I’m not a hoarder of physical books. My shelf is pretty tame and I switched to ebooks years ago. Plus, I don’t treat my books like treasures but as commodities. I might break a spine and I prefer paperbacks because they are easier to handle.
Thanks to different sources that point out the free books on Amazon, I do have quite an extensive digital shelve though. Plus even my paid or gifted books are just waiting to be read. And don’t get me started on Audible… I have quite a collection, but I despise audiobooks. I cannot focus on them and get either frustrated, because my mind is wandering, or I’m getting annoyed, because I usually hate having any noises around me – and guess what, someone constantly talking into your ears, is a noise. So why do I have audiobooks, you ask? Good question. Because I love the concept and there is one situation in which I appreciate them: while doing sports, like walking or spending time in the gym. This is so annoying and stupid, that I enjoy listening to books.
Last year, almost all I read was Kindle Unlimited stuff, recommended to me by the algorithm. And I had basically only two genres: cozy mysteries, very wholesome, preferably with supernatural elements, or Reverse Harem Smut with a badass heroine, who was secretly the impossible daughter of an angel and a demon, the most powerful being of the universe, or something along those lines. I finished the year with 104 books, which is a record number and mainly achieved by two weeks of Covid and because the algorithm forced some lengthy series on me, like The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren, Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace, or Magic Market Mysteries by Erin Johnson. I recommend all of them.
Towards the end of the year, I discovered Booktok and Booktube, which is why I decided to give this a try, repurposed my dormant blog, and created a Bookstagram account.
This year, I decided, I want to go through my existing TBR and read most of the books. I’m pretty sure, I won’t read all of them. Some were gifts and just not anything I’m interested in, others are so old that I’m just not into that topic anymore. But there are quite a few that I want to tackle, so I created a 23-by-23 list, which is a mix of physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks. This list only contains books that I already own.
Fiction English
- Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko, the sequel to Raybearer, which is a Middle grade / YA fantasy story, based on West African culture. I loved the first book and even bought both of them as physical books so I can lend them to others
- Cinder Ella by S.T. Lynn. I only read the blurb and it appears to be a trans adaptation of cinderella. I’m very curious. That was a random free book on Amazon
- Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. I might have seen a few of these books in Libby (library app) so I might not have to listen to all of them. But I like Mythology, so I’m quite excited about this and for
- Mythos by Stephen Fry. I assume it’s especially good to hear them from the authors themselves, but it’s still noise… but yeah, I’m looking forward to them and I really hope I find a written alternative
- Torchwood: Exodus Code by Carol and John Barrowman might be one of the easier audiobooks. About 10 years ago, I listened to a lot of Torchwood books (while walking) and enjoyed them a lot.
- Hollow Earth (and the sequels) by Carol and John Barrowman sound very cool, let’s hope that I find the time to listen to them
- Infinity by Sherrily Kenyon. This is one of my oldest TBR. I had a very heavy Dark Hunter phase back in ~2009 and bought the book pretty much as soon as it came out (2010) but somehow, it collided with the end of my DH phase and I never read it. I even have the second one as well, so let’s see if I find myself back in that universe. I really loved the books back then, but the entire thing with Acheron and Nick was a bummer and I’m not sure I can handle them being enemies now.
- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett. I loved the show and eventually got the original book, but never read it
Non-Fiction English
- Well, there is only one on this list: You’re never weird on the Internet by Felicia Day. I adore that woman, so yeah, I’d love to listen to this book, but if I can find a written copy, I’ll take it. (The selection of English ebooks is pretty limited in Libby for me)
Fiction German
- Muh! by David Safier. I’ve read a few books by him before and liked them, so I expect easy-going cozy fun.
- Die verschwundene Frau by Sara Paretsky. I have no idea how many years that one is on my shelf (to be honest, most of the books, except for Cinder Ella and Redemptor are in my TBR for several years) I think it was a gift from a relative once. I always thought it sounded very literature-y but it’s actually part 9 of a mystery series, following a female P.I. So that shouldn’t be hard
- Suite Francaise by IrĂšne NĂ©mirovsky is definitely less cozy and rather challenging. A WW2 novel, written in the 40s by a Ukrainian Jewish woman who got killed in Auschwitz.
- Die Frau des Zeitreisenden by Audrey Niffenegger. The Time Traveler’s Wife, which is kind of a classic, by now.
- Die Analphabetin, die rechnen konnte by Jonas Jonasson. The Girl who saved the King of Sweden is a story about an African woman, who cannot read, but is a math genius, working on nuclear bombs and discusses with the world’s elite until she flees to Sweden and falls in love.
- Liebesgeschichten by Tschingis Aitmatow. I have no idea what to expect here. This was a gift years ago. Tschingis Aitamow is the best known figure in Kyrgyzstan literature, which makes me think that this is too literature-y for me. But again, it’s on here, so I give it at least a try and maybe I like it. If not, I can give it away without guilt.
- Cronos Cube by Thekla KrauĂeneck. This is a 4-part Dystopian, Sci-Fi series in German. I follow the Author on Twitter and people seem to love it, so I ordered the books, but wanted to wait until book 4 is out, which happened in April 21. Well, looks like I can start now.
- 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. This is one of the books where I have no idea whether or not I’m going to like it. It was a rec by a colleague, roughly 10 years ago and I had to spend some credit on Audible. I’m very scared about the running time of >30 hours. But I want to try and if it’s not for me, I can easily forget about it and don’t feel guilty about it still being unread
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. A story about a Jamaican British woman and her struggles as a woman of color in a white patriarchy. I’m quite embarrassed how long this book (and the ones from Alice Hasters and Ferda Ataman) has been unread on my shelf by now
Non-Fiction German
- Die 1% Methode by James Clear. Atomic Habits, translated into German.
- Was weiĂe Menschen nicht ĂŒber Rassissmus hören wollen, aber wissen sollten by Alice Hasters. All the “harmless” everyday questions that white people ask and don’t understand why they are racist. The book was heavily discussed back when it came out and I wanted to read it for a while now
- Hört auf zu fragen. Ich bin von hier by Ferda Ataman. The annoying reality of a German who grew up here with a foreign name and how migrants are part of our reality
- Vom groĂen und kleinen Widerstand by Heribert Prantl. A collection of short stories about big and small resistance. Anecdotes and Thoughts.
- Die Menschheit hat den Verstand verloren by Astrid Lindgren. Is she as famous in other countries as she is here in Germany? Most children know and love Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, The children of Troublemaker Street, The six Bullerby children, and one of my personal favorite books ever: The Brothers Lionheart. This book is a collection of her diaries and describes life in the years of WW2
Do you know any of the books and do you like them? Or did I pique your interest? Let me know.
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