And all the rest...2023 edition

Here we are...for those of y'all that have lost track of the days, today is the last day of 2023. Once again, I have decided to briefly discuss the books that I read over the past 12 months that did not, for one reason or another, have their own dedicated post on this blog. Reasons vary, but for the most part, I either picked up these books on a whim, or simply decided to read the book purely for pleasure, and not take time to dissect it. I suppose there is a chance that there will be a full blog post on one of these in the future...I never really know.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: The first book I read by Reid was 2019's Daisy Jones & The Six, and I have managed to keep up with her new novels ever since. So I decided to go back to one that I missed, but I know is loved by many. Readers hear the life story of famous and mysterious Evelyn Hugo as she tells the tale of her seven husbands, and the real love of her life. Reid once again presents a headstrong female protagonist who does things her way, for better or for worse. Anyone who has enjoyed Reid's writing will most likely enjoy this one as well. I also recommend it for those who love a juicy story about old Hollywood. 

Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon: Since I read Blackout, written by the same six authors, when it came out in 2021, I had to follow it up with Whiteout. When a snowstorm hits Atlanta, a rare event for the big city, it adds another layer to the holiday chaos, and the teens that are attempting to navigate the city, and their love lives. With 11 interconnected stories, and all events taking place in one day, the six different authors each present a story detailing the complexities of relationships. And while it is not explicitly stated which author wrote which story, there are clues offered in the author's note at the end. 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon: I was fortunate to be able to hear Nicola Yoon (along with her husband David) speak at LibraryPalooza back in February, as well as have her sign a few books. I also went ahead and picked up Everything, Everything, the one book I had not read of hers, and it is as delightful as I had always heard. Due to a rare illness that basically means she is allergic to leaving her house, Madeline is kept indoors, with mainly her mother and her nurse for company. When a new family moves in next door, Madeline becomes semi-obsessed with watching them, and even manages to get the attention of the son, Olly. While it would be incredibly dangerous - and nearly impossible - for the two of them to ever meet in person, Madeline holds out hope anyway, which leads to other hopes, some she never dared to hope for before.

Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott: In this nonfiction science graphic novel, readers can expect to learn about the systems we use every day, but may not know much about. Through simple, but delightful and beautiful illustrations, Nott carefully and thoughtfully explains the mysteries of the internet, and how drinkable water reaches a neighborhood. Naturally, there is more to it than most people know, and this book will help remove some of the mystery and confusion.

Britt-Marie Was Here by Frederik Backman: It may end up being a personal journey of mine to read at least one Fredrik Backman book a year, and for 2023 it was Britt-Marie Was Here. With the same humor and wit that I found in 2019's Anxious People, Backman tells the story of Britt-Marie, a woman who finds herself in the small-town of Borg, where she ends up working as the caretaker of a neglected recreation center, and the unwilling coach of a terrible children's soccer team. The only thing stranger than the situation is Britt-Marie herself, whose social awkwardness allows for more than a few hilarious interactions with the locals. 

Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century by Roseanne Montillo: Part true crime, part biography, this book begins by first going into the background of both Truman Capote, and socialite Ann Woodward, a woman who would eventually shoot her husband. The question of whether it was an accident or not is still debated, but Montillo looks at the relationship between Capote and Woodward; the story the former would write based on the latter; and their own separate downfalls. I opted to borrow the audiobook from the library, and it did make for the perfect listening material on the commute to and from work. My only wish was for more of the true crime element to the story, though it is still an interesting book.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: This was another audiobook borrowed from the library, and I am glad to have listened to it before Netflix came out with the series. I had been meaning to pick this one up since it received so much positive attention when it came out 2014. During World War II, the lives of Marie-Laure in France, and Werner in Germany, will each take twists and turns they never imagined, while also somehow remaining centered around a valuable jewel that may also bring hidden dangers. This book is as delightful and haunting as people said. It is also incredibly long, but I believe it to be well-worth the journey.

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain: Quiet is one of those books that I cannot recommend enough, to both introverts and extroverts (and of course, the often elusive ambiverts). While I did not necessarily expect Bittersweet to be as intriguing and illuminating, it was still incredibly informative and allowed me to look at melancholy and sorrow in a different way. Linking the bittersweet with creativity, and compassion, and even leadership, spirituality, and love, Cain looks deeper at something many humans wish to ignore and move quickly away from. 

So there they are: eight books, ranging from nonfiction to young adult. Honestly, I am always surprised by just how many books make it onto this list every year. I am sure 2024 will be another interesting year in publishing, and as long as I have the time, there will be another post just like this 12 months from now. 

Historical Fiction: The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

Somehow, and I am not entirely sure how this happened, but I have completely missed out on reading even a single book by Isabel Allende. For whatever reason, I decided to jump right in with the well-known author's most recent offering, The Wind Knows My Name. I do plan on visiting some of the older, well-loved works, such as The House of the Spirits and Daughter of Fortune. And who knows, maybe it will become a yearly tradition for me to pick up and discover a book by Allende.

The Situation: It is 1938, and Rudolph Adler is incredibly distraught by what he sees happening in Vienna, and the rest of Austria. As Hitler continues to gain power and followers, Rudolph knows that things are only going to get worse before they get better, and he does not know what will become of the Jews in Austria. In 2019, Selena Durán works tirelessly for the children who have been separated from their parents at the U.S. border. Her latest case involves an eight year-old blind girl named Anita. While very bright, polite, and attentive, Anita's case will prove difficult unless they can find her mother, with whom everyone seems to have lost contact.

The Problem: Though it is far from the most desired solution, the decision is made to send five year-old Samuel Adler to a family in England, away from the threat of deportation to a concentration camp. Still clutching his violin, Samuel arrives safely in England, but will grow up with the pain and memories of what happened back home, even as he relocated to the U.S, marries, and has a family. For Anita, handling the stress of strange foster homes and bullying children, and what she knows of what happened in El Salvador, comes easier with her little doll close by, and the conversations she has with her little sister. Though their stories are different, both Samuel and Anita find their way to the U.S, on paths full of sacrifice and heartache.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction that is most often categorized as historical fiction. Starting with the early life of Samuel and what was happening in late 1930s Vienna, the story spends just enough time in Austria's capital to give a sense of what it was like right before war fully broke out. While the reader will eventually get the full story on the next 80 years of Samuel's life, they will also get to Selena, and the little girl from El Salvador that she is determined to help. Both Anita and Samuel's stories are given in pieces, while other key characters are briefly explored, before it is revealed how they all fit into the larger picture. Allende researched the practice of separating children from their parents, one that has been employed throughout history in various ways. While some kids find a warm welcome by loving families, many do not, and the results can be devastating. 

My Verdict: A book that deals with both the rise of Nazi sympathies in Austria and the separation of children from their parents at the U.S. border? Yeah...you have been warned. But while the topics are heavy, the narrative and storytelling is not. In fact, I would say this was a relatively easy read despite the subject matter. This could be because of the decision to tell two stories at once (as well as a couple others), or the wide array of characters there are available, and how so many of them are given full backgrounds and reasons for why they are who they are. As I mentioned, this is my first Allende book, but it will not be the last...The House of the Spirits is on my desk next to the other TBR books as I write this. Lovers of Allende will most likely adore this one too, and as far as an introductory book to the author's work, this one worked out well. 

Favorite Moment: Anita may be visually impaired, but she is far from helpless. Despite being separated from her mother and never being completely sure of her environment, she manages to keep physical danger at bay while staying in a foster home, and gets herself out of a harmful situation. 

Favorite Character: Leticia has her own story of how she came to live in the U.S, full of danger and sorrow, but she has managed to create for herself a life she enjoys, and becomes key to assisting young Anita.

Recommended Reading: I recommend the nonfiction memoir Solito by Javier Zamora. 

Graphic Novel: Courage to Dream by Neal Shusterman

Hearing that Neal Shusterman was coming out with a graphic novel full of stories about the Holocaust was a welcome surprise. If anyone could convey engaging and interesting stories about one of the darkest moments in human history, Shusterman certainly could. So I did not hesitate to grab a copy of Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust, with illustrations by Andres Vera Martinez.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a graphic novel containing five fully illustrated stories about the Holocaust. While the stories in the book are fictionalized, they are based on real events in history that took place during World War II, when the Nazis regime attempted to eliminate all Jewish people in Europe. In one story, a window tends to disappear from a house, while also occasionally offering a view of an entirely different world or universe. In another, a young girl receives a strange gift from her dying grandmother, one that allows her to see what might have been if the war had ended differently. And in yet another, a rabbi calls upon a golem to free prisoners from a concentration camp. In between the stories are brief lessons and tales of hope from what actually happened during WWII, allowing for a book that both educates and entertains.

My Verdict: I think I will always lament how graphic novels can be read so quickly and easily. What Shusterman and Martinez have provided are five wondrous stories that are indeed full of hope, while also portraying one of the greatest tragedies to ever happen. It is an interesting feeling to root for the heroes in the these fantastical stories, while also knowing what really happened. I wanted the walking house from the third story to overtake the Nazis soldiers that were attempting to stop the resistance. And my heart hurt for the little girl who simply wanted to look out of window and into a strange universe, though doing so could alert the Nazis to her and her family's presence as they hid. Both kids and adults alike would benefit from these stories.

Favorite Story: I loved the third story, "Spirits of Resistance," in which a group from the resistance is aided by fairy tale and mythical characters such as Baba Yaga, The Great Ziz, and the Chelmites.

Recommended Reading: I recommend The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland, as well as Dry, also by Neal Shusterman. 

Contemporary Fiction: Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

With its captivating cover and interesting premise, Etaf Rum's Evil Eye caught my attention as well as a place on this blog. Following a young wife, mother, and art instructor, the book explores generational and childhood trauma, as well as the inescapable feeling that something is wrong, even though on the surface, everything should be fine.

The Situation: Yara Murad has done everything she can to build the life she has. Desperate to not become like her mother, Yara married young, and now lives away from her childhood home of Brooklyn. With two young girls of her own, Yara also teaches part-time at a local college, and loves having her own career, even if it does not pay much, and she does not care for many of her colleagues. She finds solace in her daily routine, which always ends with putting the girls to bed, taking a shower, and eating dinner with her husband, Fadi. But while everything looks normal, Yara cannot understand her sudden bursts of anger, or why she cannot shake a near-constant heavy feeling of sadness.

The Problem: When Yara has an intense exchange with a fellow instructor, it puts her job in jeopardy, and seemingly everything else in her life that she has been trying to maintain, including how she has dealt with her childhood, her feelings about her mother, and how she feels about her own marriage. Her attempts to talk to Fadi often end in an argument, and her own father is certainly not any help, as he believes she should be happy with what she has, and that her only concerns should be keeping Fadi happy and taking care of the kids. But soon, her life that everyone else seems to think is perfectly fine is not enough for Yara, and she cannot help but go back to her mother's belief that they are cursed. If she hopes to find the happiness she has found to be so elusive, she must confront what happened in her past, and find who she really wants to be.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction, set in the modern-day U.S. in the Carolinas. As a Palestinian-American woman raised in Brooklyn, Yara left the home she grew up in when she married Fadi. Intent on not following in her mother's footsteps, Yara insisted on being able to finish school and work after marriage, resulting in a part-time faculty position at a local college. While most chapters follow Yara as she moves through her days - taking care of her daughters, cooking, cleaning, teaching, navigating social interactions with her coworkers, preparing herself mentally for interactions with her mother-in-law - the book also diverts to entries in Yara's journal, which she is encouraged to make use of after a confrontation at work. The entries allow Yara to confront her past and how it has shaped her future, before hopefully moving forward with her healing.

My Verdict: The descriptions are what absorbed me with this one, and not necessarily of the places and things, but of the feelings and events. My life experiences are nothing like what Yara has gone through, and yet, somehow, Rum is able to translate the fear, frustration, anger, and sense of loss that the protagonist is experiencing. If it is not her colleagues making assumptions about her, then it is her supervisor telling her she is not social enough. And when her husband minimizes her feelings, her father makes everything worse by doing the same. It is a heart-breaking journey of someone who has endured immense trauma, while also struggling to make sense of it, while surrounded by people who seemingly are not making an effort to understand. This is a hard read, but an eye-opening one.  

Favorite Moment: Although the circumstances leading up to it are tough, Yara decides to begin painting in earnest, and much like the journaling, it becomes its own form of therapy. 

Favorite Character: Josephine is the mother of one of Yara's new friends, Silas. The relationship starts with a simple invitation to lunch at her house during a work day, and proves to be one that helps Yara as she makes difficult decisions that will shape the rest of her life. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta, as well as Maame by Jessica George. 

Science Fiction: In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune

Seeing that T.J. Klune's In the Lives of Puppets was nominated in the Best Science Fiction category in the Goodreads Choice Awards made me wish that I had read it earlier. The premise is certainly interesting enough: Any story that involves someone making a home and a life in an actual treehouse will always make me curious. And an adventure throughout a futuristic landscape means a look at a different kind of world, this one mostly inhabited by robots.

The Situation: Victor Lawson and his family live a safe and quiet existence in their home in the trees. As the only human, Victor is aware that he is not like the rest of his family. His inventor father, Gio, is an android; Nurse Ratchet is indeed a nurse robot, even though she also has a dark sense of humor and a strange desire to use her drill; and Rambo is a vacuum obsessed with cleaning, as well as approval. One of Victor's favorite things to do is visit the scrap yard, though he knows that it is against the rules, and dangerous, even though that is how he finds his next robot to salvage and repair, just as he did with Nurse Ratchet and Rambo. But when Victor does the same for Hap, it changes everything, and suddenly, his home in the forest is not so safe anymore.

The Problem: Victor could not have known that fixing Hap would lead to his father being taken lead away by robot authorities. Perhaps if Gio had told his son the truth about what happened a long time ago, and also about his connection to Hap, this could have been avoided. But the remaining group, including Hap, will now have to make their way out of the forest, and travel farther than Victor ever thought he would go, if they hope to save Gio from a possible reprogramming. Victor also must deal with his conflicting feelings regarding Hap, and whether or not he can trust this newest addition to his small family.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a novel that I have chosen to place under the category of science fiction. This is also the category in which it was nominated for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards, although many readers have placed it under the category of fantasy. Victor is at the center of the story, with Gio is the real leader, though his disappearance is what leads the rest of the group to take on the adventure. And while Gio is not human, Victor still refers to him as his father, while Nurse Ratchet and Rambo are his best friends and part of the 'family.' It is clear that something big went down between the humans and robots many years ago, and in order for the adventure to be successful, the group will have to be careful.

My Verdict: The book starts at the beginning, when Gio finds himself with a young human in his care, at a time when it looks like a conflict between humans and machines is at its peak. From there, a strange world is built full of treehouses, talking vacuums, and scrap yards full of threats, despite the hidden treasures that can also be found there. And when the adventure begins, Klune shows readers a world that is both recognizable and unfamiliar. Nearly each different type of robot or machine is also given its own personality, and Victor must rely on his own robot friends in order to navigate a world he has only known a small part of. It is imaginative and creative, while also being thought-provoking and insightful, with a great amount of humor. 

Favorite Moment: For the most part, Rambo is annoying. To everyone. But he is the character that made me laugh the most, and his moments of redemption are the most satisfying. 

Favorite Character: It is a tie between Nurse Ratchet and Rambo. Their relationship certainly feels like a big sister/annoying little brother type of dynamic, and the contrast between Nurse Ratchet's brutal sense of humor, and Rambo's desperation for attention and validation, only adds to the humor. Nurse Ratchet is also clearly the smartest of the group of adventurers, while Rambo is the one most likely to get them all killed.

Favorite Quote: "Your flaws is what makes you superior, in all ways. No matter what machines do, no matter how powerful we become, it is the absence of flaws that will be our undoing. How can this existence survive when all machine-made things are perfect down to a microscopic detail? When all machine-made music is empty of rage and joy? Our only flaw is that we've condemned ourselves to spend eternity mimicking that which we deemed unfit to exist...We can never be you. Instead, we became your ghosts, and we'll haunt this world until there is nothing left."

Recommended Reading: I recommend Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. 

Winners of the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards

After nearly six million votes, the winners have been announced for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards.

The winner by a large margin in the Best Fiction category was Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, and it is not at all surprising. Though I may not have voted for it, this book deserves all of the attention it has gotten. And T.J. Klune's In the Lives of Puppets took home the prize for Best Science Fiction, which is also well-deserved. And finally, Matthew Desmond's Poverty, by America received the most votes and was crowned the winner in the Best Nonfiction category. 

So all in all, three DSNs were voted #1 in their respective categories. Personally, I am always pleased when any DSN is nominated, much less if one of them wins. But this has once again been an interesting year in the Goodreads Choice Awards, and I am sure there will be more surprises ahead in 2024.

Young Adult Fiction: Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz

YA mystery and suspense novels can be a lot of fun. They typically move quicker, and teenagers have the extra barrier of their young age working against them as they are trying to solve a case. In Lauren Muñoz's book, Suddenly a Murder, six high school students are also stuck on an island where a murder happened, and they are all suspects. 

The Situation: When Isadora 'Izzy' Morales heads out to Ashwood Manor, an old and magnificent mansion that was rented out by her best friend Kassidy, it is to celebrate the end of high school. It will be a 1920s themed party, an era that Izzy and Kassidy both love as it is the time of some of their favorite old silent movies. And since Kassidy is nothing if not committed and thorough, there will be no cell phones allowed, and every piece of clothing must be period appropriate. Kassidy's boyfriend Blaine is hesitant, but ultimately supportive, and his good friends Ellison and Ferguson decide to play along. The brooding and aloof Marlowe joins in too, though it is hard to say why, and valedictorian Chloe is glad to be included. There is no real reason to think anything will go terribly wrong when seven teenagers are partying alone on an island, until it does.

The Problem: It is the screams that makes everyone race to Blaine's room, where his body is found bloody after having been stabbed several times. Kassidy is naturally inconsolable, while Izzy can only think about her next move, and she is not the only one with tracks to cover. Things may have been somewhat tense before Blaine's death, as everyone has their secrets, issues, and grievances, but when two investigators arrive to find out what really happened, things start to fall apart even more. Izzy would do anything to secure her future and that of her disabled little sister, but if she does not make it through the investigation, all of her hard work will be for nothing. She only has to make sure no one finds out that she is the one who brought the knife.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult murder mystery that follows seven teenagers to a mansion on a small island for an end-of-high-school celebration. Ashwood Manor is old, big, full of history, and also secret passageways, making it perfect for a 1920s themed party, but also treacherous for a bunch of kids with secrets to keep and grudges to bear. If it were not for Kassidy, Izzy would not feel like she was part of the group, as she is the only one who does not come from a wealthy family. She attends Marian Academy because her mom is a teacher there, but being best friends with Kassidy since freshman year has helped her get through. For the majority of the book, Izzy is the main narrator, while there are chapters in between that go back in time, revealing history and motive for every character. 

My Verdict: What the book does well is provide an intriguing setting, a colorful cast of characters, and even two investigators that do more than simply show up on the scene and interrogate the suspects. Even the jumps back in time to events that already happened are not confusing, and certainly add more color to the situation. Where things begin to fall apart for me is in the details and the reveals. Also, things slow down quite a bit once the investigators arrive. It is rare for me to say that a book would have benefited from being longer, but I feel like this one would have, if only to allow for everything to come together without the feeling of being rushed. Certain aspects of the story feel awkward and out of place, and the final conclusion had elements that just did not quite fit.

Favorite Moment: Everything is revealed in a rush by the end, but it is nice to get an answer to some questions, including one about Izzy's father. 

Favorite Character: Pilar de León is one of the investigators, and from the moment she arrives, she manages to keep to group slightly off balance. It is clear she knows more than what the kids are admitting to, and she plays her cards right to be able to get the information she wants.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Five Survive by Holly Jackson.