Christopher’s Year in Books

What did you read this year?

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2023

33,752

pages read

101

books read

Christopher Febles

1 like Like

Shortest Book

128

pages

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Longest Book

724

pages

Average book length in 2023

334

pages

Most Shelved

5,555,634

people also shelved

Staying with the Catholic Church by David G. Bonagura Jr.

Least Shelved

people also shelved

Christopher’s average rating for 2023

3.8

Highest Rated on Goodreads

it was amazing

5.00 average

Christopher’s first review of the year

it was amazing

The fourth in the “Amgash” series, this installment comes right on the heels of Oh, William! Novelist Lucy Barton and ex-husband William return from their trip to the Caymans, but they don’t spend long in New York before a mysterious virus engulfs the city. William whisks them away to a friend’s home in Maine, and while they’re away the pandemic explodes. Already uncomfortable with change, the isolation puts poor Lucy’s fears into overdrive, and The fourth in the “Amgash” series, this installment comes right on the heels of Oh, William! Novelist Lucy Barton and ex-husband William return from their trip to the Caymans, but they don’t spend long in New York before a mysterious virus engulfs the city. William whisks them away to a friend’s home in Maine, and while they’re away the pandemic explodes. Already uncomfortable with change, the isolation puts poor Lucy’s fears into overdrive, and along the way her adult daughters have troubles of their own.

For me, this was the best in the series. Four and a half stars rounded up.

The narrative is wonderful: brilliantly told in Lucy’s anxious voice. “This is what I mean to say” is a phrase that appears often. Also, “We are only doing what we can to get through.” You’d think I’d go crazy with the constant use / lack of contractions, but for some reason I just saw this as a function of Lucy’s nervous, unconfident ways. I see her as a passenger, an observer, with the actors being mainly William and maybe her daughters. I felt so strongly for her, wishing her the best. I saw something of Ms. DeWinter (see Rebecca) in her: a shy, nearly passive protagonist for whom I just wanted good things, and for whom I worried every time she went out.

Somewhere past halfway, the existential themes emerged. Was this place the rest of Lucy’s life? Had she done everything she needed to do, been all the places she’d wanted? Had her novels had some impact on the world? Was there anything left she could do about her daughters? What was her place in all the political turmoil of that age? I loved the simple exploration, the need for no answers, but rather just contemplation, amidst all the madness brought on by the pandemic. She watches death and disease swirl around her, and I’m nearly as afraid as she is. Sometimes I wonder if I experienced the same pandemic she did, even though I experienced the very “ground zero” of the pandemic in my hometown Brooklyn, a place that caused her deep fright.

Wonderful character development here, seen from Lucy’s unique point of view. The friends and family all seemed so real, so gritty and true to life, such that I felt like I’d met them all. Funny at times, too.

Stunningly good work from a brilliant writer. I might have to go back and add this to my 2022 favorites. ...more

CHRISTOPHER’S 2023 BOOKS

it was amazing

The Years That Matter Most by Paul Tough

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Only Cry For The Living by Hollie S. McKay

Rewire Your Anxious Brain for Teens by Debra Kissen

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

This Is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

it was amazing

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

it was amazing

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

it was amazing

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

The Mark Of The Assassin by Daniel Silva

it was amazing

really liked it

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

it was amazing

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane

it was amazing

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

it was amazing

Congratulations, the Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas

really liked it

I'm Dying Up Here by William Knoedelseder

It. Goes. So. Fast. by Mary Louise Kelly

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange

it was amazing

The Prophet and the Idiot by Jonas Jonasson

Christopher’s last review of the year

really liked it

Prim and proper Dorothy Darling has lived at Shelley House, a 130-year old former mansion in the English countryside town of Chalcot, for over three decades. She sees it as her duty to report every rubbish violation and every tenant infraction to the landlord. Twenty-something Kat, with something of a checkered past, sublets a room from Joseph, another longtime Shelley House resident. They’re all presented with an eviction notice from the loathso Prim and proper Dorothy Darling has lived at Shelley House, a 130-year old former mansion in the English countryside town of Chalcot, for over three decades. She sees it as her duty to report every rubbish violation and every tenant infraction to the landlord. Twenty-something Kat, with something of a checkered past, sublets a room from Joseph, another longtime Shelley House resident. They’re all presented with an eviction notice from the loathsome Fergus Alexander, who plans to raze the building in favor of a swanky housing development. After Joseph’s attacked in his home, Kat and Dorothy team up to figure out the culprit, and in the process, save their home from the developer.

The plot and premise are heartwarming. There’s a quest to resist the destruction of their home, and I really enjoyed seeing the residents come together. Dorothy’s speech at the developer’s office is timely and nicely surprising: her precise speech and mannerisms fit in perfectly with that moment. It was explained well and acted out by the characters in a way that made sense. The resolution was satisfying, well-planned, and fun. It did make the denouement a bit on the long side, and there was one element involving a resident that I questioned, but I looked past that. Everything moved fast and stayed relevant and interesting, such that 384 pages felt like nothing of the sort. It’s relatable and easy to read.

Character development is the hallmark of this novel, with two main characters getting top billing and novel-long attention. Dorothy and Kat are seemingly different people, from very different age groups and generations, so their friendship is a nice surprise. They have secrets that unravel throughout the novel. I might have appreciated a smoother way of doing that, especially in the first part. But like the plot it comes together well at the end, and both get their due sympathy. In fact, there’s an appropriate depth and care into each of the side characters, with just enough story to make it good. Their relationship to Dorothy, and how she helps each, despite her prickliness, was one of the things that makes this story so enjoyable.

I thought it was interesting how even the third-person chapters told from Dorothy’s perspective took on that “Queen’s English” style. It took some getting used to, but once I understood that’s how she talked, I went with the flow.

It’s a nice little story about everyday people, at one time just fellow tenants, joining together to save their home. It’s got heart, kindness, understanding, and a fast-moving storyline. One of the best ARCs I’ve read this year!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for a free, advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Nosy Neighbors is expected to be released April 2, 2024.

...more

2023 READING
CHALLENGE

Christopher Febles read 101 out of 70 books.

144%

What did you read this year?