Overall, I'd say that I enjoyed most of the books I read in 2023 were pretty wonderful... However, 11 books out of the 98 books I read this year I gave a 1 or 2 star rating out of 5 stars as follows:
1. Partials by Dan Wells - I'd read/heard a lot of wonderful things about this young adult/apocalypse novel (also the 1st book in a series). So, I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of Partials. I didn't like, nor do I understand the hype for this novel. The characters and storyline were so one dimensional. I almost gave up on finishing this novel it was so bad, in my opinion.
2. Wolf by Jim Harrison - I wanted to branch out and try a new to me author. After I finished listening to this novel, I was like what the hell did I just listen to? Wolf was so weird/strange and all over the place. Wolf felt very stream of consciousness to me.
3. Ozoni and Onsens by Steph Gennaro - This is a short story/novella. I didn't find the storyline or characters that engaging.
4. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - I listened to the audio version of this novel for a mystery/thriller virtual book club I joined this year. Although, I enjoyed the unique premise of this novel, it was 17 hours, 4 minutes long and had TOO MUCH going on to keep track of throughout the novel. The ending I didn't like, nor did I see the twist for this novel's ending either.
5. MatchMater Paranormal Dating App: The Complete Series by Laura Greenwood - Cheesy paranormal romance series. Need I day more?
6. Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera - Intriguing storyline that sounded like a promising one to me. In the end, I thought it was okay overall... very forgettable.
7. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - I so wanted to LOVE this novel. Again this was another novel I'd heard great things about, but it didn't live up to the hype for me.
8. Robbergirl by S.T. Gibson - I'd listened to A Dowry of Blood by the same author earlier in the year, which I really enjoyed. So, I decided to give this novel by the same author a try. Meh, it wasn't as rewarding as the first novel was.
9. Miss Kane's Christmas by Caroline Mickelson - A Christmas themed read in time for the holiday season that makes for an easy read. I didn't care for it much - too shallow/superficial for my taste.
10. Caught Witch Handed by Catherine Waltan - Another one of those novels with an overall mediocre storyline and over the top cast of characters. It wasn't my type of book. I'll skip the rest of the series.
11. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I've read a three things written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Let's just say, I don't understand the appeal of his writing and leave it at that.
Did you come across any books that didn't make the cut with you in 2022?
