I cannot believe I have been doing these things for five years. I cannot believe I have been on this blog for five years. I cannot believe WyrdGurls has been effectively dead for five years, though one could argue it never really got off the ground. It doesn’t count as getting off the ground if one person out of three is writing the bulk of the posts, and then only because they happened to have a lot to say about books. (I don’t know who that embarrassing person could possibly have been.) But I suppose all of this is good because it means I’ve finally settled into this blog and it’s officially a part of my routine, and, after so many years of my start-and-stop approach to book blogging, I really am so glad that this one has actually stuck.
Best book you’ve read so far in 2024
The Fox Wife (Yangsze Choo) sweeps the field. Nothing else even came close to matching Choo’s prose, characters, and setting, except The Bear and the Nightingale (Katherine Arden); however, Fox Wife wins because Snow is a hilarious mess. This is Choo’s very best book to date, and the first Choo book whose MMC has not given me angry fits. I suppose Er Lang wasn’t too bad, but Lee Shin really needed therapy. Kuro, however, is a sweet foxy bean, and we looooooooves him, precious.
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2024
This seems to be the Year of the Series. I’ve polished off the entire Winternight trilogy and Violent Delights duology, and I’ve been working on the Thursday Murder Club, Foul Lady Fortune, and Shady Hollow (Shady Hollow 5 released earlier this month, eeeee, I’m so happy). That being said, Our Violent Ends (Chloe Gong) was the nearly-perfect sequel to These Violent Delights. Unfortunately, I do have to admit that Gong’s prose is not anywhere near the level of the prose in the Winternight books; however, I absolutely hated The Girl in the Tower despite Arden’s writing abilities, and ultimately Our Violent Ends was a far more enjoyable experience. It completely surpassed its predecessor, and I am so very glad I finally started reading Chloe Gong. I love her imagination and her vision of 1920s Shanghai, and, having now read Foul Lady Fortune, I can confidently say that her prose is improving dramatically. I’m looking forward to starting the Flesh and False Gods series, especially as book 2 is coming out in September.
New release you haven’t read yet, but want to
I really want to read Bite by Bite (Aimee Nezhukumatathil) but I have to actually buy it first, lol. I don’t know what’s taking me so long. I have been a Nezhukumatathil stan since I read World of Wonders, of which I now have two copies (one of the original printing, one of the special BN edition, and both of them are very precious, okay). I don’t usually go to the Library of Congress book festival because it’s such a pain in the ass to get there, but I might have to make an exception this year because she’s going to be there and I’m hoping I can ask her to sign my book.
I also still need to read I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons (Peter S. Beagle) and I Cheerfully Refuse (Leif Enger), both of which sound hilarious. I have them both, I just haven’t cracked them open yet. I have particularly high hopes for You’ve Got Dragons, because I read The Last Unicorn many years ago and absolutely loved it.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
I am tentatively putting Vilest Things (Chloe Gong) here: I haven’t read Immortal Longings yet, but, well, I love Chloe Gong, so I don’t see any reason I won’t sign up for Vilest Things. I’m also anticipating the August release of And So I Roar (Abi Daré), the completely unexpected sequel to The Girl with the Louding Voice, which remains one of the best books I read in 2020. On the opposite end of the anticipation spectrum, I will be skipping Hera because I’m shit outta patience with Jennifer Saint.
Biggest disappointment
The Princess Bride (William Goldman) was a major letdown, though I suppose it shouldn’t have been such a surprise because I do remember hating Goldman’s self-important narration when I first read the book in high school. The story itself – you know, with Buttercup, Westley, Inigo, Fezzik, Vizzini, and all the rest – was chef’s kiss amazing. Goldman’s shitty fictional family came within inches of ruining it all. If I read this again, I am skipping the three idiotic introductions. That is fucking ridiculous. No book needs three introductions.
Biggest surprise
I went on a Wayside School (Louis Sachar) kick around May and chewed my way through the first three books, which I adored, and the very surprising fourth book, which I didn’t even know existed until I went looking for digital copies of the series. The first three were exactly as I remembered. Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom, on the other hand, was the only book that didn’t receive five stars. It was fine, it just wasn’t the same.
Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
I LOVE CHLOE GONG. Even if her prose is still a bit rough around the edges (“greeted” is a verb that requires an object, Chloe), it has improved drastically from These Violent Delights to Our Violent Ends to Foul Lady Fortune. I am here for the ride, so actually it’s a good thing she’s pretty prolific. I haven’t yet caught up on all of her works, but ’tis new to me, and it gives me something to keep me busy while I’m waiting for her next book.
Newest fictional crush
omg I love Marshall Seo. If a ship can count as a crush, I’m crushing big-time on Marshall x Benedikt. I don’t want either one of them for myself, I want them to be happily married in Moscow, which is in fact what happens at the end of their story. But also I really really really want Marshall to be my bestie. He is so sardonically funny and yet so sweetly naive under certain narrow circumstances, and I want to go shopping and brunching with him.
Newest favorite character
In no particular order: Vasilisa “Vasya” Petrovna, Snow, and Junli “Juliette” Cai. Do not make me choose one over the others. I love them all. They are all amazing badasses in such different ways, but they are also so funny and just generally such works of art. But if we’re talking about a ride-or-die, 100% will help you bury the bodies, I’m gonna have to go with Juliette. Vasya tries to avoid violence wherever possible, even at the cost of her own safety, which was irritating as shit when I was begging her to stab Konstantin in the eye, and Snow isn’t what I’d call physically robust, but Juliette is well armed and strong af, and also quite practiced in shooting first and asking questions never.
Book that made you cry
I Am a Cat (Sōseki Natsume), curse Natsume-senpai’s ghost. The ending destroyed me. It was devastating without being out of step with the rest of the book, and I do have to concede it was masterfully done, but I’m still mad and Natsume owes me therapy.
Book that made you happy
Twilight Falls (Juneau Black)!!! I have been stalking Black on Instagram, and I wish they would schedule some tour dates out on the east coast. My Shady Hollow mania has almost got me looking up plane tickets for one of their west/midwest book talks, but that would be insane.
Anyway, Twilight Falls is super cute and super sweet, and I love it so much. It has the kindest resolution of the five Shady Hollow books to date, and, while Shelby Atwater’s punishment is absolutely justified, I love that he still has room to become better. Hate doesn’t have to last forever.
Favorite book-to-movie adaptation this year
N/A.
Favorite review you’ve written this year
The Princess Bride (William Golding) was the most fun to write, in spite (or perhaps because) of my disappointment with the reading experience, and I am pleased with how it turned out.
Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
The League of Lady Poisoners (Lisa Perrin) was researched, written, and illustrated by a Baltimore-based illustrator (who I actually got to meet!!!), and it is a wonderful reading experience. I love absolutely everything about the design, from the gorgeous green cover to the illustrations to the layout. It’s a work of art. I am interested to see how it translates to Kindle: I picked it up for $2.99 during the Amazon book sale, and it’s supposed to be a great digital experience.
What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
My entire physical TBR, lol.
