2023 Best of the Year: Books of the Year

In 2023 I began reading both Adam Bede (audiobook) and Daniel Deronda (kindle) by Georeg Eliot and I am just in love with this writing and storytelling. I've made a goal to finish these and also read Silas Marner and Mill on the Floss in 2024.

Nonfiction:

The Cascadia Field Guide is art, poetry, and facts about the animals and plants of the Pacific Northwest. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who lives here or loves this place. It's delightful.

I also loved An Immense World by Ed Yong about the senses particular to various species (and how they differ from human perspectives). Fascinating and useful.

While A Dog's World by Jessica Pierce and Marc Beckoff was not my favorite read --imagining my little dogs fending for themselves in an apocalypse made for dark unpleasantness, but I did love the introduction to this genre of study and thought --speculative biology.

I also read Beasts of Burden and The Good in Promises: The Harm it Does.

It was a great year for nonfiction.

Poetry:
Jo Harjo, Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light
A House Called Tomorrow: Fifty Years of Poetry by Copper Canyon Press

Fiction:
This year I read The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. I had not read it in childhood. It was a lovely tale about mortality and meaning. What I really loved about this though was that my spouse and I both read different copies of a library book while we were on a phenomenal vacation.

I read four fiction books on vacation and it was eye-opening to realize I really do love to read and devour books, but haven't had the mental space or capacity to do so...

Comments

Thoughts on "Depression Hates a Moving Target": What I Mean by Relatable

Relatable — I used this word in my reviews of Depression Hates a Moving Target by Nita Sweeney on Goodreads and Amazon . It's a nice word, but overused of late. So, it feels lazy. What do I mean? I connected with this book. It made me reflect more on my own first marathon experience. It made me want to put on my running shoes and head out the door again. In fact, I did. Now, typically, my mental health doesn't hinder my ability to do the stuff I want to do and my body flies under the radar. Still, I also felt goofy stepping out in my running gear a lot of the time. I didn't see myself as a "runner" or an athlete. And, I had no idea if I could run 13 miles let alone 26.2 when I started. More to the point, could I stay moving for the 4+ hours straight it would take to complete the marathon? To do the training mileage, I knew I'd have to run through streets and trails on my own and that made me nervous, too. Waves of grief wash us to strange shores. Whe...

Springy Story Review: "Gestella" by Susan Palwick

Why it springs to mind: A hauntingly beautiful horror story about what happens when a woman relinquishes her power. A unique werewolf story with commentary on aging. Where read: First in Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology ( 2015, PM Press edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer) and then in Palwick's collection The Fate of Mice ( 2007, Tachyon Publications ) — both outstanding! These presses won't steer you wrong. Summary: A young woman werewolf allows herself to be dominated by a lover who takes control of her fate. Memorable: The powerful ending! The word: sportfuck. A new take on lycanthropy. Written in second person — you. Quote: "You know that your growing wisdom is the benefit of aging, the compensation for your wrinkles and your fading—although fading slowly as yet—beauty. You also know that Jonathan didn't marry you for wisdom." Personal connection: Some of my favorite stories seem to be the ones that address t...

Springy story review: "State Change" by Ken Liu

Why it springs to mind: You'll never look at an ice cube the same way again. Where read: In the 2014 Hugo award-winning Lightspeed Magazine , August. Length: 5,194 words Summary: A woman has an ice cube for a soul. Memorable: How the story invites us to think about the shape of our soul, how it (or our perception of it) influences us and how it changes. What ordinary every day object would your soul be? A silver spoon, a beech stick? A great party conversation starter, this. Quote: “All life is an experiment." Notable: The protagonist Rina is an avid reader (always a good choice). Pairs well with: T.S. Elliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay Origin: The story was written in 24 hours based on a writing prompt. (See Author Spotlight: Ken Liu ) About the author: Ken Liu’s debut novel, The Grace of Kings , the first in a fantasy series The Dandelion Dynasty, is due out from Saga Press ( a new Simon & Schuster imprint ) in 2015.

Shel Graves' Sensorium

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