Actor, Writer, Jedi, Singer,

Actor, Writer, Jedi, Singer,
You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you

Monday, January 1, 2024

Books of 2023

 



How many books read in 2023:

143, which was a lot more than I was intending :O 

How many fiction and non fiction?: 

I read more fiction like I usually do, but I did read more non fiction than usual, so yayyyyy!


Male/Female author ratio?: 


I feel like I read slightly more female authors this year. And I think that tends to me the norm for me. 

Favorite book of 2023?: 

Not counting re-reads (since the Lord of the Rings trilogy and An Enchantment of Ravens would be on the list)

Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio - this was an AWESOME science fiction story, with great world building and a main character that I adored (I loved Hadrian a LOT as a MC). 

I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole - best Star Wars book I read this year! Corran Horn had an excellent arc in this book, I enjoyed seeing stuff from the Jedi Academy trilogy from his POV, and the ending was great!

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - I LOVE this book so much! Emily is a character I highly related to, the Nordic setting and the take on the Fae was so homey to me, and the romance is very cute! 

Mistborn era 2 by Brandon Sanderson - while I still prefer era 1 of Mistborn, era 2 was a lot of fun and dealt with some heavy emotions as well! The characters were all enjoyable to read from, the way the world and magic system was expanded was really great, and the autism rep was solid!

The Secret History by Donna Tartt - this was such a messed up, well written work! Definitely the epitome of dark academia. Also really rang true regarding the college experience, oddly enough.

Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb - beautifully written epic fantasy. The world building is excellent, the character work is very well done, and the ending had a great emotional punch. Also made me like a wolf/dog character, which is a feat. 

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson - the author is one of the best current YA authors and this book was another excellent edition. Love her prose, the characters (and their interactions), and the world. I also love how the author can write such different, but all equally great, YA fantasies. 

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - while I loved the whole trilogy, book 1 was my favorite. The romance was great for me, the set up was one I was really craving when I read it (and it was a GREAT depiction), I loved how both characters were competent and helped with surviving, and was just all around GREAT YA sci-fi! 

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber - I loved the whole trilogy for this one as well, but book 2 was my favorite! This book pulled off a hero x villain romance PERFECTLY and the drama and emotions were so good! The world building was also a lot of fun and the author certainly knows how to convey TRAGEDY very well >:D 

The Kyrtos Trap by Michael Stackpole - a very fun addition to the X-Wing series that had a lot of clever reveals (like the upside down prison, which was freaking brilliant on the author's part!), as well as Corran coming more into his own here (and getting a LIGHTSABER). 

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mike Oshiro - I love the PJO universe and this book was a really satisfying addition to that world. We get closure on some things from Heroes of Olympus, the romance between Nico and Will was well done (as were their character arcs), the humor and emotional moments were great, and by the end, I was so happy!

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes - a very FUN space opera that managed to have a lot of things in it that worked well for me! I loved the human x alien romance we got, the hints of the wider plot, and the crazy, hilarious shennanigans that our lead, Eva, got into were great! 

Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan - an awesome addition to the Legends of the First Empire series! The characters were great, the romance was great, the humor was great, and so was the plot progression and additions to world building. Also I am friends with the author on goodreads :) 

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan - While I had some issues with how gender was handled in this book, it was still an amazing read. The way everything wrapped up for all the characters was very powerful and the dramatic moments all hit the correct way. This author is definitely one to watch! 

Normal People by Sally Rooney - My first Sally Rooney book and I loved it and related to it in a lot of complicated and uncomfortable ways. The characters messy emotions and relationships were highly relatable to me and I loved how vivid the Irish setting was. Definitely not a book for everyone, but the author deserves her positive reputation. 

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds - While the character work is a bit weak, the world building is outstanding. The attention to detail to the science and the alien civilization(s) was amazing and made me very excited to continue into this series! 

Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney - A lot of people say the author's books are relatable to white women who are college educated, millennial/gen z, middle class, and liberal. And they are right, since I am all of the above and this book, like Normal People, resonated with me a LOT. The thoughts the characters have and struggle with are ones I have in my own life. The romances also worked for me, even if they were very messy. 

The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim - while not as fun as book 1, this was a great finale for the duology! Shiori continues to be a character I love to follow and the world and arcs were great! I also very much love her step mother as a character and am excited to see how she is in the prequel! 

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh - A lovely, fairy tale esque story that slowly built up into a satisfying story and romance! The world and folklore elements were also a lot of fun! 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - a beautifully written book that shows the best an author can achieve when it comes to prose. The love of stories is central to this book and it works soooo well for me! One I highly recommend for readers! 

Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim - This graphic novel handled a very sad and difficult subject matter (the life of a woman forced to become a comfort woman when Japan invaded Korea) in a sensitive and hisotircally accurate way. Definitely a sad story, but an important one for people to know about. 

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan - I've wanted to read this author's work for a long time and I am so glad I finally did. She is an excellent historical fiction writer and really captures each time period she writes about. The two leads we follow are expertly drawn as well! 

The Bacta War by Michael Stackpole - Another good addition to the X-Wing series, this one wrapping up the first Rogue Squadron arc. The book had a lot of good things going for it, the humor was great, and I felt like the arc ended in a way I found satisfying. 

Mistborn: Secret History by Brandon Sanderson - This short story really explores the behind the scenes stuff of the Cosmere, showing Kelsier as he refuses to accept death and try to keep his home safe. The story is super good, the Cosmere connections were exciting, and the story really made me love Kelsier even more as a character. 

Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong by Angela Saini - an important book about women and how history and science have gotten so much wrong about us as a gender. While I don't agree with one point the author made, the rest was very interesting and helped me feel better about being a woman. 

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - this was such a cool book about science and the history of science. The author managed to get a lot of information across in a fun and interesting way and I had so much fun learning about all the different branches of science and the HISTORY of those branches of science! 

Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft - A book every woman who dates men should read. I learned a lot about how to spot abusers, the different types of abuse, and ways that leaving can be possible. I also appreciated the author's sympathy for the women who are being abused and his critical approach to the abusers. 

The Bitter Twins by Jen Williams - A great continuation to the trilogy, with some good explorations of the lore of both Sarn and of the aliens attacking and actual stakes for the world (definitely feels like it could end). While I wasn't the biggest fan of the war beasts, I did enjoy the rest of the book. Definitely continues its original feel and genre-blend and I'm excited to see how what we learned in book 2 about Sarn affects things going forward for book 3. 

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price  - Probably one of the better autism based books I've read in a while. I appreciated how into depth it went and especially that it answered my questions about why it seemed like when people meet me they usually dislike me right away. I also liked how the author pulled in different kinds of people to give their experiences, as it showed different kinds of autistic people. 

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski - This book is another I'd recommend all women- and men and women that date women- give a read. This book goes into depth about female sexuality and the different kinds of sexuality that exist. It was very informative and gave me a better understanding of how different women work. It was also cool to see where I matched the norm and where I differed from it. 

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko - an excellently written YA fantasy novel that has an expansive world that makes me think of adult novels. The main characters are also charming and complex, each with their own personalities and struggles. I also liked how the author took some different routes that veer off from the norm.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna - This book was just plain cute while also dealing with a lot of difficult issues. I also was thankful at how empathetic the author and the characters all were, as it made what could have been a "eww, I hate this person" into something else. Felt a lot truer to life. Also the quoting of Emma at the ending was SO CUTE. 

Heartless by Marissa Meyer - This book really surprised me. The author really went there in regards to the ending and while I don't want to spoil it, at the end, I agreed with the choices our MC made. 

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu - Really well done historical fantasy, with an almost history textbook approach that really worked! The prose is stunning and while I had issues with how the women were written at times, the characters were generally well done. 

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh - A beautifully written and sad story about Syria and the people from that land that have to deal with all the crap going on due to their military government. Definitely helped me understand what is going on in Syria. Also beautifully written. 

Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky - A really fun and weird sci-fi/fantasy blend that makes me super excited to read more by this author! The characters were fun, the set up was AWESOME, and the alien stuff was perfectly creepy 


Least favorite?:

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - Basically, I HATED how the women were written and treated in this book. From Sacagawea being called a traitor, to a man thinking it was ok for a guy to kill his wife cause she was white, to the brutal killing and descecration of the corpse of two women, was just plain disgusting. 

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amelie When Zhao - this book is basically "I hate white people, they are all evil and everything they have ever created is horrible and ugly and their magic is distorted" and it was so annoying to read. And to top it off, the romance was bad, there were random moments of cattiness that made no sense, and the prose was bad. 

The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish - Not only did this book have bad prose, it was just boring which was soooo disappointing. This could have been a great story in the hands of a good writer, but just...UGH. I didn't like any character (besides the villains who seemed much more interesting to read about) and the plot just moved around randomly and I couldn't bring myself to care. 


Newest?: 

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (August 2023)

Longest and shortest book titles?:


For longest, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh 

Shortest would be Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim and Spare by Prince Harry 


Longest and shortest books?: 

Longest was Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb at 869 pages

The Girl Who Steals Christmas by C.G. Drews at 15 pages


How many books from the library?: 


About 60 percent were library books, I think 

Any translated books?:


Yona of the Dawn 1-3 from Japanese 

Blue Flag 2-3 from Japanese

Grass from Korean

Before the Coffee Gets Cold from Japanese

Sailor Moon 6-10 from Japanese 

Your Name 1-2 from Japanese 

A Man Called Ove from Swedish 

The Golden Sheep 1-3 from Japanese (and Love letter)


Most read author?: 

Brandon Sanderson, Amie Kaufman, Michael Stackpole, and Naoko Takeuchi.

Any re-reads?: 


I re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, An Enchantment of Ravens, and Howl's Moving Castle. 


Favorite character of the year?

Not counting characters in re-reads (cause I love all the LOTR characters and Isabel and Rook from An Enchantment of Ravens and Sophie and Howl from Howl's moving castle)

Hadrian from Empire of Silence 

Emily Wilde from Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Wendell Bambleby from Emily Wide's Encyclopaedia of Faeries 

Mara Jade Skywalker from Star Wars EU books (she especially shone in I, Jedi) 

Luke Skywalker from Star Wars EU books 

Leia Organa Solo in Star Wars EU books

Han Solo in Star Wars EU books

Corran Horn in Star Wars EU books

Nico di Angelo in The Sun and the Star 

Waxillium Ladrian from Mistborn era 2

Steris Harms by Mistborn era 2 

Evangeline Fox from Once Upon A Broken Heart 

Jaks from Once Upon A Broken Heart 

Lilac LaRoux from These Broken Stars 

Tarver Merendsen from These Broken Stars 

Fitz Chivalry Farseer from the Farseer trilogy 

Burrich from the Farseer Trilogy 

Kettricken from the Farseer trilogy 

Artemesia from Vespertine 

Persephone from Age of War 

Raithe from Age of War 

Suri from Age of War 

Moya from Age of War 

Rasmira from Warrior of the Wild 

Will Solace from The Sun and the Star 

Shiori from The Dragon's Promise  

Eva Innocente from Chilling Effect 

Jaya Mills from First Light 

Tynan from First Light 

Marianne from Normal People 

LuLing from The Bonesetter's Daughter 

Ruth Young from The Bonesetter's Daughter 

Ove from A Man Called Ove 

Mina from The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea 

Vintage from The Bitter Twins 

Aldasair from The Bitter Twins

Bern from The Bitter Twins

Tarasai from Raybearer 

Tau from The Fires of Vengeance 



Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?:

Ireland, China, Japan, Wales, Korea, Sweden, England, France, Syria, Germany, Australia, United States, Canada, Palestine, etc

Which book wouldn't you have read without someone’s specific recommendation? 


The Boy Who Steals Houses, The Smell of Other People's Houses, Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Heartless, If You Could See the Sun, Dark and Shallow Lies, etc


Which author was new to you in 2023 that you now want to read the entire works of?


Christopher Ruocchio, Robin Hobb, Heather Fawcett, Sally Rooney, Erin Morgenstern, Amie Kaufman, Valerie Valdes, Amy Tan, Stephanie Garber, Zoulfa Katouh, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alastair Reynolds, etc


Which books are you annoyed you didn't read?:

A lot :( I am bummed I couldn't finish the Callista trilogy, Defiant, Best Served Cold, Oathbringer, The Shadow of the Gods, Fevered Star, Camelot, Children of Time, Wraith Squadron, etc 


Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read?


The X Wing books I read (The Kyrtos Trap and The Bacta War)

Dark Apprentice and Champions of the Force by Kevin J. Anderson 

I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole 

Star Wars: At War with the Empire comics by various 

Children of the Jedi and Darksaber by Barbara Hambly and Kevin J. Anderson 

Mistborn Era 2 series by Brandon Sanderson (The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, The Bands of Mourning, and The Lost Metal)

Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio

The Secret History by Donna Tartt 

Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest)

The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter

Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong 

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds 

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro 

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson 

Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan 

Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

Normal People by Sally Rooney 

Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney 

The Bitter Twins by Jen Williams 

Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World, Their Fractured Light)

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson (The Hope of Elantris, The Eleventh Metal, Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Mistborn: Secret History, Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, Sixth of the Dusk)

White Sand volumes 1-3 by Brandon Sanderson 

The Nemesis by S.J. Kincaid 

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee 

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 

Red Rising by Pierce Brown 

The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim 

Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy by Stephanie Garber (Once Upon A Broken Heart, The Ballad of Never After, and A Curse for True Love) 

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes 

First Light by Casey E. Berger 

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko 

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab 

A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin 

Iron Heart by Nina Varela

Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley

Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim 

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 

The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett 

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu 

Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov 

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh 

Aru Shah and the Song of Death by Roshani Chokshi 

Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston 

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes 

Defending Elysium by Brandon Sanderson 

Before Mars by Emma Newman 

Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong by Angela Saini 

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price 

Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft 

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski 

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh 

The Only Good Indians by Steven Graham Jones 

Sailor Moon mangas by Naoko Takeuchi (finished) 

Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kasanagi (read a few volumes)

Blue Flag by Kaito (read a few volumes) 

Have Spacesuit- Will Travel by Robert Heinlein 

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake 

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman 

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten 

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas 

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal 

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater 

Wildcard by Marie Lu 

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce 

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede 

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir 

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han 

The 100 Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi 

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black 

Surviving the City 1-2 by Tasha Spillet 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry 


What books are you planning to read in 2024?


Star Wars EU Legends books (finish the last few X Wing books, Planet of Twilight, The Crystal Star, the Blackfleet Crisis trilogy, The New Rebellion, Corellian trilogy, The Hand of Thrawn duology, Scourge, Survivor's Quest, re-read Young Jedi Knights and Junior Jedi Knights, and at least start the New Jedi Order series. For comics, I want to finish Rebellion comics, The Old Republic comics, Knight Errant comics, Jedi vs Sith comics, X-Wing comics, Early Victories omnibus, Droids omnibus, Rebellion omnibus) 

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson (finish)

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie (finish) 

Defiant by Brandon Sanderson 

Camelot by Giles Kristian 

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse 

Malice by John Gwynne 

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne 

The Saga of the Icelanders by unknown 

The Blue Beautiful World by Karen Lord

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson 

Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson 

The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio 

Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio 

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie 

Age of Legend by Michael J. Sullivan 

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley 

Velocity Weapon by Megan O'Keefe 

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

The Exiled Fleet by J.S. Dewes (finish) 

Ancestral Light by Elizabeth Bear 

Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton 

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb 

The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan 

The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless 

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse 

Prime Deceptions by Valerie Valdes 

Valor by John Gwynne 

The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne

Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott 

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton 

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross 

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor 

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger 

System Collapse by Martha Wells 

Human Kind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman 

The Spear by Nicola Griffith 

Hild by Nicola Griffith 

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey 

Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings 

Dreamships by Melissa Scott

Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman

Artifact Space by Miles Cameron 

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

The Martian by Andy Weir

Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaivosky 

The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

The Odyssey by Homer 

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman 

The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri L. Smith 

Queen of Oak by Melanie Karsak 

The Druid by Jeff Wheeler 

The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee 

The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu 

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert 

Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds 

The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec 

The Poison Song by Jen Williams

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart 

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He 

Sisters of the Snake by Sasha and Sarena Nanua 

This Poison Heart by Kaylyn Bayron 

Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone 

Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan 

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross 

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen 

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman 

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len 

A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson 

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor 

Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older 

Together by Burn by Isabel Ibanez 

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen 

The Drowned Wood by Emily Lloyd-Jones 

The Depths by Nicole Lesperance 

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford 

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard 

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri 

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan 

Escaping First Contact by T.S. Beier 

The Outside by Ada Hoffman 

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie 

Ursa Major by Casey E. Berger 

Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight by Jay Barbree 

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson 

Destroyer of Light by Jennifer Marie Brissett 

Nova War by Gary Gibson 

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton 

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao 

The Skystone by Jack Whyte 

Noumenon Infinity by Marina J. Lostetter 

La Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Mallory 

On Combat by Dave Grossman

Æthelflæd: The Lady of the Mercians by Tim Clarkson 

King Alfred's Daughter by David Stokes

We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker 

Ascender by Jeff Lemire 

Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland

Warrior Queens of History by Maria Small

Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord 

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le 

XOXO by Axie Oh 

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James 

The Shattered Skies by John Birmingham 

All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie 

Peace and Turmoil by Elliot Brooks

Hyperion by Dan Simmons 

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Children of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima 

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez 

Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Walker 

The Library of Legends by Janie Chang 

The Wind from Hastings by Morgan Llywelyn 

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier 

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan 

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez 

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne Brown 

The IDIC Epidemic by Jean Lorrah

Daughter of Sparta by Claire Andrews

The Vela by Becky Chambers and others

The Collapsing Universe by Isaac Asimov 

Enchantress by James Maxwell 

Jade City by Fonda Lee 

All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace 

The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo 

Battlecry by Emerald Dodge 

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta 

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Meru by S.B. Divya 

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo 

Britain BC: Life in Britain and Ireland Before the Romans by Francis Pryor 

The Bright Ages by Matthew Gabriele 

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak 

Alcestis by Euripides 

Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan 

Alecto the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir 

The Red Palace by June Hurr 

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Preto 

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White 

The Silence of Bones by June Hurr 

The Glittering Hour by Iona Gray 

Lovely War by Julie Barry 

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal 

The Black Coast by Mike Brooks

Beren and Luthien by J.R.R Tolkien

More Than This by Patrick Ness 

Winter Counts by David Weiden 

Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden 

The Torchkeeper: The Raising by Steven dos Santos

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang 

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang 

Freedom by Jay Kirkpatrick

Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long 

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee 

The Shadow of What Was Lost by John Islington 

The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi

The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse  

The Will of the Many by John Islington

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik 

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham 

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft 

Traitor's Blade by Sebastian de Castell

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook to Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson 

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson 

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson 

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Afrika by Colleen Craig 

World After by Susan Ee 

Imperium by Robert Harris 

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint 

Love & Gelato by Jenna Welch 

Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall 

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Alliette de Bodard 

Don Juan by Byron 

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi 

This Time It's Real by Ann Liang 

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim 

Odin's Child by Siri Peterson 

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizel 

Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov 

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee 

Your Name v.3 by Makoto Shinkai 

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi 

Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce 

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

A Turn of Light by Julie Czerneda

Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs 

Atlas Alone by Emma Newman 

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller 

Elvish by S.G. Prince 

Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis 

The Falconer by Elizabeth May 

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

Golden Sun by Pierce Brown 

The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein 

The Sun and the Void by Gabriella Romero-Lacruz

Son of the Storm by Suyi Okungbowa

A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Oima 

Witch Hat Atlier by Kamome Shirahama

Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi (finish)

Blue Flag by Kaito (finish) 

Ultra Maniac by Wataru Yoshizumi 

Skip Beat by Yoshiki Nakamura 

Shugo Chara by Peach Pitt 

Skip and Loafer by Misaki Takamatsu 

Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba 

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

The Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey 

Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh 

The Wicked King by Holly Black 

Gone Gone Gone by Hannah Moscowitz 

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel 

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor 

Eifelheim by Michael Flynn

Silksinger by Laini Taylor 

I Am the Chosen King by Helen Hollick 

The Relentless Legion by J.S. Dewes 

Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale 

Crossed by Emily McIntire 

The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

Powwow Summer by Nahanni Shingoose 

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu 

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim 

The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold 

Skyborn by David Dalglish 

Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko 

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty 

Blackwing by Ed McDonald 

The High Crusade by Poul Anderson 

The Valkyrie by Kate Heartfield 

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell 

Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior by Catherine Hanley 

The Sword Defiant by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan 

But Everyone Feels This Way: How An Autism Diagnosis Saved My Life by Paige Layle

The Autism Spectrum Guide to Sexuality and Relationships: Understand Yourself and Make Choices that are Right for You by Emma Goodall 
I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder: A Memoir by Sarah Kurchak 
Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum by Jennifer O'Toole 
Letters to My Weird Sisters: On Autism and Feminism by Joanne Limburg
The Silver Serpent by David Debord 
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 

Northhanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer's Guide to the Universe by Philip Plait

Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil Degrasse Tyson

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte 

Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Lemmon

Shoot Like a Girl: One Woman's Dramatic in Afghanistan and on the Home Front by Mary Jennings Hegar 

Jet Girl: : My Life in War, Peace, and the Cockpit of the Navy's Most Lethal Aircraft by Caroline Johnson 

Love My Rifle More than You: Young and Female in the Army by Kayla Williams 

Undaunted: The Real Story of America's Servicewomen in Today's Military by Tanya Biank

The Six: The Untold Story America's First Female Astronauts by Loren Grush

Dawn of the Overlords by Kevin Potter 

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty 

The Farm by Emily McKay

Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess 

Moonshadow: The Nightmare Ninja by Simon Higgins

At the Hot Gates by Donald Samson 

Be Water, My Friend by Shannon Lee

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher 

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher 

2001: Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke 

To Explore Strange New Worlds by Elizabeth Barnes

Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar

Devil in the Device by Lora Beth Johnson 

Radium Girls by Kate Moore 

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare 

Federations by John Joseph Adams, etc

Veiled Alliances by Kevin J. Anderson 

These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs

The Blighted Stars by Megan O'Keefe 

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker 

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han 

For the Throne by Hannah Whitten 

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare 

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson 

A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow 

Neferura by Malayna Evans

The Archive Undying by Emma Candon 

Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu 

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo 

Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick 

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke 

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters 

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Stars and Bones by Gareth L. Powell 

Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell 

Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi 

Real Knockouts by Martha McCaughey

The Great Mortality by John Kelly 

In the Wake of the Plague by Norman Cantor 

The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang 

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell 

Dark Space by Lisa Henry

After by Amy Efaw

Helliconia Spring by Brian Aldiss 

Men Like Gods by H.G. Wells 

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Fox Meadows 

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Wreath by Sigrid Undset 

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake 

Terraform: Watch/Worlds/Burn by Brian Merchant

Elvish by S.G. Prince 

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland

Sistersong by Lucy Holland

Medusa in the Graveyeard by Emily Devenport 

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow 

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth 

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Poison Study by Maria Snyder 

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt 

Ghost Empire by Richard Fidler 

Rouge by Mona Awad 

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas 

Cemetary Boys by Aiden Thomas 

Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku 

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown 

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Sølvhammeren by Vera Henriksen 


Bookish Survey by the blogger "The Perpetual Pageturner" - https://www.perpetualpageturner.com/…/8th-annual-end-of-yea…
Number Of Books You Read:

143! EEEEK

Number of Re-Reads:

I re-read five books this year, which were The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, An Enchantment of Ravens, and Howl's Moving Castle.

Genre You Read The Most From:

Probably fantasy and science fiction

1. Best Book You Read In 2023?
(If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2021 release vs. backlist)

Best Star Wars EU book - I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole
Best sci fi - Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
Best fantasy - Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb and The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson
Best new release - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Best historical - The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan



2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I didn't dislike it, but I was a bit disappointed with Grewaren by Maggie Stiefvater. While I adore The Raven Cycle and Call Down the Hawk, Mister Impossible and then this book just were not as good. I didn't like the direction we went, things felt messy in execution, and we didn't get enough Ronan or Adam.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?:

Heartless surprised me in a good way! I really enjoyed the twists towards the end and where the author took our lead. I wasn't expecting to like it that much at first, but DAMN. I also feel like A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee was surprisingly well written and interesting for a debut. OH, and Bunny by Mona Awad was suprising in how bizarre it was!

In a bad way, The Bladed Faith. The summary sounded so cool but it was soooo disappointing.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?:

Well, I did get my sister to read All Systems Red by Martha Wells! So there's that :)

5. Best series you started in 2023? Best Sequel of 2023? Best Series Ender of 2023?:

Best series starter- Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio, Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes, and First Light by Casey E. Berger.
Best sequel- The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber and Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
Best series ender- Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb and The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2023?

Christopher Ruocchio, Heather Fawcett, Robin Hobb, Valerie Valdes, Ken Liu, Donna Tartt, Sally Rooney, Zoulfa Katouh, Amy Tan, Stephanie Garber, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alastair Reynolds, and Amie Kaufman,

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Historical fiction - The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan, The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
Romance - Happy Place by Emily Henry and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.
Contemporary - The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Normal Peope by Sally Rooney, Beautiful World Where Are You? by Sally Rooney, The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, and Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Non fiction - A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong by Angela Saini, Spare by Prince Harry, Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, Why Does He Do That by Lundy Bancroft, Come As you Are by Emily Nagoski, and The 100 Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter

9. Book You Read In 2023. That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?:

Besides Lord of the Rings trilogy (cause I want to re-read these books several more times), probably Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson or Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2023?

The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim (British cover specifically), Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson, This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, Chilling Effect by Valderie Valdes, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan, etc

11. Most memorable character of 2023?

Hadrian from Empire of Silence, Emily Wilde from Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Corran Horn by I Jedi, Wax Ladrian from Mistborn era 2, Evangeline Fox from Once Upon A Broken Heart, Lilac LaRoux from These Broken Stars, etc

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2023?

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu, The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin,

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2023?

I guess The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong by Angela Saini, Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancfrot, and Unmasking Autism by Devon Price?

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2023 to finally read?:

Going by how long they've been on my TBR or how long it has been since I read the last book in the series, I'll say All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Searching for Dragons by Patrica C. Wrede, The Nemesis by S.J. Kincaid, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Iron Heart by Nina Varela, Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong, etc.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2023?


“I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.” - The Return of the King 

“For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.” - The Return of the King 

“But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.” - The Return of the King 

“Come, Mr. Frodo!' he cried. 'I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you.” - The Return of the King 

“Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!"
Then Merry heard in all sounds of the hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel.
"But no living man am I! You are looking upon a woman. Eowyn am I, Eomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him."
The winged creature screamed at her, but then the Ringwraith was silent, as if in sudden doubt. Very amazement for a moment conquered Merry's fear. He opened his eyes and the blackness was lifted from them. There some paces from him sat the great beast, and all seemed dark about it, and above it loomed the Nazgul Lord like a shadow of despair. A little to the left facing them stood whom he had called Dernhelm. But the helm of her secrecy had fallen from her, and and her bright hair, released from its bonds, gleamed with pale gold upon her shoulders. Her eyes grey as the sea were hard and fell, and yet tears gleamed in them. A sword was in her hand, and she raised her shield against the horror of her enemy's eyes.”- The Return of the King 

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - The Fellowship of the Ring 

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”  - The Fellowship of the Ring 

“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” - The Fellowship of the Ring 

“Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We'll wander back and home to bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!” - The Fellowship of the Ring 

“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.” - The Two Towers 

“I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” - The Two Towers 

“Then as he had kept watch Sam had noticed that at times a light seemed to be shining faintly within; but now the light was even clearer and stronger. Frodo's face was peaceful, the marks of fear and care had left it; but it looked old, old and beautiful, as if the chiseling of the shaping years was now revealed in many fine lines that had before been hidden, though the identity of the face was not changed. Not that Sam Gamgee put it that way to himself. He shook his head, as if finding words useless, and murmured: "I love him. He's like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no.” - The Two Towers 




“Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another.” - The Starless Sea 

“Everyone wants the stars. Everyone wishes to grasp that which exists out of reach. To hold the extraordinary in their hands and keep the remarkable in their pockets.” - The Starless Sea 

“For those who feel homesick for a place they’ve never been to. Those who seek even if they do not know what (or where) it is that they are seeking. Those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.” - The Starless Sea 

“Strange, isn’t it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like part of your own history because they are.” - The Starless Sea 

“a paper star that has been unfolded and refolded
into a tiny unicorn but the unicorn remembers a time
when it was a star and an earlier time when it was part of
a book and sometimes the unicorn dreams of the time before
it was a book when it was a tree and the time even longer
before that when it was a different sort of star” - The Starless Sea 

“Far beneath the surface of the earth, hidden from the sun and the moon, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. Stories written in books and sealed in jars and painted on walls. Odes inscribed onto skin and pressed into rose petals. Tales laid in tiles upon the floors, bits of plot worn away by passing feet. Legends carved in crystal and hung from chandeliers. Stories catalogued and cared for and revered. Old stories preserved while new stories spring up around them.” - The Starless Sea 

“I turned my nightmares into fireflies and caught them in a jar.” - Strange the Dreamer 

“He dreamed of deserts and great empty cities and imagined he could feel the minutes and hours of his life running through him, as though he were nothing but an hourglass of flesh and bone.” - Strange the Dreamer 

“shrestha (SHRES·thuh) noun When a dream comes true—but not for the dreamer. Archaic;” - Strange the Dreamer 

“She was young and lovely and surprised and dead. She was also blue. Blue as opals, pale blue. Blue as cornflowers, or dragonfly wings, or a spring - not summer - sky.” - Strange the Dreamer 

“And at that moment, for no reason he could put into words, the hourglass shattered. No more, the cool gray sift of days, the diligent waiting for the future to trickle forth. Lazlo's dream was spilled out into the air, the color and storm of it no longer a future to be reached, but a cyclone here and now. He didn't know what, but as surely as one feels the sting of shards when an hourglass tips of a shelf and smashes, he knew that something was happening.
Right now.” - Strange the Dreamer 

“My memory is to the world as a drawing is to the photograph. Imperfect. More perfect. We remember what we must, what we choose to, because it is more beautiful and real than the truth.” - Empire of Silence 

“Atrocity is writ by quiet men in council chambers over crystal glasses of cool water. Strange little men with ashes in their hearts. Sans passion, sans hope… sans everything. Everything but fear. For themselves, for their own lives, for some imagined future. And in the name of safety, security, piety, they labor to found future heaven on present horror. But their kingdom of heaven is in the mind, in the future that will never be, and their present horrors are real.” - Empire of Silence 

“As the ancient sea was cruel, so too is that blacker sea, vaster by far, that fills the void between the suns like water.” - Empire of Silence 

“I do not consider myself a great artist, though she made me wish I was. I could not have known at this first meeting how many times I would fail to capture her, in charcoal and in life. The brazen declaration of her; the pride in that upturned chin, the pointed nose, and the tidy carelessness that put her above the opinions of lesser men. There's little sign of her wit-so close to cruelty-in any of the drawings I made of her, and this poor prose cannot contain her beauty, body or soul. They are only echoes, as is this.” - Empire of Silence 

“I’m going to go back and stop your son from killing her.”
The queen’s face fell. For a moment, she looked as old as the years she’d spent lying in a suspended state. “That is not a small mistake to fix. If you do this, Time will take something equally valuable from you.”
The Fate gave the queen a look more vicious than any curse. “There is nothing of equal value to me.” - The Ballad of Never After 

“The girl was dead. If her lifeless body had not confirmed it, then it would have been made clear by the horrible scream of the Fate who held her in his arms. The story curse was familiar with pain, but this was agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century. The Fate was every tear that anyone had ever shed for lost love. He was pain given form.” - The Ballad of Never After 

“It hurts, Jacks.”
“I know, love. I’m going to take you somewhere safe.” - The Ballad of Never After 

“He held her with the type of intensity that only happens when a person wants something that isn't quite theirs.” - The Ballad of Never After 

“If you can't recognize the man in the mirror, it is time to step back and see when you stopped being yourself.” - I, Jedi 

“Your intentions will be good. Without consideration and forethought, however, your actions could still be evil. That is the problem, of course, evil is always easy and resisting it is never so. Evil is relentless; and anyone, if they tire, if they are not vigilant, can fall prey to it.” - I, Jedi 

“And we hate people for
making mistakes so much more than we love them for doing good that the
easiest way to live is to do nothing, say nothing, and love no one.” - Beautiful World, Where Are You? 

“Were they aware, in the intensity of their embrace, of something slightly ridiculous about this tableau, something almost comical, as someone nearby sneezed violently into a crumpled tissue; as a dirty discarded plastic bottle scuttled along the platform under a breath of wind; as a mechanised billboard on the station wall rotated from an advertisement for hair products to an advertisement for car insurance; as life in its ordinariness and even ugly vulgarity imposed itself everywhere all around them? Or were they in this moment unaware, or something more than unaware—were they somehow invulnerable to, untouched by, vulgarity and ugliness, glancing for a moment into something deeper, something concealed beneath the surface of life, not unreality but a hidden reality: the presence at all times, in all places, of a beautiful world?” - Beautiful World, Where Are You? 


“We were in the autumnlands.
Dim as it was, the forest glowed. The golden leaves flashing by blazed like sparks caught in the updraft of a fire. A scarlet carpet unrolled before us, rich and flawless as velvet. Rising from the forest floor, the black, tangled roots breathed a bluish mist that reduced the farthest trees' trunks to ghostly silhouettes, yet left their foliage's luminous hues untouched. Vivid moss speckled the branches like tarnished copper. The crisp spice of pine sap infused the cool air over a musty perfume of dry leaves. A knot swelled in my throat. I couldn't look away. There was too much of it, too fast. I'd never be able to drink it all in...” - An Enchantment of Ravens 

“I seized the dagger from him. Having no idea what to do with it afterward, I lifted the cushion I was lying on and shoved it underneath, then threw my weight back on top. "Stop being melodramatic! I am not going to kill you in my parlor!"

He stared at me in disbelief. "Did you just sit on it?"

"Yes," I said mutinously.” - An Enchantment of Ravens 


“This was a look that would make time stop, if it could. Soft and sharp at once, an aching tenderness edged with sorrow, naked proof of a heart already broken. Here I stood in a dragonfly dress, holding his arm, and he knew our time was almost over.” - An Enchantment of Ravens 

“Seeing a confession of love in his eyes was nothing like hearing it declared aloud. This was a look that would make time stop, if it could. Soft and sharp at once, an aching tenderness edged with sorrow, naked proof of a heart already broken.” - An Enchantment of Ravens 

“I'll find his grave, and bury you together. You had no descendants, but I'll remember you. And my descendants, and their descendants, will remember you, and pray for you, at the monument I'll build to your names.
Go into your next life. Live it, and bear its suffering. Do it again with the life after that, and the next, and with each one find it easier. Until one day, in a thousand years, the force of the universe will bring you and Esen-Temur back together to start afresh.” - He Who Drowned the World 

“The Folk were of another world, with its own rules and customs—and to a child who always felt ill-suited to her own world, the lure was irresistible.” - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries 

“I prefer your company, Em."
He said it as if it were obvious. I snorted again, assuming he was teasing me. "Over the company of a tavern filled with a rapt and grateful audience? I'm sure you do."
"Over anyone else's company." Again, he said it with some amusement, as if wondering what I was doing speculating about something so evident.
"You are drunk," I said.
"Shall I prove it to you?"
"No, you shan't," I said, alarmed, but he was already sweeping to the floor, bending his knee and taking my hand between his.
"What in God's name are you doing?" I said between my teeth. "And why are you doing it now?"
"Shall I make an appointment?" he said, then laughed. "Yes, I believe you would like that. Well, name the time when it would be convenient for you to receive a declaration of love."
"Oh, get up," I said, furious now. "What sort of jest is this, Wendell?"
"You don't believe me?" He smiled, all mischief, a look I'd seen from other Folk, enough to know not to trust him one inch. "Ask for my true name, and I'll give it to you."
"Why on earth would you do that?" I demanded, yanking my hand back.
"Oh, Em," he said forlornly. "You are the cleverest dolt I have ever met."
I stared at him, my heart thundering. Of course, I am not a dolt in any sense; I had supposed he felt something for me and had only hoped he would keep it to himself. Forever. Not that a part of me didn't wish for the opposite. But that was when I assumed his feelings in that respect were equivalent to what he felt for any of the nameless women who passed in and out of his bed. And why would I lower myself to that, when he and I already had something that was vastly more valuable?” - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries 

“The loveliness of the view outside stopped me in my tracks. The mountain fell away before me, a carpet of green made greener by the luminous dawn staining the clouds with pinks and golds. The mountains themselves were lightly ensnowed, though there was no threat of a sequel in that cerulean canopy. Within the hinterlands of the prospect heaved the great beast of the sea with its patchy pelt of ice floes.” - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries 

“Do you want to marry me?"
"That's---that's beside the point." A nonsensical reply, but it came the closest to expressing how I felt. I had never even considered marrying Wendell---why on earth would I? Wendell Bambleby! Certainly I'd imagined being with him in other ways, particularly since I'd grown used to having him around---traveling with him across the continent, no doubt arguing half the time; conducting research; scouring woodland and heath for lost doors to the faerie realms. And yes, I liked the prospect of being with him often, or even all the time, and felt a sort of hollowness fill me when I thought about us parting ways. But I couldn't marry one of the Folk, particularly not a faerie king, even if he was Wendell.” - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries 

“For a moment the image before us is frozen: our world, our lives, reduced to a handful broken stars half lost in uncharted space. Then it's gone, the view swallowed by the hyperspace winds streaming past, blue-green auroras wiping the after-images away.

Until all that's left is us” - These Broken Stars 

“You're you,' he repeats, his eyes full of grief. 'You're the same girl who crashed on this planet with me, who I dragged through forests and over mountains, who climbed through a shipwreck full of bodies to save my life. You're the same girl I loved, and I love you now.” - These Broken Stars 

“You’re you,” he repeats, his eyes full of grief. “You’re the same girl who crashed on this planet with me, who I dragged through forests and over mountains, who climbed through a shipwreck full of bodies to save my life. You’re the same girl I loved, and I love you now.” Stop. Stop. No more. Please. My throat seizes. “I love you, Lilac.” His voice is soft, intent. “I love you, and I should’ve told you before you—” - These Broken Stars 

“I thought we had lost you. I thought we'd done something worse than let you die.' His old arms were tight and strong about me.

I was kind to the old man. I did not tell him they had.” - Assassin's Quest 

“There is a dead spot in the night, that coldest, blackest time when the world has forgotten evening and dawn is not yet a promise. A time when it is far too early to arise, but so late that going to bed makes small sense.”

“There is a dead spot in the night, that coldest, blackest time when the world has forgotten evening and dawn is not yet a promise. A time when it is far too early to arise, but so late that going to bed makes small sense.” - Assassin's Quest 

“...To free humanity of time. For time is the great enslaver of us all. Time that ages us, time that limits us. Think how often you have wished to have more time for something, or wished you could go back a day and do something differently. When humanity is freed of time, old wrongs can be corrected before they are done.” - Assassin's Quest 


18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)






Emily x Bambleby from Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Evangeline x Jaks from the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy
Lilac x Tarver from These Broken Stars
Nico x Will from The Sun and the Star
Aurora x Kal from Aurora Rising
Hadrian x Valka from Empire of Silence
Corran x Mirax from Star Wars EU books
Persephone x Raithe from Age of War
Wax x Steris from Mistborn Era 2
Eva x Vakar from Chilling Effect
Shiori x Takkan from The Dragon's Promise
Mina x Shin from The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Mika x Jamie from The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Alice x Henry from If You Could See the Sun
Marianne x Connell from Normal People
Rasmira x Soren from Warrior of the Wild
Tarasai x Sanjeet from Raybearer

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Wax and Wayne from Mistborn era 2
Mara Jade and Corran Horn from Star Wars EU (I, Jedi)
Artemesia and the Revenant from Vespertine
Aru and Mini from Aru Shah and the Song of Death
Amari and Elsie from Amari and the Great Game
Fitz and the Fool from the Farseer trilogy
Friend groups in Age of War


20. Favorite Book You Read in 2023 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole and The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson

21. Best Book You Read In 2023 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.:

Probably Empire of Silence

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2023?

Hadrian from Empire of Silence and Wax from Mistborn era 2

23. Best 2023 debut you read?

I guess Spare by Prince Harry? I don't think he's ever written a book before and I really enjoyed it

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Scadriel in Mistborn era 2, the world in Revelation Space, and the world in Empire of Silence.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy, Aurora Rising, Legends and Lattes, etc

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2023?

Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan (made me really sad), The Ballad of Never After, and As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes. Not many people have read it and it is a lot of fun

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

These Broken Stars and The Ballad of Never After

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2023?

Bunny by Mona Awad

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

I'm not mad at the book, but The 100 Years' War on Palestine made me SO MAD at Is----rael.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2023 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2024?

Defiant by Brandon Sanderson
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
Planet of Twilight by Barbara Hambly
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
Wraith Squadron by Aaron Allston
System Collapse by Martha Wells


2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2024 (non-debut)?

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
Alecto the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
The Lord of Demons by Evan Winter
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

3. 2024 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
Fatholmfolk by Eliza Chan
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chen


4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2024?

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse is a trilogy ending I'm looking forward to!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2024?

Get caught up in both the Star Wars EU/Legends books and comics and the Cosmere in general. Read more science fiction, read more non fiction, etc.

6. A 2024 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):

I haven't read any D: