Hi, everyone! Welcome to the first post on my new blog, The Bookwyrm. This project has been in the works for years. It is amazing to finally see it launched to the world! Although I aimed to launch The Bookwyrm on the first of January, technical issues pushed it back a day. Just like a true story, the only way to grow is to face obstacles. As Gandalf once said, “Even darkness must pass.” Now that The Bookwyrm has faced and overcome these beginning issues, I’m able to give you an even more amazing blog than before.
This is what most bloggers call a “hello world” post, and I can think of no better term to describe what I am writing. So may I say, from the bottom of my heart and my bookshelves, “hello world!” Welcome to a new year, filled with new reads.
As we say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024, I thought I would look back on my top five favorite reads of the past year—and the top five books I’m looking forward to most for this year. Keep an eye out for reviews over all of these books in the near future *wink, wink*.
When I was reflecting on my reading log for 2023, I found that I made a few changes in the composition of my reading. Obviously, I still read a TON of fantasy books (they are my favorite). But I also tried out historical fiction; a first for me, but definitely not a last! I also tried some biographical explorations, and found I enjoyed those too. I learned a good lesson: read outside your comfort zone! It’s very rewarding.
After these, I delved deeper into both genres and read several books from each. I’ve learned that just because you like a book within a certain genre doesn’t necessarily mean you will like the entire genre. Every book is its own story, with a different writing style.
Also, I have decided that while stand-alone novels are great and can be done really well (*cough* Brandon Sanderson *cough*), I do prefer series. I fall in love with characters, and always want to know more about them.
Thinking about this post, I find myself looking back on all the wonderful things that have happened this year. I’m sure you are too; the first of the year is always a great time for reflection on your personal goals, family life… and of course, what books you’ve read.
So, without further ado, my top five reads of 2023, in no particular order:
Top 5 Reads of 2023
Tress of the Emerald Sea
by Brandon Sanderson
It had been a long time since I have read a stand-alone fantasy novel. Tress of the Emerald Sea did not disappoint! Fitting cleanly into the category of “cozy fantasy,” The novel has lovable characters, witty banter, and everyone’s favorite Cosmere character (if you know, you know). One thing in particular that really put this book in my top five was the incredibly immersive and creative worldbuilding. This was, as we readers like to say, a one night read. To quote the story, “our words, like our hearts, are weapons still hot from the forging, beating themselves into new shapes each time we swing them.” A must read!
Cress
by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles is a wonderful series, and each individual book is a must-read. Still, Cress just stands apart from the rest with its lovable and quirky lead character, Cress. And I can’t forget the oh-so-amazing Carswell Thorne and his charm. As with the other books in the series, Cress had a fast-paced plot with more twists and turns than Thunder Mountain. I loved every second of this book. There was one point where I turned the page so fast the book fell out of my hands!
Inheritance
by Christopher Paolini
Inheritance was a marathon! I read this 849-page book in five days. It was just that good. Christopher Paolini has masterful worldbuilding, complex characters, and a gripping plot. There is something about a world where you just attach to the characters and never want to let them go. This is that world. Every character was as real to me as the people next door. Their layers of complexity really complete the immersive experience of Eragon’s story. The front of the book declares The Inheritance Cycle a worldwide phenomenon, and I cannot and will not disagree. A fitting end for a spectacular series.
Educated: A Memoir
by Tara Westover
Educated was certainly a moving book. Its story is captivating. While there are disputes on the accuracy of its content, Educated is a solid commentary on many difficult subjects. Tara Westover definitely has a way with words; many passages in this book are so beautiful that I wrote them down so I wouldn’t forget them.
The Once and Future King
by T.H. White
Since I love Merlin so much, it might come as a surprise that this was my first time reading The Once and Future King. What a book! King Arthur’s story is a classic for a reason. The final pages are tear-jerking. There is just something so spectacular about a character who can go through so much injustice and still face every battle with his head held high. The prose, although difficult, is worth the time. I can’t imagine having not read this story. It is richer than any Disney movie or television show could ever portray.
It was extremely difficult to narrow these down to just five because there are simply so many amazing stories! I read over fifty books this year, and that’s not including novellas and rereads (which I chose not to include in this ranking). So, if you’re looking for EVEN MORE reading material, here are the honorable mentions. I promise, they are also amazing!
Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Suzanne Collins
Winter
Marissa Meyer
Carnegie’s Maid
Marie Benedict
The Hawthorne Legacy
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The One
Kiera Cass
Several of these books I have yet to review, so definitely keep an eye out for them in the coming months. I must admit, however, that I have already begun to collect books for 2024… I just can’t help myself! If you had looked under the tree at my wrapped gifts, you would have seen that most were book shaped. As I tell people every year, it’s my favorite size gift to receive at Christmas!
It’s time to stop looking back and start looking forward to the top five books I am most excited to read in the new year:
Top 5 Most Anticipated Reads of 2024
Dune by Frank Herbert
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of Paul Atreides−who would become known as Maud’Dib—and of a great family’s ambition to bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.
Murtagh by Christopher Paolini
The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. An evil king has been toppled, and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone, exiled to the outskirts of society.
Throughout the land, hushed voices whisper of brittle ground and a faint scent of brimstone in the air—and Murtagh senses that something wicked lurks in the shadows of Alagaësia. So begins an epic journey into lands both familiar and untraveled, where Murtagh and Thorn must use every weapon in their arsenal, from brains to brawn, to find and outwit a mysterious witch. A witch who is much more than she seems.
In this gripping novel starring one of the most popular characters from Christopher Paolini’s blockbuster Inheritance Cycle, a Dragon Rider must discover what he stands for in a world that has abandoned him. Murtagh is the perfect book to enter the World of Eragon for the first time . . . or to joyfully return.
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
Dalinar Kholin’s Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.
Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar’s blood-soaked past and stand together—and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past—even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.
Realms of Wrath and Ruin by Alli Earnest
The end of time is coming.
All that’s left of Hallie Walker after the Eudora Jayde mission are nightmares and an ancestry tangled with dark secrets. When her parents send an urgent telegram to return home, she knows it’s time to face the past she’s determined to forget. In doing so, she unwittingly stumbles into a scheme as old as the planet itself. If only she can convince a certain cocky pilot to fly her home…
Reeling from the death of his brother, Kase Shackley focuses on anything but reality itself. But when his past sins spill into the light of day, Kase does what he does best—run. If only he knew how to tell a certain bubbly scholar goodbye…
The world of Yalvara sits on a precipice, peering into the murky depths below. The kingdom of Cerulene has been too quiet since attacking the nation of Jayde, and a dangerous extremist group lurks in the shadows. When the ancient Yalvs arrive in Jayde’s capital with stories of a dragon and its rider destroying their holy city, Hallie and Kase know the horizon of war has finally come. The question is, who will be standing when the smoke clears?
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
So there you have it! My year in review, and my year in preview. Like any book worth it’s ink, this post ends with a cliffhanger. The Emerald Seas are calling… I’ll see you January 6th!
𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑒