Beth and Amy by Virgina Kantra

This Little Women retelling was a lot of fun.

finished January 1, 2023

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

I thought I would love this book of essays. I liked it, but I moved pretty slowly through it.

finished January 4, 2023

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I loved the first two books in this series when I read them last year, so I reread them both before finishing the conclusion to the trilogy.

finished January 5, 2023

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

finished January 6, 2023

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This was a really satisfying, enthralling finish to the trilogy.

finished January 7, 2023, at 3 a.m.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

I knew at the beginning that I didn’t love the premise of this book— a bunch of 18-year-olds on a dating show— but I stuck with it. I never really liked it any better.

finished January 9, 2023

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

This was a cute read, with likable main characters and lots of references to popular rom-coms.

finished January 12, 2023

Newsroom Confidential by Margaret Sullivan

Though I think the first two-thirds was stronger than the end, I really enjoyed this inside, analytical look at American journalism.

finished January 13, 2023

Poet Warrior by Joy Harjo

I really admire Joy Harjo’s writing, even though I sometimes struggled to connect with the poetic language in this memoir.

finished January 13, 2023

The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning

The writing style made for a stilted start for me, but by the end I was interested enough in the plot to overlook it. I love that this trilogy is inspired by The Princess Bride.

finished January 16, 2023

The Queen Will Betray You by Sarah Henning

The Princess Bride references are fun, from “storm the castle” to “mostly dead” people coming back to life. It’s very Game of Thrones in that the people I think are major contenders keep dying. I do think the writing style could use a little clarity in parts.

finished January 18, 2023

Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter

I don’t think this romance novel was necessarily rushed, but I would’ve happily spent more time with these characters.

finished January 19, 2023

The King Will Kill You by Sarah Henning

This was the conclusion to the trilogy and, I think, the best of the three.

finished January 21, 2023

Wounds of Passion: A Writing Life by bell hooks

Now that I’ve read several of bell hooks’ books, I think I prefer her straightforward, even analytical writing to her abstract memoir— but no matter the style, she’s a genius.

finished January 25, 2023

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

I reread the first two books in this series in advance of the third book coming out.

finished January 28, 2023

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I’ve meant to read this book for a long time and finally read it for my work book club. It was a great read and really good for discussion.

finished January 30, 2023

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

finished January 30, 2023

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

Thankfully I had a snow day, so I read this entire book in one day. These books are always so engrossing.

finished January 31, 2023

Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton

This was an interesting read by Draco Malfoy himself.

finished February 6, 2023

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

This was a different but not bad romance novel.

finished February 7, 2023

Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso

This novel in short vignettes was good but not particularly special to me.

finished February 9, 2023

Wintering by Katherine May

I don’t like February, so I was interested in reading this book about embracing winter. It was interesting, but the author’s main solutions seemed to be quitting your job and traveling a lot. Not all that helpful to me.

finished February 12, 2023

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi

I reread this first book before reading the new release in the series.

finished February 15, 2023

These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi

I had liked the first book, but this second book got me even more excited for the rest of the series.

finished February 16, 2023

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

I saw this book advertised on Twitter several weeks ago and wanted to read it because I appreciate proper punctuation in a book title. It became available at the library the day after I got broken up with, which was good timing because this is a break-up book. I liked it, but not as much as I had hoped.

finished February 21, 2023

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

It’s been over two years since I’ve reread the series, and I was ready for a reread.

finished February 23, 2023

Lark Ascending by Silas House

This was our most recent Kentucky book club read. I liked it a lot, though it’s scary because it’s a dystopian novel that could very well be prophetic.

finished February 26, 2023

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

I read this book really slowly, which is odd for me, but I enjoyed it. It’s a novel that read like a memoir.

finished March 1, 2023

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This is a modern classic that I keep hearing about, so I finally read it. It’s a very thought-provoking novel that reminds me of the time travel romance in Doctor Who.

finished March 3, 2023

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin

This was a fun historical romance— it was Pride and Prejudice meets Florence Pugh as Amy March saying, “So don't sit there and tell me that marriage isn't an economic proposition, because it is."

finished March 4, 2023

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

This is a pretty incredible novel. It’s strange and beautifully written, with almost all unlikeable characters. I’ll have to think on it more, but this will be in consideration for the top 10 list.

finished March 5, 2023

The Bluegrass Conspiracy by Sally Denton

I reread this book because I was hired by the Washington Post to write a story about Cocaine Bear, which was a result of the events of this book. Denton clearly did a ton of research, but the writing and grammar of this book are lacking. But as the owner of Cocaine Bear said, “Some stories are just the greatest stories ever told.”

finished March 5, 2023

Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory

I love Jasmine Guillory’s romance novels, and this one was good but not a new favorite. There was a pretty dumb miscommunication plot line, which is not one of my favorite tropes anyway. But fun characters.

finished March 7, 2023

The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes

I liked this novel a lot, about three literary women during the rise of Hitler and World War II.

finished March 7, 2023

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest

This was a fun romance novel about two people working in the literary industry.

finished March 8, 2023

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

finished March 12, 2023

I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction by Kidada E. Williams

This was a well-researched and well-written book about a really shameful part of American history.

finished March 16, 2023

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

finished March 19, 2023

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alex Marzono-Lesnevich

This is a stunning book that braids the author’s personal experience of sexual abuse with a true crime narrative about a child molester on death row.

finished March 19, 2023

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

I really loved this fantasy novel. The setting and characters were unique and drew me in.

finished March 20, 2023

Foster by Claire Keegan

I read this short novel for class. I am curious to read her other work now.

finished March 22, 2023

A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

A great conclusion to the first book! I’m really enjoying a fantasy duology these days.

finished March 24, 2023

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

There was a miscommunication plot I didn’t love, but it was resolved in a pretty good way. A fun romance that I read all in one Saturday.

finished March 25, 2023

Mr. and Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond

This was a fun witchy romance by a Lexington author.

finished March 26, 2023

Chase Me by Tessa Bailey

I read this romance novel in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep.

finished March 27, 2023

Need Me by Tessa Bailey

This romance novel did employ some pretty tired Kentucky stereotypes but was otherwise a fun read.

finished April 4, 2023

Make Me by Tessa Bailey

finished April 8, 2023

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

finished April 12, 2023

My Old Kentucky Home by Emily Bingham

This book details the racist past of the song “My Old Kentucky Home.” This is an important and hard book for Kentuckians to read.

finished April 23, 2023

The Humanity Archive by Jermaine Fowler

I read this book, about how history has been whitewashed and the stories we should be telling, for a class project.

finished April 27, 2023

Lives of the Wives by Carmela Ciuraru

This was an interesting anthology about writers and their wives. The rampant misogyny is, as always, upsetting.

finished April 30, 2023

Notes on an Execution by Danny Kukafka

I heard this speaker on a panel at a conference a few months ago. This novel is about a serial killer but is really about the women in his life— his mother, the detective, his victims.

finished May 2, 2023

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

finished May 3, 2023

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K.Rowling

finished May 13, 2023

The Break-Up Book Club by Wendy Wax

This was a somewhat cheesy but cute novel about books and friendships among women.

finished May 15, 2023

Pas De Don’t by Chloe Angyal

This was a really fun romance book focused around ballet. I’ve also read this author’s really interesting nonfiction book about ballet.

finished May 15, 2023

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

I read this book because it was recommended as fitting the vibe of “the last great american dynasty,” one of my very favorite Taylor Swift songs. But it read like a barely fictionalized historical report, which is what it was.

finished May 19, 2023

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

A pretty cute romance novel…

finished May 20, 2023

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

…but the sequel was cuter.

finished May 21, 2023

A Loaded Gun: Emily Dickinson for the 21st Century by Jerome Charyn

This was an interesting (though not necessarily my favorite) approach to writing about a historical literary figure.

finished May 25, 2023

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison

I don’t think this fantasy-with-a-hint-of-sci-fi series has the best world building, but I’m interested enough to just keep reading anyway.

finished May 25, 2023

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst

To me, there wasn’t really anything remarkable about this novel.

finished May 26, 2023

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

I wanted to reread this because of the movie. This is definitely a children’s book, and I really like how the movie deepened the story for adult audiences, too.

finished June 1, 2023

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemison

finished June 2, 2023

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemison

I was compelled by the characters, but I still feel like I made it to the end of this series without really understanding anything about the world.

finished June 8, 2023

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

This was a really fun first book in a fantasy series. I can’t wait for the next book. I love dragons.

finished June 10, 2023

Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi

This was a weird book with a fantastic cover.

finished June 12, 2023

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

This was a very good novel; as of now, I expect it to be in my top 10 of the year.

finished June 16, 2023

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

And thus concludes my 28th? 30th? reading of this series.

finished June 17, 2023

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

This was an excellent retelling of the Medusa and Perseus myth.

finished June 18, 2023

Not Here to Stay Friends by Kaitlyn Hill

I was worried I wouldn’t love this because I don’t watch reality dating shows and that’s the premise, but I loved this romance. It’s the second book of a Lexington-based writer I really like.

finished June 18, 2023

The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood

Another retelling of the Perseus-Medusa story! I liked this one, but I preferred Stone Blind.

not really sure

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield

This was fun! Definitely perfect for anyone who loves SNL.

finished June 21, 2023

The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard

Very interestingly, this was told using collective voice— all of the boys in a community from which a girl goes missing. Also a great cover.

finished June 25, 2023

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

A cute romance novel I’ve heard good things about for a long time.

finished July 2, 2023

The Maiden & the Unseen by Alexis Rune and Jeannette Rose

I’ve been all about the Greek myth retellings recently (and, honestly, for like 15 years). This was about Hades and Persephone.

finished July 4, 2023

Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen

This was our book of the residency this summer— a very good novel about Vietnamese refugees to the United States.

finished July 10, 2023

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

This book was a very good character study. The cover was still the best part, though.

finished July 16, 2023

The Evening Hour by Carter Sickels

This novel’s main character was really compelling, even with his flaws.

finished July 18, 2023

Viable by Julie Hensley

This book of poetry was written by one of my graduate school professors. It’s a beautiful collection about girlhood and womanhood, motherhood and grief.

finished July 21, 2023

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

I really love this book about the women involved in the Trojan War.

finished July 25, 2023

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Kuang’s writing is always a pleasure to read.

finished July 26, 2023

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

This romance novel was a cute read.

finished July 28, 2023

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

I really enjoyed this novel about being a woman outside of societal expectations in the mid-20th century. Feminism, food, chemistry, a very smart dog… very fun and poignant.

finished July 30, 2023

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

I looove Talia Hibbert’s other romance novels, but this one just didn’t do it for me at all. I don’t think I loved the characters or the premise.

finished July 30, 2023

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

This exists in the same universe as Part of Your World, and this sequel stole my heart. I read it in one sitting and I laughed and cried. One of my favorite recent romance reads.

finished July 30, 2023

Immersion: A Writer’s Guide to Going Deep by Ted Conover

This was an instructive and enjoyable craft book to read about immersion reporting and writing.

finished August 1, 2023

Homegoing by Yah Gyasi

This was a really beautiful and difficult novel about generations of a family affected by the slave trade. I am always fascinated by multi-generational stories.

finished August 5, 2023

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

I really loved The Dead Romantics, even though I don’t always think her writing style is the cleanest. I love subtly sci-fi stories, so I was really excited for this one, but I think the plot let me down— with the same writing style issues again.

finished August 7, 2023

Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder

This was a cute romance novel; not a new favorite.

finished August 8, 2023

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

This was definitely more about the characters than the plot, but I love just about everything in the Percy Jackson universe.

finished August 9, 2023

Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez

This was a fun romance read. Probably my second favorite of hers I’ve read now.

finished August 10, 2023

Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman

She has a really clean writing style that I appreciate it— I love to read well-written sentences. The plot lost me a bit toward the end but closed out pretty well.

finished August 15, 2023

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

The world of this story is super inventive and impressive. I’m must not sure I love Jemisin’s storytelling style.

finished August 19, 2023

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

The plot was fine, but I didn’t really care for either of the two main characters.

finished August 19, 2023

Folly Beach: Glimpses of a Vanished Strand by Bill Bryan

This was a fun little beach read from inside our Folly Beach rental house.

finished August 20, 2023

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin

I liked the sequel better than the first, though the pacing was still a little odd.

finished August 20, 2023

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

I liked the characters in this one better.

finished August 20, 2023

Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate by Anna Bogutskaya

I enjoyed this pop culture analysis about The Mean Girl, The Psycho, etc. etc.— all the women we see over and over again in movies.

finished August 30, 2023

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott

I didn’t love this book at all times, but it was an interesting read. It reminded me, in some ways, of Corregidora, which I love.

finished September 3, 2023

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

This isn’t a new favorite fantasy novel, but I definitely look forward to reading the next book in the series.

finished September 24, 2023

Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me by Aisha Harris

I love reading, writing, thinking and talking about the impact of pop culture, so I enjoyed this essay collection about that topic.

finished September 27, 2023

In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Chollet

I really enjoyed this historical and cultural analysis about witch hunts and how those attitudes persist.

finished October 6, 2023

To Get to the Other Side by Kelly Ohlert

A fine but not particularly fun romance novel.

finished October 8, 2023

Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

An additional Percy Jackson novel was a fun surprise this year. It was good to read a classic adventure by Percy, Annabeth and Grover.

finished October 8, 2023

The Heartbreak Years by Minda Honey

I really enjoyed this memoir about dating, specifically as a millennial Black woman, by a Kentucky author!

finished October 10, 2023

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I read this book really slowly, which is unusual for me. But I really enjoyed it. It’s in the slightly fantastical genre that I keep reading and enjoying more and more— it’s mostly real life but with a hint of magic or the surreal.

finished October 13, 2023

Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Not that enjoyable of a romance novel for me.

finished October 19, 2023

Following Alice Dunnigan by Bailey Vandiver

Is this cheating? I wrote and read my own book so many times this year that I feel it’s only fair to count it once.

finished October 31, 2023

The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

I came across a first edition of this book in a little free library and absolutely had to take it. It was an interesting but rather dense and slow read.

finished November 2, 2023

Girls and Their Monsters: The Genain Quadruplets and the Making of Madness in America by Audrey Clare Farley

This was a well-researched, easy-to-read book about a particular family and mental health care in general.

finished November 3, 2023

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Magical pirates. And romance. Lots of fun.

finished November 4, 2023

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I don’t often include rereads in the same year, but I’ve had such a reading slump that I’m counting this reread ahead of the sequel’s release.

finished November 7, 2023

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

It’s still an engrossing world and plot, but I could feel that this sequel release was rushed. I read Fourth Wing for the first time in one sitting. This took me several days.

finished November 12, 2023

Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

This was a short, pensive read.

finished November 15, 2023

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

I have devoured all of the Shadowhunter books and enjoyed Clare’s first adult fantasy novel. I think it’ll continue to be an interesting world.

finished November 20, 2023

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

I reread this book the week I went to see the movie.

finished November 21, 2023

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

The blurb on the front cover describes this as a warm hug, and that’s a very accurate description.

finished November 23, 2023

Grenadine and Other Love Affairs by Carolyn Grace

This beautiful poetry collection was written by one of my MFA classmates! Carolyn writes with such skill and beauty.

finished November 24, 2023

The Rosewood Hunt by MacKenzie Reed

Nothing gets me reading faster than an ebook due date back to the library. I read this fun mystery novel in one night. It reminded me of The Inheritance Games series, which I love.

finished November 24, 2023

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I tried to resist the urge to fully re-enter my Hunger Games phase… but I failed.

finished November 26, 2023

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

finished November 26, 2023

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

finished November 30, 2023

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

Even more whimsy than the first book.

finished December 6, 2023

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

This collection of short stories is horrifying and incredibly well-written. Machado writes grotesquely and gorgeously.

finished December 9, 2023

Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

I absolutely loved being back in the world of Alagaësia— but I struggled to read a portion of the book just because Christopher Paolini was being so mean to Murtagh and Thorn!

finished December 13, 2023

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

This was a good novel about several of the women involved in the Trojan War. Cassandra was the most compelling to me, so it was interesting that the book was named after Elektra.

finished December 15, 2023

Antigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths by Helen Morales

This was a good read about modern-day applications, particularly for women and women’s issues, of mythology.

finished December 18, 2023

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

I really loved this book. Pride and Prejudice but make it witchy— and give voice to the most maligned Bennet sister.

finished December 19, 2023

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

This was a pretty good essay collection.

finished December 21, 2023

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

The last and probably my favorite of the trilogy.

finished December 25, 2023

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

These are always fun, but I struggled throughout the book to see its importance to an overarching narrative about these characters. By the big secret reveal at the end, that was more clear.

finished December 25, 2023

We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard

As the front cover says, this is a memoir, kind of. I enjoyed this memoir/collection of imagined or recreated conversations about the author’s divorce. Hannah Pittard is a professor at UK.

finished December 26, 2023

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Another book, another Trojan War retelling. This was focused on Briseis, Achilles and Patroclus, and it was very good.

finished December 28, 2023

Sisters of Mokama: The Pioneering Women Who Brought Hope and Healing to India by Jyoti Thottam

I really enjoyed hearing Jyoti Thottam speak at last year’s Kentucky Book Festival, and I’m always eager to read a book about pioneering women— both to learn about more women throughout history and to learn how to better write my own book about a pioneering woman.

finished December 31, 2023