It’s a new year! Before we get into 2024, let’s finish out 2023 with my last edition of 2023 Recent Reads.
Since I never did one for Q3 of 2023, I’m combining Q3 and Q4 in this post. Which means there are a LOT of books to choose from!
All books posts | All Recent Reads posts | 2023 Recent Reads
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“Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband… someday […] There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he’s arrogant, annoying, and she’s absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can’t stand the sight of him, either. But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor…Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can’t abide is the one person they can’t live without” (x).
This book is the first in the Bridgerton prequel series about the Rokesbys. I first tried to get into the book a year or so ago and couldn’t, so I just put it aside. I think this was more because of being all Bridgerton-ed out at the time, as I sped through it when I took it up this time. It wasn’t as good as the original Bridgerton books, but it was still enjoyable.
20+ of the Best History Novels
“New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France. An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences. For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power. The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten” (x).
This was a reread! The Lilac Girls were a real group of people, specifically Polish women who went through specific things at Ravensbrück. Kasia is not based on a specific one of them, but instead, she is an amalgamation of some women who went through truly horrific things at the hands of Nazis. Caroline and Herta, however, were real women who had opposite roles in the Lilac Girls experiences. Caroline used her influence and powerful friends before the war officially started, when it was underway, and afterwards to help a wide variety of people impacted, but she brought the plight of the Lilac Girls forward and helped them about a decade or two after the war.
SPOILER AHEAD!
Herta was the only female doctor at Nuremberg’s Doctors’ Trials. She did horrible things and, the first time I read it, I hoped against hope that she wasn’t real. But she was, and many of the things she does in the book were real, too.
SPOILER OVER
Read my review from the first time I read it here.
“As the French revolution ravages the country, Desiree Clary is faced with the life-altering truth that the world she has known and loved is gone and it’s fallen on her to save her family from the guillotine. A chance encounter with Napoleon Bonaparte, the ambitious and charismatic young military prodigy, provides her answer. When her beloved sister Julie marries his brother Joseph, Desiree and Napoleon’s futures become irrevocably linked. Quickly entering into their own passionate, dizzying courtship that leads to a secret engagement, they vow to meet in the capital once his career has been secured. But her newly laid plans with Napoleon turn to sudden heartbreak, thanks to the rising star of Parisian society, Josephine de Beauharnais. Once again, Desiree’s life is turned on its head […] From the lavish estates of the French Riviera to the raucous streets of Paris and Stockholm, Desiree finds herself at the epicenter of the rise and fall of an empire, navigating a constellation of political giants and dangerous, shifting alliances. Emerging from an impressionable girl into a fierce young woman, she discovers that to survive in this world she must learn to rely upon her instincts and her heart” (x).
This book was good and interesting, especially since I wasn’t familiar with Desiree beforehand. It wasn’t the best book, but I enjoyed it. If you are interested in the time period, I definitely recommend it, but I don’t know that I will be rereading it any time soon.
The Best Audiobooks I’ve Listened To
“A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens. The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction–but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep” (x).
This book almost immediately became one of my all-time favorites. I can’t wait to reread it in 2024!
This book is also described as a feminist version of the legend of Saint George. The world is inclusive, with same-sex relationships being normalized, as are a variety of sexualities, including asexuality. It gripped me right from the start.
One of my fav orite things about this book is that the narrators are all at different parts of the world, so the worldbuilding is really full and you get a grasp of what the different parts of it are like. I loved it SO much.
2023 Recent Reads: January-March
The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband
“With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He’s unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier’s life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie […] When Edward comes to, he’s more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out three months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he’d always assumed he’d marry his neighbor back in England” (x).
This book is the second in the Bridgerton prequel series about the Rokesbys. I liked it better than Because of Miss Bridgerton, maybe because I found it easier to get into. What is especially interesting about it is that most of it takes place in the then-colony of New York, not in England like the Bridgerton books do.
I will say that I’m not a huge fan of the premise, but it is more ethical than what Daphne does in The Duke and I (it’s included in the TV show).
Advice Books To Read (That Aren’t Cheesy!)
“Elizabeth of York is the oldest daughter of King Edward IV. Flame-haired, beautiful, and sweet-natured, she is adored by her family; yet her life is suddenly disrupted when her beloved father dies in the prime of life. Her uncle, the notorious Richard III, takes advantage of King Edward’s death to grab the throne and imprison Elizabeth’s two younger brothers, the rightful royal heirs. Forever afterward known as ‘the Princes in the Tower,’ the boys are never seen again. On the heels of this tragedy, Elizabeth is subjected to Richard’s overtures to make her his wife, further legitimizing his claim to the throne. King Richard has murdered her brothers, yet she feels she must accept his proposal. As if in a fairy tale, Elizabeth is saved by Henry Tudor, who challenges Richard and defeats him at the legendary Battle of Bosworth Field. Following his victory, Henry becomes king and asks Elizabeth to be his wife, the first queen of the Tudor line. The marriage is happy and fruitful, not only uniting the warring houses of Lancaster and York—the red and white roses—but producing four surviving children, one of whom, Henry VIII, will rule the country for the next thirty-six years” (x).
I really enjoyed this! It is by Alison Weir, a Tudor historian, who also wrote the biography Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World. (You can read my review of that here.) So little is known about who she was separate from all of the men in her life, as she was the daughter, sister, wife, and mother of kings. She was significantly overshadowed by all of the men in her life.
I loved Weir’s biography of her, and I’ve read a couple of Weir’s other fiction books, so I decided to give this a shot. I really enjoyed it, but it’s definitely for the Tudor nerds and not the casual historical fiction fans.
2022 Recent Reads: October-December
“John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their daughter fall ill. At first they thought it was flu, then she was placed on life support. Days later, the Dunnes were sitting down to dinner when John suffered a massive and fatal coronary. This powerful book is Didion’s ‘attempt to make sense of the weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness’. The result is a personal yet universal portrait of marriage and life, in good times and bad, from one of the defining voices of American literature” (x).
Coincidentally, my sister and I read this at the same time. I described it to her as devastating and beautiful, and I stand by that description.
Joan Didion experienced so much tragedy in a year and a half, and this memoir walks through what was probably the toughest time in her life. I have no idea how she was able to eloquently describe the grief she experienced, let alone live for nearly 2 decades after her soulmate died, but she was.
I’m sharing this because I want you to know what you’re walking into when you read this book, but I do really recommend it.
2022 Recent Reads: July-September
“In A Day of Fallen Night, Samantha Shannon sweeps listeners back to the universe of The Priory of the Orange Tree and into the lives of four women, showing us a course of events that shaped their world for generations to come. Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory’s purpose. To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be. The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother’s past is coming to upend her fate. When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat” (x).
This is the prequel to Priory! It takes about 500 years before Priory does and is absolutely incredible. I still prefer Priory to this one, but these two are miles ahead of other books I read this year.
17 Classic Novels Worth Reading
“The Spinning Jenny was invented in 1770, and with that, a new era of manufacturing and industry changed lives everywhere within a generation. A world filled with unrest wrestles for control over this new world order: A mother’s husband is killed in a work accident due to negligence; a young woman fights to fund her school for impoverished children; a well-intentioned young man unexpectedly inherits a failing business; one man ruthlessly protects his wealth no matter the cost, all the while war cries are heard from France, as Napoleon sets forth a violent master plan to become emperor of the world. As institutions are challenged and toppled in unprecedented fashion, ripples of change ricochet through our characters’ lives as they are left to reckon with the future and a world they must rebuild from the ashes of war” (x).
I love the Kingsbridge series, but with this novel, we are officially out of my preferred time periods. I’m a big fan of books set pre-1700, and all the other books are set in that time. But this is the first book in the series set after 1700, and I was surprised by how much I liked it.
There are a few reasons why I really enjoyed it, beyond the fact that it’s in a series I enjoy.
One reason is that it’s set in the time of Jane Austen, who is one of my favorite authors.
Another is that the events of the book reminded me of books written by Anthony Trollop and Elizabeth Gaskell, which I was introduced to via my Victorian lit class in grad school, and whose work I like.
Read my reviews of Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, A Column of Fire, and The Evening and the Morning.
“When 19-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin – one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it… or doom Tamlin – and his world – forever” (x).
I feel behind the times, but I finally started reading this series! As a lover of fantasy, fairy tales, and romance books, it definitely felt made for me.
I’ve read the first three books in the series thus far, and in my experience, each book is better than the previous one. This is good because, while I found the first book super interesting and loved the world-building, I didn’t love parts of it, namely how much Tamlin keeps Feyre in the dark.
If you’re on the fence about this book, I suggest checking it out!
19 Retellings of Classic Fiction You Need To Read
“Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court – but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people. Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms – and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future – and the future of a world cleaved in two” (x).
This is the second book in the series! I LOVED it, so much more than the first one. Along with the fantasy and romance parts of it, this novel depicts PTSD, a controlling/emotionally abusive relationship, coming into your own, found family, and more. It’s SO GOOD!
2022 Recent Reads: January-March
“During the nights between Christmas and New Year’s, the witches of New York–Adelaide Thom, Eleanor St. Clair and the youngest, Beatrice Dunn–gather before the fire to tell ghost stories and perform traditional Yuletide divinations. (Did you know that roasting chestnuts was once used to foretell one’s fate?) As the witches roast chestnuts and melt lead to see their fate, a series of odd messengers land on their doorstep bearing invitations for a New Year’s Eve masquerade hosted by a woman they’ve never met. Gossip, dreams and portents follow, leading the witches to question the woman’s motives. Is she as benevolent as she seems or is she laying a trap? And so, as Gilded-Age New York prepares to ring in the new year, the witches don their finery and head for the ball, on the hunt for answers that might well be the end of them” (x).
I started the year with Witches of New York, and I finished it with this novella! This follow-up was perfect to read right before Christmas, since it’s set between Christmas and New Year. It closes the lingering plot elements from the first book without being too long. It was, in my opinion, the perfect length.
Read my review of the first book here.
“The story concerns Anne Elliot, a young Englishwoman of twenty-seven years, whose family moves to lower their expenses and reduce their debt by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife. The wife’s brother, Navy Captain Frederick Wentworth, was engaged to Anne in 1806, but the engagement was broken when Anne was “persuaded” by her friends and family to end their relationship. Anne and Captain Wentworth, both single and unattached, meet again after a seven-year separation, setting the scene for many humorous encounters as well as a second, well-considered chance at love and marriage for Anne in her second ‘bloom’” (x).
I hadn’t read this book in at least 15 years. I was inspired to reread it because I watched the Netflix movie, starring Dakota Johnson. I liked the movie a lot more than I expected, so I decided to reread it. And I’m so glad I did!
As an adult in her 30s, I understand Anne a lot better than I did as a teenager, and I loved the book. I understand the experience of letting someone you love and trust lead you astray; of being surrounded by happy people when you are not; of being overlooked; and more. There are fewer misunderstandings in the book than in the movie, but there are some.
I think Persuasion might have replaced others as my favorite Austen book, and that’s definitely because I’ve been rereading them as an adult after reading all of them as a teenager. My teenage conception of the novels, their characters, and their morals, were all different than my adult understanding.
2021 Recent Reads: October-December
The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust – sequel series to His Dark Materials – #2)
“The windows between the many worlds have been sealed and the momentous adventures of Lyra Silvertongue’s youth are long behind her—or so she thought. Lyra is now a twenty-year-old undergraduate at St. Sophia’s College and intrigue is swirling around her once more. Her daemon Pantalaimon is witness to a brutal murder, and the dying man entrusts them with secrets that carry echoes from their past. The more Lyra is drawn into these mysteries, the less she is sure of. Even the events of her own past come into question when she learns of Malcolm Polstead’s role in bringing her to Jordan College. Now Lyra and Malcolm will travel far beyond the confines of Oxford, across Europe and into the Levant, searching for a city haunted by daemons, and a desert said to hold the truth of Dust. The dangers they face will challenge everything they thought they knew about the world, and about themselves” (x).
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I did La Belle Savauge, as it reminded me of the original series but with Lyra as an adult. My only complaint is that Philip Pullman is NOT good at writing realistic romances. Aside from the fact that it feels weird for them to like each other, let alone fall in love with each other, Pullman writes it as “and then Malcolm realized he was in love with Lyra” with no hint of it beforehand.
But other than that, which really made me roll my eyes, it’s a really good book and I want the last part of the trilogy to come out already!
Read my review of the first book in this series here.
2021 Recent Reads: July-September
The Lady Sherlock Series (7 books)
I reread all of the books at the end of 2023! This was my third time reading the first six books and my second time reading the seventh. Once again, I really enjoyed it! There isn’t much more to say about it because I’ve posted about the series multiple times before, but you should know that I’ve enjoyed it every single time.
Read my reviews from the last time I read the series here.
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Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
[…] Read my review of the first two books in the series in this post. […]