Books I've read in 2023 & I can't stop thinking about 💭💞
We are in the mid of 2023, and it is the perfect time to talk about some of the books that I read this year and I can't stop thinking about. The books on this list are not necessarily 5 ⭐, but there was something about them that impressed me beyond words. There is a variety of books, from classics to contemporary fiction, so you are free to have a look if you are looking for book recs!
1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chboskhy (1999)
Summary:
Shy, introspective, intelligent, yet socially awkward, Charlie is a wallflower, standing on the threshold of his life whilst watching everyone else live theirs. As Charlie tries to navigate his way through uncharted territory — the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends — he realises that he can't stay on the sidelines forever. There comes a time when you have to see what life looks like from the dance floor.
My rating:
3 / 5 ⭐
I can't stop thinking about it because...
there is an unexpected and shocking revelation, a plot twist, that broke my heart.
2. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (1854)
Summary:
Set in the mid-nineteenth century and written from the author's first-hand experience, North and South follows the story of the heroine's movement from the tranquil but moribund ways of southern England to the vital but turbulent north. Elizabeth Gaskell's skilful narrative uses an unusual love story to show how personal and public lives were woven together in a newly industrial society.
My rating:
3.75 / 5 ⭐
I can't stop thinking about it because...
there are interesting discussions about work, classes, and the complicated relationship between employers and employees.
3. The Serious Game by Hjalmar Soderberg (1912)
Summary:
Arvid, an ambitious and well-educated young man, meets Lydia, the daughter of a landscape painter, during an idyllic summer holiday and falls in love. Lydia, however, has other suitors, and Arvid is frightened of being tied down by his emotions. Trapped inside loveless marriages of convenience, they struggle in later years to rekindle the promise of their romance with tragic results.
My rating:
4 / 5 ⭐
I can't stop thinking about it because...
of the realistic and raw love story. And I have to say that I LOVE Lydia; she's an icon!
4. Of Dogs and Walls by Yuko Tsushima
Summary:
Two luminous, tender stories from one of Japan's greatest twentieth-century writers, showing how childhood memories, dreams and fleeting encounters shape our lives.
My rating:
4.5 / 5 ⭐
I can't stop thinking about it because...
the writing is stunning.
5. I Want to Watch by Diego De Silva (2002)
Summary:
In an apartment in Italy, a man and a little girl are playing hide and seek. Indulgently he gives up the search, and she emerges from her hiding place with a happy squeal. The man pulls a startled face; the loser of the game. The girl hurls herself at him, hugging his waist. He kneels down and she throws her arms around him, as he kisses her forehead and the top of her head. He strokes her back and wraps his arms around her. Then, coldly, clinically and expertly, he breaks her neck.
David Heller is a lawyer who has made a reputation as an imaginative, analytically astute and highly successful defender of his clients — many of whom are clearly guilty. Celeste is a schoolgirl, barely sixteen, who deceives her parents by telling them that she is doing her homework at the library. In fact, she is using her spare time to earn money as a prostitute, hanging out along the beach near her home. One afternoon, she witnesses a man leaving a rucksack by one of the fishing boats moored along the shore. Curious, she decides to follow him. As he enters his building, she hears the porter greet him by name.
My rating:
4.5 / 5 ⭐
I can't stop thinking about it because...
there are people who show compassion and strive to make this cruel world a little better.
6. The Melting by Lize Spit (2016)
Summary:
Eva was one of three children born in her small Flemish town in 1988. Growing up alongside the boys Laurens and Pim, Eva sought refuge from her loveless family life in the company of her two friends. But with adolescence came a growing awareness of their burgeoning sexuality. Driven by their newly found desires, the children begin a game that will have serious and violent consequences for them all.
Thirteen years after the summer she's tried for so long to forget, Eva is returning to her village. Everything fell apart that summer, but this time she'll be prepared. She has a large block of ice in her car boot and she's ready to settle the score...
My rating:
4.5 / 5 ⭐
I can't stop thinking about it because...
it is a truly shocking coming-of-age story. Check trigger warnings before picking it up.
7. The Murderess by Alexandros Papadiamantis (1903)
Summary:
Set on the Aegean island of Skiathos, it is the story of Hadoula, a poor old woman. Hadoula knows about herbs and their hidden properties, and women come to her when they need help. She knows women's secrets and she knows the misery of their lives. As the book begins, she is trying to stop her new-born granddaughter from crying so that her daughter can get at last get a little sleep. She rocks the baby and rocks her and then the terrible truth hits her: there's nothing worse than being born a woman, and there's something that she, Hadoula, can do about that.
My rating:
5 / 5 ⭐
I can't stop thinking about it because...
it is a spine-chilling story with a fascinating female character.
🔚
What's the best book you've read this year and why?
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