Other Cultural Favourites of 2023

After revealing my favourite books from the few that I read in 2023, it’s time to turn my attention to other cultural forms, in this case films, TV series and music. During the last twelve months, I watched more films than in recent years. Not only did I have a list of older films that I wanted to watch, but there were also a few new releases that caught my attention. On the other hand, I watched fewer TV series, because there weren’t that many that I was eager to get to sooner rather than later and I wasted too much time watching silly YouTube videos. 

I had hoped to have a more varied cultural favourites in 2023, including gigs and exhibitions. However, a “partial” train strike prevented me from attending a Royal Blood gig in Lisbon that I had a ticket for (I’m still pissed off about that), plus nothing else really interested me to the point of actually spending a significant amount of money on tickets and travel. 

Bear in mind that what I’m about to mention may not have been necessarily released in 2023. It was just the year that I first watched or listened to them for the first time.

Favourite Books I Read in 2023

Previously, I always wrote a post about the best books that I read during a specific year in the last week of December. This time, I’m only sharing with you my favourite books from 2023 at the beginning of January, though, because I was hoping to still finish another book that I had high expectations for before the year ended. Waiting for the first days of the new year may be something I’ll possibly continue doing in the future, since it allows me to know for sure how many books I read and how I feel about them all.  

2023 wasn’t a great reading year. I only read 13 books in their entirety, an extremely low number even for myself, a known slow reader. I hadn’t read such a small number of books since starting the blog. They weren’t even particularly long. I’m not sure how that happened, but I’m not happy about it. Besides, despite having enjoyed the majority of the books that I picked up, I wasn’t completely blown away by any of the ones that I read for the first time. No five stars were awarded to them. I also decided not to finish four books. I read literary fiction, fantasy, dystopian and historical fiction books. While some were classics and modern classics, others were written more recently. 

I can also now say that I’m a rereader. I discovered that picking up books that I previously read and at least enjoyed helps me overcome reading slumps. I reread and loved Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier as much as the first time (the link is to my 2017 review), plus also liked becoming reacquainted with Memorial do Convento (Baltasar and Blimunda in the English translation) by José Saramago. My memories of it were not fully accurate, though. The characters are not as well developed as I thought.

Favourite Books of All Time

If you asked me to choose just one book as my favourite ever, I would struggle and would come up with a myriad of excuses not to. I can, however, tell you what my six favourite books of all time are. Having read all of them twice and having loved them immensely on both occasions, I know I’ll probably not regret my choices in the near future, nor even in the long term. If I’m lucky I will just get to add more great books to this list.

The six books below are listed in no special order. I don’t think I could have ordered them even if I had tried. Had I done it, I probably would have just changed my mind right after pressing the publish button. They were written by authors from both sexes and almost all of them have already passed away. 

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Briony has been writing stories since a young age. In the summer of 1935, her prolific imagination has dire consequences after she witnesses an interaction between Cecilia, her older sister, and Robbie Turner near her home’s fountain. Her misconstruction of that event, their relationship, and the incidents that followed has long-lasting repercussions. Throughout Atonement, Ian McEwan conveys various impactful emotions in a moving way. Different perspectives are also presented always at the most appropriate of times, in order to grip the reader and connect all the dots.

Favourite Books Since I Started Blogging

Last Saturday was my blog anniversary! I can scarcely believe that I have been blogging for seven years. It definitely doesn’t feel like that long. Time flies when we’re doing something we enjoy, right!? However, to be honest, I’m not in my best blogging period at the moment, since I have not been writing as many posts as I used to, don’t have that many new ideas anymore, nor have I been reading much. Since last year, I’ve been in a strange reading slump. I don’t feel like reading for long periods of time for some reason… I’ve only been reading around 20 minutes a day even books that I’m enjoying, reason why I have not been writing as many reviews as I used to lately.

Nevertheless, blogging has been overall a lovely experience (it helps that I avoid interacting with the idiots out there and mostly try to ignore those who are offended by people who have different opinions to them). It has been great to share my thoughts with other bloggers, discover books I probably never would otherwise and (hopefully) also improve my English writing skills.

To celebrate this anniversary, nothing better than to share with you my favourite books since I started blogging. I’ve chosen the seven books that I loved the most from the ones that I read since June 2016. There is not necessarily one per year, they are listed in no particular order, and I only considered the ones that I read for the first time during that period.

Favourite Books Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction

To celebrate International Women’s Day, I’m sharing with you my favourite books from the ones that I read and were shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction since the beginning of the award. Its aim is to “change the world through books by women”. A lot of change is needed indeed as, for example, young women and girls are being poisoned in Iranian schools, rape is being used as a weapon of war in Ukraine, the practice of female genital mutilation continues, and the majority of poor people in the world are women.

Although the longlist for this year’s edition was announced yesterday, I’m focusing on previous shortlists instead, because I don’t tend to read many brand-new releases and, thus, don’t have anything particularly interesting to say about the books featured in it.

 

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

In 2020, Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Hamnet did not only made it to the shortlist, but also won the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Set in the 16th century, it delves into grief, parenthood and love through a fictional story about the death of the son of William Shakespeare, whose name is never mentioned. Despite this being the tale of a family, the focus is mainly on Agnes, his wife. The emotions conveyed feel incredibly real, which makes the book touching and affecting. Plus, the musicality of the prose and the detail with which the actions of the characters are described make for an enthralling reading experience.

Favourite Female Characters II

Almost six years ago, I wrote a post about my favourite female characters to celebrate International Women’s Day. Since then, I read various other books whose female characters I found as interesting as the ones I mentioned previously (or in some cases even more). Some of them shine because of their compelling personalities. Others may not have an immediately fascinating temperament, but they stand out thanks to their authenticity. Well-crafted characters can be captivating regardless of their traits.

The seven characters mentioned bellow are part of books from various genres, from fantasy to literary and historical fiction. Some I spent a long time with, as they are featured in series, others just a few days. They all have one thing in common, though. They lingered on in my mind. It is also not surprising that three of the characters were created by Daphne du Maurier, since her talent is well known.

 

Althea Vestrit – The Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb

The younger daughter of Ephron Vestrit, Althea is one of the main characters in Ship of Magic, The Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny, the three books in The Liveship Traders Trilogy by the fantasy writer Robin Hobb. Her family has a liveship called Vivacia and her biggest dream is to be her captain one day. She is wilful and feels restricted by the sexist society she lives in. Although she occasionally makes rash decisions, she reflects on her mistakes. She has her own desires, but can adapt them as the situation around her changes. What she experiences throughout the series is deeply affecting.

Other Cultural Favourites of 2022

My blog is almost exclusively dedicated to books. However, other cultural forms have also taken centre stage on some occasions, be it when I wrote posts about my monthly favourites or, after the end of each year, when I revealed my other favourite stories (mostly TV and film) of the previous twelve months. Since I wanted to also start talking about music in my yearly favourites, I’ve rebranded the last type of posts as “other cultural favourites”.

This first instalment of my other cultural favourites includes a film, TV series and music albums only. In the future (I’m assuming I’ll continue to write this type of posts), they may also feature other categories, like exhibitions, theatre performances, etc., though. Bear in mind that the things I’m about to mention may not have been necessarily released last year. 2022 was the year I first watched or listened to them, nevertheless.

 

 

Suffragette

Last year, I had the intention of watching 100 new-to-me films. Did I? No! I think I only watched three or four… And none of them was released in 2022. I’m a bit behind with my movie watching. I loved Suffragette, though! Released in 2015 (yes, I’m that late!), it’s about the involvement of a young working mother in the movement to get the right to vote for women in the UK. The performances are just amazing! I spent most of the film enraged in a good way.

Favourite Books I Read in 2022

At the beginning of the year, I was full of hopes and dreams. One of them was to read more than 30 books. That didn’t happen! So far, I’ve read for pure enjoyment 22 books in full. Before the year comes to an end, I may still finish the enormous Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb, which I’ve been reading for almost two months now, and probably have time to pick up another play by Shakespeare. I’m ready to reveal my favourite books of the year, though, since I don’t see either of them climbing to the top spots.

My reading experience in 2022 was varied and mostly positive, despite some let-downs. Not only did I read books from various genres – literary fiction, fantasy, classics, allegories, historical fiction, Ancient Greek myth retellings –, but they were also of many formats, including novels, novellas, short story and poetry collections, graphic novels and plays. Although I picked almost only books that were new to me, I also reread Os Maias (The Maias) by Eça de Queirós, having finished the project “rereading my old favourites”.

From the books that I read for the first time in 2022, irrespective of publication date, my favourites, in reverse order, are:

Favourite Books by Women in Translation

August is Women in Translation Month, the perfect time to read translated books written by female authors. For those looking for suggestions of appropriate books to pick up during the next month, there are four that stood out the most for me from the ones that I’ve read in translation so far.

Bear in mind that, as my mother tongue is Portuguese, I don’t read Lusophone authors in translation. But if you are looking forward to reading books originally written in Portuguese during August, you can find many blog posts with recommendations on this blog or ask any questions you may have in the comments section!

 

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

The South Korean novel The Vegetarian is an impressive, affecting and disconcerting exploration of abuse, mental health, desire and rebellion against social conventions. Yeong-hye has always been a dutiful wife. But one day a disturbing dream leads her to become a vegetarian, which deeply upsets her family. Although she is the main character, the story is not told from her point of view. Readers are presented with the perspectives of her husband, her brother-in-law and her sister, who all have distinctive voices.

Favourite Books by Daphne du Maurier

The time has finally come to enjoy another Daphne du Maurier Reading Week, hosted by Ali. As I still haven’t managed to start reading my choice for this year, The Flight of the Falcon, nothing better than to share with you my favourite books by Daphne du Maurier. So far, I’ve read a total of nine books, including seven novels and two short story collections. They are: Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, The King’s General, Jamaica Inn, The House on the Strand, The Birds and Other Stories, The Scapegoat, Frenchman’s Creek and Don’t Look Now: Short Stories.

Are you curious to discover the four that I cherish the most?

 

Rebecca

The unnamed narrator of this astonishing book is a self-doubting young woman who marries Maxim de Winter after meeting him in Monte Carlo. She moves with him to Manderley, his family home, where her insecurities and doubts are greatly amplified. How can she ever be as perfect as his deceased first wife, Rebecca? The first novel I read by Daphne du Maurier remains my favourite. It is enthralling, enigmatic and atmospheric. The gripping mystery is perfectly accompanied by fleshed out characters.