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ofliterarynature · 5 months

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OCTOBER 2023 WRAP UP

[loved liked ok no thanks (reread) book club* DNF]

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I am getting to this SO LATE, forgive me if I don't say a lot because I have forgotten so much. Work has eaten all of my time and energy against my will (should I get a new job? Probably). Anyways.

The Hourglass Throne - Will definitely need to reread this before the next book comes out (even thought they're all pretty well self contained for a series!) because WHAT? I have only half an idea what's going on, and no idea how to feel about the ending. Do I grieve? Not grieve? ??????? I think book 2 is still my favorite, but these books are addictive and a joy to read.

The Magicians of Caprona - I think at this point it's fair to say that I don't think DWJ could write a book that is uninteresting to read, but this is definitely my least favorite of at least the Chrestomanci books so far.

Realm of Ash - book 2 of the Books of Ambha series; I didn't like the first book in this series, why did I continue? Hope, that it would build on the things in the first book that I actually liked, and bring the sisters back together. It was better, I guess, but not in any way that really made me like it. I wish I'd followed my impulse and returned it to the library without listening.

A Murderous Relation - another Veronica Speedwell mystery, reliably enjoyable as always :)

Small Miracles - This was a DELIGHT. This was a fun romp (I'm told) in the vein of Good Omens, but with small stakes - and small miracles. The fallen angel of petty temptations is hired by an angelic friend to help the most sinless (and miserable) mortal have a little fun. But there's more to it than meets the eye, and the case gets tangled up the mortal woman's niece, pretending to be a school counselor, difficult family relationships, rants about chocolate, and inconsiderate siblings who rudely keep picking the same human gender as you. It's sweet, comforting, very queernorm, and a little romantic (f/gf)

A Conjuring of Light - I finished my Shades of Magic reread! Thank god. I was so thoroughly not impressed with books 2 & 3 this time around - they're just one book, divided in two, and I don't think it was divided in the right spot. It's so disappointing that these did not age with me, but you will also have to pry my copies away from me because they're one of the few books I've ever gotten signed in person (and the original covers are just cool). I fully intend to submit myself to the new spinoff series because hope never really dies lol.

The Twyford Code - This was such a strange and delightful book, that I'm not even sure I'm mad about the twist at the ending, I had such a good time reading it. (past me, listening: wow, this would have made such a cool fiction podcast, right? Joke's on me haha). I did honestly think I'd forgotten what this book was about for a bit, but then I was going through some old kid's books from my grandma that were *exactly* like the series in this book, and I had a big AHAH moment that delighted me.

Over My Dead Body - this was my first/nonfiction attempt at jamming in some spooky-ish books before the end of October. Overall, good. I did learn some new facts and there were some interesting parts; but I didn't always appreciate some of the author's commentary, and when it say's "America's Cemeteries," it really only means its urban cemeteries, which was a bit disappointing.

All Systems Red/Artificial Condition - Murderbot, my Beloved. rereading for the new book, and I'm trying my hardest to NOT do it on audiobook this time - and it's really worth it to read it in text, I promise, even if Kevin R Free's voice still echoes in my mind.

The Saint of Bright Doors - this was such a strange and wonderful read, I am so delighted to have read this, I love an unapologetically weird book. The vibe definitely reminds me a bit of The City & The City, or in some ways The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy; except I had other problems with those books and didn't finish them, but I did like this one. I know this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but maybe give it a shot.

Creatures of Will and Temper - another spooky book, and ooh boy could I go on an entire rant, I didn't want to finish this one but felt I had to for reasons. I'll let you look up the plot yourselves, but picture this: Victorian London, two sisters (one who likes swords!), and a whole lot of queer characters I wasn't expecting. I was delighted! Except you gradually learn every single queer character is involved with this club that has made a pact with a demon. What exactly does that mean? Who knows, because the book does not tell you until at least 3/4 of the way through, and we only have the word of the jacket copy and our sainted demon slayer, who is sketchy af the moment we get him alone. Turns out it's a chill demon who doesn't want blood sacrifice, cool cool, but maybe it should have been thought through a little more? Also the main/only successful romance in the book is between a 17 year old girl and a woman who is at minimum in her 30's, explicitly encouraged in part by the demon. hmm. Overall the writing and rest of the story was just ok, and the ending was disgustingly saccharine and just bad. Would strongly not recommend, but if someone wants my copy you're welcome to it. 2 stars.

From Below - another spooky book, and somehow still the most successful even though I didn't like it much. I almost DNF'd this in the first half, and while I wouldn't say I wish i had, I think my time could have been better spent. But really - if you are diving at an untouched ship wreck, that went missing with hundreds of unaccounted passengers and crew, in an area of the ocean entirely inhospitable to life, shouldn't one of the things you expect to find be human bodies??????? I got so worked up, lol, but once the spooky stuff started I had a better time.

The Game of Courts - new Nine World's novella! I love that Victoria takes the time to explore the various characters in her books outside of the main narrative. Getting to learn more about Conju ourside the current story was much appreciated, even if getting to see an outsider POV of earlier Kip was maybe the main draw. Probably not my favorite of the Lays novellas, but worth reading - and maybe a good starting place for those who are new to the series? Now if only I could get myself to read Derring-Do...

All the White Spaces - bookclub pick that got rescheduled to Nov (more time to reread Murderbot tho, so yay me). The description of this - trans guy on an antarctic exploration that goes wrong - sounded interesting, but it was kind of meh for me in the end. For one I was expecting more horror, but the description of "polar gothic" I've seen since really fits better. I also wasn't a fan of the supernatural explanation, and the whole thing felt hopeless from the beginning, once we got a grasp on the *actual* details of the situation, so I didn't quite know what we were here for. Not my cup of tea.

Hold Fast Through the Fire - NeoG book two!!!! This series is turning out to be very akin to the Tarot sequence in that they not perfect books or 5 stars by any means, but are so fun and addictive to read. This series is space opera, post-post-apocalypse where Earth has two colonies, and the series is about a team in the space!coast guard. Getting into the specific plot of this book isn't actually important, but there's a good 50/50 split on plot vs talking about our emotions!!! I love it, it definitely shows some improvement over book 1, even though I don't know that the author has got the POV's quite balanced out. Jenks is lucky I love her because her drama sure does keep taking over (and I cried so hard for her in this one you guys). Would recommend. Did I mention that almost everyone is queer?

Conrad’s Fate - a good book, but this is also the point where I really started questioning the recommended Chrestomanci reading order. I think chronologically it's book 2? And I'd already forgotten so much from The Lives of Christopher Chant, I do not understand and wish I'd read them chronologically. Much more fun than the Magicians of Caprona.

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp - I was SO excited when I saw there was a new Leonie Swann being published in english, even if it wasn't the sequel to Three Bags Full (which I read last year and loved). I was even MORE excited when the book opened and was being narrated by the pet tortoise!!! Alas, it was not to last, I did not get another murder novel narrated by an animal. That being said, still pretty good, it reminded me of the Thursday Murder Club (which I liked less), but probably won't be a favorite.

DNF'S - Graveminder and The Devil and Winnie Flynn were both books I own that I tried to fit in for spooky month that did not work out. Winnie Flynn I admit I dropped almost immediately, the vibes were peak bad YA and I wasn't going to torture myself. Graveminder I tried, because I liked the idea, and it wasn't bad per-se, but something about the way it was executed (and the many many POV's) just wasn't working for me. Might fit someone else better though.

Raw Dog I really wanted to like, because the history of hot dogs and a description/ranking of hot dogs are both extremely up my alley - and I did make it 40% in! But there were just a number of factors building up against this - the author's sometimes very (overly?) sharp commentary, my lack of interest in her dysfunctional life, the lack of any comparative rating system for the hot dogs, the food waste, and the sheer number of bodily excretions used as descriptors for the food finally tipped me over the edge. I could have kept listening but I didn't really want to. Perhaps for someone, but not for me.

#book log #wrap up 2023 #2023 #books #booklr #bookblr #neog #hold fast through the fire #chrestomanci #small miracles #olivia atwater #the twyford code #murderbot #victoria goddard #over my dead body #tarot sequence #the sunset years of agnes sharp #the saint of bright doors #creatures of will and temper

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virgilean · 6 months

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Books Read in 2023: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallet

“Take heed everyone. Trust what you find out. Right Doesn’t Come of deceit. Everything is spoken. Always love in vain. Each time of day answers you.”

#my post #litedit #2023books #the twyford code #janice hallett

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blogmollylane · 9 months

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A spot of tea with borrowed library books: The Twyford Code and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, both by Janice Hallet

#fiction #reading #books #currently reading #mystery #janice hallett #the twyford code #the mysterious case of the Alperton angels #public libraries #library #tea #tea addict #tea and books #thriller #suspense #crime fiction

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morgan--reads · 5 months

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Twyford Code - Janice Hallett

Summary: In a series of voice messages sent to his estranged son, Steven Smith details his quest to discover what happened to his teacher Miss Isles on a fateful school trip forty years ago. As Steven explores his past, he becomes involved in a greater mystery that had consumed Miss Isles, that of the Twyford Code, the conspiracy that a secret code was hidden in the books of WWII-era children’s author Edith Twyford.

Quote: “You must understand that two people may have different memories of the same thing. And both are correct.”

My rating: 3.0/5.0 Goodreads: 3.64/5.0

Review: Lots of fun, and even if not particularly brilliant, the mystery has layers that are trickier and more complex than they first appear. I was a little nervous about the promise of acrostics and codes-neither of which are my thing-but the reader has to do zero code-cracking on their own. All they have to do is follow along as Steve and then his son solve the mystery. Steve is a charming narrator, also more complex than he first appears. However, like in Hallett’s other work, The Appeal, the explanations at the end of the book are too long and the twist is overexplained. The first ten hours of the audiobook went fast, the rest far too slow.

#the twyford code #janice hallett #book review #mystery

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bookcoversonly · 2 years

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Title: The Twyford Code | Author: Janice Hallett | Publisher: Viper (2022)

#books #The Twyford Code #Janice Hallett

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historiaiswritten · 8 months

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Another terrific book from one of my new favorite authors; Janice Hallett. She also wrote The Appeal which was an excellent debut book. The Twyford Code is a story of secrets and misconceptions told through voice memos and recorded conversations that are presented to follow along with. A mixture of past and ‘present’ give off a jumble of clues and intertwining fates that are not always what they seem. The man that is sharing all these voice memos has found a book that is marked up with information he does not fully comprehend. It is taken from him in his remedial English class and shortly after, the teacher disappears. Forty years later, and out of prison, he goes on a search to find this missing teacher and what happened to her. After doing some digging, he realizes that there is more to this Twyford Code than at first thought...

A great author to read from if you are a fan of Agatha Christie and like to figure out the mystery for yourself as you read along and still have a great plot twist.

Happy Sleuthing!

#the twyford code #janice hallett #Mystery #book review #literature #reading

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katiedora · 11 months

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I finally finished reading The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett and now I wanna fight someone. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not that ending.

The format of that book had me fighting for my life to get through, and then the last 30 pages was like riding a rollercoaster when the safety bar isn’t locked far enough into place.

#The Twyford Code #Janice Hallett #the transcript format took me forever to get through and the mystery was baffling #then i encountered that little twist and i wanted to start over again

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cineastesview · 1 year

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REVIEW: The Twyford Code

Steve “Smithy” Smith is both Magwitch and Pip in this unusual story of wild expectation. The majority of the novel is told via audio transcripts of recordings made by Smithy. At times he is interviewing others, but is it mostly him telling his story of both childhood and the long-delayed solution to a mystery that has haunted him for decades. All my life it’s haunted me. But now I know, I’m…

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#atria books #bournemouth #janice hallett #netgalley #twyford code

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mindduckbookspodcast · 5 months

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58 - The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

One of the most creative crime mystery code ridden multi layered mind duck I have ever read. Kristyna definitely has a way to find unusual books. Join us on this episode to find out more about The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett. A mystery crime thriller that came out in 2022.

Notes: 00:00 Intro 13:31 Janice Hallett 25:10 Spoilers and plot

#Twyford #Code #Janice #Hallett #mystery #crime #detective #story

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iancumminsauthor · 9 months

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Book Choice

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

I've read and enjoyed both Janice's previous books, The Twyford Code and The Appeal, so this was a must-buy for me. Although it didn't quite reach the heights of The Appeal (which is the book I've most enjoyed in the last few years, it was still right up there. I like the way that she writes, making you believe you are reading the source material rather than an author's interpretation of it. There's a puzzle to be solved, some interesting characters to meet, and Janice's sense of humour sprinkled throughout. Its style will not be to everyone's taste, but I loved it.

#Twyford code #Alperton Angels #mystery novel #Janice Hallett #book review

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july-19th-club · 4 months

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READ IN 2023

TOTAL LIST LENGTH: 532 BOOKS LONG (jesus)

NUMBER OF BOOKS READ: 52, but like 18 of them were Animorphs books

The dates are from when I started the book to when I finished it, so sometimes there’s a considerable gap if I picked the book up, took a break, and put it back down again. Sometimes the gap is two or three years. Don’t worry about it.

TITLES & DATES:

Last Smile in Sunder City (Sunder City #1) – Luke Arnold (July 2020 – BREAK – February 2023)

Practical Magic – Alice Hoffman (reread; September 2022 – January 2023)

The Farm – Joanne Ramos (December 2022 – January 2023)

Leech – Hiron Ennes (December 2022 – January 2023)

Late Eclipses, October Daye #4 – Seanan McGuire (December 2022 – February 2023)

Close Range – Annie Proulx (reread; January)

A Head Full of Ghosts – Paul Tremblay (January)

The Pallbearer’s Club – Paul Tremblay (January)

“Red Ballooning,” short story – Aimee Pogson (reread; January)

The Visitor, Animorphs #2 – K. A. Applegate – (January)

The Encounter, Animorphs #3 – K. A. Applegate – (January)

The Message, Animorphs #4 – K. A. Applegate – (January)

The Predator, Animorphs #5 – K. A. Applegate – (January)

The Capture, Animorphs #6 – K. A. Applegate – (January)

The Stranger, Animorphs #7 – K. A. Applegate – (January)

The Andalite’s Gift, Animorphs #7.5 – K. A. Applegate – (January)

The Alien, Animorphs #8 – K. A. Applegate – (February)

The Secret, Animorphs #9 – K. A. Applegate – (February)

The Android, Animorphs #10 – K. A. Applegate – (February)

The Forgotten, Animorphs #11 – K. A. Applegate – (February – March)

The Reaction, Animorphs #12 – K. A. Applegate – (March)

Dark Places – Gillian Flynn (January – March)

Gather the Daughters – Jennie Melamed (January – February)

The Woman in the Wall – Patrice Kindl (reread; February)

“Through This House,” October Daye short story – Seanan McGuire (February)

The Dream House – Carmen Maria Machado (February – March)

Bunny – Mona Awad (February – March)

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead – Tom Stoppard (March 23)

Let The Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty – Maurice Chammah (March – April)

Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie (March – April)

Feast Your Eyes – Myla Goldberg (March – May; skimmed to finish)

One Salt Sea, October Daye #5 – Seanan McGuire (March – December)

When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead (reread; April)

The Twyford Code – Janice Hallett – DNF April

Screams From the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous – ed. Ellen Datlow (April – June)

Sex Cult Nun – Faith Jones (April – July)

Some Desperate Glory – Emily Tesh (April – July)

American History – Alexandra Petrie (June)

The Andalite Chronicles, Animorphs #12.5 – K. A. Applegate – (June)

The Change, Animorphs #13 – K. A. Applegate – (June)

The Unknown, Animorphs #14 – K. A. Applegate – (June)

The Escape, Animorphs #15 – K. A. Applegate – (June)

The Warning, Animorphs #16 – K. A. Applegate – (June)

The Underground, Animorphs #17 – K. A. Applegate – (June)

The Emperor of All Maladies – Siddhartha Mukherjee (June – August)

Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings – Shirley Jackson (July)

The Well of Sacrifice – Chris Eboch (July – August)

Plato & A Platypus Walk Into A Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes – Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein (July – August)

Babel – R. F. Kuang (July – October)

Boredom, Death Note #1 -Tsugumi Ohba/Takeshi Obata (reread; August)

Confluence, Death Note #2 – Tsugumi Ohba/Takeshi Obata (reread; September)

Hard Run, Death Note #3 – Tsugumi Ohba/Takeshi Obata (reread; October)

I Sing the Body Electric – Ray Bradbury – DNF October

Nickel & Dimed: On Not Getting By in America – Barbara Ehrenreich (October – December)

i actually can't find the ask game i thought i'd had last year and i might have just made that up in my head but if you want my opinion on any of these books please throw it in the ask box and i will do my best to answer :D

#time to make this year's to read list! except actually not because they were out of the notebooks i use at the store #and i refuse to use a different one i will just wait until they get them back in i guess

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phiralovesloki · 4 months

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Some books I read this year (2023)

I've read a lot of books this year, which I've tracked using the GoodReads challenge. Some of them I loved, some of them I liked, some of them were very okay, a few of them I did not like, and another few of them I did not finish (which I did not count towards my total because, well, I didn't finish reading them!).

Here are some books I loved, in no particular order--

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I don't know how to describe this book. It's about stories, from start to finish, it's a queer love story, it's a mystery, it's fantasy. It reminds me of something else I've read but I can't place it. Absolutely a work of art in book form.

Chalice by Robin McKinley

I hadn't read anything new by Robin McKinley in years, not since Spindle's End, so I was excited to give this book a try. It's ... weird! Not gonna lie! But once I got into the world building, it really gripped me. Not every mystery is solved/explained, but it's to the book's advantage, not to its detriment.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

I liked Sophie Cousens' contemporary romance debut (This Time Next Year), but hadn't loved her follow-up. This one seemed like it might be a miss, as the summary felt very ... silly, I guess? But this book handled so very well something that I think a lot of us experience--the mundanity of healthy relationships. I can't say more without spoiling what I think is a really excellent contemporary romance.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I had been putting this one off because I read to relax and decrease my stress, and I knew this book would be a difficult read. However, because it's YA, I found it much less distressing than I think it could have been. It's definitely a tougher read, but a very meaningful one, and I appreciate the hopeful ending.

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

This is one mystery thriller that hit the mark and had a mostly satisfying reveal. It had some difficult moments, and one of the aspects of the reveal was a little farfetched, but I liked it overall. I've heard that Kubica's books can be hit or miss; this one was a hit for me, but I have yet to try anything else she's written.

All the Duke I Need by Caroline Linden (last in a series)

I usually prefer my historical romance to be Regency or later, but this whole series was a lot of fun. The premise is that an elderly dowager duchess is searching for an heir to the dukedom, as the duke, her only surviving child, is growing old himself and cannot bear any children of his own. She's tracked down the two closest heirs, and the first two books in the series involve each of them falling in love. This book switches gears a bit as there is revealed to be a potential third heir, but it's a lot of fun.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

I wouldn't say I'd read anything by Kate Clayborn, but it's close. Based on the summary of this story, I was a little nervous, since it seemed like Georgie was going to be one of those adorkable, child-like female protagonists. But instead, I got to read a beautiful love story between two people trying to figure themselves out, without resorting to anything highly cliched.

The Duke's Secret Cinderella by Eva Devon

Look, man, I love the movie Ever After, and this is basically Ever After. Do I need to sell it even more than this?

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

This book is absolutely wild. The entire story takes place as emails, transcripts, text messages, fliers, and so on, telling the story of a community theater troupe as they rally around a little girl and raise money for her cancer treatment. Oh, and there was a murder. I didn't like the follow-up to this book (The Twyford Code, unrelated in plot), but I loved this one.

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

This one seems to have been really divisive, with people either loving or hating it. I loved it--I loved the whole shtick with the 90s boarding school, and the mystery was really satisfying. My only caveat, really, is that I could not for the life of me figure out what the author wanted me to take away regarding #MeToo, which I think is the book's biggest flaw.

A Problem Princess by Anna Harrington (last in a series)

I really loved this whole historical romance series, which is about a group of men returned from war who end up trying to break up a conspiracy to overthrow the crown. Each book builds well on the other ones, so while you could read this as a standalone, and in fact I read some of the books out of order, in order would work best.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

I fucking loved this book. Jesus Christ. Divergent historical fiction with a little bit of magic, about the power of language and also how colonialism is the fucking WORST. Every white person needs to read this and shut the fuck up.

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

This mystery thriller gets pretty complicated, but has a very satisfying conclusion (with one plot hole that I feel like I can excuse, tbh). It's also about the friction between a small Welsh town and the rich English folks who are moving in across the lake.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

A very odd story, but a lot of fun. It's in media res regarding the world building, but any time you really need to understand how an aspect of the world works, you've had enough information to get it. Hart and Mercy have a lovely relationship, and the intricate plot is very engaging. I can't wait for the follow-up!

The Martian by Andy Weir

No, I hadn't read the book until this year. No, I still haven't seen the movie. But I fucking loved the book. I appreciate that the science itself was very meticulously researched, which enhanced the story in the extreme. But truly that worked the best about this book was that this is absolutely what scientists and bureaucrat scientists are like, and it was an absolute blast to read.

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood (first in series)

Historical fiction murder mystery series, starring a bisexual, hard-boiled junior detective and her disabled, super sharp lady detective boss. I am dying, pun intended, to read the most recent book in the series. One thing I really like about the series is that, while it nails the hard-boiled 1940s detective shtick, it makes no bones (pun again intended) about discussing the lives of marginalized people in the time period. Again, the main character is bisexual, her boss is disabled, and that's just the beginning.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

As with Kate Clayborn, I'll read just about anything by Emily Henry. This one might be my favorite, just edging out Beach Read. I've seen a lot of Tumblr posts about wanting a story about the career driven city boyfriend from all the Hallmark movies; if you want that, then read this. Basically, the main character is the career driven city girlfriend, and she's aware of it. It's happened to her more than once. Just that set-up alone was enough to get me reading this, and it did not disappointed. I also liked Happy Place, which I also read this year, but found that some of the characters were unlikable enough to distract me from the parts I enjoyed.

Off the Map by Trish Doller (last in a series)

While I prefer the other two books in this series, this one wasn't exactly a disappointment. A nomadic woman ends up forging a relationship with her best friend's future brother-in-law, as they all get together for that friend's wedding in Ireland. This story addresses the fine line between running away from your problems and being on the move because that's what feels right to you. A content warning: the main character's father suffers from dementia, and his illness and impending death are a huge part of the story.

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

This is one of those books where I can't remember that much of the plot, all these months after reading it, but I do remember enjoying the heck out of it. The whole thing was funny without being outright silly, and it was run to read a historical romance that took place in a different time and place than the typical British regency romance.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

I feel like I shouldn't have liked this book as much as I did. The book is, like, 40% "let's learn about Saturday Night Live!" 40% COVID, and 20% actual contemporary romance. But it was just very fun to read, like if 30 Rock were a romance novel.

Tall, Duke, and Scandalous by Amy Rose Bennett (last in a series)

This is just a fun, historical romance series. Nothing amazing, but very enjoyable. In this story, in particular, the male main character is face blind, but because of the female protagonist's facial scarring, he's able to recognize her, leading to their association and eventual relationship.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I know I'm not the only one who loved this book. This is one of two books my 90-year-old grandmother recommended to me (the other one I did not like at all, and DNFed, so go figure). Octopuses are fucking awesome, so this was very fun to read.

The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George (first in a series)

Another refreshing change from the typical Regency romance. I think the first book in the series, which focuses on American heiresses being pressured to marry into British nobility, is the strongest, and the final book the weakest, but overall an enjoyable series.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (first in a series)

One of the series I read this year that I would not shut up about (thanks to @thejollyroger-writer for recommending it), I am going to also not shut up about it here. Historical queer romance with magic, and a very engaging overarching plot. Please read.

Look Closer by David Ellis

All of the reviews of this book were essentially the same, something along the lines of, "The twists in this book are god-tier." And, you know, they weren't wrong. This is an absolutely RIDICULOUS mystery thriller, and whatever you think is going on, you are probably wrong. There were a handful of twists I caught early, but some really huge ones that were mind-boggling. I was so surprised that when I finished the book, I immediately went back and reread it, because I was certain that the author had messed up somewhere. He didn't. It's that clever.

Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase (one of a series)

I've been reading a lot of Loretta Chase lately, and most of her books strike me as unexpectedly hilarious without reading like parodies. The Carsington Brothers series is a great example, and while I've loved all four of the five books in the series that I've read (waiting for the first one to come off of my holds at the time of writing this list), this one was one of my favorites. In particular, you'd need to read this to read the final book in the series, Last Night's Scandal, which I absolutely loved.

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (first in a series)

That I did not know about this series until the very end of 2023 is unacceptable. I frickin' love Sherlock Holmes, and particularly the versions starring women (Laurie King's work and the Enola Holmes movies, for example). This series, starring Charlotte Holmes, is fucking awesome. I'm two books in, can't wait for the next one to come off my holds list.

#book recommendations #my books 2023 #i've read 183 books this year apparently #although at least one of the ones on the list is a dnf i don't know why it's on my read list #and i have 4 more i am hoping to finish before jan 1

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benoitblanc · 4 months

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arwen’s read in 2023!

the spiritual successor to my read in 2022 and, as always, excluding a shitload of rereads.

periodic tales by hugh aldersley-williams (★★★★★)

nona the ninth by tamsyn muir (★★★★★)

as you like it by william shakespeare (★★★★☆)

persuasion by jane austen (★★★★★)

the empire striketh back by ian doescher (★★★★★)

northanger abbey by jane austen (★★★★☆)

little women by louisa may alcott (★★★★★)

darth plagueis by james luceno (★★★☆☆)

the thursday murder club by richard osman (★★★★☆)

wild women and the blues by denny s bryce (★★★☆☆)

hell bent by leigh bardugo (★★★★★)

daisy jones and the six by taylor jenkins reid (★★★★☆)

invisible man by ralph ellison (★★★☆☆)

a thousand ships by natalie haynes (★★★★★)

if beale street could talk by james baldwin (★★★★☆)

moonflower murders by anthony horowitz (★★★★★)

emma by jane austen (★★★★★)

song of solomon by toni morrison (★★★★☆)

stiff by mary roach (★★★★☆)

the radium girls by kate moore (★★★★★)

the word is murder by anthony horowitz (★★★☆☆)

killers of a certain age by deanna raybourn (★★★★☆)

beloved by toni morrison (★★★★☆)

the ten thousand doors of january by alix e harrow (★★★☆☆)

working on a song by anais mitchell (★★★★★)

yellowface by rf kuang (★★★★★)

everyone in my family has killed someone by benjamin stevenson (★★★★☆)

the blind assassin by margaret atwood (★★★★★)

mansfield park by jane austen (★★★★☆)

cloud cuckoo land by anthony doerr (★★★★★)

upgrade by blake crouch (★★★★☆)

the children of jocasta by natalie haynes (★★★☆☆)

piranesi by susanna clarke (★★★★★)

the woman in the library by sulari gentill (★★★★☆)

the city and the city by china mieville (★★★★☆)

a is for arsenic by kathryn harkup (★★★★★)

cymbeline by william shakespeare (★★★★☆)

will in the world by stephen greenblatt (★★★★☆)

atonement by ian mcewan (★★★★★)

dirk gently’s holistic detective agency by douglas adams (★★★★☆)

a room with a view by em forster (★★★★☆)

fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury (★★★★☆)

artemis by andy weir (★★★★☆)

murder your employer by rupert holmes (★★★★★)

memory wall by anthony doerr (★★★★★)

the appeal by janice hallett (★★★★★)

the twyford code by janice hallett (★★★★☆)

summer sons by lee mandelo (★★★☆☆)

salt to the sea by ruta sepetys (★★★☆☆)

the graveyard book by neil gaiman (★★★★☆)

the beautiful ones by silvia moreno-garcia (★★★★☆)

the button house archives by the writers of bbc ghosts (★★★★★)

#i did in fact forget to post this before the new year so here it is!#arwen.text #books #book recs

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