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reading log - 2023

2023 Book Goal: 23 | Books Read: 43

Hover over each line to read some short comments & thoughts!

Click on the star ratings to go to Goodreads!

JANUARY
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One Day at Horrorland (Goosebumps #16) | R. L. Stine |

Seas of Blood (Fighting Fantasy #16) | Andrew Jackson & Ian Livingstone |

My first Fighting Fantasy book read! Took me a little bit to get used to the mechanics, but once I got a handle on it I moved a lot faster.

The Magic of the Unicorn (Choose Your Own Adventure #31) | Deborah Lerme Goodman |

Marcy's Journal: A Guide to Amphibia | Matthew Braly |

This was an awesome companion book to Amphibia! I love a good journal book, and this was a fabulous time. It was great to get more insight into what Marcy did when she reached Amphibia, her thought process, and her relationship with Anne and Sasha. I do wish there was an extra entry or two with them as adults, but I do love the open ending.


FEBRUARY
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So Far So Good: Final Poems 2014-2018 | Ursula K. Le Guin |

I've never read any of Ursula K. Le Guin's poetry before this, but I needn't have worried. Her poetry is as good as her prose.

Black God's Kiss | C. L. Moore |

This has such a strong opening for me. The introduction scene revealing the solider as Jirel of Joy is iconic, and has been imitated and aluded to many times since. However, this story really really lost me in the end.

// SPOILERS // Jirel realizing that she's fallen in love with the man who has not only killed her comrades, but abused her and threatened to assault her didn't sit right with me. I can respect her having regrets for her actions in the end, but again, didn't sit right with me.

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) | Philip Pullman |

Into the Wild (Warriors #1) | Erin Hunter |

A throwback read! I started this series in third grade and spent the next 5-10 years actively consuming all of these books as they came out. My friend and I decided to reread the first series as a throwback, and WOW the nostaglia!!! I love these dumb dramatic cats.

Dealing with Dragons | Patricia C. Wrede |

An unexpected pleasure! Quite frankly a delight, even though it's written for a younger audience I found it very entertaining. The characters have such distinctive personalities and Cimorene is a favorite character of mine now.

In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children #4) | Seanan McGuire |

Guenevere: A Play in Five Acts | Stark Young |

The King's Damosel | Vera Chapman |

Little bit of a hit and a little bit of a miss with me. The general concept, great. Lynett overall vibed with me, and I really loved her interactions with her band of knights who grow to love and respect her. Points off for SA and how that storyline was handled. However, I found the ending quest really interested.

// SPOILERS // Haaaaated the SA storyline, EVEN MORE hated that she eventually had to forgive her attacker. That was not it.


MARCH
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The Boyfriend (Point Horror) | R. L. Stine |

R. L. Stine my beloved. I haven't read a non-goosebump book of his in quite some time. Picked this up at a thrift store and it enthralled me. Twists on twists, no one does it like this man.


APRIL
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N/A hehe


MAY
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Dracula | Bram Stocker |

Griffin & Sabine | Nick Bantock |

Taproot | Keezy Young |

Cute! Loved the art style, but I really wish it was a bit longer. Everything felt very straight forward.

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1) | Lemony Snicket |

The Stepford Wives | Ira Levin |

This was a realy real good one. Not super long but very impactful, pretty chilling becuase it felt realistic to me.

In the Shadow of Man | Jane Goddall |

I don't read nonfiction a lot these days, but I really enjoyed this one. Jane Goodall is knowledgable and geniune and and it was really interesting seeing how she started groundbreaking studies with very little experience.


JUNE
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Star Wars: Jedi - The Dark Side | Scott Allie |

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | Unkown |

Sir Gawain, the orignal bisexual disaster. He's so dramatic and that's his right as a bisexual. Peak Christmas read.

JULY
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Legends & Lattes | Travis Baldree

Really cute, really straightforward. A good read if you're looking for something that's low stakes and not too heavy.

Monsters and Aliens from George Lucas | George Carrau |

Okay, I love this one. This book is a bizarre collection of media from different Star Wars species combined with SW concept art. Things like poetry or workout routines or holiday cards home. Weird little book, right up my alley.

Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart | Chrétien de Troyes |

THE OG LANCELOT. He is insane. He is single minded. He is dramatic. He is locked in a tower. He is the moments.


AUGUST
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Unseen Academicals (Discworld) | Terry Pratchett |

Discworld always, always hits. But this was unexpectedly fabulous. The plot of wizards playing soccer wasn't super interesting to me, but in true Pratchett fashion it has completely changed my fucking life.

The Metamorphosis | Franz Kafka |

Gregor my friend Gregor.....

SEPTEMBER
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Fire and Ice (Warriors #2) | Erin Hunter |

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow | Washington Irving |

Read this one with my brother as part of our book club! I picked it out becuase I thought it would be a halloween-ish read, but it actually wasn't as spooky as I thought it would be. However, it was still extremely enjoyable. Irving's writing style was delightful, his descriptions evocative and entertaining. So often I feel like authors who lean heavily into description bore me, but he really nailed it. A fun look at one of the earliest American "ghost" stories!

The Forces of Krill (Zork #1) | Steve Meretzky |

Zork, but make it Choose Your Own Adventure! Fairly straightforward but a fun setting and side characters.

The Left Hand of Darkness | Ursula K. Le Guin |

Ooooooh boy. Where to even start with this one!!!! Left Hand of Darkness has been on my list forever, and for good reason. It's a groundbreaking sci-fi book from '69 exploring gender & sexuality and what that means to different societies.

I'll write a longer review later, but WOW. What a book. I'll admit, the first half was rather slow for me. It was frusturating in a way that a lot of classic sci-fi is, using unfamiliar made-up terminology and cultural norms without explanation. However, once I hit that halfway point and the real journey began, I truly couldn't put the book down.

A really really interesting read, especially as someone who identifies as agender & asexual. Definitely give it a try if you're into sci-fi and gender criticism.


OCTOBER
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The House in the Cerulean Sea | T. J. Klune |

A book that I didn't expect to love so much! I read this for a book swap and I was pleasently surprised. Very soft & cozy, a charming read.

The New Year's Party (Fear Street Super Chiller #9) | R. L. Stine |

Had to read some R. L. Stine for the spooky season! Not really one of my favorites, the ending was... interesting, to say the least.

Chain Letter | Christopher Pike |

Another halloween read! My first time trying a Christopher Pike book, defintely hits a specific YA spooky vibe. I guessed the villain pretty fast but I liked the execution. I think I'll try another of his books in Octover, i've heard this is a weaker one.

Comet in Moominland (Moomintrolls #2) | Tove Jansson |

Short & charming! Moomintrolls have recently caught my eye, and I'm eager to read more. Fairytale like.

The Last Vampire | Christopher Pike |

Part of my Halloween Reads! I actually enjoyed this one a surprising amount. Very typically YA, so it's not art, but that doesn't mean it's a bad time. The main character was very fun, arrogrant and overpowered as I think a teenage vampire would be. The only bone I have to pick with it is that the Vampire's backstory is connected to a lot of Indian mythos & stories, and the main girl... is white. It's just an odd choice for some of the writing decisions.

The Specialist's Hat | Kelly Link |

The Wife's Story | Ursula K. Le Guin |

A nice little twist on the traditonal werewolf story. Le Guin serves as always.

NOVEMBER
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Finn Family Moomintroll (Moomintrolls #3) | Tove Jansson |

Moominvalley I love you..


December
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The Daughters of Ys | M.T. Anderson & Jo Rioux |

GORGEOUSLY illustrated. A fun & dark story. I do wish that It was a little longer, but overall very much enjoyed it.

Moominland Midwinter (Moomintrolls #6) | Tove Jansson |

My favorite Moomin book yet, by far. Moomintroll wakes up during winter, which is not a thing Moomins are meant to do. Over the chilly season he meets interesting people, learns things he never even thought to know, and gains a wholy new perpective on life. A wonderful little book.

Skulduggery Pleasant | Derek Landy |

Landy's engaging dialouge is the star of the show here. Very fun interactions between all the characters. And there's an immortal detective whose a skeleton, so that slays.

The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle | Unknown |

Had no idea what to expect from this one, but ended up loving it. Ragnelle is my girl. Gawain is an icon. A surprsingly feminist text for the 1400s.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | Douglas Adams |

First Douglas Adams read outside of Hitchhiker's guide! Forgot how much I enjoy his style.







2023 reading goal has been met!