The Ludic Reader

One of my favourite things to do at this time of year is to reflect on the reading year that was, and Jamie aka The Perpetual Page-Turner makes this very easy to do by providing this list of questions.

Number Of Books I Read: 80 (My Goodreads challenge goal was 75)
Number of Re-Reads: 2 The Great Gatsby and The Secret History
Genre I Read The Most From: literary fiction/YA (not really genres, I know – but in those categories I read a lot of thrillers, mysteries, realistic fic)

1. Best Book You Read In 2023?

Hands down my favourite book of the year was Emma Straub’s novel This Time Tomorrow. On her 40th birthday, a woman wakes up in her bed on the morning of her 16th birthday. I chose this for book club last year and I loved every single thing about it. I never tab things when I read, but I had so many tabs in this book…so many lines that just hit me and then when I read her acknowledgments (where she specifically speaks about her father, the acclaimed literary horror novelist Peter Straub – who just happens to be one of my favourite writers) it just added a whole new layer to this book. Loved it.

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

There were definitely a few duds this year, but if I had to pick one book that really disappointed me, it’s probably The Song of Achilles. Lots of people raved about this book. One student in my class openly sobbed as they read it. It read like fanfiction to me. I couldn’t muster up any feelings for these characters or their fates.

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

I was surprised that You Have Made A Fool of Death With Your Beauty was so…trope-y. I think maybe I had different expectations for the book, but this really just ended up being a romance that was often cringey.

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

I always recommend The Secret History to students, even though I haven’t read that book since it came out in 1992. I decided to re-read it in the summer of 2023, just to see if it stood up to my memories. I did not have the same reading experience as I did the first time, but it is objectively a great book and we wouldn’t have dark academia as we know it today without it.

5. Favorite new author you discovered in 2023?

There are a few authors I discovered this year that I will definitely be reading more from including Shelley Read (Go as a River) and Ania Ahlborn (Brother).

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

I don’t really have books that are “out of my comfort zone.” I would probably avoid straight up sci fi, but this year I don’t read anything that fits this category.

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

I read Lisa Jewell’s latest book None of This Is True in one sitting when I had Covid (for the first time) back in November. I generally find Jewell pretty dependable, although I did not enjoy The Family Remains, the sequel to the vastly superior The Family Upstairs, at all. None of This Is True had a lot of elements I really like packed into one book: unreliable narrators, true crime, and a plot that kept me guessing.

Another book that I could not put down was S.A. Cosby’s thriller All the Sinners Bleed. Although I have at least one other book by Cosby on my tbr shelf, I bought this one and read it almost immediately. It was fast-paced and twisty and well-written.

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

Hmmm. As my TBR pile grows, the likelihood that I will do much re-reading diminishes.

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

I was drawn to the cover of Quiet Time when I saw it at the book store and I bought the book without knowing anything about it based on the blurb and the fact that it was written by a young Atlantic Canadian author. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy the book all that much, although I might have if I’d read it when I was 40 years younger.

11. Most memorable character of 2023?

I encountered a few memorable characters this year including Chrissie from Nancy Tucker’s fabulous novel The First Day of Spring, Torie from Go As A River and Ted from The Last House on Needless Street. However, my favourite character is definitely Michael from Ania Ahlborn’s novel Brother. Despite the horrific things that he does, I can’t recall ever meeting a character more sympathetic than he is. I just wanted to pull him out of his life and hug him.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2023?

Beautiful writing is so subjective, isn’t it? The books that earn five stars from me have some perfect combination of plot, characters and writing. This year, those books include: The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead, This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub, Brother by Ania Ahlborn, When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert, Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, Go as a River by Shelley Read and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. If I was going to choose a book just based on writing alone I would probably choose Patchett’s because, well, she’s amazing and this book is brilliant. But Straub’s book just hit me hard with all. the. feels.

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

I mean Tender is the Flesh was pretty thought-provoking and also all kinds of icky. It wasn’t really my cup of literary tea, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t give me lots of food (ahem) for thought.

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

Of the books I read this year, the one that had probably been on my tbr shelf the longest was Lisa Reardon’s novel Blameless. I was likely holding on to it because having read it, there is no more Reardon to read.

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

Here’s where all those tabbed pages from This Time Tomorrow would have come in handy. Oh well.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2023?

Longest: Crank by Ellen Hopkins, 576 pages – but does it really count as this is a book written in verse.

The Secret History, 559 pages (and it’s Tartt so those are some densely written pages!)

Shortest: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 180 pages – but it was a re-read.

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Brother because it 100% goes there. I don’t know if this book counts as extreme horror, but this book is pretty extreme…so it’s horrific, but also heartbreaking and I was shocked not only by the graphic story elements, but also by how much I loved the main character.

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

Torie and Wilson from Go as a River; Celine and Bradley from Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert and Sally and Noah from Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

(Gay) Uncle Patrick aka GUP and his niece and nephew Maisie and Grant from Steven Rowley’s The Guncle.

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

I had several repeat authors on my list this year. I really enjoyed If I Forget You by Thomas Christopher Green (The Perfect Liar, The Headmaster’s Wife, Envious Moon); We Spread by Iain Reid (Foe, I’m Thinking of Ending Things) The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey (Unspeakable Things, Bloodline); Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (The Dutch House, Commonwealth, Bel Canto)

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

April from Getting Hygge With It recommended The First Day of Spring and I really enjoyed it.

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

I kinda loved Noah from Romantic Comedy.

23. Best 2023 debut you read?

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker is a pretty remarkable debut.

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

I think Tom Lake, Go as a River and Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds all do a wonderful job of capturing the natural world. In particular, The Four Winds absolutely puts you right in the middle of the dust bowl.

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

I had a ball reading Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. It was laugh-out-loud funny and just a delight.

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

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. Tears were definitely shed.

Lump in the throat awards go to: Zennor in Darkness by one of my all-time favourite writers Helen Dunmore and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

I am going to shout out Heartbreak Homes by Nova Scotia-based writer Jo Teggiari. Here is what I said in my review: “While Heartbreak Homes is definitely a mystery, complete with the requisite red herrings and plot twists, it is also an interesting commentary on homelessness, family, responsibility and loyalty. I loved spending time with these characters and if the mystery itself unraveled just a little too neatly, it hardly matters. This is a great book.”

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

I have to say Brother yet again. This book is dark and bleak and freaking awesome. But also bleak. And dark.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2023?

I am not sure, formatting wise, I read any “unique” books this year, but I did read a lot of books with very unique narrators. Sally, from Liz Nugent’s novel Strange Sally Diamond springs immediately to mind. (I only wish I had ended up loving the book as much I thought I would when I started reading it.

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

Books that I finished but which made me cross include Just Like Mother (started off with so much promise, but then just got cartoonishly ridiculous); The Rose Petal Beach which was such a huge disappointment because I loved Koomson’s novel The Ice Cream Girls, and both Hello Beautiful and Lessons in Chemistry (beloved by many!) for reasons too numerous to mention.

1. New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2023?

I added Ashley’s Little Library to my YouTube rotation this year. We have similar reading tastes and I enjoy her reviews.

2. Favorite post you wrote in 2023?

I enjoyed writing my review of Evan Katz’s book Into Every Generation: How Buffy Slayed Our Hearts because it allowed me to think about a very important and meaningful and creative time in my life. I also really enjoyed writing my review of The Secret History because my first reading of the book predates this blog by a couple of decades.

3. Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2023?

One of my favourite places on earth and one of me with my favourite reading companion, Lily.

4. Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events,  etc.)?

I had such a fun time talking about Zennor in Darkness with Shawn the Book Maniac.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2023?

I love it when WordPress tells me my stats are booming – although what does that really mean when you don’t have a lot of followers? LOL

Here are my blog stats for 2023.

I had 57, 155 views and 46, 367 visitors to The Ludic Reader. I think that’s pretty impressive. However, I only had 27 likes and 20 comments all year. Not sure what to do about that, but I am sure there is something I can do to up engagement. Thoughts?

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

When I get into a groove, there’s not really too much I find challenging about blogging. I like to stay on top of my reviews and schedule them so I post about once every four days. Sometimes that schedule works, sometimes not so much. I wish I could do a better job of leveraging my Instagram account. Maybe that’s a task for this year. (I am The Ludic Reader there as well.)

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

The most popular review (with a whopping 24, 940 views) is for Corrupt, which I hate-wrote in 2021. The next closest number of views goes to my home page with 4,857 views. Crazy.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Based on the stats above, it appears that a lot more people are reading my reviews than the likes and comments would indicate. If you are someone who visits regularly, I would love it if you subscribed and or commented or even hit the like button. Thanks!

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Eleven NB, a local company, makes all sorts of fun bookish merch.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Yes, indeed. See my year-end wrap up here.

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

Yeah…um…meet my tbr shelves

See above.

3. 2024 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Don’t really keep track.

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2021?

Same as it ever was: Not a series reader, really.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2021?

Here’s a carry over from previous years: I would like to hit 100 books – so less time on social media and more time with a book in my hand. Perhaps make better use of my Instagram.

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

n/a