2023 highlights, 2024 excitement

Hello, everyone! It’s been so long, once again. I really do have to get better at this. Perhaps it will be one of my many resolutions for the new year.

Seeing as we’ve made it to January, I thought I would dedicate a post to talking about some awesome reading memories from 2023, as well as all the exciting things I have planned for 2024. I hope you enjoy!

First up is my top five favorite reads of 2023. I read a total of 40 books this year (a number I’m not upset with in the least, but would like to change in 2024). I wouldn’t say I read any books that were truly bad—I gave most at least 3/5 stars. The five on this list, however, are the creme de la creme of my 2023 reading experience. I hope if you haven’t read these, you might think to do so this year!

1) A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon—this novel is not for the faint-hearted, it’s 868 pages long. Anyone who’s read my past posts knows of my love for Samantha Shannon’s first book in the Roots of Chaos series, Priory of the Orange Tree. ADOFN is a prequel to that book, and it takes place centuries before the events of Priory. From a writer’s perspective, I could clearly see that Shannon took what really worked in the previous book and did more of it, while also acknowledging what didn’t land in Priory (mainly the pacing) and adapted it for this next book. The narrative voice was compelling, and the characters were truly one of a kind. You won’t forget them easily. I think prequels are really interesting, because they are almost always inherently tragic—the characters in a prequel have to lose, they have to fail, they have to die, in order for the events of the main book to be able to happen. It makes for a really genuine and unique reading experience.

2) How High We Go In The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu—this book really surprised me. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting such a sucker punch from this novel, but it really was exactly that. This is a novel about a pandemic (not COVID, much worse) and its effects on humans. There is a very metaphysical/science fiction twist to it, but I really liked it. A word of warning, though: if you don’t like reading about people (including children) dying in horrible ways from a horrible disease, I would skip this one. It is very heartfelt and incredibly rewarding in it’s lessons, but it is very sad. Consider this your trigger warning.

3) Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes—this book also surprised me. I love retellings, especially Greek mythological ones, but I’ve always thought the myth of Perseus and Medusa was, well, overdone. The aspect that makes this novel stand out despite that is the narrative style and voice. Natalie Haynes is a masterful storyteller, and I was frankly stunned at her ability to weave humor into such a serious story.

4) Babel by R.F. Kuang—what a behemoth this book is! This novel is simultaneously very readable and insanely smart. I’m convinced Kuang is a genius with her lexical range and ability to create such a complicated and wonderful magic system. I was very impressed. This novel provides really great commentary about the nature and power of words and the stories we tell ourselves, mixed with really important talk of the effects of colonization and maintaining a sense of self in a world bent on making you like everyone else. A masterpiece, truly.

5) The Rook by Daniel O’Malley—this novel was my last read of the year, and it did not disappoint. It’s a great mix of fantasy and thriller, two genres I don’t usually associate with each other. I really found myself connecting to the main character—she felt so real and understandable and funny. Luckily, this is also a series, so if you liked this first book, there are more! I was very impressed with O’Malley’s sense of humor and his ability to create and subsequently tie up a complicated plot. Would highly recommend.

Now onto my 2024 plans. As you all know, I’m writing my debut novel. I’m so close to being done with the manuscript (ah!) and once I do finish it, the publishing process will officially begin. I’m very nervous but also so excited for this next chapter of my life, and I’m so excited to bring you all along on the journey. I’ll save more about the book for a future post centered on the novel, but I will say that I’ve officially decided on a title: Hearts of War.

Let me know what books you loved the most in 2023! I’m so excited to continue posting, reading, and writing in 2024!

Fashionably Yours,

Hanna