from the study: my Q1 2024 reading roundup

I love the return to form that is happening with café patrons reading more and sharing their reviews 🥰 Inspired by the reading roundups of Elisa & Eddie, I thought I'd share my reviews of what I’ve been reading thus far in 2024 (but in my own style).

I will preface this with the fact that I don't like to know too much about a book going in. I think going in mostly blind to most media is something I'm starting to really appreciate. It is for that reason that I won't say too much about the contents of the books in my reviews. I also will not ascribe a rating to each as 1) I don't care enough to keep track as I finish reads 2) you may feel differently and 3) most books land fairly neutral anyways.

So with that out of the way, let's get into my reading roundup for the first quarter of 2024…

Stats breakdown from Jan – Mar 2024

Books Read + Reviews

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman Medium: e-book copy of graphic novel

This was newly released in December 2023 and I was fortunate that I got to read this in the first week of January through the library. The Heartstopper graphic novels are such a comfort read, and this was no exception. This latest installment further explores Nick & Charlie's relationship, especially with Nick being in his senior year. Unlike most of the other volumes I read last year, the content of this one has not been captured in the show yet so it was especially endearing to get a glimpse of what's next for all the characters in this universe.

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Medium: Audiobook

I read Newport’s Deep Work back in 2021 and I have had this one on my list since then. For anyone unfamiliar, Digital Minimalism is about being intentional with your technology use and curating how you want to interact with it so it only enriches your life. However, I think if I had read this back in 2021, some of the messages, insights, and action items would have been lost on me. Visiting this now that I am already somewhat in a state of digital minimalism allowed me to have new considerations for what this meant for me in my life, and how I might implement the takeaways. I will probably share more about this in another upcoming Printhouse article, but I do think it's a worthy read if the concept piques your interest.

Everyone in this Room will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin Medium: Audiobook

This was an… interesting one. I added this to my TBR based on a video from one of my favourite creators where she shared a minimal synopsis and did a live reading of an excerpt. The gist of this one is that it's about a young woman who struggles with social interactions and cues. The main character gets herself into some predicaments as a result, such as accidentally accepting a job where the previous employee died and getting in a relationship with someone she had no interest in dating in the first place. I think this tidbit about the previous employee dying lead me to expect something that leaned more thriller, but this was not the case. While I could appreciate some of the thought patterns and observations the main character makes, the whole thing is very stream of consciousness inner dialogue. That said, I think one of the beautiful things about reading is that it can expose us to different perspectives. So while I could not relate to a lot of what the protagonist experiences and normally would not have chosen this read for myself, I was able to expand my horizons. Additionally, I thought this book was set in New York or something so the narrator dropping Toronto-relevant names (and mispronouncing Elgin) was a jumpscare.

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come – One Introvert’s Year of Saying Yes by Jessica Pan Medium: Audiobook

I think the title of this book downplays and does a disservice to what it actually has to offer. The book is part self-help and part memoir. It follows Jessica Pan, self-proclaimed Shintrovert (Shy Introvert), and her adventures over the course of a year to become more outgoing and confident. While this is what she identifies as her goal at the beginning of the process, and it does provide somewhat of a through line for her experiences, Pan touches on so many other themes and experiences. What stood out to me: her pursuit to make friends and the effort it entailed as an adult (especially as an expat); her candid reflections on loneliness; the perceptions by others of what she was doing; the lessons she picked up from her various mentors; her journey towards feeling more confident performing on stage; and above all, how to host a great dinner party. Although the beginning felt a bit preachy and pick me girl, Pan eventually finds her footing and transitions her storytelling into something vulnerable and endearing. Since I listened to this via audiobook, by the end I felt like I had been on a long wholesome phone call with an old friend. I think you'll appreciate this read if you want to break out of your shell more, make more meaningful connections with both new and old people in your life, and/or improve your social life.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Medium: Audiobook

Wow. I think this is my favourite read of 2024 so far. This was another one of those books that came highly recommended by the BookTok community but where the synopsis was kept minimal. June Hayward is friends with Athena Liu, an Asian American author who is a successful starlet of the publishing industry. June witnesses the tragic death of Athena, takes the manuscript for Athena’s upcoming novel, and goes on to rework it and pass it off as her own. The only hiccup? The novel is about the history of Chinese labourers in WWI. And you guessed it… June is white. The book follows June’s actions and how she continues to double down on her lies. It's incredible how Kuang is able to oscillate June's racist delulus with brief moments of guilt and clarity. This has me even more interested to read Babel by this author now that I've been exposed to her writing style.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games Prequel) by Suzanne Collins Medium: Physical

As far as a spin-off prequel about President Snow goes, this was quite good. I also found the world-building intriguing with how Panem, The Hunger Games, and other aspects we first visited in Katniss’ timeline came to be. Readers of The Hunger Games trilogy are treated to a number of moments of realization on the origins. Most of all, I didn't expect to be reading about Coriolanus Snow being horrendously down bad but there you go.

If I could sum this book up in one line it would be: boy gets his heart broken once and decides to make it everyone else's problem for the rest of his life.

Re: the film – I watched it the day after finishing the book and it felt very Shein quality to me. Looked good visually but upon closer inspection it's shabby and a rushed job. Naturally, the books will usually be better than the adaptation and have more details. I also get that film adaptations are a different medium so stories have to be told differently. But the movie really spoon-fed the audience in a way that downplayed their intelligence and cut out any payoff they might have experienced from piecing things together. There was also no chemistry between the main characters and it just felt like they were tolerating each other?? I think it would have fared better as a mini series.

Dune by Frank Herbert (Book 1 – Dune) Medium: Audiobook

I am pleasantly surprised to say I have really been enjoying reading Dune. Many thanks to Liam for putting us on to this and Noah for proposing the book club! Dune club has definitely made this large read more digestible and I've enjoyed discussing what we read week over week. That said, I'm constantly in awe of how intelligent the writing is and how deep we get to explore the thoughts and motivations of each character. Particularly how they must weigh their words so meticulously (an art I've always admired). The perspective switching is also done very seamlessly and heightens the immersive experience. I unfortunately think that the movie(s) will pale in comparison to me after reading the book but looking forward to it anyways. Lady Jessica is also such a girl boss and the concept of the Bene Gesserit is so cool.

Review of Book 2 & 3 to be covered in the next reading roundup.

Thanks for reading if you got this far!

Q1 2024 reads