Welcome, bookish friends.

  • January 2023 Reading Wrap-Up.

    Hello, and happy February! January was a tiring, but overall good month for me: I traveled for work, visited a couple new (to me) bookstores, and am three books ahead of schedule to meet my 2023 reading goal! My average book rating this month was 4 stars out of 5, and three books were 5-star reads – definitely a great start to the year! See the titles I read, my thoughts on each book, and my ratings below.

    These are the books I read in January:

    The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karuntilaka. A Sri Lankan photographer wakes up dead in a “celestial visa office” with no recollection of how he died. He has seven days (moons) before his soul leaves his body, so he uses those seven days to guide his loved ones to shocking photographs that he believes could end the war in Sri Lanka. This novel was so eye-opening and creative and stunning. While parts of the book dragged for me, the story was wrapped up so beautifully that the novel as a whole seems perfect to me.
    My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

    Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn. Yinka is a 30 year-old British-Nigerian woman with an Oxford degree, a great job, a close-knit circle of friends…and a mom and aunties who literally pray out-loud for her to find a husband. As the prayers from her family wear on her, Yinka decides to take matters into her own hands, and find a romantic partner. Overall, I found this novel endearing (even when Yinka made bad decision after bad decision), easy to read, and pretty funny. I had issues with the ending, though: I felt that some storylines wrapped up “neatly” at the expense of exploring relationships in a deep and realistic way. Still, this was an enjoyable read with a very positive message.
    My rating: 4 stars out of 5.

    I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee. This is the true story of author Baek Sehee’s experience being treated for dysthymia (persistent, mild depression). As somebody who is interested in psychology and enjoys books about therapy (fiction and nonfiction), I was seriously disappointed by the lack of depth in this book. Most of the book is literally just selected transcriptions of therapy sessions that the author recorded, with minimal insight/reflection until the last 30 pages of the book. The therapy sessions also seemed awfully repetitive to me. This could be a reflection of the time it takes for therapy to result in meaningful change, but even so – why make the book so repetitive? Essentially, I liked the idea behind this book, but the structure didn’t work for me and I wanted more depth and insight from it.
    My rating: 2 stars out of 5.

    Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet. A young woman believes that a controversial psychiatrist has driven her sister to suicide; so, under a false identity, she becomes one of his patients to learn more. This novel initially intrigued and hooked me, but ultimately lost steam and fell flat. I enjoyed the interesting ideas about psychology, the self, and authenticity interspersed throughout the book (although they did become a bit repetitive). My main issue with the novel, though, was that the female protagonist was written with less depth than the dangerous male psychologist. I am a fan of writing complex/controversial characters with nuance and compassion, but the way the characters were written in this novel just didn’t work for me.
    My rating: 3 stars out of 5.

    The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. A young Black girl named Pecola Breedlove knows she is ugly – why else would she be treated so differently from the pretty white kids? Told from the perspectives of the people who shaped and witnessed Pecola’s childhood, The Bluest Eye is a poignant examination of the damage caused by societal beauty standards. It’s hard to say that I enjoyed this book, because it contains many disturbing scenes, but it really is a masterfully written story with an important message. Even though this was a challenging read, my life is better for having read this book.
    My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

    Tell Me How To Be by Neel Patel. Akash and his mother, Renu, are adrift in the world in their own ways, and they aren’t close – geographically or figuratively. But one year after the death of her husband (Ashok) Renu decides to sell her Illinois home and move back to London, inviting her adult sons to help pack up the house and commemorate the anniversary of Ashok’s death. Throughout this visit, Akash and Renu are consumed by secrets from their past, and eventually forced to confront their painful histories. Tell Me How To Be is a beautifully written novel about the consequences of secrets, shame, and unhealed pain. Despite the heavy subject matter, the book is peppered with humor in a way that successfully breaks up the heaviness. Both Akash and Renu are deeply flawed characters, but Patel wrote their stories with so much compassion and tenderness that I was always rooting for them – even when their behavior infuriated me!
    My rating: 5 stars out of 5.

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  • 2023 Reading Goals.

    Hi, and welcome to Hannah’s Bookish Adventures! I’ve started this blog because reading is a major part of my life, but not an interest of many of my friends/family. I thought this blog would be a fun way to organize and reflect my bookish thoughts, and maybe connect with readers who share similar interests to me.

    I’m kicking off the blog with my 2023 reading goals, because it sets the stage for what’s to come this year. With that, here are my three major reading goals for this year!

    1. Read at least 38 books.

    Last year I read 34 books, but my pace was wildly inconsistent – in some months I read seven books, in some months I read only two books, and for three consecutive months in the Autumn I read no books at all! So, I like 38 because it challenges me to read a little bit more this year, while still being attainable if I go through any major reading slumps again.

    2. Prioritize reading the following 12 books:

    Kim Jiyoung, Born 1892 by Cho Nam-Joo. This novel has been on my TBR ever since it was translated into English in 2020. It was a book whose premise immediately resonated with me, and it really makes no sense that I haven’t read it yet!

    The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. This has been on my TBR for 4 years, and is also very likely to click with me. I read and enjoyed Circe (also by Madeline Miller), and have heard that The Song of Achilles is an even stronger novel. So, it’s another book that I need to get off the TBR and into my hands this year.

    Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. I’ve heard mixed reviews of this book since its 2020 debut, and I want in on having an opinion about it! I’ve also heard this author described as similar to Sally Rooney, whose novels have all been 5 stars out of 5 for me.

    Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctor’s Believe in Women’s Pain by Abby Norman. This is yet another book that has been on my TBR for years (you may be noticing a theme on my priority TBR). As a woman who has had pain and heart issues dismissed by medical professionals (and heard countless similar experiences from friends and family), I am very curious to read a well-researched nonfiction book on the topic.

    All’s Well by Mona Awad. I bought this book over a year ago and still haven’t read it! Normally, December is a month where I catch up on all the books that I bought but didn’t read during the year…but this December was part of my mega-slump, so I am prioritizing it now instead.

    Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz. Another book that I bought at the very beginning of 2022 but didn’t get to. I typically feel “meh” about short story collections and thus tend to avoid them, but I’ve heard very promising things about this one! Also, I’m going to Florida in February, so I thought it could be fun to read this collection while I’m there (the stories in this book are all set in Florida).

    The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Meghan O’Rourke. I bought this book as soon as it came out last year…and then proceeded to let it sit on my bookshelf for over 10 months. I am often intimidated by reading nonfiction, as it can be intellectually challenging for me. But the topic of chronic illness is something I would like to learn more about, and I’ve heard great things about this book, so I’m prioritizing it. Even if it might be challenging to get through.

    All This Could be Different by Sarah Thankam Matthews. I keep seeing this novel at bookstores and almost buying it, but then swerving and picking something else at the last minute. I also keep hearing wonderful things about it. So, the next time I see this book, I’m actually going to buy it, and read it by the end of 2023.

    The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini. I heard about this book when it was shortlisted for the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction, and have heard nothing but positive things about it ever since. The main reason I haven’t read this yet is because it hasn’t been super easy to find where I live. By prioritizing this novel, I’m committing to finding it and reading it this year.

    The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I’ve owned a physical copy of this book for like 3 years now, but haven’t read it because (just like with nonfiction) I get intimidated by classics. This novel is really hyped up as an exquisite masterpiece, though, and could be the book to change my (frankly, unfounded) bias against classics.

    Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. This is another book that I’ve heard a lot of (positive) buzz about, and I want in on the conversation.

    The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Another book that I own, but keep putting off because ~cLaSsIcS aRe InTiMiDaTiNg~. Toni Morrison is an essential American author, and it’s (past) time for me to give her work the prioritization it deserves.

    3. Read diversely.

    Specifically, I want to make sure that my reading this year includes:

    • Books by authors of diverse nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, genders, and abilities. I am my best, most compassionate self when I am in a reading routine – especially when that reading routine features voices and perspectives that are different from my own. To stay (and become more) open-minded, I will make sure that my reading list features diverse authors.
    • Translated literature. Really, this is a continuation of the first point, but my life has been so enriched by reading translated literature (which I only started doing in 2021). Translated literature provides great insight into other cultures, and often features such fascinating and lovely turns of phrase. I want to make sure that my reading list this year features more literature in translation.
    • Books spanning diverse genres. My reading list tends to be heavy with contemporary and literary fiction about “messy women,” with a few memoirs and romance novels in the mix as well. I want to diversify my genre selection more this year, because (in the same vein as reading books by diverse authors) reading different kinds of stories is important for keeping a broad perspective.
    • Classics. I have read maybe two classics in the past four years, and want to try reading more this year. Because just as sticking to similar genres and similar authors is limiting, reading only contemporary books is limiting too. My priority TBR for this year has two classics on it, so even if those are the only classics I read this year, I’ll be making good progress toward reading more classics.
    • Books long-listed for literary awards. Since 2019, I’ve ended up reading some truly amazing books that I otherwise wouldn’t have otherwise found by following the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Booker Prize. (I’ve also ended up reading some real duds, too, but that’s okay). Although I’ll probably never be the type of reader to read through an entire longlist, I do think that following literary awards is yet another way to find fascinating new stories.
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