Best of 2023: Fiction & Poetry
Posting my previous year’s favourite books in March must be some kind of a record. But as I shared my absolute faves already, doing the follow-ups by genre seemed less urgent. And then suddenly I was about three months late. Anyway, I have found these summaries very helpful for myself, when people ask for book recommendations or when I need to recall my favourites for any other reason. So I am doing this despite the ridiculousness of the timing.
9 Ukrainian Fashion Brands to Know
Instead of writing this, I should be finalising my 2023 best-of lists for fiction and non-fiction, but have run out of energy – since December, I have been obsessively reading all the 2023 lists in the world, then putting together my own versions, then plotting my 2024 TBR and going over all the ‘most anticipated’ lists, so I just cannot face another book-themed list at the moment. I will get over it, but until then, let’s take a quick detour and talk about Ukrainian fashion.
Best of 2023: Science Fiction and Fantasy
2023 was a very enjoyable SFF reading year to me, with almost exactly half of the 166 books I read being either science fiction or fantasy or both. And most of them were good. That said, compared to previous years, I didn’t find any new favourites of the same caliber as The Broken Earth Trilogy or Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan books. There are also some strange absences: I started two of the Sanderson secret projects, but didn’t finish them, despite liking both Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. I also didn’t read the latest Murderbot, as I was advised to do a Network Effect reread before I tackle System Collapse*. All three are very much on the top of my list for this year.**
Quiet Luxury My Ass
If you followed any style conversations in 2023, you know it has all been about quiet luxury and old money. So I am months if not years late with this post and you may be sick and tired of reading about it, but this topic still triggers me. And it’s my blog, so here we go.
Best Books of 2023
2023 was a somewhat strange reading year for me – definitely not bad, with 166 books* finished, about 40 000 pages read and some branching out in terms of genre accomplished. But while I read many good books last year, there were perhaps fewer absolute highs than I have had in the past. I was also rather inconsistent: August and December were great with 26 and 23 books respectively (these tend to be my best months every year, simply because I have more free time due to holidays). And then there were weeks when I read only alien romance, as my brain was too exhausted from the translation work I was doing on top of my actual work to focus on anything more demanding.
New Year, New Shapes
I have written before how the start of a new year doesn’t necessarily create a strong sense of a new beginning in me, I tend to feel that way in September, when returning to work after summer. It is certainly the case this year, as I am recovering from a meniscus operation, so the holidays have been quiet and two days after 2024 started, it doesn’t really feel like I’ve entered a new epoch.
Things I Want: 2024 Edition
It is this time of the year again when I think about objects I would like to own. It’s part daydreaming, part focusing the mind – while I like pretty things, I’ve become very impatient with random stuff. Especially if it’s me who has forgotten about my good intentions and bought some random stuff. Some of the things here are way out of my league, but making a list is satisfying nevertheless.
My Favourite History Books: Part 1
This is inspired by a (real!) request on Instagram, where the fabulously named @triestobeclassy asked me about my favourite history books. And as I have been thinking about this very topic recently, it presented the perfect excuse to put together a list. Please be mindful that this is not trying to be a ’best of’ list, there are many universally acclaimed history books I have not read and my interests can be niche. So you’ll find little among my picks on American history, the Roman Empire or WWII, while ancient and meta-history are rather well represented.
The Rooster House: A Deeply Personal Love Letter to Ukraine
On the night of 30 October, I was sitting alone in a small train cabin somewhere between Przemysl and Kyiv. It had been about a week since Russia had started to strategically target Ukrainian energy infrastructure, to cause maximum suffering as the winter was approaching. Every morning, there was worse news – 20% of infrastructure damaged. Then 30%. Then 40%. The bombs and drones caused damage faster than Ukrainians could repair it, despite performing miracles with scarce resources while being in constant, mortal danger.
The Colours of This Autumn
I rarely write about trends these days, not because I have a problem with trends per se, but because I find them harder and harder to reconcile with my attempt to buy fewer items and be less influenced by big business. I am still interested in trends, though, and in particular the bigger shifts in mood, silhouette and palette that go beyond one season.