I don’t think I have much to say about my reading life this year that’s different from years past. I come to the same conclusions every turn around the sun: to have more fun with my reading; to not worry so much about always having something to say about what I read; to trust and welcome my whims and flights of fancy. And at the start of every year, I forget these lessons, and have to spend the following twelve months trying to learn them again.
So I guess my only hope and resolution for my reading life the coming year would be this: to relearn my lessons early, so that I can better appreciate the stories to come.
Here are some of the stories I appreciated the most in 2023:
THESE FLEETING SHADOWS by Kate Alice Marshall
Read this with my friend Ally (@onedarkally) near the beginning of the year. It was an amusing experience in that we both went into it expecting wildly different things: a new adult mystery in my case, a middle grade affair in Ally’s. Neither of us expected a Young Adult horror story of madness, psychedelia, and eldritch oddities. But that was part of the fun. This is one of the few books I’ve ever read where the tone shifts suddenly and unexpectedly and instead of hurting the story it complements it. Great, delightfully chaotic read.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING by Dan Santat
This was a painful read but only because author/artist Dan Santat portrays the middle school experience in such a brutally honest way that it managed to dredge up some painful memories from my own school days. (As one character points out: the best thing about being a teenager is that you only get to do it once.)
I have a tendency to romanticize the past, to wax nostalgic about the simplicity and innocence of childhood. This served as a good reminder that it’s necessary to confront and accept all the unsavory moments, too, because, for better or worse, they helped shape who I grew up to be.
Santat’s art is brilliant and bold and beautiful. His portrayals of awkward teenage interactions are as nuanced and detailed as his depictions of the intricate and lush landscapes of Europe. A wonderful, important work.
FOREVER AND A DAY by Anthony Horowitz
FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE / DR. NO by Ian Fleming
Every year, some time after the holiday season, I seem to hit a particularly bad reading slump that I only manage to break by picking up old school thrillers featuring outdated views and equally outdated, stereotypically masculine protagonists. Last year, it was the Parker books by Richard Stark a.k.a. Donald Westlake. This year, it was Bond. James Bond.
I have no idea what this says about me, other than I enjoy reading about people doing their work in a ruthlessly efficient fashion. (I’m sure it was Westlake who said that all his novels were really about people going about their jobs, and it was only that their jobs involved committing crimes and pulling off capers.)
Probably the most fun I had reading all year. From Russia, with Love and Dr. No were my favorites from Fleming’s one golden typewriter (I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Fleming’s writing — the man could write a mean, muscular sentence), but Anthony Horowitz’s Forever and a Day (a prequel to Casino Royale) was a great standout.
I complemented my reading by watching a bunch of the films, too. I had never seen one all the way through before (indeed, before all this my only real experience with the character was through the GoldenEye 007 game which I spent many happy hours playing as a child). But I also had a tremendous amount of fun watching these preposterous movies and anyway I want to be Pierce Brosnan when I grow up and also marry Daniel Craig that is all thank you.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD by Quentin Tarantino
Essentially Quentin Tarantino’s overindulgent expansion of the already overindulgent world of his film and I ate absolutely every word of it. Tarantino’s dialogue is the main reason I’m a fan of his movies and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is just as sparkling in prose form.
Can’t really think of another way to describe this book/story other than as absolute vibe.
IN THE DREAM HOUSE by Carmen Maria Machado
I don’t think a book has ever left me as stunned and speechless as this one did. Which is actually appropriate considering its central conceit of trying to provide a language and a vocabulary with which to talk about harrowing, devastating experiences. Just an absolutely remarkable work that is just as much an academic dissertation of abuse in queer relationships as it is an intensely intimate and brutal piece of personal history and memoir. One of the most powerful things I’ve ever read and it will stay with me for a long time.
CACKLE by Rachel Harrison
Hallowe’en is, as it must be evident by now, my best reading season. I’m happy to say that this past one was among the best, with nearly every story picked up being an absolute banger, as the kids say. And it was kicked off by this absolutely delicious, cozy, spooky, heartwarming treasure of a book. A thoroughly modern fable of identity and independence, featuring two of the strangers protagonists I’ve come across recently. Loved every moment I spent in this world.
A GUEST IN THE HOUSE by Emily Carroll
Simply: I adore Emily Carroll and will pick up anything and everything she puts out. Her work is obscenely good and this most atmospheric and visceral of graphic novels is no different. Glorious, stunning stuff.
THE SKULL by Jon Klassen
A work of pure story. Klassen doesn’t waste a single word or drawn line in this spooky, morbidly funny (it made me laugh several times out of sheer, shocked delight) little tale about loyalty, friendship, and affection. Lovely, lovely stuff.
(Also I love the titular Skull so much I kind of want to get a tattoo of him.)
THE HACIENDA by Isabel Cañas
Full of ominous atmosphere and surprisingly intense set pieces. This delivered the claustrophobic and menacing vibes I always look for in a haunted house tale. Another favorite read from the Hallowe’en season.
EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS by Peter Swanson
I read this one in a single day. It then made me read two other Swanson books that I finished just as fast and with equal gusto. Guess you could say it turned me into a fan. It’s exactly the sort of murder mystery I enjoy the most: self aware and slightly meta (again, Knives Out is my lode star), bookish, cozy but with more than a healthy dash of thriller elements. Absolutely great, gripping stuff.
You know, if you were to ask me just a couple of weeks ago how my reading went this year I probably would have only said, “Fine.” It always takes doing this retrospective for me to realize and appreciate just how good it’s actually been. And it has.
Here’s to hopefully another year of excellent stories.
See you in the next one.
📖
ricardo reading 