This year I managed to get more reading done than last year. Part of it was because I had access to more libraries through Libby and Overdrive, but the other part was because I was also being introduced to more titles I may not have otherwise picked up.
I also tried (emphasis on tried) to keep a running form of the books I read, with the target of seeing how long it’d take to finish a book and having a place to record my thoughts upon completion of the book/series. That… lasted till November, where I just fell off hahaha. Plus, because of the year end holidays, I’ve also read a lot more books in the last few days than I have in the last few months, so… here’s a somewhat comprehensive list of books I’ve read this year in 2024:
Books I read and my impression of them
From my Google Form:
- Vita Sexualis by Ogai Mori
I began reading this a long time ago and then never just quite finished it. So I forced myself to do so. According to my impressions (so glad I actually did write them down), the book was more of a “collection of memories tied up into specific moments, rather than a natural moment-to-moment recounting.” I called this a refreshing breather… /looks at past self. - The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson
My impression of this book hasn’t changed since I read it, so I’ll just paste my initial thoughts: This was… hard to read and finish. I think I spent the better part of two weeks reading it. It’s not badly written nor is it hard to follow, but the book, I think, isn’t written in a style I enjoy. It is very dense though, in a good way – I liked exploring the world it was set in, but there’s so many more questions that are left unanswered… I think part of its charm is in the way it reflects the uncertainty of real life. - Botchan by Natsume Sōseki
By now I was beginning to see a pattern in the “classical” Japanese books I was reading (yes my choices were influenced by Bungo Stray Dogs). It’s technically a novella, but my impression was that it was an autobiography masquerading as fiction. The biggest takeaway was that this book in particular, was really a product of its time – I don’t think books today would be so naive and innocent, not even kids’ books. - Hardboiled and Hard luck by Banana Yoshimoto
Part of the reason why I was reading so many books was because I had discovered books from the Internet Archive and because this was recommended by a YouTuber I was following (maybe Nao? Can’t remember now). This book dealt with grief, and it helped put into words some unresolved grief I didn’t know I was still carrying. It is a very gentle book. - Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
I think this book was the first of my DNF (Did Not Finish) books of the year. It was more than a little hard to read because by this time it felt like I was rehashing my grief, and her stories were more than a little formulaic. This is not to say it’s done badly, more like it was not what I wanted at that point in time (if you’ve eaten Cantonese fry with different noodles, combinations and rice, then she’s basically that kind of writer – something different and delightful every time, but also very similar in a lot of ways). - Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim
I had read Spin the Dawn quite some time ago, and so I was reminded of the sequel when I saw the author promoting her latest book set in the same world. It was an enjoyable read, but not quite for me, simply, I think, because I was growing tired of the YA genre at this point. - Nano Mashin by Han Joong Wueol Ya (Korean Manhwa and Light Novel)
This one… started out pretty well, and pointed out the importance of learning to be familiar with your tools and advantage instead of just showing them off willy-nilly, but I grew to dislike a lot of it towards the end, because I felt the author had become both sloppy and lazy – there’s sexual assault, Stockholm syndrome and quite misogynistic views. This was something I would not recommend to others, and I think it was the first book I rated 4 in my own biased ratings. - Paladin’s Hope by T Kingfisher
I was reminded that this was now out, and so I read it when I could. It’s a nice comfort book, but it did also refer back to a lot of the previous books in the series (Book 2 was on hold so I read book 3 first). - The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
This is book 2 of the Interdependency series, and I had read The Collapsing Empire, Book 1, ages ago. It was really good, and I really enjoyed the way he shifted between the different voices. I should probably re-read this, because that was a masterclass I enjoy. - The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The last of the Interdependency series, this had a twist I did not see coming, and again, it was a really fun book for me. I loved how naturally he threw in different names and cultures into the mix, and how that particular ending came about. It was beautiful but it was also a book for this age. Sadly I don’t think a lot of people realise that. - Master of Poisons by Andrew Hairston
I… will just copy past my initial impression: This was a pretty hard book to get through. I love the concept and the idea, and the execution is pretty great, but the emotions that suffused the book was just… despair. Not for me, but I absolutely love what she did with it. - Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
This was… much more dense than I anticipated. I’ve been reading a lot of Chinese light novels (LN) over the years, and this felt both like LN-lite and yet LN dense as well. The human drama was incredibly compelling, and I did not expect the end. Not something I would have anticipated in any novel today, so… kudos to Liu Cixin? - The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin
Fairly solid book, and my impression of it was that it could stand alone on its own, without needing to read the first book, even though The Dark Forest is a direct sequel. In a lot of ways, it feels like a completely separate story that takes place within the same universe as the Three Body Problem, but with completely different threads. However, there was a problem I was beginning to see in this series… - Death’s End by Liu Cixin
Now, the thing about Liu Cixin’s works is that his science, at least in my opinion is solid. Really, based on what I’ve read and watched over the years, I do not have an issue believing in the worlds he’s created. What I have an issue with… is his characterisation. In a lot of ways, a lot of his characters are merely mouthpieces, which is a shame considering how he set them up originally in the first two books. And I don’t think he writes women well at all.
And I think that’s it for part 1. Will probably do a part 2 tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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