This book was a good read, satisfyingly horny. It was a little predictable, but maybe any good romance novel has got to be. Too many options and the reader might get it into their head that the main character will end up with someone other than the love interest. Honestly I'm just impressed that the author could redeem the love interest in my eyes after some weirdness at the start, but overall this book gets an enthusiastic yes from me. 3 (dare I say 3.5) stars! (and yes, I know that I technically read this book in 2021. I didn't want to miss one!)
2022-01-02 - Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
Mr Pratchett is of course incomparable, so there isn't so much to be said about this book. Overall, I liked it, but I wasn't aware how heavily some of the Discworld stuff can build off of other novels. While technically stand-alone, this one will read much better if it's not your intro to his mythos. I'd look elsewhere if you're hoping to get a taste for Pratchett's work. For what it was, though, I thought it was creative and fun and brought that sense of joy that no one else can really quite capture in the same way. Three stars!
2022-01-14 - Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson
A novella by Sanderson that takes us into one of the side characters from his main books, I really enjoyed this offering. It had a more YA-esque feel than even his main series (and I think his main series is pretty dang YA-ey). If you're already a fan of the Stormlight Archive, this was a great way to get to know Lift and her particular powers. I'd call it a fun romp, overall, even though the stakes are high (as always with Sanderson). A decent read! Three stars.
2022-01-24 - Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
With this book, I'm officially caught up to Mr Sanderson. While I must admit that these books have somewhat blended together to me at this point (they're long! please forgive me!) I am pretty sure that this one is the first one that made me cry. Dalinar Kholin, you beautiful man, keep being the absolute best. As always, I do recommend the series if you are a fantasy fan who likes something a little lighter and less serious and don't mind the absolute shitload of (admittedly excellent) worldbuilding that you have to wade through to get to the meat. This was a good entry in the series overall and I look forward to the epic conclusion. Three and a half stars!
2022-01-27 - Verity by Colleen Hooper
I don't remember how I stumbled across this little thriller, but it was quite fun! I later learned that Colleen Hooper is better known for her romance novels, which made a lot of sense once I learned it; I kept thinking to myself as I read this one that it was written LIKE a romance novel, even though I can't quite put a finger on what made it feel that way. And I mean, despite the more creepy tone, it's not like it wasn't about a romance. I enjoyed the uncertainty that Hooper left with the ending, too--don't expect a full resolution if you give this one a shot. Three and a half stars!
2022-02-09 - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
I was recommended this series and I gave it a try this year. It's an interesting mix between fantasy and romance with an added time-travel twist. Honestly though, for both this book and its sequel which I also read this year, I was a little underwhelmed, and felt like it never quite took advantage of its premise the way I always hoped it would. I also got the sense that this book suffered from taking too many of the wrong things from Twilight, and maybe I didn't quite get into the main couple enough to get off to it, ultimately. If you're into supernatural romance, though, this might be worth a read. It's a slightly more highbrow, more-conventional-romance take on the genre as well, so don't write it off if you're a romance fan but thought Twilight was too teen-y. Three stars!
2022-02-14 - An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
The first book club book on the list this year, I'd say this was on my list of favorites! I wasn't sure what to expect but Ishiguro is a master of saying so much with very few words. His writing is so beautifully, artfully efficient! I'm also a sucker for a book that follows a morally gray character, and this book follows a disgraced propaganda artist in post-war Japan, so it scratched that itch in just the right way for me. Honestly I forgot how much I liked this book... Four stars and a compelling recommendation if you like historical fiction even a little bit. Ishiguro at his very best.
2022-03-12 - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The first reread of the year! This book was first bought for me by my mom (hey @Jill!) and it's been on my list of classics ever since. I was happy I got to share it with @Madison while on vacation this year. It was interesting to reread as well. This year I really thought a lot about the gender politics of the story--how little Coelho has to say about the women in his story. I don't think it's a fatal flaw and I think there's still lots to be learned from this book, but nothing is perfect and I noticed that more this year than in the past. Still, this is an easy four, maybe 4.5 star read, and its particular philosophy informs and guides my own worldview deeply. I hope that if you read it you'll find something similarly beautiful in its pages!
2022-03-29 - The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
This may be the thickest book I read this year on epaper, rather than via audiobook (thanks Mr. Sanderson for your excellent audiobook productions). What a long one! But quite good. Honestly I think perhaps one of the best comparisons I could make is with Brandon Sanderson--I was hoping The Priory would bring me more George RR Martin vibes than Sanderson vibes, but it didn't happen (perhaps a running theme with the Long Fantasy Novels this year). The world was intricate and fun, and the characters caught me and made me hungry for more, even if the storytelling was more plot and less sociological. A solid fantasy read, 3.5 stars!
2022-03-31 - Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
The only graphic novel I got around to this year, this book was a gift from last Christmas! I love the cute characters and the romance was heartwarming. However, I will say that overall it was quite obvious that this was intended as more of a YA offering than an all-ages one. It was a quick read and I think I finished it within a few days of sitting down with it! The art was excellent as well. Good fun for a pure little fluffy gay romance. My only critique? AMP UP THE HORNY, OF COURSE. Three stars!
2022-04-04 - Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
The sequel to A Discovery of Witches, this book primarily takes place back in time. I gotta say it felt a bit lost as a sequel, since we lost a lot of the people who we built an emotional bond with in the first book due to the aforementioned time travel. But overall, while I didn't love every moment of it, it had some fun parts and the romance felt realistic, even if I didn't love the pairing. 2.5 stars!
2022-04-08 - Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith
What can I even say about this book. Build Your House Around My Body is a cross-generational ghost story focused on Vietnam and its colonization. What does it mean to be "from" a place that has been occupied and used over and over again by different, foreign powers. A perfect character study that weaves at least four different narratives together into a story fabric that twists and turns in the best way. I won't say much more other than that this was easily the best book I read last year and it wasn't even close. Five stars. Seriously, read this book!
2022-04-12 - Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
An interstellar romance novel, this was another book club read. The story was a little fantastical and I wasn't really fully convinced by it, but maybe that's not the point when it comes to a romance novel. It found novel ways to put the main pair into fun, cute little situations. Wasn't my favorite but it worked well enough for what it tried to be! If you're a fan of romance and a fan of scifi, you might enjoy. Two and a half stars.
2022-05-10 - Transcendant Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
A story about motherhood and addiction, I found this book very difficult to read. The main character wasn't terribly relatable to me, but maybe that's more a function of the fact that we have lived very different lives! There were also some factual errors, which I'm sure I only picked up because I happen to have an inside look into mouse models for science (thanks @Madison!) which were nevertheless a little distracting. It was a competent book but I wasn't very impressed. Two and a half stars.
2022-05-13 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
This is another time travel romance--truly this is the genre of the year this time around! I adored the characters and this novel was seriously horny in the best possible way. It did show its age a bit in the depictions of queerness that are not... good. But this book did a great job being both an excellent time travel story and an excellent romance. I don't know how I feel about it being such a long series, though. I'm curious where it'll be headed in future books. Three and a half stars!
2022-05-19 - Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and the Secret of the Grande Chateau by Dr. Cecil H. H. Mills
Ok, so I'm not going to pretend this book was good. It's a YA mystery romp which I read mostly because it's written by Aaron Hanson, a youtuber I follow. The best thing I could say about it is it has a certain absurdist charm. But the writing is overall poor and the story is ridiculous, not always in a good way. It sure was a book that I read. Hard to give this a rating but I'm between 1.5 and 2 stars. Recommended for fans of Game Grumps or younger audiences, who might find something more sincere in its charm.
2022-05-21 - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Another reread, this book was an old favorite of mine. I didn't realize how much I was thrown off by learning that the author of this book was like, against women's sufferage (enough that he wrote shitty, published poetry against it! wtf!!!). Finally I returned to the book this year to see if I could gain something from this book despite its problematic author. I'd say it was a success. I still liked the strange, episodic structure and I still loved how little happened... The strange, playboy-like life that all the animals are living. A classic, for sure, despite the author. Three and a half stars!
2022-05-22 - Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
This strange, creepy, super-intense thriller was on my to-read list for a very long time before I finally got around to it. It's a mind-bending masterpiece and I definitely enjoyed it, despite the intense, sometimes graphic subject matter. I'm a sucker for a book with an unreliable narrator and this one delivered in spades. Four stars and a glowing recommendation if you're ready for something that gets dark.
2022-06-01 - The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
I picked this book up because it was on a list that also praised Build Your House Around My Body, which I loved. I thought the summary sounded interesting but at the end of the day, I felt much less compelled by this offering. The characters were strange and unconvincing to me, and I just wasn't pulled in to the story the way I wanted to be. The writing was good, though, and I could see enjoying it more in another circumstance. Two and a half stars.
2022-06-03 - The Verifiers by Jane Pek
This was a fun little mystery novel! Honestly it took a minute for me to remember much about it--I guess it didn't make a huge impact on me. But this was a pretty fun one, and the characters really shone. Three and a half stars!
2022-06-12 - Severance by Ling Ma
This was a fun pandemic story and I didn't even realize it was about one when I picked it up. It's definitely my kind of book, dark and brooding with a undercurrent of ennui. I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a character-focused read that feels all too real, having lived through a real pandemic. Four stars!
2022-06-22 - Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
I had heard recommendations to read some of Moshfegh's books (although I've since heard more mixed reviews) and I find both warranted. Eileen does a great job of showing off her strengths and weaknesses in equal parts. She puts you directly into the head of a cruel, almost unlikeable character, and manages it in the most fascinating way possible. However, I find reviews that speak of her own nihilistic politics to be on display here as well. Still, I found the writing worthwhile enough to make this worthy of a recommendation. Four stars!
2022-06-27 - Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
This was a fun little thriller with some great twists and turns. While I wouldn't call it revelatory, it was well written and surprising--I liked the unexpected nature of it and I was consistently impressed. Three and a half stars!
2022-07-01 - A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
A sci-fi novella and another book club read. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book; I guess it just wasn't for me. I found it trite and predictable, with distracting and unconvincing characters. It's also part of a series but its strange, meandering plot with no stakes whatsoever were entirely uncompelling to me. Maybe you'll see something I didn't, but as it stands I give this one only 1 star.
2022-07-16 - The Sentence by Louise Erdritch
I've always enjoyed Louise Erdritch and I was curious to read her newest offering! This particular one was delightfully meta and while I loved her playful narration, the plot for this book didn't fully feel like it fit together. It was a fun read but it felt jumbled and confused at times. Three stars!
2022-07-25 - All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki
OK so this one has a bit of a story behind it. I had started Ruth Ozeki's newest book (which will appear later down this year's summary) and just not gotten into it, a few months before I picked this one out. I was so thrown by my dislike of an author's prose, when I would enthusiastically have called A Tale for the Time Being one of my all-time favorite books a few years ago, that I realized I had to try some of her other books as well. Thus, I picked this one up! And oof. I can't say I'd recommend this one. It felt like such a... cringy sort of a vibe, a child's understanding of activism, with a strange philosophical soft spot for so-called pro-life philosophy as well. To be clear I am not sure that that was even intended, but the fact that I can't say it with any confidence is not a strong recommendation. Overall, 2 stars for this book.
2022-08-03 - The Player of Games by Iain M Banks
Another book club read, this is part of Banks' Culture series. This may well be one of the more creative sci-fi settings I read this year, and it was definitely interesting, if a bit self-indulgent. I think it takes a certain type of person to really get into a book like this, but if you're already a fan of space politics, I'd recommend this one pretty well. Three stars!
2022-08-08 - Notes From The Burning Age by Claire North
This was another stand-out read. A piece of speculative fiction set in a post-global-warming apocalypse, I won't reveal too much about the plot of this one because I want to preserve the twists. It's well-written and interesting, and it made me think on every single page. Seriously, if you live in this world this should be required reading. The characters were detailed and interesting and I adored every page. Five stars!
2022-08-09 - Liminal Zone by Junji Ito
Another book club read, I finally got around to trying some of Junji Ito's horror manga. I can't say I was impressed--this short collection felt consistently rushed and never made me feel truly creeped out. The stories felt more silly than spooky. One and a half stars--after all, the art is gorgeous, even if the writing leaves a lot to be desired for me.
2022-08-11 - Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
This excellent piece of historical fiction aimed high and did a great job. I was captivated by Shipstead's grasp of character and clever sense of plot. The book new exactly what it set out to accomplish and managed it all with flying colors. I would strongly recommend this to nearly any reader who's up for a longer piece of historical fiction. Four and a half stars!
2022-08-24 - The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Another random book store pick, I honestly couldn't get into this one despite it being well-reviewed. It's a historical fiction piece about the division of Crete featuring a sort of romeo-and-juliet motif. But something about the writing or plot just rubbed me the wrong way. Two stars!
2022-08-31 - The Nix by Nathan Hill
And yet, sometimes a random book store pick works out! This novel was long, surprising, and charming. Despite the plot occasionally veering close to the line separating cleverness from a sort of saccharine, too-cute area, I found myself entirely taken in by this book and thought it was excellent. If you like a fun, looping story that pays off everything it sets up, I'd recommend this one strongly. Four and a half stars!
2022-09-02 - The Husbands by Chandler Baker
This was a book I picked up at a bookshop at the recommendations of one of the staff members and I have to say that it may well be the first time I've felt let down by that tactic. Not that this book was bad, just very middle-of-the-road. It was a thriller/mystery novel with a culty "twist" that was obvious enough from the start that I would hardly even call it that. Again, not like I thought it was bad! Just not very new and interesting for the most part. Two and a half stars!
2022-09-05 - Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
This was an intriguing novel that I loved, perhaps more for reasons of deeply personal resonance than any other reason. I loved the characters and felt seen and understood by this book. So, you may enjoy this book if you have struggled with mental health and if you have struggled to make big decisions about what you want out of life before. It was good, I cried, 4 stars, the end.
2022-09-19 - Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Another book club read, I did not really enjoy this book. It's well written, for what it is, but I questioned the purpose for which it was created, and it felt like it leaned hard on a lot of tropes. It was also just viscerally upsetting... I would say that I'd recommend it to enjoyers of true crime, but I feel like I'm not convinced that's something we need more of in this world, so... 2 stars.
2022-09-19 - The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
I started this book as an ebook but ended up picking up the audiobook when I couldn't get through it. And man, let me just say, I regret it! This was just not a very good book--I already didn't like the other Ruth Ozeki book I read and I still came back. Well, we all have our problems, I guess. Ultimately, this book was silly, trite, and I couldn't stand the characters, narration, or the framing device she picked. Seriously, it was just bad! One and a half stars.
2022-09-23 - The Clasp by Sloane Crosley
After reading something that I disliked so bad by an author that would have been among my list of faves a few years ago, I had to go back and make sure that it wasn't just that like, all my old favorite books were just bad or something. But no, that's not the case. The Clasp is a reread and it's a strange, quirky little book with a bent for acerbic humor, and I still love it very much. The characters felt real and the many plotlines weave together in a satisfying way... I still love it. Four stars!
2022-10-11 - I Couldn't Love You More by Esther Freud
Sometimes, you just want a book that's available, and this was that book for me. I was hoping it would pan out ok and it was fine! It's a cute little story about motherhood and the pain of being made to give your child up for adoption, but I felt it was perhaps a little sensationalized and tended to rely on cliche. Pretty black-and-white which I don't usually love. But it was pretty good and didn't really lose my attention, so better than some. 2 and a half stars!
2022-10-17 - A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
This thriller/mystery was fun and I got into it quickly. A lot of morally grey characters and a plot arc that dragged me in, as well as a lot of creativity. A solid piece of fiction and while I didn't bring many lessons from it with me, I thought it was well-made. Three and a half stars!
2022-10-27 - Second Place by Rachel Cusk
Perhaps the least comprehensible book I read this year, Second Place was a real enigma of a story. I was intrigued by the characters and the perspective we were placed into, and the plot was a fascinating look at obsession and intrigue. It was in many ways a meditation on privilege and what it means to make art. I think I really liked it, but in some ways I feel like I'm still chewing on this one. Also, the audiobook performance was delicious, so I'd highly recommend trying that if you enjoy such things. Three and a half highly puzzling stars!
2022-11-12 - A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
I picked this book up because it had won the Hugo award and let me say I was pretty disappointed. This modernist political thriller set in a sci-fi world was fun and well-written, but the conclusions I drew from it were bewildering... A sort of aesthetic respect for anti-authoritarian ideals while also somehow managing to mix in monarchism(!!) I'm sorry, but if your book concludes that what we really need is a benevolent god-king instead of the old, kind of crappy god-king, I just struggle to take it too seriously. The romance was good, though. Three stars!
2022-11-28 - A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
OK, I know what you're thinking. You just said you didn't even really like the first book, why are you coming back for the second one! Well, dear reader, I sort of thought that maybe it would find a way to redeem itself in the sequel. Unfortunately I should not have been hopeful. While the strengths of the first novel were still mostly here in this one, it had its weaknesses in equal measure, if not in even greater. I really struggled with this one. I love a queer romance but not at expense of ideological clarity or my other political values. So I can't really recommend this one. Two and a half stars, for not improving on the first book!
2022-11-30 - I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy
The only non-fiction I finished this year, Jeannette McCurdy paints a harrowing picture of her childhood as a child actor with an abusive mother. I recommend listening to the audiobook if you read this, since it's read by the author. It's not a fun read, but it felt real and visceral and I adored it. Hard to judge against the same yardstick as fiction but I'll give it three and a half stars.
2022-12-08 - Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Another time-travel story, this time also incorporating a pandemic... I guess I really had a theme this year. I loved this book so very much, with a lot of fun characters and some really brutal descriptions. It plays with your expectations, with points of view that follow one character in the present day and one back in time, and it uses them to the fullest extent possible. It was coy and clever with its reveals and the plot was really well-constructed. It's the sort of book that gets better as you think more about it. Four stars!
2022-12-13 - Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
I've been meaning to get to these novels by Ann Leckie ever since I read her newer story, The Raven Tower, a few years ago. I fell in love with these as well--she's such a brilliant worldbuilder, and her characters have such distinct and interesting voices. In particular, the start of this saga was brilliant and caught my attention from the very start. Four stars!
2022-12-18 - The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
I had been working my way through this book on actual paper for basically the extent of the fall, and I finally sat down and chewed through the last of it this December. While I'd heard a lot of recommendations, I don't know how I really felt about this one! The world was brilliant and the writing was brutal and fun, but I often felt that the characters were being dragged around by the plot rather than the other way around. It happens, of course, but frankly in a book intended to be a clever mystery driven by a charismatic youngster... well, I found it less forgivable than I might have. If you're a fan of fantasy, there'll be something here for you, but I don't think it will stick with me as much as I hoped it might. Two and a half stars!
The follow-up to Leckie's Justice, Sword was good, featuring more time with our favorite characters and the fascinating world that Leckie built. But honestly, the plot dragged a lot more since the lead had accomplished all her goals in the first one. I still found something to enjoy, but it's more niche and not quite as compelling as the first novel. Three stars!
Another fascinating read by Crosley. Cult Classic follows a disenchanted woman in New York City who runs across all her exes, which she soon learns to be the work of a cult led by her erstwhile boss. I found it touching and clever, and Crosley's writing is always a favorite of mine. It's mean and clever and witty and does just what I want every time. You always get the feeling from her writing that each character is present, with a distinct world going on for every one of them. Four delicious stars, even if I felt that The Clasp was a stronger contender for its driven plot.
2022-12-24 - Geometry for Ocelots by Exurb1a
Well, some book has to be the worst one you read in a year, and this one was it for me. Another book club read, I found this book borderline unacceptable. It managed to be racist, misogynistic, and dull all at the same time, with a shitty pointless ending as well. Its scifi worldbuilding was half-baked and often contradictory, its characters were unlovable and annoying... I do not recommend it to anyone. Read literally anything else. Half a star!
2022-12-25 - The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
It took me a while to get into this book, but I eventually came around to it once I realized: it is like a Jane Austen book but set in the 1910s. Once you read it with that thought, it becomes apparent that it is quite effective and really delicious. The characters are interesting and fun, and the challenging time and place of its setting make for a fun story. Effective and beautiful, I liked it and would recommend if you don't mind it being a simple, cute story. Three stars!
2022-12-25 - Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and the Express Train to Nowhere by Cecil HH Mills
Another cute, short read by Mills, I thought this book succeeded much better at its simple premise than the first book in the series. It was sillier and delivered more effectively on the promise of absurdism as the titular club investigate a dramatic mystery on a train this time, up against two separate posse's, one of nerds and one of baseball players. Again, definitely a YA offering, but I still found something to love. 2 stars since the writing didn't really improve very much!
2022-12-28 - Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
And I wrapped up with the conclusion to Leckie's Imperial Radch series. In a lot of ways, I thought that this book ought to have been bundled together entirely with the second book, since this is the one that really sees a notable change for our main character. If you liked the other two you'll like this one as well, with Leckie delivering on her lofty goals, if you can get through a bit more pontificating in the second and third books than there was in the first. Three and a half stars!
