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Bookish Hall of Fame 2024: Biggest Falls and Rises
As I was looking at my Bookish Hall of Fame this year, what was more interesting to me than how my 2023 reads would fare was what kind of changes I’d discover amongst the books already in the Hall. Here’s a quick recap of the titles with the biggest jumps or falls in the list.…
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Bookish Hall of Fame 2024: Overview and Emeritus Titles
When I came up with my ‘Bookish Hall of Fame’ last year, I put a lot of thought into what it would mean for me to celebrate the ‘best’ one hundred novels for me. I gave less thought to what it would mean to keep it up to date. But, as we’re well into a…
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Top 15 Reads of 2023
An annual ‘best of’ my reading year post has become a tradition for me since 2017. (Last year’s list can be found here.) I read some unbelievably great books in 2023, so without further ado. let’s get to the books! 15. Talking at Night, by Claire Daverley (2023) Two teenagers with nothing in common bond…
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Bookish Superlatives 2023 Pt 2: Genres and Communities
Yesterday I undertook the first half of my 2023 Bookish Superlatives. That post focused on questions of format, style, and readerly expectation. Today in Part II, I’ll turn to genre and authors representing specific communities. Genres Best Romance I’m Your Guy (Hockey Guys #2), by Sarina Bowen (2023) I’m on the record as thinking the…
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Bookish Superlatives 2023, Part 1: Readerly Expectations and Style
2023 has been another banner year in my reading life. I’ve read so many great books that a top ten or top twenty list just can’t do justice to them all. So, I’m happy to introduce my second annual Bookish Superlatives, highlighting books that excelled in different specific categories. Today’s superlatives will focus on readerly…
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My Author of the Year: Robertson Davies (1913-1995)
When I do my end-of-year recaps, it’s important to me that they be representative of my reading year. That’s a big reason why I started doing ‘Bookish Superlatives’ in addition to a Best of the Year list last year. But as I was preparing these posts for this year, I noticed that one author wasn’t…
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Matt’s Weekly Reads, July 8, 2023
Spotlight: Solomon’s Crown || Weekly Roundup: A Drop of the Sea, Catching Fire, Murther and Walking Spirits, Gone-Away Lake, All the Right Notes, Tentacles & Triathlons, Murder at the Mena House
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Matt’s Weekly Reads, July 1, 2023
Spotlight: Uranians || Weekly Roundup: The Lyre of Orpheus, The Hunger Games, The True Love Experiment, A Fatal Grace, The Stone Angel, Fake Dates and Mooncakes, The Heart of Darkness
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Matt’s Weekly Reads, June 24, 2023
Spotlight: The Endless Vessel || Weekly Roundup: Mrs Caliban, The Swifts, The Postcard, Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style, Rayne and Deliliah’s Midnite Matinee, One Italian Summer
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Matt’s Weekly Reads, June 17, 2023
Spotlight: Only This Beautiful Moment || Weekly Roundup: Brighton Rock, Flamer, B-Boy Blues, Thrown Off the Ice, Funeral Songs for Dying Girls, The Gay Best Friend, Mouth to Mouth
Matt's Books and Music
So many books, so many songs
Matt's Books and Music 