#books in 2023 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

spelled-like-pajamas · 10 months ago

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As a little New Years thing that I teased, here’s the books I read through out 2023, and some stuff about them. Hope you enjoy!

My Reviews of My 2023 Books:

The First to Die at the End:

A really good book! This probably isn't going to be as passionate as some other books as I'm writing this a good while after I finished it, but I genuinely loved it. Orion and Valnetino felt real, and their love more real. I loved all the other characters, and their side stories, especially Mateo’s & Rufus’s short cameo, and they fact that they almost became friends so much earlier in life. And sure, short cameo, but worth it. Only part that was a little weird is, well, I won't say what happened, but just say that once they reach home, it isn't as wholesome as it is when Mateo & Rufus get to his place.

Rating: 9/10

Favorite Quotes:

“Nope, it’s not” I say. “Valentino, if you want some motherfucking linguini, I’ll find you some motherfucking linguini”.

“Here's the truth no one ever wants to admit when death is on the horizon, or when you're deep in that grief—as long as you keep existing, you'll keep breathing, and if you're breathing, one day you'll start living again.”

“And I'll maybe even fall in love again, and I'll make sure I say it before it's too late.”

(okay, I liked it, sue me)

Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe:

I loved it. The story was something that wasn't too hard to follow, but always was able to keep my heart pacing. The narritve, the dialogue, the characters, it all was as perfect as the sun rise.

Score: 9/10

Favorite Quote: “Senior year. And then life. Maybe that's the way it worked. High

school was just a prologue to the real novel. Everybody got to write you--but when you graduated, you got to write yourselt. At graduation, you got to collect your teacher's pens and your parents pens and you got your own pen. And you could do all the writing. Yeah.

Wouldn't that be sweet?”

The Cartographers:

This was a book I picked for my birthday with no clue what it was about or anything, and overall, good book. A really nice story with good characters, creative writing, lots of twists, some you expect, others you don’t. Good book.

Score: 7/10

Favorite Quote(s):

“Maps are love letters written to times and places their makers had explored.”

“I hope the maps are good where you are.”

John Muir; Wilderness Essays:

So, this was a book that picked up at a bird reserve and caught my eye because I did a massive report on him in middle school, but never was able to read all of his works. But overall, good book. Definitely one either made for one who can go on with scientific books or pages that feel more like an advertisement or has a quiet room to read in. Definitely good book for any nature lover.

Score: 5/10

Favorite Quote(s):

“Scarce one note is for us; nevertheless, God be thanked for this blessed instrument hid beneath the feathers of a lark.”

“The earth has indeed become a sky; and the two cloudless skies, raying toward each other flower-beams and sunbeams, are fused & Congolese into one glowing heaven.”

“As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but Nature’s sources never fail. Like a generous host, she offers here brimming cups in endless variety, served in a grand hall, the sky its ceiling, the mountains its walls, decorated with glorious paintings and enveloped with bands of music ever playing. The petty discomforts that beset the awkward guest, the unskilled camper, are quickly forgotten, while all that is precious remains. Fears vanish as soon as one is fairly free in the wilderness.”

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle: This book, unlike quite a few so far, was one not by random choice, but instead one I picked up as one of the best books according to Tumblr when I first joined, and I decided to give a try, and is by far the best mystery novel I have ever read and always kept me on my toes and kept me guessing every step of the way.

Score: 9/10

Quotes:

“You don't like the man you were. Very well. Be somebody else. There's nothing stopping you, not anymore. As I said, I envy you. The rest of us are stuck with out mistakes.”

“The butler was my father’s batman during the war. Seems Father's taken the insult rather personally.”

“Tomorrow can be whatever I want it to be, which means for the first time in decades, I can look forward to it. Instead of being something it can be a promise I make myself. A chance to be braver or kinder, to make what was wrong right. To be better than I am today. Every day after this one is a gift. I just have to keep walking until get there.”

The Knife of Never Letting Go:

Overall, an okay book. For a starter, since this book kinda just throws this at you and expects you to know, the book focuses around the idea that there is this town full of only men, and they can all hear each other’s thoughts, except this gets flipped on its head when the main character finds out that is different pretty much everywhere else, more or less. Again, not too many spoilers, this is meant to encourage you to read these. Anyways, good, kinda left it on a cliffhanger that felt poorly written, but okay.

Score: 6/10

Quotes:

“But if I had to imagine being on the sea, this is what I’d imagine. The herd surrounds us & takes up everything, leaving just the sky and us. It cuts around us like a current, sometimes noticing us but more idus ally noticing only itself and the song of “HERE”, which in the midst of it is so loud it’s like it’s taken over the running of yer body for a while, providing the energy to make yer heart beat and your lungs breathe.”

The Sun and the Star; A Nico di Angelo Adventure:

Much good book!! I honestly thought that Riordian had gotten cancelled and wasn’t writing any books, but a trip up to the bookstore proved me wrong. Anyways, bestest book. No spoilers, but it brought back just about everyone it could in a way that was perfect. Also, Will & Nico? MMMMMMM. (Is there a ship name? Sun & Star, maybe, or like Wico?). Anyways again, amazing book, best so far and probably ever, if you read any Percy Jackson at any point, finish all the rest and then get here.

Score: 10/10

Quotes:

“Will drew a shaky breath. His eyes were swimming with exhaustion. He worried that he’d finally done something that would make Nico realize they were simply, irreconcilably too different. “Yes?”

Nico didn’t seem to be able to talk at first. Then: “You are a legitimate demigod Care Bear.” Will’s top lip trembled. He fell to his knees. Then he bent over in loud raucous laughter until tears poured from his eyes. “You’re so weird.” Nico crawled over, pulled Will to him, and silenced his laughter with a tender kiss. “Please keep being my own personal Care Bear, though.” “Always,” said Will. And then he promptly passed out.

“Okay, okay, enough of your bisexual chaos for the moment.”

“Pain helps us learn,” said Gorgyra. “It is unfortunate, but we rarely forget the lessons taught to us in moments of pain.”

“He wanted to understand Nico, even the parts that seemed difficult or sad. All Nico needed was to be seen & heard by someone he cared for, and Will was making the effort. Will glowed next to the fire like one of the torches on Erebos. And it was hard even for Tartarus to stamp out that kind of hope.”

“Will had heard love described in so many dramatic, bizarre ways over the years, but no one had described it like this:

It’s like drifting down a river of pain and knowing you are safe. It’s like holding a person in your arms and realizing they are an interlocking piece of a puzzle you hadn’t known how to assemble. It’s like staring into a dark and treacherous expanse, unsure of what awaits you but finding comfort in the fact that you won’t have to face it alone. It was a son of Apollo falling for a son of Hades. It was this.”

The Mountain in the Sea:

An alright book. For a basic summary that spils not a whole lot, the story follows a scientist named Dr. Ha Nguyen, who gets called up by a company that says they may have found a species of octopus that is intelligent as us, and is accompanied by a grizzled war veteran and the worlds first true android. The reason it's lackluster is that very little interesting happens with them for most of the time, as well as two other side stories that seem to be not related for most of the book. However, it does all meet up together in the end, so not too bad.

Score: 6/10

Quotes:

“We see a level of tool use in the octopus that surpasses that of any birds or mammals other than humans. Consider the compound tool use of the Indonesian octopuses, who carry two discarded

coconut halves with them across the seafloor, stilt-walking with them underneath their bodies, then reassembling the halves to use as armor against predators. The coconuts, discarded by humans, are collected by the octopuses for this specific purpose.

While we see other animals use found objects for shelters and assemble compound objects (such as

nests), nowhere else do we see this level of sophisticated tool use in the animal kingdom. This cannot be dismissed as instinct. It is a learned behavior. When we try to reassemble the train of thought that must have gone into this, what else can

we do but admit we are looking at an animal whose curiosity, adventurousness, and sophistication areunparalleled in most of the animal world?”

“The world still contains miracles, despite everything that has been done to it.”

“Are we trapped, then, in the world our language makes for us, unable to see beyond the boundaries of it? I say we are not. Anyone who has watched their dog

dance its happiness in the sand and felt that joy themselves; anyone who has looked into a neighboring car and seen a driver there, lost in thought, and smiled and saw the image of themselves in that person, knows the way out of the

maze: Empathy. Identity with perspectives outside our own. The liberating, sympathetic vibrations of fellow feeling.

Only those incapable of empathy are truly caged.”

Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel:

HELLLL YESSSS! A book that I thought was lost to bookstores by time and only discoverable by Amazon, and was at my fingertips the whole time! Anyways, best book ever! For anyone who knows the podcast, it goes deeper into anything you want to know about the town, and for anyone who’s never heard of it (first off, shame on you but in a light way), it’s a great way to introduce it, as it works for both groups. Read it regardless, you interlopers, and ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD.

Score: 10/10

Quotes:

“The search for truth takes us to dangerous places,” said Old Woman Josie. “Often it takes us to that most dangerous place: the library. You know who said that? No? George Washington did. Minutes before librarians are him.”

“The world is terrifying. It always is. But Cecil reminded her that it was okay to relax in a terrifying world.”

10.

Abraham Lincoln ; Vampire Hunter: An overall good book! I was promted to read it after seeing the trailer for the movie, and thought I should read the book before I see the movie. But regardless, the book contains good action, comedy and, of course, vampires. Anyone who likes goofy stories, history or horror should read this book.

Score: 9/10

Quotes:

“Judge us not equally, Abraham. We may all deserve hell, but some of us deserve it sooner than others.”

“I fear that a life of death has made me numb to both.”

11.

The Girl Who Could Move Shit With Her Mind:

I picked this book up simply because it’s not every day you walk into your local Barnes and Noble and see a book that just outright swears right to you (at least where I live, I've realized after writing this that it's probably pretty common). So of course I bought it, why not? It’s a good book with plenty of comedy, which gets balanced out by the murders and and stuff, with a great double twist at the end. The only issue I have with it, and maybe this was just my version, but I noticed a few times where it seemed like the proof reader skipped over something, but probably just me.

Score: 8/10

Quotes:

“Yeah, it’s been hard sometimes. Working under Moira Tanner sucks. And yeah, I’ll probably never own a restaurant. But I am never gonna stop trying because things can always get better. People are stupid, things go wrong, plans fall apart. Shit doesn’t work like your want it to. But there’s always a way out.”

“Oh, thank God. Someone to distract me from these two lovebirds.” “Please,” Annie says. “You’ve been playing Clash of Clans for the past ten minutes. You don’t even know we here.”

12.

Six of Crows: Hell yes! A book I had simply seen mentioned as a great book with no prior knowledge, and one that delivered it 110%! It’s the perfect mix of heist, fantasy, romance and real world bits that make it perfect! Hopefully back to the bookstore for the next! (Oh yeah, probably should have mentioned it’s a cliff hanger, but in the best of ways, but still brings it down just one point. Also, may this serve as a stamp in time before Wylan and Jesper become a thing, if that doesn’t happen, I’m going to scream.)

Score: 9/10

Quotes:

“Shame holds more value than coin ever can.”

“Kaz leaned back. “What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?”

“Knife to the throat?” asked Inej.

“Gun to the back?” said Jesper.

“Poison in his cup?” suggested Nina.

“You’re all horrible,” said Matthias.”

“Rollins held up his watch chain. A turnip was hanging from the fob where his diamond-studded timepiece should have been. “That little bastard—“ Then a thought came to him. He reached for his wallet. It was gone. So was his tie pin, the Kaelish coin pendant he wore for luck, and the gold buckles in his shoes. Rollins wondered if he should check the fillings in his teeth.”

13.

Crooked Kingdom: Hella good book! A sequel to “Six of Crows” for anyone who didn't know, it still delivers just as good the original, probably even better, tying every single story up perfectly, ending it just the way it needed to, with the same characters that made the first perfect and a few newer ones that help to make it even better. And yes, Wylan and Jesper (Wesper, beautiful) are a thing, that's the one thing I will spoil, because it is perfect, and even thought it was probably very easy to see, I called it! If youve read the first, read it, it does not disappoint, and if you haven't read the first, what are you doing?!?

Score: 10/10

Quotes:

“Where do you think the money went?” he repeated.

“Guns?” asked Jesper.

“Ships?” queried Inej.

“Bombs?” suggested Wylan.

“Political bribes?” offered Nina. They all looked at Matthias. “This is where you tell us how awful we are,” she whispered.

“You’re not weak because you can't read. You're weak because you're afraid of people seeing your weakness. You're letting shame decide who you are.”

“They don’t know who we are. Not really. They don’t know what we’ve done, what we’ve managed together.” Kaz rapped his cane on the ground. “So let’s go show them they picked the wrong damn fight.”

“Nina had grieved for her loss of power, for the connection she’d felt to the living world. She’s resented this shadow gift. It had seemed like a sham, a punishment. But surely as life connected everything, so did death. It was that endless, fast-running river. She’d dipped her fibers into its current, held the eddy of its power in her hand. She was the Queen of Mourning, and in its depths, she would never drown.”

“Jesper hugged his father tight. Remember this feeling, he told himself. Remember all you have to lose.”

14:

The Hexologists: A fantastic book! Basically covered all the bases for a great book, mysteries and detectives, dragons and wizards, romance and a sweet old gay couple, and one of the best twists ever, so a good book for everyone, as long you’re good with really lovey scenes.

Score: 8/10

Quotes:

“Seems the prince had quite a devoted batman,” she remarked to Warren, who stopped over an open binder at the desk’s elbow.”

“Do not neglect to live your life. No cause, no matter how noble, will ever love you.”

“I miss clouds! I miss lonesome clouds, wispy clouds, and all those fleets of white frigates with pregnant sails that would go coursing across the endless blue—warring, burning, sinking at sunset. I miss the clouds that looked like a freshly rolled field and the great placid mountains that presided over a morning—before turning volcanic in the afternoon. There nothing like that now. There’s just a ceiling. A terribly low ceiling and closed-in walls. It’s like we’re living inside a collapsed house.”

“That quality was part of what made him such a wonderful partner. Still, a large heart is not light. Even the most cherished burdens must sometimes be laid down.”

“War, I loved you right through that rug, past the floorboards, into the basement, under the foundation, straight down to the center of the earth. And I hope to see all of those things wear away as we grow old & our love stays young.”

“One nosy woman to another, is it satisfying—knowing all the secrets of the world? Is it enough? Are you content, or does the ever-swelling bubble of reality make fulfillment impossible? After all, every soul on the planet is out there right now, studiously making a mystery of their life. They’re lying, faking, pretending…Is it better to admit your limitations, to not only allow for, but to insist upon the necessity of the unknown? Is ignorance the basis of sanity? Do we need mysteries to survive?”

15.

Aristotle & Dante Discover Dive Into the Waters of the World:

A book that I didn’t do enough justice for with its prequel! (probably because I was still getting back into reading more). The book is beautiful, and has been one of the few things in a while that’s made me cry, both out of sadness, and out of love. Aristotle and Dante will forever hold a place in my heart, not just for the wonderful book it is, but how I use it now as a personal marker for what’s changed about me since I promised I was going to read 15 books, and hopefully 20 or more next year!

Score: 10/10 (Winner!)

Quotes:

“Oh, hell no,” said Dante. I loved that he brought so much laughter into what was once the pathetic-melancholy-boy thing I used to do all the time. And I wanted to kiss him.”

“But me, I’m a sin, right?”

“No, you’re not a sin. You’re a young man. You’re a human being.” And then she smiled at me. “And you’re my son.”

“I sometimes felt like I'd been asleep for a long time—and when I met Dante, I began to wake up, and I began seeing not only him but the mean and terrible and awesome world I lived in. The world was a scary place to live in, and it would always be scary—but you could learn not to be afraid. I guess I had to decide what was more real, the scary things or—or Dante. Dante, he was the most real thing in the world.”

"Has it ever occurred to you how painful all of this must be for Lina? Have you any idea or have you even considered what she must be going through right now? She's a good and decent woman. She's generous and she's kind. In a word, she possesses all the virtues that you lack. I have no idea why you think our faith is centered around condemning people."

“My mom and Mrs. Alvidrez—their connection mattered. And they respected that connection. It was true, adults were teachers. They taught you things by how they behaved. And just now, my mom and Mrs. Alvidrez taught me a word Cassandra had begun to teach me: “forgiveness”. It was a word that needed to live inside me. I had a feeling that if that word didn't live inside me, the word “happiness” would never live inside me either.”

“That's the thing about friends. Each one of them is different. And each friend knows something about you that your other friends don't know. I guess a part of being friends is that you share a secret with each one of them. The secret doesn't have to be a big secret. It could just be a little one. But sharing that secret is one of the things that makes you friends. I thought that was pretty amazing.”

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that war is something beautiful or heroic. When people say war is hell, war is hell. Cowards start wars, and the brave fight them.”

“Sometimes I loved them so much. There was something about girls that guys didn't have—and would never have. They were amazing. Maybe one day, instead of always having to prove they were real men, guys would study women’s behavior and start acting a little more like them. Now, that would be awesome.”

“For the longest time, I have wanted to be an actress. Then I realized I’ve been an actress all my life. But the question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ is not just about what professions we chose. The real question is, what kind of person do you want to be? Do you want to love? Or do you want to continue the hate? Hate is a decision. Hate is an emotional pandemic we have never found a cure for. Choose to love.”

“We had to make it to shore for Sophocles and all the newly arrived citizens of the world. We had learned that we were all connected, and we were stronger than any storm, and we would make it back to the shores of America—and when we arrived, we would throw out the old maps that took us to violent places filled with hate, and the new roads we mapped would take all of us places and cities we’d never dreamed of. We were the cartographers of the new America. We would map out a new nation.

Yes, we were stronger than the storm.”

Prologue (or something, idk):

So, the TLDR of it all was that I promised myself I would read 15 books by the end of the year all the way back then, and this is that list of books, my thoughts of them, and hopefully, a spoiler free incentive to read these too. And if you want favorites, Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World takes 1st, The Sun and the Star takes 2nd, and Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel takes 3rd. Thank you so much to all you book people on Tumblr for getting me back into reading and bringing my “To Read List” from 5-10 to nearly 100 as of writing! Hope to be back with a list like this next year with 20 books, and here’s to another year on this hellsite I’ve fallen for!

#books and reading #books #reading #book recommendations #happy new year #end of the year #new years eve #happy new year 2024 #goodbye 2023 #bookblr #currently reading #books read in 2023 #books in 2023

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