ve started – So. Many. Series. So. MANY. I need to finish some of them or I’ll go crazy. I don’t know why I do this to myself.

Read more diverse books – I tend to not pay very much attention to what I read or who the authors are beyond the fact that the book’s premise interests me. I do end up reading many diverse books anyway, but I’d like to be more intentional about choosing them.

Read more in print – Physical books or ebooks. Last year more than half my books read were audiobooks, and that’s because it’s convenient for me when I’m getting chores done, and necessary for me to get to sleep, but that means I’m usually borrowing whatever audiobooks are available in the moment instead of reading physical books and ebooks I already have. I end up reading a lot of books I’d never heard of nor were interested in. On the bright side, I’ve also discovered some great books by accident because of this.

Reorganize my bookshelves – It’s a bit messy right now, ngl. And I’ve also got non-bookish stuff, random files, piles of paper, taking up space on those shelves because I have nowhere else to put them. I’d have to go through them all to clear up space.

DNF books I don’t like sooner – I’m really bad at this and I need to get better. Rationally, I have no problem DNF-ing books, but emotionally, I always hope that they get better and I keep reading to give them that chance.

I hope I’m able to achieve most of these. What are your bookish goals this year?

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Book Review | Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

Posted January 15, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

Darrow returns as Pierce Brown’s New York Times bestselling Red Rising series continues in the thrilling sequel to Dark Age.

“The measure of a man is not the fear he sows in his enemies. It is the hope he gives his friends.”—Virginia au Augustus

The Reaper is a legend, more myth than man: the savior of worlds, the leader of the Rising, the breaker of chains.

But the Reaper is also Darrow, born of the red soil of Mars: a husband, a father, a friend.

The worlds once needed the Reaper. But now they need Darrow. Because after the dark age will come a new age: of light, of victory, of hope.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #7: At least four different POVs)
2024 Finishing the Series Challenge
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

It’s the sixth book in the Red Rising series, and I spent the last year and a half reading (and rereading) the first five books.

The Quotes

“I’m not really blessed at keeping friends. But you are. I truly respect that. I know how special your friends are to you, how protective you are of them. And it means…quite a bit to me that you’ve invited me into your pack and made me feel welcome. No…it means everything, really. Without this, without your friends, I’m very much alone.”

“Forgetting is essential to learning, just as exhaling is essential to breathing. Breathe out, then in. Find the self, then lose it once again. Thus, the path goes ever onward.”

“The point of war is not to kill your enemies, but to come to an acceptable peace while losing as few people as possible.”

“If a man cannot learn from his mistakes, then what hope is there but to kill us all at first sin?”

The Characters

There are a lot of notable characters in this series, and in this book, but I’ll focus on the ones that stand out to me and that I feel were most important to this book.

Darrow – the main protagonist, the Reaper, the leader, and the one everyone rallies around. Totally flawed character and makes a lot of mistakes and enemies, but I love him.

Sevro – Darrow’s best friend and right hand man. I love him, and I hate it when Sevro and Darrow are apart or at odds.

Cassius – I was ambivalent about him, but I’ve grown to love him in this book.

Lysander – one of the antagonists. Cassius mentored and raised him a bit, but their values don’t align.

Fa – another antagonist. Fierce and scary, but a great antagonist and such a great part of the story.

My Thoughts

I have journeyed long with the characters in this series, and I have fallen in love with so many of them. I know their stories, I know the things they went through to get where they are now. From the 4th book onward, there had been no rest, no peace for the good guys. Everything seemed to be going against them and the stakes just kept getting higher. In this book, it was more of the same. I think maybe in the first three books, everything seemed to go well for them to the point of being unrealistic maybe? But these last three books, it’s like everything kept going wrong and I felt so frustrated for them. There were some wins, and some very strong scenes in the later part of the book, and I loved them because we really needed the wins. But there is still a 7th book and we don’t have a proper resolution yet. My beloved characters are far from safe, and I am still so anxious for them. I need the 7th book, and I need them to be okay!

My Feels

This book… just kills me. My emotions are all over the place! I loved so many of the scenes, I love when the good guys emerge triumphant, I love how powerful those scenes were, and I cheered for the wins. And then there were some quiet scenes that were no less powerful. The friendships, the love, the trust, and the feeling of knowing your friends have got your back. It’s heartwarming. And it’s also heartbreaking. This series, with the last 5 books, have broken my heart over and over again, and with this 6th book, it has broken me again. I am inconsolable!

Spoiler
That scene where Cassius and Darrow had a moment, and talked about how they loved each other and was grateful for each other, made me cry so hard. It was so heartwarming and I loved them so much. And it was then I knew Cassius was in danger! Why give me that scene if not to break my heart into a million pieces later?! And sure enough! I am devastated!

My Rating

5/5 stars. How could it be anything else?

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Sunday Post | Cold, Cats, Cookies

Posted January 13, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 30 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

Cold, Cats, Cookies

I was in a funk this week. I didn’t have my usual energy this week and spent a couple of days being moody and just laying in bed reading (might be I was just using the moodiness as an excuse to stay in bed and read, but you have no proof).

To be fair, it was a really cold week, with temperatures going down to -36 Celcius, so it’s just much more comfy to hide under the covers than try to do anything else. Even the cats were so cold, all three cuddled up together, which they very rarely do! Also, to be clear, I didn’t have a cold. It was just really cold, and I had a mood.

I did bake some cookies though, which took a lot of time because I made 4x the recipe, but it was yummy and totally worth it! And we got some heat from the oven too, so win-win!

On the reading front, I finished The September House and The Librarian Spy, so yay! I also posted my notes and reactions for The September House that I wrote in my e-reader as I was reading. It’s password-protected and spoiler-filled, but if you’ve read it and are interested in my notes, password is “SPOILME0002”.

I also finally got Light Bringer by Pierce Brown on audiobook. It’s the sixth book in the Red Rising series, and I’ve been so anxious reading about characters that I’ve loved since the first book. Things haven’t been going their way for a while, and I’m just really afraid for them. If this was the final book, I would be expecting a good resolution, but there’s going to be a seventh book, so I’m not sure if we’re going to be left hanging again.

For nonfiction, I’ve started reading The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner and it’s really kicking my ass, to be honest. I’m reading it very slowly, and it’s bringing up a lot of difficult topics. I’m sure it’s good for me to work through them, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for it right now.

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I’m pretty sure I can finish Light Bringer this week. I’m not so sure about The Dance of Anger, I’m contemplating if I want to leave it for another time, but even if I decide to continue, I will be going slow, so it’s going to take me a while.

I also just got The Switch by Beth O’ Leary on audiobook, and I got a physical copy of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries from the library, so they are on the list right after Light Bringer. I’m feeling pretty happy because I’m doing well with actually reading the books I listed on my Winter TBR a few weeks ago. Let’s hope I keep it up!

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

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Book Review | The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

Posted January 11, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 4 Comments

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London comes a moving new novel inspired by the true history of America’s library spies of World War II.

Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.

Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.

As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #14: A grieving character)
2024 Bookish Books Challenge
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I read Madeline Martin’s The Last Bookshop in London and I loved it, and this was the next one available on my library’s audiobook catalog, so obviously I had to borrow it.

The Quotes

“Sometimes the things we hold inside of us need to be let out. No matter where you are or who you’re speaking with.”

“Understanding and knowledge were wasted if one did not apply them to life.”

“Now I am nothing.” “You aren’t,” Ava said vehemently. “Not when you are here to tell your story. Not when there are those like Ethan who work miracles with limited resources to get you onto safe shores. Not when people like me are photographing your books, your correspondence, your papers, and your lives to share your heritage, to ensure Hitler can never make any of you into nothing. He will not succeed in destroying you.”

“You ask if this is important. This is the education for our future, to learn from the mistakes that have been made now and never let atrocities such as this continue or be repeated.”

The Characters

Ava and Elaine are the main protagonists, but in some ways, I feel like they are more the narrators, the holders of other people’s stories, rather than main characters in their own stories. They do have their own stories in the book, of course, and I loved getting to know them, but seeing the world through their eyes – the people they worked with, talked to, helped, lost… They all came so vividly to life for me, and it was both painful and inspiring to read about their experiences, their fears, their hopes, their determination to survive. These characters are fictional, but the events of WWII happened and real people went through similar experiences. It’s difficult to think about.

My Thoughts

I love Madeline Martin’s storytelling. I loved all the characters, and how Ava’s and Elaine’s stories linked up. I have so much respect for their courage and determination to do difficult things, and such sadness for the loss and pain they experienced. It doesn’t even show the worst of things that happened in WWII, but it’s bad enough.

One of the things I loved most about the book is the emphasis on documenting the stories and experiences of the people Ava came across. How adamant she was about the importance of having their stories told, so that there is a history, an education, so that people can learn from the mistakes made. And yet, I wonder, in light of things happening in the world now, have we really learned from our mistakes? It’s hard not to look at ourselves and wonder if we’ve learned anything at all when harsh realities are reflecting back on us.

My Feels

I loved the book, but it’s given me so many conflicting feelings and I’m not sure how to process. I think it’s a sign of a very good book that makes anyone feel this way. The atrocities should not be forgotten or downplayed, we should all feel very, very bad about the things that happened. But I also felt so much love and admiration for Ava and Elaine, and for the other characters in the book that survived. The strength of the human spirit to endure, to fight against injustice. It is inspiring, and it really puts things in perspective.

My Rating

5/5 stars. For so many different reasons. It’s well-written, the characters are amazing, the stories are painful and inspiring. It makes me think. It makes me feel.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The September House by Carissa Orlando

Posted January 10, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 6 Comments

The September House by Carissa Orlando

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee.

Margaret is not most people.

Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #31: Includes a personal phobia)

The Reason

It was one of the nominees for the Goodreads Choice awards and I saw it on another blogger’s post. It caught my attention because I love a good haunted house story, and this one had a protagonist that was determined to stay. I was hooked immediately!

The Quotes

“I had grown accustomed to solo trips through hell over the years. It seemed counterintuitive to invite company.”

“Didn’t you just tell me that people can change? You can change.”
I hadn’t the first clue what she was talking about. I changed all the time. I was flexible. I bent. I had changed little by little, steadily over the years, until by all accounts I was a person who should have been unrecognizable but to me was just who I was. I ought to have been a stranger to myself, but it didn’t bother me at all.”

“Everything is survivable.”

The Characters

Margaret, I’m not sure what to say about her. She’s one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever known. She’s relatable, she’s got a sense of humor about dark things, she’s loyal to a fault (literally), and she’s strong in her own way. In her own words, her best asset was her ability to bend, be flexible.

And a whole bunch of ghosts, who I will not introduce because it’s so much more fun for the reader to meet them in the book.

My Thoughts

This book was incredible! There were so many surprises, both good and bad, and I couldn’t help but get sucked in. I love Margaret as a character. She had a dark sense of humor, and so much stoicism for enduring the circumstances she found herself in. I love the way the story was written, the insight into Margaret’s thought processes. I don’t want to say more, for spoilers, but I did take notes on my e-reader as I was reading in real time, and I’ve posted them up for anyone who’s interested!

For my notes and reactions on the book – with SPOILERS – check out Notes & Reactions | The September House by Carissa Orlando. This post has SPOILERS and assumes you have already finished the book. It is password-protected to prevent accidental spoiling. Password is “SPOILME0002”. Proceed at your own risk.

My Feels

It’s funny because this book felt heavy and light at the same time. It was heavy stuff, but handled in a light-handed manner, and I found myself going with it. I mean, why not look on the positive sides? Why not focus on the successes? The small celebrations? Interestingly, at the end of it all, Margaret, whose greatest asset is her ability to bend, also has the strongest boundary that she won’t allow anyone to cross. She doesn’t have many rules, but she has that one, and it’s non-negotiable. I have so many feels about this whole book, in so many different ways. They’re all very confusing and I don’t think I can categorize them. It’s just, I loved it!

My Rating

5/5 stars. It’s just so good!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Most Anticipated Books for 2024 Jan – Jun

Posted January 8, 2024 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 58 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024

There are so many that I’m so excited for!!! Almost all of these are authors I have read and loved, and I would read anything they write so that’s why I can’t wait for these. I know they are going to be good!

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing Jan-Jun 2024

Top-Bottom, Left-Right:

  1. The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo – releasing Feb 13. She’s a Malaysian author writing about Malaysian Chinese folklore. I’ve read The Ghost Bride and The Night Tiger, both written by her and I loved them. I’m very excited for this one.
  2. The Bride Bet by Tessa Dare – releasing Jan 15. This is the fourth book in the Girl Meets Duke series, and I’ve read the first three, so obviously this is next on the list!
  3. What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher – releasing Feb 13. I love T. Kingfisher, and I loved the first book in this series. I didn’t even know there was going to be a second book, but of course I have to read it too!
  4. Funny Story by Emily Henry – releasing Apr 23. I’ve read several of Emily Henry’s books and always enjoy them. This one has a storyline that is just too good to pass up.
  5. The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe – releasing May 14. The first book I read by Tess Sharpe is the first book in this series, The Girls I’ve Been, and I was hooked. I love her strong female protagonists, and I was so excited to find out she wrote a sequel.
  6. The Dark Fable by Katherine Harbour – releasing Jan 30. The only author on this list whom I’ve never read. I’m not sure what to expect and I hope I won’t be disappointed, but I love the premise and I love fantasy stories, so I’m excited to read this!
  7. You Like It Darker by Stephen King – releasing Mar 21. I mean, it’s Stephen King. I haven’t read all his books but I’m sure going to try, and his new stories keep getting better so of course I’m going to read this.
  8. The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden – releasing Feb 13. I loved The Winternight Trilogy and I am very interested in this story. I want to read it!
  9. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo – releasing Apr 9. I loved many of Leigh Bardugo’s books, and I am very interested in this story too. Anticipating it very much!
  10. The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz – releasing Jan 23. I’ve only read one of Koontz books so far and I loved it, and I keep meaning to read more. I love the premise of this book, it sounds so deliciously creepy and I just can’t wait to read it.

Have you read any of these authors? What did you think of them? What are your most anticipated books this year?

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Sunday Post | A Very Book Blog-ish Week

Posted January 6, 2024 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 32 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

A Very Book Blog-ish Week

Happy New Year!

I hope the first week of 2024 went well for everyone. My first week was pretty slow, I haven’t gotten back into the groove of work yet, but I did manage to read some books and write some reviews. I also posted a few book tags which I thought were fun, and I hope if you’re so inclined, you’ll do some of them too. Let me know if you do! Or if you already did!

The Spotify Wrapped Book Tag 2023 is for matching 3-5 songs you listened to in 2023 to the books you read in 2023, in any way that makes sense to you.

My Life in Books 2023 Tag is for matching some fun prompts with book titles that fit the prompts.

The 2023 End of Year Book Survey helps you look back on your stats and best books of the year. There are some very thoughtful questions and I had fun thinking back to the books that fit the questions.

About password-protected posts for spoiler-y discussions

I also wanted to find a way to discuss spoilers in books without spoiling it for those who haven’t read them, because I just finished reading Holly by Stephen King, and I have to talk about the ending. I ended up posting it as a password-protected post, so if you’ve read the book and are interested in reading my post, go to Notes & Discussion for Holly by Stephen King, password is “SPOILME0001”.

I’m happy with the set up, I think. It’s too early to tell.

But I do like feeling like I can be free to talk about all the spoiler-y stuff with abandon on password-protected posts. I hope to add more spoiler-y discussions posts as I go, and I hope you will join me for some of them if you’ve read the books. Each of the posts have to have unique passwords, but it’s going to be the same formula for all of them, and it’s posted at the top of my blog so anyone who wants to can access them.

As for the upcoming week, my intentions are to read books that count towards all the reading challenges I signed up for!

The book tags and memes haven’t been good for me, I keep adding new books to the TBR, and reading some of them before reading the ones that had been on my TBR for ages and are the reasons I signed up for those challenges in the first place! Book gods, give me the strength to resist new books!

Last Week on The Blog

This Week

I believe I can finish The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin this week, and The September House by Carissa Orlando. Both are new additions to my TBR. Sigh.

I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

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2023 End of Year Book Survey

Posted January 5, 2024 by Haze in Book Tags / 4 Comments

This is my first time doing Jamie’s End of Year Book Survey although I found it through Jana @ The Artsy Reader Girl.

I’m doing it a little late because I felt weird about doing it at all, initially. I only just started this blog a month or so ago, and it felt weird to talk about books I read in 2023 that I never reviewed here. But then I thought about it more, and I realized that it was even more of a reason to do this, so that I could have a sort of unofficial record here about the books I read in 2023. So here we are.

2023 Reading Stats

Number of books you read: 94

Number of re-reads: 6
1. Wool by Hugh Howey
2. Falling into Place by Amy Zhang
3. Golden Son by Pierce Brown
4. Morning Star by Pierce Brown
5. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
6. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Number of books you DNFed: 3
Number of pages you read: 37,057
Most read genre: Fantasy at 46 books
Number of new-to-you authors you discovered: 29

Firsts and Lasts

First book you read: This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
Last book you read: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Easton
First 2023 release you read: All My Love by Miranda Dickinson

Best In Books

1. Best book you read in 2023:
There were some really great books this year, but ultimately Labyrinth’s Heart by M.A. Carrick wins the title for me. Simply because out of all the books I loved, this is the one I believe I will come back to most often.

2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t:
Caraval by Stephanie Garber. It had been on my TBR for a while, and I loved the premise, it reminded me of an old childhood book that I loved. I was so excited for it, but I felt like the story and characters were so nonsensical and juvenile. I was going to give it 3 stars, but the ending made it worse, and I decided to give it 2 stars.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read:
Sooley by John Grisham. I went into this book without expectations. I need to listen to audiobooks to sleep and I often try books I normally wouldn’t read because they are immediately available on my library’s audiobook catalog. I enjoy Grisham’s legal thrillers but this one was a sports story and I’m not really a fan, but I ended up really loving it.

4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did):
None this year. I was off social media for pretty much the whole year and didn’t influence anyone!

5. Best first book in a series you started in 2023. Best sequel of 2023. Best series ender of 2023.
Started: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Sequel: Jade War by Fonda Lee
Ender: Labyrinth’s Heart by M.A. Carrick

6. Favorite new-to-you author you discovered in 2023:
Madeline Martin. I loved The Last Bookshop in London, and I’m already working on The Librarian Spy. I’m pretty sure I’ll read The Keeper of Hidden Books soon after too.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone:
Well, Sooley by John Grisham. As I said, I don’t really read sports stories, but I loved this story.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year:
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It grabbed me from the first page, and I literally couldn’t put it down. It has been a while since I got so immersed in a book, and I loved it!

9. Book you read in 2023 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
10 Blind Dates by Ashley Easton. It was so fun and heartwarming, and such a perfect read for Christmas season because of the timeline. I feel like I want to read it again for Christmas 2024!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2023:
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. I mean, talk about mysterious and provocative!

11. Most memorable character of 2023:
Holly Gibney from the Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King. I only read Holly in 2024, but I met her from the Bill Hodges Trilogy in 2023, and she’s one of my favorite characters ever that I believe will transcend the books.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2023:
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. I’m not sure if it’s beautiful in terms of aesthetics, but it is beautiful in terms of feels.

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2023:
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. It helped me understand my CPTSD a little more, and prompted me to look into finally going to therapy.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2023 to finally read:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I don’t know what to say, I’m ashamed of myself. But I’m glad I finally read it!

15. Favorite quote from a book you read in 2023:
Not my favorite, but one that sticks with me.

“Even I, in public, was a beloved child. Once her period of mourning for Marian was over, she’d parade me into town, smiling and teasing me, tickling me as she spoke with people on the sidewalks. When we got home, she’d trail off to her room like an unfinished sentence, and I would sit outside with my face pressed against her door and replay the day in my head, searching for clues to what I’d done to displease her.”
― Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects

16. Shortest and longest books you read in 2023:
Shortest: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (152 pages)
Longest: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (884 pages)

17. Book that shocked you the most:
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I loved the Something Strange and Deadly series, and I expected this one to be just as good, but it wasn’t even close. I didn’t like it at all and I was very disappointed. It made me question myself if it’s this book that’s bad or if I wasn’t as discerning with the Something Strange and Deadly series back then.

18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!):
Ren and Grey from Labyrinth’s Heart, they’ve got that healthy, steady, mature relationship, but also lots of heat and perfect trust between each other. It’s the kind of relationship that will stand the test of time.

19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year:
Vargo with Ren and Grey! Also from Labyrinth’s Heart. Honestly, I love found family, and I love Vargo’s relationship with Ren and Grey more than I love Ren and Grey’s relationship. He is so vulnerable with them and, I can’t describe how beautiful their relationship is. I love it.

20. Favorite book you read in 2023 from an author you’ve read previously:
Does it count if it’s from a trilogy I started before 2023? Because my answer is still Labyrinth’s Heart. If series don’t count, then it’s Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe. I read The Girls I’ve Been previously and she just writes strong, young female protagonists really well, and the stories she tells about them are so thrilling!

21. Best book you read in 2023 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else:
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey. Well, the whole trilogy, really. A friend recommended it to me and I devoured it.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2023:
It would be Vargo from Labyrinth’s Heart, but I loved him from 2022, so I’m not sure if he’s eligible. The next best one would be Harley from Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe. She’s just so badass, and I love badass women!

23. Best 2023 debut you read:
I only read one 2023 debut this year and I didn’t like it, unfortunately. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer.

24. Most vivid setting you read this year:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. His writing is just so descriptive, I can see it all in my head.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read:
10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston was the most fun from the beginning to the end. It was just pure joy to read and there were so many hilarious moments, and also heartwarming ones.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2023:
I read books 2 to 5 of the Red Rising series this year, I’m not sure which ones made me cry. Probably all of them. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes was another one. I’m sure there are more, but I tend to cry a lot so I don’t always take note of it anymore.

27. Hidden gem of the year:
This is a difficult one to answer because I’m not very up to date on the popular books, so sometimes what seems like hidden gem to me, isn’t hidden to anyone but me. But one of the books I loved most this year with the least amount of ratings is Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe.

28. Most unique book you read in 2023:
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. You can tell it’s something special just by the title, but I love the whole idea of baking for defense. It’s just such a good book, and I love anything T. Kingfisher writes!

39. Book that made you the maddest (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it):
The longer I stay with a lousy book, the madder I get, because I wish I had dnf’d sooner, but I also try to give the book a chance to get better, and when it doesn’t, I get madder. Caraval by Stephanie Garber, and The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake, made me mad.

My Blogging/Bookish Life

1. Favorite review that you wrote in 2023:
I only have a month’s worth of blogging to choose from in 2023! I’m glad I’ve got some good books to choose from. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin.

2. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog:
My favorite was the Sunday Post Zoolights edition because posting all the pictures of the Zoolights made me so happy.

3. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.):
No events this year.

6. Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views):
My Top Ten Tuesday Most Recent Books Borrowed from the Library has 45 comments.

8. Post you wished got a little more love:
I’ve only been blogging a little over a month, so I have no expectations at this point. I might have a better answer at the end of 2024.

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.):
Again, new blogger here! Everything is a new discovery! Everyone’s blogs, all the book memes, reading challenges, book tags! SO MANY NEW THINGS TO DISCOVER!

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year:
I didn’t set any challenges for 2023.

Looking Ahead in 2024

1. Book you are most anticipating in 2024 (non-debut):
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. I fell in love with The Ghost Bride and Choo is a fellow Malaysian Chinese writing such compelling stories about Malaysian folklore. I cannot wait to read this next one!

2. 2024 debut you are most anticipating:
I don’t think I have one at the moment.

3. Sequel you are most anticipating in 2024:
The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe. It is the sequel to The Girls I’ve Been, which I loved, and which is apparently going to be made into a movie starring Millie Bobbie Brown.

4. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2024?
I want to read more intentionally and remember more of what I’ve read. I signed up for reading challenges to motivate myself to read more nonfiction, classics, and diverse books, so I hope I achieve those challenges, but I also want to remember that reading should be fun and not a chore, so if I’m not enjoying the books, I can dnf. I want to dnf books I don’t like sooner instead of suffering through them!

What are your answers to these questions? If you do this survey, let me know so I can visit your post and check out your answers. You can also leave your answers in the comments!

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