Laith
Happy New Year, everyone! I just stumbled on this year in review entry, and it is a neat little feature, isn't it? 2023 has been something of a reading renaissance for me, but this all really started in 2022. That was the first year in my adult life without any need to study/cram or work long hours, and I realized that I needed a "productive" alternative to my phone.
I rode the momentum of that decision along with a string of some really excellent books (Hyperion, Blindsight, and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet to name a few) and decided that in 2023 I would have three main reading goals:
1. I would read a minimum of 30 minutes every day. (326 Days in a row according to kindle) 2. I would try to read as many books as I could. (92 Books read!) 3. I would try to review everything I read. (this got added later)
I stuck to my genres (SF/Fantasy) but I made sure to cleanse the palate with whatever sounded interesting/ whatever literary references went over my head. I wanted a baseline for just how much I could read in a year without pushing myself; turns out you can read a ton when you don't have casebooks and social media competing for your time. Once I started the Urth of the New Sun series I realized that I couldn't keep it all straight without taking notes, and once you have notes you're basically obligated to post a review.
It's been a great reading year for me, and I intend to keep up with this habit I've formed. My goals for 2024 are a little different, I'd actually like to read with a little more moderation (I may have spent more time with the books than I did with my girlfriend), I'd like to finish the Dandelion Dynasty, and I would like to read more books outside my genres/wheelhouse (maybe a little more non-fiction and literature).
With all that said I read a ton this year so let me highlight some stuff!
Favorites Series for the year:
I was big into series this year, I read Urth of the New Sun, The Culture, Bobiverse, Murderbot, The First Law, The Dandelion Dynasty, Monk and Robot, Alex Stern, and the Sarantine Mosaic.
I had a blast reading all of these series and I have nothing but praise for all of them, you seriously can't go wrong picking up any one of these. That makes it super tough to pick my series of the year, since almost all of these books left such a strong impression on me. I mean, seriously, it's kind of like picking which cut of Wagyu was most delicious!
When in doubt, I turn to the roots, and what I was most excited about (and most diligent with) had to be the Culture Series by Ian M. Banks. I was absolutely consumed by this series, it was like "oh wow, I can't believe this has existed all this time, and I am literally the last person to hear about it." I didn't love every book, but it's 10 whole books, there's bound to be a miss or two. What's really impressive is that each book could very easily be the start of their own series, each book is wholly unique and PACKED with ideas and content. I wish I could read more Culture. RIP BIG BANKS.
Author of the Year:
I only read two of his books this year, but I love them both. I will be reading more Philip K. Dick in 2024. His authorial style agrees with me in a way that no one else I read this year quite managed to match. Obviously, I am a little late to the party and I know that marking him as my favorite for the year is a little bit like saying Citizen Kane or On the Waterfront is my favorite movie. But I can't help it, Ubik was amazing and A Scanner Darkly really agreed with me!
If I have to pick someone a little more contemporary, I am giving the nod to Becky Chambers. I first read her in 2022, but with each additional book of hers that I read, my appreciation of her style and ideas only grows. I absolutely loved Monk & Robot, I fully intend on grabbing a box set for this series once it's complete. M&R aside, there is more Wayfarers on the horizon for me. Count me as a fan.
Top 5 Books for the Year:
1. The Library at Mount Char 2. Use of Weapons 3. A Scanner Darkly 4. Bad Brains 5. Cosmos
This list is in order, but maybe it shouldn't be. I read so many excellent books this year, so this isn't a quality metric, but rather I'm ranking these books by how much I liked them and just how much of their ideas/imagery/plot managed to make it into my daily thoughts (Love and Staying Power). What makes me rank Char at the top has a lot to do with just how much of a surprise it was, I expected nothing and got something so incredible and unique. Let's not forget to mention that it is an authorial debut for Scott Hawkins, a grand slam the first time up to bat is something that I can't help but take note of.
Wish I could unread this:
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
You can read my review of this fanfic, but I don't know why I didn't put this down. Chalk it up to morbid curiosity. My problem with this book had a lot to do with the weakness of the writing, and not necessarily with the premise or plot.
Happy New Year, everyone! I just stumbled on this year in review entry, and it is a neat little feature, isn't it? 2023 has been something of a reading renaissance for me, but this all really started in 2022. That was the first year in my adult life without any need to study/cram or work long hours, and I realized that I needed a "productive" alternative to my phone.
I rode the momentum of that decision along with a string of some really excellent books (Hyperion, Blindsight, and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet to name a few) and decided that in 2023 I would have three main reading goals:
1. I would read a minimum of 30 minutes every day. (326 Days in a row according to kindle) 2. I would try to read as many books as I could. (92 Books read!) 3. I would try to review everything I read. (this got added later)
I stuck to my genres (SF/Fantasy) but I made sure to cleanse the palate with whatever sounded interesting/ whatever literary references went over my head. I wanted a baseline for just how much I could read in a year without pushing myself; turns out you can read a ton when you don't have casebooks and social media competing for your time. Once I started the Urth of the New Sun series I realized that I couldn't keep it all straight without taking notes, and once you have notes you're basically obligated to post a review.
It's been a great reading year for me, and I intend to keep up with this habit I've formed. My goals for 2024 are a little different, I'd actually like to read with a little more moderation (I may have spent more time with the books than I did with my girlfriend), I'd like to finish the Dandelion Dynasty, and I would like to read more books outside my genres/wheelhouse (maybe a little more non-fiction and literature).
With all that said I read a ton this year so let me highlight some stuff!
Favorites Series for the year:
I was big into series this year, I read Urth of the New Sun, The Culture, Bobiverse, Murderbot, The First Law, The Dandelion Dynasty, Monk and Robot, Alex Stern, and the Sarantine Mosaic.
I had a blast reading all of these series and I have nothing but praise for all of them, you seriously can't go wrong picking up any one of these. That makes it super tough to pick my series of the year, since almost all of these books left such a strong impression on me. I mean, seriously, it's kind of like picking which cut of Wagyu was most delicious!
When in doubt, I turn to the roots, and what I was most excited about (and most diligent with) had to be the Culture Series by Ian M. Banks. I was absolutely consumed by this series, it was like "oh wow, I can't believe this has existed all this time, and I am literally the last person to hear about it." I didn't love every book, but it's 10 whole books, there's bound to be a miss or two. What's really impressive is that each book could very easily be the start of their own series, each book is wholly unique and PACKED with ideas and content. I wish I could read more Culture. RIP BIG BANKS.
Author of the Year:
I only read two of his books this year, but I love them both. I will be reading more Philip K. Dick in 2024. His authorial style agrees with me in a way that no one else I read this year quite managed to match. Obviously, I am a little late to the party and I know that marking him as my favorite for the year is a little bit like saying Citizen Kane or On the Waterfront is my favorite movie. But I can't help it, Ubik was amazing and A Scanner Darkly really agreed with me!
If I have to pick someone a little more contemporary, I am giving the nod to Becky Chambers. I first read her in 2022, but with each additional book of hers that I read, my appreciation of her style and ideas only grows. I absolutely loved Monk & Robot, I fully intend on grabbing a box set for this series once it's complete. M&R aside, there is more Wayfarers on the horizon for me. Count me as a fan.
Top 5 Books for the Year:
1. The Library at Mount Char 2. Use of Weapons 3. A Scanner Darkly 4. Bad Brains 5. Cosmos
This list is in order, but maybe it shouldn't be. I read so many excellent books this year, so this isn't a quality metric, but rather I'm ranking these books by how much I liked them and just how much of their ideas/imagery/plot managed to make it into my daily thoughts (Love and Staying Power). What makes me rank Char at the top has a lot to do with just how much of a surprise it was, I expected nothing and got something so incredible and unique. Let's not forget to mention that it is an authorial debut for Scott Hawkins, a grand slam the first time up to bat is something that I can't help but take note of.
Wish I could unread this:
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
You can read my review of this fanfic, but I don't know why I didn't put this down. Chalk it up to morbid curiosity. My problem with this book had a lot to do with the weakness of the writing, and not necessarily with the premise or plot.