I have been reading more manga than ever before. I have been reading a lot of first volumes to try and figure out which series I want to continue reading. I spotted the first volume of Crazy Food Truck at a bookstore in Winnipeg. I thought the concept was interesting. It felt like a Mad Max adventure except it featured a food truck. I finished reading Crazy Food Truck and I felt let down as this volume plays into some of the notable tropes in anime and manga. Crazy Food Truck shows how often female characters are sexualized in manga.

Crazy Food Truck begins with Gordon, a man trying to survive in this dystopian society. He’s driving through the desert looking for his next customers to serve and to make ends meet. He finds Arisa, a young, naked woman in the middle of the road. He takes Arisa in and gives her clothing and shelter. Immediately upon rescuing Arisa, Gordon is chased by Arisa’s captors as they will do anything to get her back. Gordon and Arisa quickly bond and go off on several adventures throughout the volume.

As mentioned previously, I liked the concept of this. I think there is enough intrigue and unanswered questions that make this series interesting. Gordon has a secretive past, potentially involving the military? Some people are after Arisa, so why was Arisa captured in the first place? I can see why someone would continue on in the series as I’d be curious to see how the series unfolds.

This leads me to my biggest gripe with this series which is the sexualization of Arisa. Arisa is introduced as a naked woman in the middle of the desert. I don’t have a problem with nudity and I didn’t care that Arisa was introduced that way, it’s in the blurb on the back of the book. With that being said, Arisa ended up being nude often. After being rescued, she complains about being hot and takes off her shirt. There’s another moment where she’s shown showering naked. If that wasn’t enough, Arisa takes her top off in the middle of a fight sequence. It felt like it was too much in such a short book. Why do we have to portray female characters this way? If you take the things that Arisa does and replicate them with a male character, it would come off as being ridiculous, yet we do this with female characters all the time.

If that wasn’t enough, I was reading reviews and some mentioned how creepy it was that Arisa was underage while Gordon was way older. ICK. When I read this manga originally, I was picturing Arisa as being an adult, so I might have missed the fact that she’s underage. If that’s the case, this makes this manga even worse.

I think another thing to add to this is that Arisa has no personality. She meets Gordon, eats a bunch of food, and that’s about all I know about her. It would be interesting to hear more of Arisa’s back story. Does she have a family? What are her hobbies? How did she learn how to defend herself? I think if there was more revealed about her, I probably would have cared more about her as a character. The sexualization of her character would have still bothered me, but it would have made the difference between continuing in this series vs. abandoning it altogether.

Crazy Food Truck was a miss, but I’m still planning on reading other manga series in the future.

I purchased The Paris Apartment at a local bookstore in Dublin. It seems fitting considering that most of Lucy Foley’s thrillers have European settings. The Guest List took place off the coast of Ireland whereas The Paris Apartment unsurprisingly takes place in Paris. During the Christmas holiday, I was sick, so I wasn’t able to see family. One thing that got me through being sick was reading this book. Lucy Foley is one of my favorite authors as her thrillers are so enthralling. The Paris Apartment was no different. It was spicy, gritty, and full of unexpected twists.

Jess is invited by Ben, her brother, to stay in his luxurious Paris apartment. When Jess arrives, Ben is nowhere to be seen. She sticks around to investigate including getting to know the various individuals who live in the complex. Jess starts to question the guests staying in the apartment complex to help find clues that will lead her to Ben. The more questions Jess asks, the more sinister things start to appear. Jess realizes that she may not be safe staying at The Paris Apartment.

The Paris Apartment did not disappoint. Lucy Foley is so good at setting the stage for her books. This apartment complex has this aura of darkness to it. There’s the gate that surrounds the building that has barbed wire and glass to prevent people from climbing on top of it. There are various secret passages that Jess starts to explore. There is a general uneasiness throughout the book and I think that comes from Lucy Foley providing the imagery of this complex.

Jess was the main protagonist and I liked reading from her point of view. It’s clear that Jess has been through some shit and she isn’t naive to the world around her. There’s an example where Jess is flirting with one of the residents. It could have been easy for her to sleep with him, but it doesn’t end up working out as Jess knows that her primary reason for being here is to find her brother. Jess is a survivor and I think throughout the book, I wanted her to fight her way out of the situation she found herself in. There are times when Jess can be a bit reckless and she does put her personal safety at risk. I think it adds to Jess’s backstory because of her unstable upbringing and how Ben is the only family that she has left.

The way that this book came together was fascinating. I can’t say much without spoiling the book. There was a movie that this book reminded me of, but I can’t say it because it would give everything away. I think the final moments where Jess starts to put the pieces together were so good. My heart started to beat out of my chest and my jaw dropped at the final conclusion. It isn’t often when a book prompts that type of response from me.

Lucy Foley can do no wrong. I think that’s the trick for having a good reading year; starting the year by reading a Lucy Foley book. I rated The Paris Apartment five stars on Goodreads.

With the start of a new year, I’m feeling positive. I’m looking forward to 2024 and starting the year off fresh. To kick off my reading year, I wanted to go back to TBRs. TBRs (To Be Read) is where I will schedule or plan out which books I want to read for the month. I used to do this a few years ago but got out of the habit of pre-planning my books. Each month, I will write a new post detailing which books I will read along with the overall theme of the current month’s TBR. This month, I will be focused on reading thrillers. I’m excited to share my TBR as I had a lot of fun picking out which books I plan on reading.

I have two rules that will be for all TBRs and books that I plan on reading. The first rule is that I will pick three books to read in a month. I won’t plan on reading any more than three, but if for whatever reason, I end up finishing these three books ahead of time, I can always move on to something else. The final rule that I have is that one book in every TBR pile has to come from the library, with no exceptions. In this instance, I ended up renting two books from the library, so look at me being an overachiever.

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

I wrote about The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead in a book haul post I made last year, so I won’t go into detail about this book. It apparently revolves around a sex cult and it’s a dark book. That’s about all I know, but my interest is piqued.

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb

I mentioned how I had fun picking out my books this month. I decided to go through my Goodreads TBR shelf and choose the thriller book that’s been on my TBR the longest and one of the thrillers that I most recently added to my shelf. I have had The Vanishing by Wendy Webb on my TBR since July 10th, 2015. I think it’s about time that I take the time to read it.

Julia Bishop has been hit hard by the death of her husband. Her husband was conniving and spent her life savings, so Julia needs a fresh start. She accepts a job offer to be a caretaker for Amaris Sinclair, a renowned horror novelist. When Julia begins staying at the Sinclair estate, she feels unsettled by the place. She investigates further which may reveal some haunting secrets that are meant to stay buried.

As a side note, this book takes place in Minnesota which reminds me that I need to read more from local authors. It’s not often that I get to read a book that takes place in my home state.

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Gina Royal is a stereotypical, Midwestern housewife. After a car accident, it’s revealed to Gina that her sweet husband is actually a serial killer. Gina moves with her two kids to escape her husband’s morbid notoriety. After settling in a new home, a dead body turns up in the lake that Gina lives on. Gina is being stalked and receives mysterious letters. If there is one thing that Gina is fully capable of doing, it’s taking on someone who is pure evil.

I added Stillhouse Lake to my shelf on November 29th, 2023 which is a stark contrast to The Vanishing. I am a sucker for tropes where a woman finds out that someone close to her is a serial killer and then the story continues from her perspective.

I am looking forward to reading these books. Thrillers tend to be fast reads for me, so these three books could last me the whole month, or I might finish them early. Time will tell.

2023 was an incredible year, except, it wasn’t the best reading year for me. Besides the reading slump, I have had so many DNF (did not finish) books. I was thinking back to other reading years and honestly, I think this was a new record for me. While 2023 may not have been the best reading year, I think I read a few books that were absolutely favorites for me and I’m ready to spill the tea on the books that I wasn’t the biggest fan of. Let’s get into my 2023 End of Year Book Survey.

As a reminder, I utilize Perpetual Page Turner and their End of Year Book Survey, so check out their information if you want to do your own end-of-year book tag.

**2023 Reading Stats**

Number of Books I Read: 71

Number of Re-Reads: 2. I re-read the first and second volumes of Nailbiter.

Genre You Read the Most From Romance, does A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas count as Romance? or is that Fantasy? I would say most of my books were Romance.

Best Book in 2023

I had two books that I was going back and forth between. I decided to choose Book Lovers by Emily Henry. This was the first Emily Henry book I read and it won’t be the last. Book Lovers details the romance between Nora and Charlie as they are rival literary agents who fall in love in a small town in North Carolina. I think what made Book Lovers such a good book is how it’s so much more than a romance story. It illustrates the bond between the two sisters and Nora confronting her grief over losing her mom. This book warmed my heart and Nora and Charlie are so perfect together.

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik was a book that I thought would be a five-star read for me. It takes place in a magical school, some sorcerers are fighting to the death while learning their studies and I liked the world-building with all of the dark creatures invading the school. With all of that being said, I struggled to read this book. There were a few reasons that I can attribute to why I felt this way. First, the chapters were really long, on average 20-30 pages. I like to read before I go to bed, so I usually like to read 1-2 chapters in one sitting. With A Deadly Education, it felt like each chapter took forever to read and it distracted me from the story. If that wasn’t enough, the main character was someone I couldn’t click with. She seemed extremely mean for no reason. I don’t need the main characters to be likable as I think it’s interesting to read about someone who has flaws and isn’t perfect. However, I need to care about what happens to them and I didn’t feel this way while reading A Deadly Education.

When I purchased A Deadly Education from my local bookstore, the person who rang me up made a comment about how I have to have the sequel on standby. I was so looking forward to this book which made it even more disappointing that this series simply isn’t for me.

Best Series You Started in 2023?

I reviewed every book I read and the book that stuck out to me for this prompt was A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn. This is the first book in the Veronica Speedwell series. I read this while in Europe this year and it was the perfect book to read while on vacation. This series centers on Veronica Speedwell, a young woman who is defying social norms by refusing to get married. She’s attacked in what seems to be a random act of violence until she’s sent to live with Stoker, a man who’s been assigned to protect her. When Veronica’s acquaintance is found murdered, Stoker takes it upon himself to keep Veronica safe.

This series gives off Sherlock Holmes vibes and the chemistry that Veronica has with Stoker is FIRE. I’m looking forward to continuing in this series.

Most Action-Packed / Thrilling / Unputdownable Book of the Year?

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay was the other book I was considering as the best book I read in 2023. The Night Shift opens with a crime that occurred in 1999 at a Blockbuster. Years later, another murder happens at a local business, and some think the crimes are linked together. This book tells the perspective of an FBI agent, a woman who survived the Blockbuster massacre, and the brother of the suspect from the Blockbuster killing.

As I was reading The Night Shift, I felt like I was reading an episode of Criminal Minds. Keller is the FBI agent and I LOVED her. She’s eight months pregnant with twins along with being successful in her career. I would read a whole series of Keller investigating crimes. In my head, I pictured JJ from Criminal Minds (played by A.J. Cook) whenever I read the story from Keller’s perspective. I loved the other characters and how everything came together when it was revealed who committed these crimes. I did predict who the final killer was, but there were a few other shocking moments that threw me for a loop.

Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2023?

I think whoever illustrates Sarah Penner’s books needs a raise. I have read both The Lost Apothecary and The London Seance Society and both of the covers are stunning.

Book You Read in 2023 That You Read Solely Based on a Recommendation From Someone Else?

If there is one book series (besides Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros) that has a strong fan base, it’s Sarah J. Maas’s books. I felt like I was missing something by not reading her books, so I figured why not test the waters by reading A Court of Thorns and Roses. I had no expectations when it came to this series and I did like the first book. I liked the world that Sarah J. Maas built along with the fae not being able to remove their masks. It’s funny, once I finished the book, I read online that this book was a Beauty and the Beast retelling and my brain did not put that together while reading the book.

I do plan on continuing this series as I think the story and the world that Sarah J. Maas has built are intriguing to me. Apparently, some of the characters evolve into different people (Tamlin becomes the villain and Rhys is someone Feyre falls in love with, ummmmm what??????) and I want to see how that goes.

Book that was the Most Fun to Read?

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is such a cute book. It’s basically if a Dungeons & Dragons campaign had a coffee shop and the players had to run the coffee shop, that’s what this book is about. This was such a soothing read and I like how there are more low-stakes Fantasy books out there to read.

Favorite Post I Wrote in 2023

My Europe Comics Haul was easily my favorite post I wrote in 2023. It was cool to visit some comic book stores overseas. I think my favorite store that I went to was Gosh! Comics in London. Gosh! had a big selection with a lot of local comics printed in the UK. They made for the best souvenirs from our trip.

Favorite Bookish Related Photo I Took in 2023

This photo perfectly describes what it’s like to own a cat. Athena loves being in the background of my photos.

Most Challenging Thing About Blogging or Your Reading Life This Year?

The toughest part for me was all the DNFed books that I read this year. In total, I DNFed 4 books this year which is a record for me. I’m usually pretty good at picking books that I know that I will like. I think this was a great reminder that if I do not like a book that I’m reading, it’s okay to put it down and move on to something else.

Book You Are Most Anticipating for 2024?

I think the book I’m looking forward to reading is The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead. Ashley Winstead knows how to write thrillers and I have heard nothing but good things about The Last Housewife. I have heard that it’s really dark, so I might need a breather after reading it.

One Thing You Hope To Accomplish In Your Reading / Blogging Life in 2024?

I want to get back into a regular routine when it comes to reading. This includes creating TBRs (to be read) posts, so I can pre-plan what I read in the next month. I want to keep utilizing my local library as that’s helped keep me motivated to keep reading. Finally, I want to make sure that I DNF a book as quickly as possible versus trying to force myself to read a book that I’m not interested in.

As always, Happy Reading! Let me know if you end up participating in this end-of-year book survey.