Can you believe it's been three years since I posted a Bestest and Rubbishest? I can't fathom how my adoring fans have survived without my depth of insight. So now that I've remembered all you lovely people exist, I shall condescend to give you the discernment you truly crave.
This year's Goodreads numbers are significantly down. Back in the heyday, I read as much as 14,000 words spanning 48 books, but this year's measly count is 7,134 / 21. But I'm not complaining; that count means that I slept a lot more this year. Also that I didn't bow down to Booktok's lofty standards. And that's self-care, y'all.
Now, the moment you've all been waiting three years for, the Peerless and the Poop. Peerless, like Don Quixote's Dulcinea; and Poop, like a flaming bag of it.
The Peerless
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle / Stuart Turton / murder mystery, fantasy
My favorite book this year. This is how crazy I am: I read it twice, back-to-back. It's got it all: a creepy mansion, gothic overtones, murder. It's Glass Onion meets The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue—kinda. MC lives the same day through various players at the party and has to solve the mystery before the time is up. Oh and he's being chased by another murderer. And there's a Hunger Games-style gamemaker setting the rules. And—well . . . I'd better move on.
The Body Keeps the Score / Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. / nonfiction, clinical
Recommended by my Christian counselor, this thing is a heavy read, discussing the effects of trauma on the body. It's disturbing, it's informative, it's clinical, and frankly, it gives me hope. If you like reading about studies, data, and dramatic stories, this one's for you. I found applications for anxiety, depression, my sister's learning disabilities and behavior challenges, and the social anxiety of the youth we minister to at our church every week.
Fable / Adrienne Young / young adult historical, romance, series
I have to mention this banger. Featuring a hard-headed but naive protagonist, piratical vibes, and a setting like Pirates of the Caribbean but also really not that. The daughter of a gem dredger seeks to escape the island of cutthroats her father marooned her on and prove to him that she can roll wit the family business. The original trade concept was fascinating and the suspicion that runs rampant in every interaction gave it tension for days.
The Poop: "A Court of Thorns and Roses"
A Court of Thorns and Roses / Sarah J. Maas / mature fantasy, series
You remember how Fifty Shades of Grey had zero appeal and a bunch of graphic sexual stuff, and the caliber of the writing was actually a joke? Well, A Court of Thorns and Roses says "same." Except it's fantasy.
Also, can we talk about this genre of title that everyone is gaga over all of the sudden?
"A Court of Thorns and Roses"
"A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"
"A Psalm of Storms and Silence"
"An Account of Ardvarks and Aliens"
OK that last one isn't real (although I might actually wanna read that one). Anyway, they amount to the same thing: the title gets lost in the mob and becomes nigh impossible to differentiate from the others. It's lazy and confusing and makes me wanna punch a puppy.
The Blitz Round: Firing off the Brightest and Dimmest of 2023
The Brightest
Forgiving What You Can't Forget / Lysa Terkheurst / Christian, self-help
Life-changing. I can't even be cheeky about this. My family went through one of the worst experiences of our lives, and this book helped me get through it. It will challenge you, and it will make you do some hard emotional work. But God's grace gets us back to a place of love. Run, don't walk, to the nearest Barnes and Noble. And I do mean "Barnes and Noble" and not "library." This is a book you own, not a book you borrow.
The Running Grave / Robert Galbraith / crime, thriller, series
JK Rowling (and if you don't know by now that "Robert Galbraith" is a pseudonym, is your rock at least spacious?) fires shots at organized brainwashing. Private eyes Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot infiltrate a "church" (read "cult"), investigating how people can be led into believing false truths and committing moral atrocities as a result. This book in the series was provocative and riveting.
The Ink Black Heart / Robert Galbraith / crime, series
More shots fired, this time at online persecutors and vitriol (I wonder who that could be referring to?). This book is political, it is provocative, and it is personal. Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot reprise their roles, this time infiltrating a toxic, dangerous online chatroom.
The Book that Wouldn't Burn / Mark Lawrence / young adult fantasy
This book reminds me of The Gunslinger with its dystopian, mysterious feels, except it has Biblical overtones and a literary aspect that comments on conflicts as broad as from the offense you picked up against your friend to the Israel / Palestine hostilities.
The Dimmest
Death Comes to Pemberley / PD James / historical murder mystery
A murder mystery featuring Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.
Yes, you read that right.
No, I'm not making it up.
As might be expected, the characters are thin. And I have to wonder if this fanfiction is really just someone's vengeance upon the perfidious Mr. Wickham.
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