2023 Reading List
- shelbyallen539
- May 27, 2023
- 3 min read
My goal for 2023 is to read 23 books in an attempt to reconnect with my love of reading. Growing up I consumed books before bed and even counting down the days for new book drops, but lately I find myself turning on Netflix or scrolling miles through my phone.
In order to counter this dependency on my phone and computer, I set a goal with my friend to read 23 books this year. This is my 2023 Reading List.
Book Title | Author | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
Everything I Never Told You | Celeste Ng | Finished | 7/10 |
This is Where it Ends | Marieke Nijkamp | Finished | 3/10 |
Sharp Objects | Gillian Flynn | Finished | 8.5/10 |
It Ends With Us | Colleen Hoover | Abandoned | 0/10 |
Severence | Ling Ma | Finished | 8/10 |
Daisy Jones & The Six | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Finished | 7/10 |
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Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
“This is what it's like, he tells himself. Notice this. Notice everything. Remember it.”
This book explores grief and loss between an already fractured family. With mystery surrounding so much of the story, it is impossible to put the book down until the last page. I love Ng's stories and how complicated plots run over each other in her books. Like Little Fires Everywhere many characters in Everything I Never Told You are unaware of developments happening outside of themselves, making for dramatic misunderstandings and rash decisions. However complicated the characters are, Ng shows us their vulnerability and emotions in ways that will hit you hard in the heart.
This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
“At the top of the aisles, everyone pauses and all eyes turn toward the shadow in the doorway. The word 'gun' floats all around me before the crowd silences, stills.”
The idea of this book is compelling and a type of scary I wish to never know. However, the performance fails to make this a story worth reading. Written with 100 different POVs, it is difficult to care about any one character as the spotlight flips away from them after a few pages and won't return for another 20. Especially when each chapter ends with either a blog post or a tweet from a character we will never meet. There is an after school special vibe to the book that makes it feel unrealistic and childish, despite dealing with themes of sexual assault, death, and gun violence. Finishing this book was tough, but finding a playlist created by the author at the end was worse. I feel each musician is owed an apology by linking their music to this work.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
“''Can't quite figure her out, huh? Angel or devil or both, right?'”
I love Gillian Flynn and her books are always incredibly well done, one of my favorite books is Dark Places. I had already watched the HBO TV version of this show and was left with so many questions. Reading the book helped to bring some light to the mysteries, but there was still something left unsaid which I really like (when done well). Dark, creepy, and perfectly pieced together, this book is an easy recommendation for anyone getting into reading something on the lighter side of horror.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
“'Lily,' I finally say. I hate my voice. It sounds too weak to even reach his ears from here, much less reverberate inside his body.”
After hearing so many recommendations for this book, and this author, I decided to give it a try. That lasted exactly 25 pages before I gave up. So many red flags in the very beginning of this book turned me off to all of Colleen Hoover and has made me wary of anyone who suggests her work. If Lily Bloom was a song she would be "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. All of the cheesy one liners and horrible writing in this book made me want to forget how to read forever. It will remain unfinished and abandoned unless divine intervention steps in.
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