#absolutegarbage’s reading list

[no1islost]

#11. Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

10/10. Sci-fi/Fantasy. 556 pages.

I — am having a hard time finding words. I was enamored with Harrow in Gideon The Ninth, and fell in love with her even more in this book. I was confused the entire time, but not so confused that it made me want to stop reading. On the contrary, it made me want to keep going. I was working things out just as Harrow was. And my heart hurts for her. So fricken good. As we know, I like to listen to audiobooks as I read along with a physical copy. The audiobook for this series is excellent. I ran out of minutes partway through, so I had to read the rest in silence. My brain needs a rest before I start Nona. 

[no1islost]

8. Gideon The Ninth

7/10. SciFi Fantasy. 475 pages

I really wanted to love this book. It has such a following. It wasn’t until I was 3/4 of the way through did I get hooked. But then it was over. My biggest problem is that I was confused the entire time. I’m still unclear on the world-building and the point of it all. BUT I did love Gideon and Harrowhark. I wish that relationship was flushed out more instead of them all of a sudden saying things like, “I can’t imagine a world without you” etc etc right at the very end. I will say that I am very interested in continuing the story with Harrow The Ninth. I was actually more of a sucker for Harrow than Gideon. My reading goal was only 8 books this year, but I’m glad I found time to complete it. Anxiety and depression has been hitting hard lately, making reading impossible. But I’m taking the fact that I was able to finish this as a good sign and an achievement despite it all. On to the next book!

[no1islost]

I have decided on the first 5 of my reading list for 2024. Let’s see if I stick with all of these. Now to decide where to start…

[no1islost]

I only managed to read 13 books this year. Two of them were for work, and my goal was 10, so technically I surpassed that goal….But considering how crazy this year was, I’m content. Yet again, no one asked, but here is my 2023 reading list (minus the two):

January

1. Gearbreakers - Zoe Hana Mikuta

2. Godslayers - Zoe Hana Mikuta

March

3. The Last Hero - Linden A. Lewis

June

4. This Is How You Lose The Time War - Amal El-Mohtar

August

5. The Genesis of Misery - Neon Yang

October

6. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick

November

7. Bluebird - Ciel Pierlot

December

8. Hollow Kingdom - Kira Jane Buxton

9. Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

10. Feral Creatures - Kira Jane Buxton

13. Lord of the Flies - William Golding

[no1islost]

5. Golden Son - Pierce Brown

Sci-Fi. 466 pages

5/5

Hoooolllly smokes. Excellent!!!!! So damn good!!! I had heard amazing things about the Red Rising series. I did really enjoy the first one, but THIS….this masterpiece of a sequel blew the first book out of the water. From page 1 to page 466 I was enamored. So much of it had me gasping for breath and on the edge of my seat. The ending was insane. I can’t wait to read Morning Star to find out what happens next! I WILL have to wait, though, as I don’t have Morning Star yet, and still have a fat stack of books I need to get through.

I’ve already started book 6 of my reading list, and it is one that I am also very excited for.

[no1islost]

Omg. Reading this was a punishment 💀. Lowkey liked it though 😂. Sort of. Maybe not. Idk.

Too tired to write a review. Also realized I never wrote on the last book I read, Project Artemis. Oh well. That one was just okay, too.

Anyways, book 4 of the year is done. I was gonna jump back into the Red Rising series, but my brain needs a break, so I think Bookshops & Bonedust is next.

Goodnight!

[no1islost]

2. Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

Fantasy. 245 pages.

3/5

Honestly, for most of this book I was like, ‘why are there so many damn lists of things in this!?’ , but I hate DNFing something I spent money on, so I powered through. I did end up enjoying it and devoured the last third of the book in one sitting. It’s one of those books where you’re fascinated on how someone came up with the plot because it’s so…weird lol. It was also my first time reading anything by this author. Once I got used to it and the writing style, I had a much better time. No regrets reading this. A bizarre little book, indeed.

[no1islost]

AbsoluteGarbage’s 2023 Reading List:

5. This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Sci-Fi. 198 Pages.

9/10 - I cannot express how badly I want someone to write me letters like the ones in this book. I’m a sucker for the technology vs organic themes and this was a unique, time-traveler-without-being-too-confusing take on that. Two opposing agents that fall in love through letters left in different timelines. At first it took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, I devoured the rest of it in one sitting. Short, yet beautifully written. The ended left me wanting more, but in a good way! My heart!

[no1islost]

I was reading a book during my lunch break today and a coworker began to inquire about it, so I told him it was a sci-fi book with dystopic themes. And kind of like the hunger games, but on Mars. This is how the conversation went afterwards:

Him: “oh cool, so it’s a YA dystopia book”

Me: “not YA”

Him: “but you said dystopic. That’s YA.”

Me: “…no….it’s science fiction….but like for adults, not young adults…”

Him: “so what would you classify it as?”

Me: “….SCIENCE FICTION”

Him: “How is that not YA? You said dystopic.”

Me: “have you ever been in a bookstore before?”

Him: “yeah, and the YA section is huge and full of those types of books.”

Me: “THERE’S ALSO A HUGE SECTION JUST LABELED SCIENCE FICTION”

Y’all….this wasn’t even the extent of our conversation. Am I going crazy? Are people not aware that science fiction is its own category? And can be both YA or NOT YA? I tried explaining how I thought there were also differences in the levels of writing, and I think I offended him LOL This post is meaningless, but I thought it was funny 😂

[no1islost]

Nobody asked, but out of the 20 books I read this year, here are a few:

Most Favorite Book:

The First Sister Trilogy by Linden A Lewis

I’m reading the last book of the trilogy right now, but The First Sister, The Second Rebel, and The Last Hero might be my new favorite book series. A Space Opera. Two factions: Earth & Mars vs Venus & Mercury. Science & Technology vs Spirituality & Tradition. Told from various POVs that are interconnected. Hierarchy, scandal, and government coverups. 10/10 recommend. (This series has good narrators on Audible if you want an audio experience while reading like I sometimes do).

Most Difficult Book:

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

This book didn’t list any trigger warnings, but quite literally hit all of them. Not a book for the weak. Extremely brutal, heavy, and hard to digest topics. I so badly wanted to DNF this one, but I’m not a quitter. Very difficult to understand the way it was written, too. Had to listen to the audio book as I read along to help comprehend. But I did appreciate the difficulty and the African lore. Not sure I will read the sequel.

Most Enjoyable Book:

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

I mean, who doesn’t love a woman professor who secretly murders male students that get away with SA with their classmates? The twist was good and I honestly didn’t make the connection until it slapped me in the face. Also wlw representation. Really highlights the fury many of us feel when boys get away with this ish.

Most Meaningful Book

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sôsuke Natsukawa

Super sweet, heartwarming read. A little bit of grief mixed in with a love of books and a dying bookstore. Saved by a magical cat and a boy.

Most Conceptually Intriguing

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

Commentary on how heroes actually do the most damage, but told in a fun, superhero world way. I think if anyone likes marvel or dc, they should read this. This concept was really interesting and was nice to see a “villain’s” POV. The ending irritated me, though.

I started a lot of interesting reads this year, too, but won’t have them finished in time. So here’s to some good reads in 2023!

[no1islost]

I just finished this. Read it this week, mainly on my breaks at work, and then again just before going to sleep. It was super cute. A cozy slice of life fantasy story. Super heartwarming and easy to read. If you want something to make you feel good, I’d recommend this.

[no1islost]

I wasn’t sure I was going to meet my 2023 reading goal since it has taken me a while to get through books…but…I did. My previous book took me three months to finish. This one only took a week. This is the best thing I’ve read this year, and might now be one of my favorite books. I still have tears streaming down my face (I just finished it and couldn’t wait to post about it).

I’m a huge animal lover and a massive advocate for wildlife. Crows are also my favorite bird, so the description of this book was so appealing. The title was actually what initially hooked me.

This story is so humorous and witty and just darn heartwarming. It’s also tragic, gritty, and heart-pounding. Humanity can be found is so many things, not just in people. Just, wow. I am eager to pick up the sequel. 10/10 recommend.

[no1islost]

AbsoluteGarbage’s 2023 Reading List:

3. The Last Hero by Linden A. Lewis

Sci-Fi Space Opera. 616 pages.

9/10 - I’m ashamed to say I started this book when it was released in November last year. It took me about four months to finish. (Granted, I’ve been hella busy, but still.) This was the final book in The First Sister trilogy. It was pretty dense. Literally. It’s so heavy even with the thinnest pages 😂. I’m seriously in awe of any author who can create these intricate stories. It blows my mind. Humanity is on the brink of annihilation, Earth/Mars, and Venus/Mercury factions are even more divided. Religious sisterhoods consumed by corruption from the inside, synthetic robots, and a multitude of people all at war with each other. This book flipped between so many different POVs it made my head spin. I normally don’t like first person perspective, but it worked really well in this trilogy. One POV would leave you on a cliffhanger and then you’d have to get through like three more chapters of other POVs to get back to the original one. It was crazy how it all tied together at the end. This book wasn’t a 10/10 for me, but it came close. I really loved this trilogy and highly recommend it!

[no1islost]

AbsoluteGarbage’s 2023 Reading List:

1. Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta.

YA Sci-Fi. 419 pages

8.5/10. I really enjoyed the story. I secretly love stories revolving around Mecha machines. It was a YA novel, so it definitely was a bit easy to consume and had that vibe to the writing of it, which I’m not usually a fan of. That being said, it was nice to read an entertaining sci-fi story without getting super caught up on minute details. I was able to read this really quickly, but also because I was eager to know what was going to happen. And the ending. OMG THE ENDING 😭 There is a sequel that’s already out that I plan on getting asap because I need to know what happens next. Honestly, it kind of reads like a well written fanfic. Probably why I devoured it 😂. I also like how the main relationship played out. We all know I live for the angst HAHA

[no1islost]

I’ve been trying to get through this latest book for nearly two months. And when I say try, I mean that I put the book next to me and then immediately fall asleep 😭. I can’t even manage to open it. This is partly due to the fact that the book just isn’t all that intriguing, but more so because I’m so tired all. the. time. Determined to finish before April is over!!! But sleep keeps on winning!!!

[no1islost]

1. Red Rising - Pierce Brown

Sci-fi. 382 Pages

4/5

I finished my first book of the year. Got it in right before the end of the month. I heard many great things about this book, but also that the second and third were so much more incredible. It might be because I just read Lord of the Flies, but it felt like a sci-fi version of that story, with a touch of The Hunger Games. Overall, I liked it. I’m a sucker for dystopic space operas. The beginning twisted my heart, and the end twisted my gut. I do want to read the next book in the series, but might jump to the next book on my TBR list first. We shall see!