Today marks World Book Lovers Day and I thought it was fitting to share my reading progress and some of my favourite books I have enjoyed so far this year.
Since 2023, I have tried to challenge myself to read more books each year. In 2023, my goal was to read 52 and I read 78. Last year, I challenged myself to read 104 and I just made it by reading 105. This year my goal wasn’t as ambitious as the previous year, but I’ve set myself a goal to read at least 75 books. At the time of writing this, I am at 53 books.
Here are some of my favourite books I’ve read so far this year and my thoughts on them:
Parable of the Talents (Earthseed #2) by Octavia E. Butler
I had read the first book in the series last year and knew I needed to read the second one ASAP. This book is dystopian sci-fi, but it’s very eerily accurate to recent events or possible events to come in my lifetime. I think that’s what drew me in so much into both of the books. I’m wanting to read more of Butler’s books in the future. I wish I had known about her sooner!
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
This is a debut novel by Lucy Steeds and it is actually one of my all-time favourite books. The rich, beautiful language paints a picture (no pun intended) in your head as you read this novel. I finished it in day. There are so many layers to it, you’ll want to keep reading to find out what happens next.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Only in recent years have I started reading memoirs and biographies. This one stood out to me as I was looking for something to read from my library. I hadn’t heard of Michelle Zauner before but loved getting to know her and her complicated relationship with her mother throughout the book. My favourite parts were her describing different foods and cooking – I felt like I was tasting the food being talked about.
Somali and the Guardian of the Forest (Forest Spirit) by Yako Gureishi
This manga has only been recently translated into English (first volume English translation came out Christmas eve last year) and I found it while looking for a new manga to read. It is about a world ruled by spirits, goblins, and all sorts of creatures – where humans are persecuted for their violence towards these beings. A golem finds a human girl and starts a quest to find other humans before he dies. The illustrations are beautiful and so detailed you’ll find yourself staring at the pages taking it all in. I’ve read the second volume of the series and am now patiently waiting for the 3rd volume to come out later this month.
The Correspondent by Virgina Evans
Another wonderful debut for this year! I talked about wanting to read it in a previous post and I managed to! It is written completely in the form of letters and emails – both from the protagonist and other characters. It is a very fast read since it is very casually written, but has a lot of heart to it!
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
If you’re looking for a creepy, sci-fi/dystopian novel set in an alternative world where no one won WWII, this is a good book for you. I’d never read any of Chidgey’s books before, so wasn’t sure what I was expecting, besides being drawn into it by the book’s description. This is another book I’m adding to my all-time favourites! Slowly as you read, you learn the truth about the boys and what kind of world they live in. It was another book I read in a day’s time!
Have you read any of these books or do any of them sound interesting to you? Let me know, my fellow book lovers!
xx Hannah
Idealistic Iowan 