21st-40th books of 2023!

 21st -40th books of 2023

Hello friendly readers!

As we approach the end of the year and the beginning of winter here in the UK, I thought I’d put up the second set of 20 books I read this year. Before you see this list I would like to preface with a bit of an important message: As you may have realised, I’m fairly inconsistent with posting on my blog or socials, and not consistent with my reading either (see my Goodreads book score for last year…I managed a grand total of just six books…). My daily schedule now is in a position where I have an hour to commute on a direct train, meaning I can knock out some quality reading time, but not quality typing time, hence my book count is so big and my blog count is so small, but I’m working on it don’t worry. I don’t schedule posts, and I post food pictures that aren’t always restaurant quality, and keep my terrible Goodreads history open and public for everyone to see because I want to keep it authentic. Just because I’m an author and a book worm, doesn’t mean I can read all the time, doesn’t mean I can write all the time, and doesn’t mean I’m a social media professional. I’m just a gal trying to make it work as I go along, hoping there’s an audience out there for random chaotic book fun from someone who still believes our world isn’t beyond saving.

So, if you’re that audience, thank you! I appreciate the views and the comments and any shares and you positively interacting with my work, even if it’s just a single view/comment/interaction because this is me working out (and being a bit bad) at advertising, so I appreciate that it can be a bit all over the place, but I won’t hide that, because hopefully it gives the next person a bit more confidence that it can be done (and if it’s entertainment too, even better haha).

Now, onto the real reason we’re all here: BOOKS! Here lies the list of the 21st -40th books I read this year:

    21) You Only Live Once by Maxine Morrey
    22) One Small Mistake by Dandy Smith
    23) Let Her Be by Lisa Unger
    24) The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
    25) The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle
    26) This Telling by Cheryl Strayed
    27) Slow Burner by Laura Lippman
    28) Am I Guilty by Jackie Kabler
    29) Bootcamp for Broken Hearts by Joanna Bolouri
    30) The Secret by Kevin Lynch
    31) The Village by Caroline Mitchell
    32) The Summer House by Keri Beevis
    33) The Sleepover by Keri Beevis
    34) 29 Seconds by T.M. Logan
    35) Until You by Catharina Maura
    36) Always on my Mind by Beth Moran
    37) The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
    38) Burgerz by Travis Alabanza
    39) The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
    40) The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley


Highlights:
    
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
First, thanks should go out universally to the two friends that suggested I walk with them around Cookham and Marlow one summer day, because if not for you I wouldn’t have strolled through this bookshop where randomly, I made a very spur of the moment purchase of The Dictionary of Lost Words. I will confess, I loved it based on little more than the title to begin with, but the blurb also looked good.

And then I started reading it and wow, what a wonderful journey.

From the storyline, to the familial love, to the devoted appreciation of words right down to the last and lost, this book had my heart. First, because there was such care over each and every word chosen, how it was written, and how they were treasured, and second, because it did not shy away from the unusual, the lesser approved, and the abandoned. The book set out to tell the story of the dictionary through words it left behind and also ended up telling the story of forgotten people, lives and experiences that couldn’t be immortalised in the dictionary because they simply were not written down, and it was so poignant and made me feel as if I was holding a treasure to be seeing these stories in print.

Easy 5/5 stars, go and read it! (If this convinces you any further, I saw these same friends about 5 days after buying the book, and took this book back to them having already finished it, and immediately lent it to them to read too).

Short novels:

I don’t have a specific author or novel in mind here, but rather a specific literary type. If you think my reading list looks massive, then thanks, the pride over it has honestly been such a motivator this year, but actually, a lot of it has to be credited due to an experimentation in book length. You see, a five hundred book is a commitment, so I was being put off, but then I also wanted something to sink my teeth into, so what to do? As you can see (by the Brandon Sanderson and Neil Gaiman alone) I did not abstain from a long book, but once I finished a particularly addictive or commitment requiring book, I would space out my next read with a ‘breather’ of a few short stories- 30-100 pages about whatever took my fancy. I found it was a great way to make my reading list look good (which then spurred me on to keep making it look good), and also a good sandwich around some bigger books that I didn’t quite have the time (or headspace) to get addicted to just then. It’s also a good way to sample different reading genres to chose what to read next, and sample different literary tactics from an author point of view.

Keri Beevis

If anyone remembers my little obsession with Lucy Foley books (and stay tuned for the next book post to see if I finally make it through them all), then get ready to roll your eyes when you hear me rant, yet again, about Keri Beevis.

Full disclosure, I’m writing this up to 5 months since I read the books on this list, so some of them are a bit of a blur to me, but I looked down my Goodreads History (do follow me there if you want live updates) and Keri Beevis’s name popped up and all of a sudden, I remembered.

I remembered the grip and the mental images I conjured up and the tense situations and just that I really liked these books (which is why I immediately read more), so thanks to you lot for being the reason I scrolled down book memory lane, because now I’ve got things to put on my gift wish list when people ask!

So I think I’ll leave it there, because I’m getting close to starting work and I need to go and make a cup of tea, but thank you to those who interacted with the last post, and I’ll see you next time for the next 10 books (I’m gonna be honest, I don’t think I’ll make it to 20 more by Dec 31st).