2023 was the year that I finally upped my reading game. I read 27 books. 4,770 pages in total. I think the best thing for me was to utilize all formats of literature. I used physical books, Kindle and Audible, which kept things from becoming tiresome.
Didn’t feel like sitting somewhere with suitable lighting?
Fine, Kindle it is.
Too much to do to read?
Trail run with an audiobook sounds great.
Bugger all to do on a rainy sunday?
Step away from the tech and read a real book, made of trees ‘n’ stuff.
Below are a list of all books that I’ve given 5 stars this year. Some honorable mentions are:
- Rogue Warrior – Stephen Leather
- What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi
- The Cuckoo’s Egg – Cliff Stoll [I am currently 200 pages into this & have no doubt this will be a five star read, but I’ve not finished it yet]
the martian – andy weir
I chose to read The Martian after reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I really enjoyed how he made huge complex problems be understood so easily throughout the book. I was pleased to see that the same had been done with the earlier released book, The Martian.
The Martian felt a bit more mature than PHM to me, the situation came across as far more bleak than it did in PHM. I don’t think the situation was actually worse )it’s only one guys life at risk here), but the way it was written certainly made it feel worse.
The science behind the book was so clearly well researched that at times it almost felt like reading a non-fiction.
I was quite disappointed to see that Andy Weir’s Artemis hasn’t received the same praise as Project Hail Mary or The Martian. I probably will get around to reading it at some point though.
Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.
A Terrible kindness – Jo Browning Wroe
A Terrible Kindness is a book that stuck with me weeks after reading it. The premise of it sounds very bleak and depressing. It follows an embalmer, 19 year old William, who volunteered his services following the terrible disaster of Aberfan in 1966.
Growing up (and still living in) the south wales valleys myself, Aberfan is a name/word that when said still carries an incredible amount of pain & weight to it. I have cycled past the memorial site several times & you can’t help but grind to a halt seeing that field of white crosses.
The book handles telling the occurrence of events well with a great amount of sensitivity & respect for the village. There are certainly parts of it that hit you for six & wonder how this disaster actually happened & how they would ever recover from it.
The story explains how William got into the embalming occupation & the strange quirks that come with that sort of role. It’s something that we don’t like to think of a whole lot, so it makes for an incredibly interesting protagonist.
I think it’s important to remember that although we are following fictional characters, there are people who actually went through this.
What an appalling world he’s in, where the lucky ones are those able to identify their child’s dead body.
Boys don’t cry – fiona scarlett
So, first of all, I’d like to say, the title is a lie, as you’ll find out by the end of the book….
The book follows two brothers, Finn and Joe trying to escape working class Dublin. The relationship between two brothers is portrayed very well. You become so attached to the characters as the book progresses,it almost feels like you’re a third sibling involved in all the conflict and drama going on.
The only thing with this book is the ending. I am still very confused as to what actually happened, despite re-reading and even looking online for clarification, I am still none-the-wiser.
This book is apparently very similar to Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, which I’m currently reading. I should probably try reading some lighter stuff in 2024…
Only one pint, mind you, enough to dull but not take control.