― Ursula K. LeGuin
I got a lot of reading done in 2023, some on paper and some on Kindle. I read a lot of sword & sorcery, horror, some crime, but also some fiction by Anthony Trollope, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Tove Jansson, as well as poetry by Mary Oliver and Edgar Allen Poe. I’ve divided my overview into four parts:
The Best Book I Read in 2023: A Month in the County (1980) by J. L. Carr
What a beautifully written book. The main character Tom Birkin is a WWI veteran who reflects on a month from his past in which he was tasked with uncovering a mural that was painted over in a church. There are so many things I love about this book. How the main characters develops a bond with the unknown painter from 100s of years ago, his connection with another WWI veteran who is working on an excavation in the churchyard, the conflict between Birkin and the person overseeing the restoration, how Birkin slowly makes a connection with the people from the town, his connection with the young woman who comes in to watch him every day, and how it all comes together in the end. All done in 135 pages. The ending is sad and bittersweet but still uplifting.
The Rest of My Favorites
The Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury
I re-discovered Ray Bradbury and he’s now one of my favorite authors. This is his classic about mankind colonizing Mars. Like everything else I’ve read by him, it’s moving and brilliantly written.
Out on the Cutting Edge (1989) by Lawrence Block
This is the seventh book about Matthew Scudder, an ex-cop solving crimes in New York City. In some ways it’s slow moving but it’s also filled with compelling characters and absorbing dialogue and prose. I finished it pretty quickly. I really like how Mathew Scudder has grown since the first book. One thing hasn’t changed though. He’s still a grave and compassionate man trying to do the right thing in a bleak and tragic world.
Red as Blood (1983) by Tanith Lee
This is a collection of dark fantasy retellings of fairy tales and ballets that were inspired by folk tales. There is also one science-fiction retelling. This is a strong collection. Although I enjoyed some stories more than others, I thought every story was quite creative. I love the writing style. The stories flowed well and the endings often surprised me. Paragraphs flow with poetic prose, and lush imagery.
Interpreter of Maladies (1999) by Jhumpa Lahiri
This is a collection of short stories by American author Jhumpa Lahiri. Her parents are from India, she was born in London, and she moved to the United States when she was three. Although she grew up in the United States, a lot of the stories in this collection deal with trying to adjust to life in a new country. The theme of identity comes up often. Some of the stories really spoke to me, especially “The Third and Final Continent.”
Carmilla (1872) by Sheridan Le Fanu
This gothic novella about a vampire was written 26 years before Dracula. The story is narrated by Laura, a young woman who lives in a large manor with her father and a few servants. Nearby is a deserted village and the ruins of a castle. After a carriage accident, a mysterious young woman named Carmilla stays at the manor to recover. Then strange things begin happening. Laura finds herself attracted to Carmilla but she is repulsed as well. The story is eerie, atmospheric, and it moves along quickly.
The edition I read was edited by Carmen Maria Machado. It includes an introduction by her as well as footnotes. I’m glad I read the introduction after reading the novella. Although it includes fascinating information about its origins it goes over the story in detail.
Piranesi (2020) by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi lives in a labyrinth-like world composed of infinite halls and statues. The upper levels are filled with mists and birds. In the lower levels is an ocean which rises depending on the tide. We follow Piranesi as he keeps busy by investigating the halls. He calls himself a scientist and takes meticulous notes in his journals. Then Piranesi starts discovering that not everything is as it seems.
The story has a slow meditative pace, but we learn something new in each chapter.
In the beginning the world building drew me, afterwards the unfolding of the mystery kept me reading. I also really liked how Piranesi’s journal system was important to the story. Piranesi is a story of loneliness and solitude, but it’s also a hauntingly beautiful story of kindness and gratitude.
Bestsellers Guaranteed (1993) by Joe Lansdale
This is a collection of mostly early Joe R. Lansdale short stories plus one novella. While most of the stories are horror stories the last two are more crime noir. I enjoyed the heck out of it. The stories range from quiet horror to humorous to just plain dark. I liked the variety of stories, the author’s introduction, and all the story introductions. In them he gives lots of interesting details about his influences and how the stories came about, without giving away any plot details.
Pietr the Latvian (1931) by Georges Simenon
This is the first book in the long running Inspector Maigret series by Belgian author Georges Simenon. After being notified that international criminal Pietr the Latvian is traveling to Paris, Inspector Maigret attempts to apprehend him. Things go wrong right away. While the first half felt like a standard mystery or police procedural, the second half felt more like crime noir. One scene I particularly liked had Maigret interact with a suspect in a bar with no dialogue. While no words were spoken it was still very intense.
It’s a minor point but one thing I found distracting was the use of exclamation points. They’re used quite a lot. I was curious as to why there were so many but then I read these lines from an article in the Guardian: “The character of Maigret is introduced in Pietr the Latvian (1930). It’s a novel that bears some of the hallmarks of the hundreds of pulp novels Simenon had written in the previous years (a surfeit of action and exclamation marks), and this embryonic manifestation of Maigret is more of the alpha-male action hero than in the later novels…” Aha!
At only 162 pages it was a quick read. I believe the other books are all around the same length. Apparently, Mr. Simenon wrote them so each one could be read in a single sitting. There are 75 books in the series and 28 short stories. I’m looking forward to reading more.
Blood’s A Rover (2018) by Harlan Ellison
This is a collection of stories centered around Ellison’s story “A Boy and his Dog.” It won the Nebula Award for best novella in 1969. The cover art is by Richard Corben who did the art for the comic book adaptation.
The stories are about Vic, an amoral boy and his telepathic dog Blood, trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world after nuclear war. Besides the title story this collection includes the prequel “Eggsucker,” the sequel “Run, Spot, Run,” and the screenplay for the aborted television series “Blood’s a Rover.” The other stories are interesting, but they don’t have the same impact as the original novella.
I think “A Boy and His Dog” is the strongest story in the collection. It’s dark, disturbing, satirical, and controversial. In other words, peak Harlan Ellison.
The Warden (1855) by Anthony Trollope
The Warden is a short novel written by English author Anthony Trollope. It was published in 1855. It’s the first novel in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, set in the fictional county of Barsetshire and its cathedral town of Barchester. The novels follow the clergy and the various social classes of the county. It was a slow burn at first, but I was drawn in. Once everyone was introduced and the situation was set up, I was interested in all the characters and their outcomes.
Trollope has an interesting style. He breaks the fourth wall and refers to the reader often. His descriptions of people and places were clear, and he made them come to life. I also liked the dialogue between characters, especially during the various confrontations. I can also now say that I’ve read the latin phrase sanctum sanctorum in something besides a Dr. Strange comic book.
The ending wasn’t what I expected but it did come across as realistic. There were no outright villains, just various people thinking they were right and that others were wrong, unwilling to compromise, not understanding or willfully blind to how their actions would affect others, with the most vulnerable having the most to lose. It feels very familiar when compared with current events.
My favorite quote from the book: “What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?”
Companions on the Road (1975) by Tanith Lee
This is a collection of two fantasy novellas that were originally published as chapbooks. In “Companions on the Road.” two soldiers and a thief make off with a chalice after the sacking of a citadel. They then find themselves pursued by three dark riders. In “The Winter Players,” a young priestess tracks a thief after he steals an artifact from the temple she is responsible for.
As in the other work I’ve read by Tanith Lee, the prose in each story was lyrical and descriptive. At only around a hundred pages each, Lee introduces convincing settings, fleshes out interesting characters, and builds tension. I enjoyed both stories and their conclusions immensely.
The Summer Book (1972) by Tove Jansson
This novel by the creator of the Moomin characters tells the story of six-year-old Sophia and her grandmother as they spend the summer on an island in the Gulf of Finland. Sophia’s father is also on the island but he’s usually in the background. Sophia and her grandmother play together, go on walks, and have talks about all kinds of things including life, love, and even death.
Each chapter is a vignette, but they subtly build upon each other. As you read you learn more about the characters, the island, and the surrounding ocean. I really liked the relationship between Sophia and her grandmother. The grandmother had difficulty moving around and was cranky sometimes and Sophia could be volatile and impetuous, but the love they felt for each other was clear. The characters felt very real to me. When I got to the end of the book, I didn’t want it to end, just like the summers of my childhood.
Black Wings Has My Angel (1953) by Elliot Chaze
An escaped convict who served in WWII teams up with a woman on the run for the ultimate heist. The characters are flawed but fascinating. The prose is clear and elegant, the dialogue is sharp, and the story is ultimately haunting. A noir masterpiece.
Night Winds (1978) by Karl Edward Wagner
This is a collection of stories about Kane, a wanderer cursed with immortality. While they can be described as sword and sorcery stories (I’ve read that Wagner preferred the terms epic fantasy, dark fantasy, or gothic fantasy) they also have elements of adventure and gothic horror. Kane is far from your typical heroic adventurer. At times Kane is a sorcerer, an adventurer, a crime lord, or leader of bandits. At all times Kane looks out for Kane. Not really an anti-hero, sometimes a villain, but just sympathetic enough to keep me interested in the outcome of each story.
One of the things I really like about these stories is that they are all different. Also, the stories all have layers and themes that become apparent once you get to the end. Every story is a standout.
Fairy Tale (2022) by Stephen King
Charlie Reade is a high school student who winds up taking care of an old man who lives in a big creepy house with his dog. The old man also has a secret.
I’ve seen lots of reviews saying that the first third of the book is more interesting than the rest. I felt that way at first but then the story drew me in again. The first third is an engaging mystery and sets everything up. From there the story moves into the fairy tale aspect. It almost felt like a different book from that point and I think the story slowed down a little, but it didn’t bother me. I was just enjoying the ride and it didn’t take long for things to pick up again. If Stephen King’s version of a fairy tale doesn’t click with you, you probably won’t enjoy the book. It worked for me.
The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson
Four people stay at an old mansion hoping to gather scientific evidence of the supernatural.
I found the first half unbearably slow and was thinking I just wasn’t going to like this book. But then I found the second half so compelling that I finished it in one sitting. As I got further into the book, the dialogue and the complex relationships between the characters drew me in. It also got genuinely terrifying. Now I want to reread it someday and pay more attention to the first half.
I have mixed feelings about the writing style. I thought that some sentences and paragraphs went on too long. On the other hand, sometimes the writing was a sheer joy to read, the opening paragraph being a perfect example. It took its sweet time to get going but in the end it was a fascinating read.
The Balance (2020) by Kev Harrison
The setting is a village in Poland during the Cold War. Natalie is supposed to be watching her younger brother Kuba when he breaks his leg. With no access to antibiotics and Kuba in danger of losing his leg, she seeks help from Baba Yaga, the old woman in the forest. This upsets her mother, the villagers, as well as the church.
The story drew me in right away and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I really grew to like Natalie. She tries to do the right thing when faced with difficult choices. An outstanding folk horror novella about balance and sacrifice.
Christmas Gothic Short Stories (2022) foreword by Dr. Jerrold E. Hogle
This anthology includes over 400 pages of classic and new Christmas gothic short stories. It’s quite a selection with a nice variety. Most of the stories can be categorized as standard gothic style stories but there are also some humorous ones as well as some that are more horror than gothic. Although there were a few older stories that weren’t that great, I enjoyed reading everything.
Non-Fiction and Poetry
On Tyranny: Twenty Lesson from the Twentieth Century (2017) by Timothy Snyder
This book by historian Timothy Snyder consists of lessons from the 20th century on how to defend democracy against authoritarianism and fascism. I found the lessons insightful and worthwhile. It motivated me to read more about European history, specifically about Russia and Ukraine, as well as fiction by Russian and Ukrainian authors.
The Year of Reading Dangerously (2014) by Andy Miller
This book is the author’s account of spending a year reading books that he always wanted to read but had never gotten around to. The author finds himself at a point in his life where work and family life doesn’t leave much time for reading. One day during a family outing he goes into a bookstore and buys a copy of The Master and the Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. He starts reading. This sparks something in him, so he makes a list of books he wants to get to and carves out the time to read.
He starts out with a list of thirteen books. Then he expands it to fifty. He calls it the List of Betterment. The list includes many well-known classics such as Middlemarch, Anna Karina, and Moby Dick. It also includes The Essential Silver Surfer Volume One.
I really enjoyed this book. In between the discussion of the books, he mixes in various anecdotes such as from when he was working in a bookstore and about the books he read as a child. Throughout the book he talks about the joy and the frustrations of reading with humor. While I found some parts of his journey more interesting than others, every chapter was filled with the love of reading.
Poetry:
American Primitive (1983) by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver has become a favorite. Most of the poems in American Primitive are about nature, animals, and the passing of seasons. Oliver won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for this volume.
The Complete Poems (1994) by Edgar Allan Poe
Poems on beauty, love, loss, and grief. I have to admit some of them went over my head, but they were beautifully written.
Goals:
I plan to read more of my favorite authors and read the ones I didn’t get to last year. Some of my favorite authors:
Poul Anderson
Lawrence Block
Leigh Brackett
Ray Bradbury
Fredric Brown
Charles Dickens
Harlan Ellison
Neil Gaiman
Robert E. Howard
Ernest Hemingway
Stephen King
Tanith Lee
Ursula LeGuin
John D. MacDonald
Haruki Murakami
John Steinbeck
Mark Twain
P. G. Wodehouse
Sword and sorcery authors I’d like to focus on:
Robert E. Howard - finish the Conan stories.
Fritz Leiber - finish the Fafhred & Grey Mouser series.
Michael Moorcock - read The Chronicles of Corum and Elric series.
Some other series I’d like to read:
Willa Cather’s Prairie Trilogy
Charles Lamb’s Wolf of the Steppes stories
Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy
Anthony Trollope’s Chronicles Barsetshire
Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. I’ve been meaning to read this series for years and now that a TV series has been announced I guess it’s time!
For poetry I plan on reading more Mary Oliver and I’d like to dig deeper into the poetry of Robert E. Howard. I’d also like to read more essays and history.
I also love short stories. I have a lot of anthologies and author collections. I’d like to try something different this year. Usually, I start a collection and then work my way through which takes time of course. I don’t like reading too many short stories at once as I like to let the good ones sink in before reading more. I’m going to try dipping in and out of various collections sometimes. That will take even longer to finish but I want to get away from feeling I have to hurry up and finish a collection just so I can get to the next one.
I wrote down quite a few goals last year and didn’t get to a lot of them, and I seem to be doing it again! That’s okay though. As much as it helps to write down reading goals, sometimes it’s nice to just read something that feels right at the moment.
I hope everyone has a happy year of reading in 2023.
