Books of 2023
Jan. 2nd, 2024 12:21 pmThe Year in Books, borrowed from ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
misbegotten
1. How many books did you read this year? Any trends in genre/length/themes/etc?
Apparently about 55, probably closer to 65 if including academic books for work. About a third of books I DNF. Life's too short and you can always come back to them.
2. What are your Top 3 books that you read this year for the first time?
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Her ear and eye for detail!! Had never read anything by her and am looking forward to more.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. Hadn't read this Discworld novel before and fuck me the biting social commentary is brilliant, plus the central character is utterly charming.
Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser. Unexpectedly scholarly (for an artist/journalist) and in-depth traverse through the five textiles that have shaped human history.
3. What's a book you enjoyed more than you expected?
Four Thousand Weeks Oliver Burkeman. As a recovering life-optimiser/productivity striver who used to follow Burkeman's columns for the Guardian in his lifehacking phase, it really spoke to me.
4. Which books most disappointed you this year?
Could not get on with Babel (RF Kuang) even though I felt like the target audience. Perhaps that's why; what others might find deeply intriguing in linguistics feels like the dayjob to me.
And Finding The Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. I'd waited ages for it, totally my thing, but it just fell totally flat with me.
5. Did you reread any books? If so, which one was your favourite?
I'm not a big re-reader, but I will occasionally relisten to the Rivers of London books by Ben Aaronovitch--they warrant multiple visits and also Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is a fantastic reader.
6. Did you DNF (= did not finish) any books?
Many. I'm not a completist at all, and often I will just stop reading a book if I feel like I've grokked the style and am not invested in the plot or characters. I do most of my fiction reading via audiobook but the one thing I miss about print is being able to skim to the end.
7. Did you start any books that you’d like to finish in the new year?
Lol so many. My current read is William Boyd's The Romantic which is surprisingly engrossing (and the kind of book I might usually nope out of before the end, so kudos to Boyd). I do want to finish Lily King's Euphoria.
8. Did you read any books outside of your usual preferred genre(s)?
Maybe more "contemporary fiction" than I normally do? I read Demi Moore's autobiography on the recommendation of a colleague who works in theatre and it was rivieting.
9. What was your predominant format this year?
Audiobook > Print > Ebook. Audiobooks have really revitalised my reading; being able to do something else at the same time is brilliant, and I do love the storytelling quality a good reader brings.
10. What's the longest book you read this year?
I think it was The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow, which is a doorstop in print, and 24 hours in audio.
11. Did you reach your reading goal for this year (if you had one)?
It's always just to keep reading, to read new things, and to make sure I am enjoying reading.
12. What books from your TBR did you not get to this year, but are excited to read in 2024?
There are 272 books in my TBR list, about 25 unread on my e-reader, and 5 waiting audiobooks. Um? The next two books I have lined up are The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles (thankslazulus) and The Point of the Needle by Barbara Burman.
Interestingly, I've read a lot more pro/published fiction this year and wayyyy less fanfic than previously.
misbegotten1. How many books did you read this year? Any trends in genre/length/themes/etc?
Apparently about 55, probably closer to 65 if including academic books for work. About a third of books I DNF. Life's too short and you can always come back to them.
2. What are your Top 3 books that you read this year for the first time?
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Her ear and eye for detail!! Had never read anything by her and am looking forward to more.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. Hadn't read this Discworld novel before and fuck me the biting social commentary is brilliant, plus the central character is utterly charming.
Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser. Unexpectedly scholarly (for an artist/journalist) and in-depth traverse through the five textiles that have shaped human history.
3. What's a book you enjoyed more than you expected?
Four Thousand Weeks Oliver Burkeman. As a recovering life-optimiser/productivity striver who used to follow Burkeman's columns for the Guardian in his lifehacking phase, it really spoke to me.
4. Which books most disappointed you this year?
Could not get on with Babel (RF Kuang) even though I felt like the target audience. Perhaps that's why; what others might find deeply intriguing in linguistics feels like the dayjob to me.
And Finding The Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. I'd waited ages for it, totally my thing, but it just fell totally flat with me.
5. Did you reread any books? If so, which one was your favourite?
I'm not a big re-reader, but I will occasionally relisten to the Rivers of London books by Ben Aaronovitch--they warrant multiple visits and also Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is a fantastic reader.
6. Did you DNF (= did not finish) any books?
Many. I'm not a completist at all, and often I will just stop reading a book if I feel like I've grokked the style and am not invested in the plot or characters. I do most of my fiction reading via audiobook but the one thing I miss about print is being able to skim to the end.
7. Did you start any books that you’d like to finish in the new year?
Lol so many. My current read is William Boyd's The Romantic which is surprisingly engrossing (and the kind of book I might usually nope out of before the end, so kudos to Boyd). I do want to finish Lily King's Euphoria.
8. Did you read any books outside of your usual preferred genre(s)?
Maybe more "contemporary fiction" than I normally do? I read Demi Moore's autobiography on the recommendation of a colleague who works in theatre and it was rivieting.
9. What was your predominant format this year?
Audiobook > Print > Ebook. Audiobooks have really revitalised my reading; being able to do something else at the same time is brilliant, and I do love the storytelling quality a good reader brings.
10. What's the longest book you read this year?
I think it was The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow, which is a doorstop in print, and 24 hours in audio.
11. Did you reach your reading goal for this year (if you had one)?
It's always just to keep reading, to read new things, and to make sure I am enjoying reading.
12. What books from your TBR did you not get to this year, but are excited to read in 2024?
There are 272 books in my TBR list, about 25 unread on my e-reader, and 5 waiting audiobooks. Um? The next two books I have lined up are The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles (thanks
lazulus) and The Point of the Needle by Barbara Burman.Interestingly, I've read a lot more pro/published fiction this year and wayyyy less fanfic than previously.
