Half a Soul: Short & Sweet (Adult)

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

This book was really just a delight. I enjoyed the premise -- a young woman had half her soul stolen by Faeriewhen she is a girl -- the setting of Regency England, the inclusion of magic, the dynamic between Dora and the Lord Sorcier... this story is charming. I could quibble about a few issues I had (spoilers, highlight to read: how exactly does the scrying work? How does her soul end up getting transported to the place she is scrying? And I wasn't entirely convinced by Dora's motivation to murder Lord Hollowvale. Also, how does she finally, in the epilogue, become one with her other self again?) but I don't really want to, because this book had so many good things going for it and is the perfect pick-me-up sort of read. If you liked Sorcery and Cecelia, you will definitely enjoy Half a Soul.

4.5 shooting stars.

By the Book: Short & Sweet

By the Book by Amanda Sellet

Nothing revolutionary, but a cute YA read about a girl making friends, falling in love, and learning to own up to her mistakes, all with a literary fiction of the 1800s theme running through it.

3.5 shooting stars.

Silk: A Rambling Review (Adult)

Silk by Alessandro Baricco

2.5 stars, perhaps? This story is simply written, and if you think about it, not much happens plot-wise. It's basically about a man who travels to Japan multiple times for his silk worm business, and is immediately attracted to a woman he meets but who he never exchanges a single spoken word with. This book is... odd. The writing is sparse, simple, and detached, yet somewhat repetitive. The reader is given very few details about the man's life, or his mindset, or the historical setting, or the silk worm business. Yet the book has its own sense of the poetic at times, conveying feelings of longing and wonderings of 'what could have been.' 

There's also a twist at the end that I didn't pick up on. However, this story revolves around someone who is married and essentially cheating on his wife (if not physically, then mentally/emotionally), which is something I generally don't like to read about in my books. The reader is kept at a distance from Herve's thoughts and intentions, so I never understood why he was making the choices he was (he seemed to love his wife very much, after all). There was also an aspect of the story that was made much of but never explained (spoiler, highlight to read: we never find out how the young woman who was not of Japanese heritage ended up in Japan).

Plus, Herve continually refers to the woman he meets in Japan as having the "face of a girl", and as he is obviously attracted to her, this came across as kinda...icky.

2.5 shooting stars (and that's being generous).

The Dry: Short & Sweet (Adult)

The Dry by Jane Harper

A good start to my reading year! This mystery is a slow-moving one -- the murder has happened at the start of the novel, and the rest is spent with the police as they follow leads and uncover clues -- but I liked the sense of place Harper establishes (the hot, dry small-town feel of Kiewarra) as well as the characters and their relationships and history. Falk was an enjoyable protagonist to follow, as he has a good heart and really cares about others, but at the same time, seems to find it difficult to open up to them. I did find the reveal of the current-day storyline to be a little unsatisfying, but I found the past storyline to be gut-wrenching and horrifying (spoiler, highlight to read: the abuse that Ellie endures from her father is sickening, and I wish the end of the book had delivered justice for her. However, sometimes justice doesn't happen in real life, so I guess I can't expect it every time in fiction either.). I will definitely look into what else Jane Harper has published!

4 shooting stars.

2022 End of the Year Book Survey

I had a better reading year in 2022 than the previous year, thankfully! I set my Goodreads goal a little lower and then exceeded it, which made me feel pretty good about my reading. It's taken me a bit of time to get this post up, but I always enjoy participating in this fabulous survey created by Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner. 

Number Of Books You Read: 35

Number of Re-Reads: 0?

Genre You Read The Most From: 2022 was the year of the mystery/thriller for me! Although fantasy (including magical realism) wasn't far behind. 

1. Best Book You Read In 2022?

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Even though this book gave me a headache trying to figure out all the complex time-travel-esque machinations, the plotting was so clever and the premise fascinating! 

Runner-up would probably be The Q by Beth Brower, which is just such a perfect read to cozy up with around Christmas/New Year's. 

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

Bitterburn by Ann Aguirre

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler 

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?   

In a way, I think I was surprised that I wasn't more wowed by Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale. I'd heard so many good things about it, and the overall Goodreads rating is so high, and while I thought it was well-written, I didn't feel like it was anything really special within the genre.

On the flip side, I liked Charlotte Rogan's The Lifeboat more than most people on Goodreads seemed to, so that was a pleasant surprise! I had the feeling it might work for me, and it did.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I don't do a lot of book pushing, but maybe The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle?

5. Best series you started in 2022? Best Sequel of 2022? Best Series Ender of 2022?

It wasn't a great year for me in terms of reading series, and honestly, I think I'm starting to get away from series in the direction of standalones. I don't have very many series that I'm actively keeping up with. 

Best series started: the Moonlit Lands series by Zoe Marriott

Best sequel: I don't have a good answer for this one. 

Best series ender: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2022?

I discovered several new authors in 2022, but I'm not sure I can class any of them as "favourites" yet, as I've only read one book from each of them. 

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I don't tend to read a lot of non-fiction books, but I do occasionally read memoirs. One memoir that I read in 2022 and appreciated was Sarah Polley's Run Toward the Danger. I watched the TV show Road to Avonlea when I was a kid, and she played my favourite character. It was eye-opening to read about her experiences as a child actor (both on the Road to Avonlea set as well as other sets), and interesting to hear about other aspects of her life that I found quite relatable, such as her experience with scoliosis and concussion. 

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

9. Book You Read In 2022 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Not sure about this question -- maybe Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift, if I end up continuing the series?

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2022?

There are quite a few! A couple of my favourites are Cast in Firelight and The Scent Keeper. 

11. Most memorable character of 2022?

This is a hard one to answer... maybe Molly from The Maid?

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2021?



The Scent Keeper -- lyrical and descriptive writing that really paints a picture through scents.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2022

I don't think I had any life-changing books in 2022. 

14.Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2022 to finally read? 

Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott -- admittedly, I did pick this one up a few times prior to 2022 and try to get into it, then put it down. But this was the year I actually read it! 

Also, there was a lot of buzz around The Hate U Give when it came out in 2017, but I didn't read it until 2022. 

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2021?

“I refuse to be silent when I know of an injustice and am in a position to make it known. Enough preaching? Not wanted? Not needed? ... I say: Preach! Preach! If you know of a higher ideal, if you see a better way for mankind to exist, then preach! Don't sit quietly by because of your own imperfections! What happens when a set of imperfect people spend their time talking about becoming better? Chances are one or two of them might actually choose to become better. Unless we buy the hedonistic drivel of the day, what keeps us from it? Are we so scared of failing? We're human! We fail. We fall.” -- The Q

There are a lot of quotable passages from The Scent Keeper, such as:

"For good or ill, my father and I lived close to the earth. My childhood was suffused with wonder -- along with the stone-hard knowledge that our lives depended upon what we could make or find or grow. For me, those mermaid boxes were about more than just food. They gave me the feeling that someone magical knew we were there and was taking care of us. Someone beyond my father, bigger than the island. I very much needed to believe in that. I think we all do. 

But all I knew that day on the beach was that my father had told me a lie. I didn't stop to ask whether that lie was for me or him or both of us. Whether his stories were to make reality go away or bring it closer. All I knew was that if mermaids didn't exist, then everything else must be up for grabs, too. I turned and headed for the cabin, my feet slamming against the dirt." 

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2021?

Shortest: Bitterburn by Ann Aguirre (190 pages)

Longest: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (618 pages)

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Despite the fact I read so many mystery/thrillers (and enjoyed a number of them), I don't recall any of them having really shocking reveals that just blew my mind. There were certainly reveals I didn't see coming, but none that made a big impact (and some were presented in a way I just didn't buy). For this question, I'll actually pick The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes, because there is some pretty shocking violence and abuse that takes place in this book. 

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Honestly, I didn't read a lot of books in 2022 that were romances or even had romance as a focus. If I had to pick, maybe Emmeline and Fisher from The Scent Keeper, or Adraa and Jatin from Cast in Firelight?

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

The friendships Quincy forms in The Q, and that Molly makes in The Maid. 

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2022 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Obsidio 

21. Best Book You Read In 2022 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

The Maid by Nita Prose and The Push by Ashley Audrain

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2022?

I don't think I have an answer for this, sadly. 

23. Best 2022 debut you read?

The Maid -- I really enjoyed this one! 

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year? 

 

Best worldbuilding: Parable of the Sower -- even though there were a number of aspects of this book I disliked (including the plot and the protagonist), and I only gave it 3 stars overall, the one thing it did really well was worldbuilding. 

Most vivid setting: The Scent Keeper -- the way the author used scent to describe  Emmeline's surroundings was unique and evocative. 

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

The Q by Beth Brower -- this was a heartwarming story that I feel like I read at the perfect time of year. 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2021?

I don't think I had one of these this year.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

I have a number of hidden gems! The Q by Beth Brower, The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow, The Silence of Bones by June Hur, and The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

I wouldn't describe any of the books I read in 2022 as soul-crushing.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2022?

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler -- the main character really ticked me off. She just came across as so arrogant, thinking she had the solution to the world's problems and everyone should follow her belief system. 

 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2022 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2023?

Not sure it will be my number one priority, but I would like to try to read The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (which would finish the trilogy). 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2023 (non-debut)? 

Homecoming by Kate Morton -- I haven't been able to get into her latest novel,
The Clockmaker's Daughter, but I'm hopeful that Homecoming will be more my cup of tea (plus that cover is stunning!)

3. 2023 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? 

To Poison a King by S.G. Prince -- this is an adult fantasy, and the premise sounds like it would be right up my alley!

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2023?

Since I'm not actively reading many series these days, there really aren't any that I'm anticipating in 2023. (I *am* anticipating the next book in Samantha Shannon's Bone Season series, but I think that is slated for 2024.)