Last year in May, I read 17 books to bring me to a total of 111. I am … NOT THERE this year. But, last year, I had an even split between print and audio, and this year, I have read more than I have listened— progress?
I got a Kindle for my birthday, and I did not love the first book I read on it-- could not concentrate and took TWO WEEKS to finish. SO I immediately bought a book I have been dying to read and raced through it. I guess it was a problem with the book (by a favorite author, so I was not expecting that) not the medium. I will say, it is hard to get library books right now because my Libby account (I have 2 cards linked) is full of audio holds. So, I have bought 2 books, and am ready to buy a third, which is not ideal. Except for Book of the Month and my one Audible credit a month, I am a no-buy kind of reader, and I don't want the Kindle to change that. I hope once I get into a library groove, this issue will resolve itself.
Here are this month’s reads in order from worst to best:
The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty: NOPE. This is the first in a series and NO THANK YOU. *Audio
Range by David Epstein: This was randomly available via Libby, and I didn’t hate it. *Audio
1491: The New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann: Harry is reading this for school and left it out in the living room, so I helped myself. It was fascinating.
How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny O’Dell: I finally read this, and it’s terrific. EXCEPT. She is really privileged, writing to educated readers, offering solutions that only people with social and economic capital can put into place. She sort of acknowledges this, but she doesn’t unpack what it means to be so inaccessible. I loved her explanation of the "be you" mythology as a late capitalism strategy to exploit us for our personal brands through algorithms.
The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda: I really wanted to like this one. **2023
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane: I loved Ask Again, Yes, so I think my expectations for this one were just too high. There were some early Russo vibes, but it just didn't click for me. **2023
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Super Club by J. Ryan Stradal: I wanted to love it because I really love him (a male Lorna Landvik, really) but the pacing was really off on this book. Some scenes were so slow and detailed, and then 20 years flicked by in a chapter, and I just couldn't get the rhythm. Occasionally, I forgot who a character was, even, and there weren't that many characters. **2023 **Kindle
Going There by Katie Couric: SO GOOD, which really shouldn’t be surprising but was because internalized misogyny, I guess. *Audio
The Deluge by Stephen Markley: Wow. Climate disaster book that’s just too real. So well done, though. Also almost 1000 pages. BUT FOR GOOD REASON. *2023
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor: OH YES. This is great. I read it quickly because the plot was propulsive, but I also really appreciated the characters and felt invested. **2023
The Last Word by Taylor Adams: FINALLY a Book of the Month thriller I could not put down. So scary and great plot twists plus characters I cared about-- this is a terrific summer read. **2023
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson: Loved this— eccentric WASP family, many characters, lots of dramz. *2023 *Audio
Happy Place by Emily Henry: I like all of her books, and this one is my favorite. *2023 *Audio
Small World by Laura Zigman: Her book Separation Anxiety was one of my favorites of the year in 2020, and I also adored this one. *2023
Yellowface by RF Kuang: LOVED this book. I adore publishing takedowns, and I have a literary soft spot for books where the characters are terrible people, but I am rooting for them anyway, and this book delivered. I sped through it one afternoon at the pool when Ben took Minnie home early to get her out of the sun, and it was a delight. SUCH a good sendup of the utter horrors carelessly perpetuated by well meaning white women, questions of authenticity, and internet culture. LOVED it. **2023 **Kindle
This Month:
15 books
10 books published in 2023
8 print, 2 Kindle, and 5 audio
This Year:
46 books published in 2023
54 print, 2 Kindle, and 37.5 audio