Happy New Year!
Once a year, my local library hosts a raffle; each patron gets one entry per fifty books read. All you need to do is fill out a form listing the books you’ve read for the past year. I’ve aspired to two entries for many years now, but this year I still only have one entry. However, I’m grateful for the impetus to keep track, as I enjoy looking back at the books I’ve read and how they’ve influenced me throughout the year. This year is no exception.
Most of the books I read are either library holds (usually eBooks), free downloads from the public domain (manybooks.net or ProjectGutenberg.org), or purchases from local authors and small presses. I feel it’s important to support my local writing community through either my purchases or reviews. Every review, no matter how brief or what the content, helps push a book up the search algorithm.
If you are interested in reading any of the following books, I’ve included links so you can find them easily. In a country filled with so many wonderful libraries–digital or otherwise, there is no reason anyone should not be able to read whatever they want. I hope the following list may help you find your next great read!
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2023 BOOKS READ
January
1 Heartscape: Poems by Monica Weber Babcock (poetry collection)
2 Kan Zaman: a Memoir in Poetry and Prose by Judith Mansour
3 Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare (ebook via manybooks.net)
4 The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov (ebook via Libby app)
5 Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K Dick (audiobook via Libby app)
6 Zombie, Ohio by Scott Kenmore (ebook via Libby app)
7 Love Poems by Pablo Neruda (audiobook poetry collection via Libby app)
8 Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud (ebook poetry collection via Hoopla app)
9 A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (audiobook via Libby app)
10 A Little History of Poetry by John Carey (audiobook via Libby app)
11 Just Kids by Patti Smith (ebook via Libby app)
February
12 The New Testament by Jericho Brown (audiobook poetry collection via Libby app)
13 The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (ebook via Libby app)
14 The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (audiobook via Libby app)
15 Deadpool: World’s Greatest Vol 7: Deadpool Does Shakespeare (graphic novel via Libby app)
16 Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck (audiobook via Libby app)
–A wonderful look at America through the eyes of Steinbeck traveling with his dog, Charley, long before the “tiny home” movement made it fashionable. I adored this book!
17 Robots and Empire (Robots #4) by Isaac Asimov (free ebook via internet archive)
18 Chips & Meat: Short Poems of Violence and Chickens by Juliet Cook and Darryl Schupe (poetry chapbook)
March
19 Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) by Jim Butcher (ebook via Libby app)
20 The Colossus and other poems by Sylvia Plath (ebook poetry collection via Libby app)
21 Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) by Jim Butcher (ebook via Libby app)
22 The Poets & Writers Complete Guide to Being a Writer by Kevin Larimer (audiobook via Libby app)
23 Changes (Dresden Files #12) by Jim Butcher (ebook via Libby app)
April
24 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (audiobook via Libby app)
–This is the most beautiful book I’ve read this year. The novel is set during World War II and follows a little girl navigating her small town life in Nazi Germany. The story is stunning, the language and imagery draws you in, and the story stays with you long after it ends.
25 Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher (ebook via Libby app)
26 A Book of Days by Patti Smith (ebook via Libby app)
27 Delights & Shadows by Ted Kooser (ebook poetry collection via Libby app)
28 EVERYTHING IS F*CKED: A BOOK ABOUT HOPE by Mark Manson (audiobook via Libby app)
29 Cold Days: (Dresden Files #14) by Jim Butcher (ebook via Libby app)
30 Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) by Jim Butcher (ebook via Libby app)
31 In the Ravine and other stories by Anton Chekhov (audiobook via Libby app)
32 The Wall by Marlen Haushofer (ebook via Libby app)
MAY
33 Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) by Jim Butcher (ebook via Libby app)
34 Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) by Jim Butcher (ebook via Libby app)
35 The Little Mermaid: (or, How to Find Love Underwater) by J. M. Farkas (from material by Hans Christian Anderson)
36 The Law: A Dresden Files novella by Jim Butcher (audiobook via Audible)
37 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adam’s (ebook via Libby)
38 The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K LeQuin (ebook via Libby)
39 Goldenrod: poems by Maggie Smith
40 CONTORTED DOOM CONVEYOR (poetry collection) by Juliet Cook (PDF ARC)
JUNE
41 Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams (ebook via Libby)
42 Playing with Books by Jason Thompson (ebook via Libby app)
43 Dragon Outcast: Age of Fire Book #3 by E.E. Knight (audiobook via Libby app)
44 Art Made From Books by Laura Heyenga (ebook via Libby app)
45 The Repurposed Library: 35 Craft Projects That Give Old Books New Life by Lisa Occhipinti (ebook via Libby app)
46 Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control by Dana K White (ebook via Libby app)
47 WINTER RECIPES FROM THE COLLECTIVE: POEMS by Louise Gluck (ebook via Libby app)
48 DIY UPCYCLING PROJECTS: How to Craft, Renew and Repurpose Everyday Items by Vanessa Riley (ebook via Libby app)
49 How to Fly In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons by Barbara Kingsolver (ebook via Libby app)
50 STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST: 10 THINGS NOBODY TOLD YOU ABOUT BEING CREATIVE by Austin Kleon
51 EMBROIDERED EFFECTS: Projects and Patterns to Inspire Your Stitching by Jenny Hart (ebook via Libby app)
JULY
52 Atomic Habits by James Clear (ebook via Libby app)
53 Dragon Strike: Age of Fire Book #4 by E.E. Knight (audiobook via Libby app)
54 Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (epub via Project Gutenberg)
–I often reread this English translation of the French play. The lines are pure poetry, and the plot is a tragic lovestory that puts Titanic and Romeo and Juliet to shame.
55 On the Decay of the Art of Lying by Mark Twain (KINDLE ebook)
56 Dragon Rule: Age of Fire Book #5 by E.E. Knight (audiobook via Libby app)
57 Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (KINDLE ebook via Libby app)
–I just wanted something fun to read I hadn’t read before, and this fit the bill nicely! I’m not a fan of Godzilla or any other traditional kaiju stories, but the idea of an animal preservation society for gigantic monsters was incredibly entertaining!
AUGUST
58 Goblin Quest by Jim C Hines (KINDLE ebook via Libby app)
59 Dragon Fate: Age of Fire Book #6 by E.E. Knight (audiobook via Libby app)
60 Deathworld by Harry Harrison (audiobook via Libby app)
61 Goblin Hero by Jim C Hines (KINDLE ebook via Libby app)
62 The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag by Robert A. Heinlein (audiobook via Lipp app)
63 Goblin War by Jim C Hines (KINDLE ebook)
64 a walk with me— by Gwen Frostic
65 Give Me Your Hands: A Friendship Between Two Writers by Constance Plumley (KINDLE ebook)
SEPTEMBER
66 I, Claudius by Robert Graves (audiobook via Libby app)
67 Sketches of Me: An Unfinished Poem by Dwight Parrish (KINDLE ebook)
68 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (KINDLE ebook via Libby app)
OCTOBER
69 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (audiobook via LIBBY app)
70 The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines (KINDLE ebook)
NOVEMBER
71 Starter Villain by John Scalzi (KINDLE ebook via Libby)
72 The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim C. Hines (KINDLE ebook)
73 Kissing the Stone: poems by Monica Weber Babcock (trade paperback)
74 Another Set of Ripped-Out Bloody Pigtails by Juliet Cook (chapbook)
75 Your Cat & Other Space Aliens by Mary Turzillo (poetry, Trade paperback)
76 Fragile by Brandon Johnson (poetry, Trade paperback)
DECEMBER
77 PEDIOPHOBIA by Daniel G. Snethen (poetry, chapbook)
78 Naked Toes: Goddess Edition by Sara Minges M.S. (paperback, poetry)
79 birch trees and sycamore leaves by Melissa Taylor (poetry, chapbook)
–This small treasure was a gift, but unfortunately I can’t find a link online.
80 Monty Python and Philosophy: nudge nudge think think edited by Gary L. Hardcastle and George A. Reisch (ebook via HOOPLA Digital)
81 A Fortune for Your Disaster by Hanif Abdurraqib (KINDLE ebook via Libby)
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CURRENTLY READING:
Since I consume so much digital content, last year I bought a KINDLE so I wouldn’t have to do all my reading on my phone. The only flaw was I couldn’t add ebooks obtained outside the KINDLE store. However, on New Year’s Day I discovered that Amazon added a “Send to KINDLE” feature–so now I can read almost all my ebooks via the device! It’s so much nicer, so I wanted to share the good news (and link) with you too.
So can you imagine how I spent my January 1st?
The first two books I’m reading via this new KINDLE feature are The Buddhist Catechism by Henry Steel Olcott and Mountain Interval by Robert Frost (both via Project Gutenberg). And thanks to the happy hours I spent stuffing my KINDLE, I’ve already preloaded a dozen poetry books, as well as The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
New Year’s Day was also Public Domain Day: the day each year when older works come into the public domain. So many books, movies, and other art are lost each year due to inaccessiblity–even orphan works that no one actually claims. These works of art are part of our cultural heritage, and it’s important that we are able to share them freely. This year, Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie came into the public domain, so expect to see lots of different takes on Steamboat Mickey from now on. Also, the following novels are a small sampling of the books entering the public domain in 2024: D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover; Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of the Blue Train; Virginia Woolf’s Orlando; W.E.B. DuBois’s Dark Princess, and Evelyn Waugh’s Decline and Fall. I’m sure at least a couple of these classics will make their way to my KINDLE over the coming year.
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Next Friday, I’ll also post a companion piece on my Patreon, listing books I downloaded from Project Gutenberg for the following year. If you’re interested, you can subscribe to my Patreon and support my work for just $1 a month! Until next time, stay safe and well, and read often!
Cat Russell 