Reading Wrap Up #2

This year, according to my Goodreads, I’ve read 51 books! This is super exciting as I have been fighting against the erosion of my attention span after years of FPS games and high mobile phone usage. It’s been a goal of mine to fall back into a more balanced lifestyle.

I’d like to show off and promote some of my favorite books I read in 2023!

Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead deserves every award it’s earned. I have been encouraged by my peers to read The Poisonwood Bible as well. I never thought I wouldn’t enjoy that one (a critical look at missionary work? Amazing and much-needed!) but my deep love for Demon Copperhead has only moved The Poisonwood Bible higher up on my TBR.

A.K. Larkwood’s The Serpent Gates duology opens with The Unspoken Name, following orc Csorwe’s escape from ritual sacrifice to an ancient god. This pair of books (the second one being The Thousand Eyes) had a commanding mastery of so many themes I love—deity worship, love between women, sacrifice, devotion. It was SO GOOD! I actually read this duology initially because a literary agent at a conference thought it might make a good comp title to my work, but I found myself casting aside any critical lens and just getting fully immersed in Larkwood’s beautiful, witty prose.

Just in time for Matthew Desmond’s new book Poverty, by America, I finally read his first work, Evicted, lent to me and recommended to me by my sociologist best friend. Desmond’s writing emphasizes the humanity and personhood of those marginalized by our society, and he so clearly outlines how capitalism and our current societal structure pit people against one another—often with no other choice. Mandatory reading.

As a fan of creepy crawlies, I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this entry into the Science Comics series. Beautiful art about beautiful creatures, lovingly drawn and conveyed.

Here’s hoping 2024 blesses us with more amazing reading opportunities and chances for growth! I, for one, am so excited to continue polishing up A VILE AND VENOMOUS WOMAN. I aim to be back in the querying process by 2025 once I am done with my Master’s of Library and Information Science degree. I can’t wait to get back out there! :)