Hi everyone!
I know you sll must be tired of hearing people say that they can't belive it's halfway through 2022, but oh my god, how IS this year going so fast and I feel like I've literally done nothing?!
Well to be fair, I did have major exams throughout the first half, but still.
So far I've read 80 books, out of my Reading goal of 130, so i think I'm pretty on-track.
But without further ado, let's get to the questions!
1. Best book(s) I've read so far this year
Only a Monster by Vanessa Len-
No number of times would ever be enough for me to talk about this book and adequately share all my feelings about it. And the fact that I barely know anyone in the book community who've read it just makes me all the more excited to talk a out it.
Only a Monster is everything that's right with ya fantasy: the fast-paced plot, the heavy angst, the love triangle.
But it's also everything that's been changing for the better. It's dark, gritty, with a unique and fascinating twist on time travel and monsters.
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang-
Tadaaa! Oh look, another person raving about The Poppy War.
But can you blame me?
The Poppy War is such a strong, unforgettable read that just changed me for life. It just set up so high expectations for me for fantasy that I donr think anyone other than R. F. Kuang can reach them again.
It's brutal, it's shocking, it's mind-blowing.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman- Completely changing gears here, A Man Called Ove has been a very deservedly (imo) hyped book on bookstagram for a long time.
It's a god-tier comfort read and also in terms of character development and emotional connection and humorous writing and discussing themes... and just perfection in every way.
If you haven't read it yet, what are you even doing with your life?
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali- I know it's technically cheating because it's already a stretch choosing 4 books, but who's gonna stop me?
I feel so glad to say that I've already found 4 books that will make my Best of the Year list without hesitation.
The Stationery Shop is the comfort read you pick up when you need a good release of tears. It's so beautifully crafted, and vivid and heart-wrenching and puts Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliette to shame.
2. Best sequel so far
The Long Game by Rachel Reid- After absolutely loving Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid, there was never a chance that i wouldn't pick this up, and not adore it as well.
Usually I'm a bit iffy about sequels for romance books, but this one was perfect.
There were also others that i read, like Ravensong by TJ Klune, Fence Disarmed, A Case of Possession by KJ Charles that were great sequels.
3. New releases you haven't read but want to
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel- I have heard so many good things about this since it has released from all of my trusted book influencers that I follow, some of whom I'll list below:
Elliot Brooks
Family of Liars by E. Lockhart- If you don't know, I'm a I-will-die-for-everything-she-writes fan of E. Lockhart. (Also, if you've only read We Were Liars and not Again, Again by E. Lockhart, you're deeply missing our)
But despite that big claim, I... umm, still haven't read Family of Liars. Even though I was so excited for it that I thought that I would pick it up the moment it came out. So yeah, I really need to get it.
4. Anticipated releases for the second half
Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater- If you haven't seen me sharing memes and posts about the Raven Cycle 20 different times, do you even know me?
My obsession with this series and attachment with the characters cannot be summed up in words. And the LAST book set in this universe is coming out in October I AM NOT OKAY.
Foul Lady Fortuneby Chloe Gong- (pss, listen... I have an arc!)
And I would have READ THAT ALREADY if the stupid NetGalley shelf app hadn't chosen to malfunction the moment I got approved for it.
5. Biggest disappointment
Umm, I don't I've had any disappointing reads as such because my opinion aligns with the general public almost always.
So there is only one book I can recall that I did not find what it was hyped up to be.
And that is Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
It was a really interesting concept and the vibes were great, but in the end, it was just...boring? I know this would be a very unpopular opinion, but I remeber reading two short stories and just not being motivated to read the rest because I just couldn't connect with any of them?
6. Biggest surprise
Verity by Colleen Hoover- After reading It Ends With Us and All Your Perfects, in my opinion the best of CoHo (and the least problematic), I was a little hesitant because Verity is completely different from her usual works. But after so much praise from my best friend, i finally picked it up and I was floored by it.
Verity is one unhinged, shocking and creepy read that kept me on my toes throughout.
Thrown Off the Ice by Taylor Fitzpatrick-A pretty recent read, and one I hugely underestimated, because I had no idea this book would wreck me as much as it did. I just expected it to be a usual sports romance story with some light angst and cute moments, but holy hell this was so above and beyond my expectations.
Like a good sucker puch to the gut.
7. Books that made you happy
For this I can name so many books, mostly romance, like Heat Stroke by Tessa Bailey and Fence-Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan. These books were like big sacks of over-the-top angst and silly humor that made me smile and chuckle so much while reading.
But I'll just elaborate on a few of the top ones here:
Partnership: Covert Affairs- This is probably the fluffiest spy novel ever written. It's not a spy novel with romance. It's a romance but the two MCs work for the FBI.
8. Books that made you cry
Thrown off the Ice by Taylor Fitzpatrick- I already talked about this book, so I won't go in too much detail, but as I said, this book was written with a taste of the pain the kind you would get from reading A Little Life.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman- This book is so well-known, and yet I think it still needs more hype because this is one of the BEST thing I've read all year.
It's a mix of fluffy and melancholy and happy, and I can just tell you that Fredrik Backman is going to be my new favorite author even though I've only read one of his books till now.
9. New favorite character
Fang Runin- my damaged girl boss that I would die to give a happy ending.
Roya and Bahman from the Stationery Shop- the gentle comfort (and also a little bit of pain) that these characters give me is indescribable.
10. New fictional crush
Aaron from Only a Monster- Uggh, it's so painful to keep going on and on about a character nobody know, but GOD AARON is everything.
11. Most beautiful book you've received this year
Atlas Six by Olivie Blake- After seeing countless instgram posts showing off their copies, I finally caved and bought this gorgeous edition of Atlas Six.
(I have a special place in my heart for black book with silver or gold foiling).
12. Books you need to read by the end of the year
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie-
I have seen this book in SO MANY five star reviews from my favorite bloggers that if I dont read it now, it would be a crime. And honestly? It sounds like the best thing, so I don't know why I should hold off.
City of Dusk by Tara Sim-
Ok, in total transparency, I did start reading this and even made a whole post about it. But then I stopped 12% in because things just got too busy and it's a big book to commit to. Hopefully I'll pick this up again in the coming month.
Time to chat!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post. I had a lot of fun looking back on all of the great (and not so great) books I read this year with you all.
Here's to many more books that we fall in love for the rest of the year!
Don't forget to connect with me on on my Instagram @aammaiswriting_