Kate Shanahan's Blog - Posts Tagged "books"
Updating my 2023 year of books
I'm not at all diligent about updating my Goodreads books. I only give myself time to read (other than the newspaper) during lunch (I love to eat while reading, don’t you?) and then again while dinner simmers, stews, bakes, or roasts. Occasionally I’ll read a bit after dinner, but later in the evening, after walking the dog, I watch streaming series or movies with my husband.
I get most of my books from the library through Libby. When there’s a hold, I have to read it quickly because it’s not renewable. And then, magically, the next book becomes available, another book with a hold, so again I have to read quickly, which means I don’t get around to reviewing the last one. I find myself at the end of each year trying to update my Goodreads list all at once. Does anyone else find themselves in this pickle?
I get most of my books from the library through Libby. When there’s a hold, I have to read it quickly because it’s not renewable. And then, magically, the next book becomes available, another book with a hold, so again I have to read quickly, which means I don’t get around to reviewing the last one. I find myself at the end of each year trying to update my Goodreads list all at once. Does anyone else find themselves in this pickle?
Dowager Empress Senshi
If you are interested in strong women in history who are relatively unknown in the English-speaking world, you might enjoy my latest blog post (link below) on Empress Dowager Senshi, who lived in the late 10th century. She was known as "the mother of the nation" - called that by a nobleman of the time who complained about her in his diary.
https://kvshanahan.com/blog/f/imperia...
I'll be posting an update soon about my upcoming novel, a sequel to Tangled Spirits!
https://kvshanahan.com/blog/f/imperia...
I'll be posting an update soon about my upcoming novel, a sequel to Tangled Spirits!
I just read 8 5-Star Books In A Row
I just finished a streak of good books. I rated them all five stars, which makes me look like I don’t have any critical sensibility. But I do, I just don’t keep reading a book if it’s less than 4 stars (usually.)
I read all of them from May to June 2025. It was mostly due to luck, because when I finish one book, if I don’t have anything in my TBR I’m hankering to get to next, I go to Libby and filter by “what’s available”, “fiction”, “general content.” If I’m in the mood for something specific, like suspense or historical fiction, I’ll filter for that. So what turns up is somewhat random. Sometimes it’s an audiobook, sometimes an ebook. Sometimes a 7-day loan (more and more these days it’s 7 days. A change in licensing, perhaps?) and sometimes a 21-day loan. If I borrow one and find I’m not that into it, I return it. I don’t rate or review my DNFs because it’s not fair to readers or authors. I’ve returned books after only reading a few chapters that are very popular, on the NY Times bestsellers list, or have won national book awards. So it’s a matter of what I like to read, and not a judgment on the writer.
My 5-star reading streak started with Real Americans by Rachel Khong in May. This one had a long wait, so it wasn’t one of those serendipitous Libby loans. I’d loved her book Vitamin, so I put her next on hold as soon as I heard about it.
Next was Black River by Nilanjana Roy. I had not heard of this book or the author before I saw it pop up in Libby displayed as an AAPI-month book. I don't read many mysteries or thrillers, but the location, a village a few hours from Delhi, India, and how the plot was informed by the location, appealed to me. It's not a true mystery - because the author lets you know quite early who the most likely culprit is. So it's less about plot twists and figuring things out than it is about modern India, the conflict between India's Hindu and Muslim populations and the country and its culture, and that made for a fascinating book that held my attention.
Next was Throwback by Maureen Goo. This, too, was displayed for AAPI month. The main character is a Korean-American teenager. It’s a YA novel, which I normally wouldn’t pay much attention to, but I was intrigued by the time-travel element. I, too, wrote a novel with a time-traveling young person, and I wanted to see how Goo approached it. While the method of travel was a bit too easy with no attempt to explain the magic behind it, it was funny: a ride-share to the 80’s! The audiobook narration was excellent, and I enjoyed listening to the story on my daily walks, hearing the main character Sam complain about her mother, and then find herself back in time dealing with her mother as a teenager. The writing was a notch above the usual YA style of writing.
The other 5-star books I read in this short time were A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin, The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins, The Other Lata by Kirthana Ramisetti, Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney, and A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher. After three suspense books that turned out to be so enjoyable, I thought I would get a few more, but had a couple of DNF’s in a row. After reading A Sorceress Comes to Call, I decided I was going to read all of Kingfisher’s books, and have started Nettle and Bone. So far, I can tell it’s going to be another 5-star read.
You can read my review of each book if you’d like to know why I enjoyed them so much.
I read all of them from May to June 2025. It was mostly due to luck, because when I finish one book, if I don’t have anything in my TBR I’m hankering to get to next, I go to Libby and filter by “what’s available”, “fiction”, “general content.” If I’m in the mood for something specific, like suspense or historical fiction, I’ll filter for that. So what turns up is somewhat random. Sometimes it’s an audiobook, sometimes an ebook. Sometimes a 7-day loan (more and more these days it’s 7 days. A change in licensing, perhaps?) and sometimes a 21-day loan. If I borrow one and find I’m not that into it, I return it. I don’t rate or review my DNFs because it’s not fair to readers or authors. I’ve returned books after only reading a few chapters that are very popular, on the NY Times bestsellers list, or have won national book awards. So it’s a matter of what I like to read, and not a judgment on the writer.
My 5-star reading streak started with Real Americans by Rachel Khong in May. This one had a long wait, so it wasn’t one of those serendipitous Libby loans. I’d loved her book Vitamin, so I put her next on hold as soon as I heard about it.
Next was Black River by Nilanjana Roy. I had not heard of this book or the author before I saw it pop up in Libby displayed as an AAPI-month book. I don't read many mysteries or thrillers, but the location, a village a few hours from Delhi, India, and how the plot was informed by the location, appealed to me. It's not a true mystery - because the author lets you know quite early who the most likely culprit is. So it's less about plot twists and figuring things out than it is about modern India, the conflict between India's Hindu and Muslim populations and the country and its culture, and that made for a fascinating book that held my attention.
Next was Throwback by Maureen Goo. This, too, was displayed for AAPI month. The main character is a Korean-American teenager. It’s a YA novel, which I normally wouldn’t pay much attention to, but I was intrigued by the time-travel element. I, too, wrote a novel with a time-traveling young person, and I wanted to see how Goo approached it. While the method of travel was a bit too easy with no attempt to explain the magic behind it, it was funny: a ride-share to the 80’s! The audiobook narration was excellent, and I enjoyed listening to the story on my daily walks, hearing the main character Sam complain about her mother, and then find herself back in time dealing with her mother as a teenager. The writing was a notch above the usual YA style of writing.
The other 5-star books I read in this short time were A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin, The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins, The Other Lata by Kirthana Ramisetti, Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney, and A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher. After three suspense books that turned out to be so enjoyable, I thought I would get a few more, but had a couple of DNF’s in a row. After reading A Sorceress Comes to Call, I decided I was going to read all of Kingfisher’s books, and have started Nettle and Bone. So far, I can tell it’s going to be another 5-star read.
You can read my review of each book if you’d like to know why I enjoyed them so much.
