#2022 reading recap

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Feo’s fave books of 2022 (4/6)

Maurice by Edward Morgan Forster

I was yours once till death if you'd cared to keep me.

[ala-baguette]

hello!! just sending an ask to say I've read Knowing Where to Look in one sitting because it was so addictive! Thank you for writing it!! Also, if you still remember, in a previous ask you mentioned physical books you've added to your shelf. I'd love to know some of those favourites!! Hope you are doing well :)

Wait... like... someone wants to hear me rattle on about books???

I had a very fun reading adventure in 2022. Those familiar with my writing might notice that everything I write is 3rd person past tense. This is the only POV/tense that comes naturally to me and the only one I have traditionally enjoyed reading or writing. I recently found myself with an idea for a novel that I do think, however, would benefit from exploring a different perspective or tense. To do so, would require me to broaden my horizons, get past my own prejudices and find a way to get more comfortable with an entirely different style of writing. So in 2022, I resolved to read only novels in either first person POV, present tense or (shudder) both. And low and behold, I found I loved every second of the adventure!

My 2022 Reading List Recap:

The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern: I see this story got some very mixed reviews which doesn't surprise me in the least. I would not recommend this book to everyone. But I will happily say that I loved it. This is not a book for people who just want a linear forward-moving plot that gets to the point. This is a book for people who are interested in the process of story-telling, who are interested in seeing how characters develop, who are interested in puzzling how the various story lines might be interconnected and are okay with the idea that they will not immediately "get" it. I loved the stories within stories, and I enjoyed slowly making connections between these stories and working out where they all fit together. The protagonist felt real, and the romance was subtle and understated, mimicking real life which is so my style. His sexuality did not define his character and lacked the usual cliches of gay characters. I loved the magical realism and beautiful imagery. Repeatedly while reading, I found myself saying, "I love words." I love that humans can create such amazing images in my mind using words and how even the way the words themselves sound so lovely. If you do not "love words" like I do, you will probably not love this book. At times, the flowery prose borders on pretentious, but I was totally there for it. This story was told in third person present tense. Normally, I find myself very distracted by present tense and it pulls me out of the story. In this case, however, it felt very immersive and added to the dream-like quality of the writing. I don't think the story would have hit the same way in past tense, so i can absolutely accept this choice.

Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir: I always look forward to a new book from Andy Weir. First off, the dude got his start writing fan fiction. Listening to him talk about fan fiction in an interview years ago was one of the things that inspired me to be more open about my fic writing to the people in my life. It's inspiring to know see that someone really did become a successful author from what they learned while writing fic. The other reason I love Andy Weir is that he is one of the few authors my partner and I can read together. My partner (an engineer) tends to favor really dry nonfiction so he can "learn" while reading, and it is just so not my cup of tea. I am a fiction lover, all the way. I get enough real world in the real world, thanks. I read to be transported somewhere else and to get to turn my brain away from real world problems. What's great about Weir is that he's a total nerd. He clearly does an insane amount of research into the technology he includes in his stories. So my husband will read his books to puzzle over the feasibility of his spaceship constructions while I get to enjoy a fun story about a man stranded in space as he struggles to save the world. Win-win. Project Hail Mary features a man who is suffering from amnesia (don't worry, its not soap-opera-cheesy, it actually makes some logical sense.) The narrative flashes between his present struggles and flashbacks as he slowly works out how he got where he is. It's almost like reading a novel and its sequel all mixed up into one. For the two different timelines, one is written in present tense, the other in past. Weir uses the tense to clue you in on which timeline you are currently reading and it is very cleverly done. The tense work in this book was really eye-opening for me-- it really helped me to see how tense can be a devise in good story telling.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman: I'm still reeling from this book a bit. The narrator is a seven year old child, which, coupled with a fantastical storyline featuring monsters and magic, in some ways makes the story feel like a children's book. But it is most definitely written for adults. What I loved about this story is it is a wonderful representation of the unreliable narrator. As I read, I was constantly questioning whether the events were 'really happening' or if this was just how a seven-year-old boy would rationalize his trauma. Is his nanny really a monster or is this just easier for him to process than the idea that his father is having an affair? I am so impressed with the way Gaiman remembers how a child thinks and acts. This one is written in first person past. I'm trying to remember other Gaiman novels I've read, and if memory serves, I feel like he usually favors third person. I do feel like the choice to write this one in first person was very intentional. Partly, I think this was a very personal choice as I do believe large bits of this story were inspired by his own childhood. But I also think it lends itself well to encourage the reader to think about their own past and remember what it felt like to be a child. The tense really did help you to feel like you were quietly sitting in a place filed with memories thinking back to your youth. While reading these last two, I spent a lot of time considering why I enjoyed the first person POV in these stories and tended to dislike it in my own writing. I think a big part of my dislike of first person is that it is so pervasive in teen novels. Absolutely nothing against teen novels, because I love them and I don't think I will ever outgrow them. But because of this, when I see first person, I tend equate this to "childish". So, fueled by a thirst for understanding (and nostalgia) I went on another fun mission to reread some of the first person books I loved as a teen to see what the difference was. I think I've come to the conclusion that the POV in these cases is less of a thoughtful choice and more of a way to conform to the norms of the genre and signify that the story is meant for young readers. I suppose teens want to feel understood and relatable. I went to my bookshelf and just started plucking books off that I recalled being in first person. The conclusion I came to while rereading them as an adult was that I could take or leave the tense. Which I suppose is the difference for me... I personally prefer things in third person past unless I see the reason for something else. I won't go into as much detail on these, but here are the first person teen/ YA novels I read this year in case you're craving a stroll down memory lane. These books clearly all stood the test of time for me, given that some fifteen to twenty years later, they're all still on my bookshelf.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

The Daughter of the Forest, by Juliet Marellier

The Beekeeper's Apprentice, by Laurie R King

Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine

The Tiger's Curse, by Coleen Houck

Across the Nightingale Floor, by Lian Hearn

All in all, I had a very successful experiment and I find myself much more open-minded about first person POV and slightly more open-minded about present tense. But I will say, that once 2022 was over, I was very quick to kick this to the curb and go back to my happy place with third-person past. Oh... and... confession... I did cheat a little. Spurred by a combination of the nostalgia of rereading things from my youth and from watching the HBO adaptation of His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman, I did reread this series in 2022. All I can say, is man, it really holds up. Still among my favorite fantasy series.

[remindmetoreed]

2022 Reading Recap

Top 3 Fiction Books of 2022

If We Were Villains by ML Rio

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

Verity by Colleen Hoover (I read this book SO FAST, but none of her other books appeal to me??)

Top 3 Nonfiction Books of 2022

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

The Molecule of More by Daniel Lieberman, MD and Michal E. Long

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

Most Underwhelming Book of 2022

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul

Book(s) I DNF'ed

Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

3 Books I Wanted To Read But Didn't Get To

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

[bisexual-book-worm]

2022 Reading Wrapped

Keeping track of everything I read this year was a daunting but rewarding task! I jump from all types of media when I read, from library books, to physical copies, audiobooks, fanfics, comics, and graphic novels, and there just isn't a great place to keep track of all of that! So I kept a reading log on my iPad all year and here are some of my highlights!

I want to shoutout to all the amazing fics I read this year! So if you'd like to read any of these too, have at it! They were all amazing 😊

You Have Nothing to be Sorry For by hopeofnyan Fandom: atla Pairing: Zutara Word count: 2680 Summary: Katara does not deal well with being repeatedly abandoned and Zuko is the first person she talks to about several buried emotional burdens.

If There Was A Place I Could Call Home ( It'd Be in Your Arms Tonight) by tarotea_ji Fandom: atla Pairing: Zutara Word count: 1545 Summary: Sometimes winter nights are cold and lonely. Katara seeks out Zuko for company and they spend some quality time cuddling and talking. i.e. where two people are utterly in love with each other and just aren't ready to accept the extent of their feelings get a little bit closer to realizing. they are so soft for each other.

Also the title is based off of lyrics from Soren by beabadoobee. maybe that could be a song to listen to while reading this!!

Hopeless by tullyblue12 Fandom: atla Pairing: Zutara Word count: 56558 Chapters: 23/23 Summary: Kids grow up fast when a cruel world awaits them. In times of hopelessness, Katara and Zuko grow together. In times of separation, they hope to see each other again. ^This one does come with a content warning but the subject matter is very fade to black/you only see snippets in flashbacks, it's enough to know what's happening but not graphically depicted at all. But do be warned if you can't read any content that even mentions the R word. Also note that everything that happens between Zuko and Katara IS consensual

i want your company, i need your company. by xolaris_12 Fandom: The Owl House Pairing: Huntlow Word count: 2962 Summary: hunter coming over to willow's house late at night seemed to be turning into a weekly routine for them, but willow wasn't sure how long she could keep overlooking the root of it.

The one where she fell first (not really) by AnotherAttempt Fandom: The Owl House Pairing: Huntlow Word count: 2463 Summary: "Thank you, Hunter," she whispers, forehead touching his chest, very close to where his heart is.

"W-What for...?"

She grins, hug getting just a little tighter. As if on reflex, he does the same.

How endearing.

"For being here with me."

His arms double down in the hug, again. Hers doesn't.

"Anytime, anywhere," he says. "For as long as you'll have me, Willow."

She closes her eyes, lips trembling, heart on fire.

She loves him. If only he felt the same way...

Cotton Candy Kind Of Love by This_Is_My_Guest_Name Fandom: The Owl House Pairing: Gustholomule Word count: 2669 Summary: Gus and Matt are at the amusement park, and things might not go exactly the way they planned

I had a ton of others I also loved this year so it was really so hard to choose which ones to highlight! But I think these were so great and really really stood out to me.

[navree]

anyway this is why, despite the fact that i firmly believe that dc has the better characters and the better stories and, for me at least, is the one that engages me more and that i'm the most emotionally invested in, marvel's the one that i'm currently even attempting to follow current continuity on, because i know they're doing fuckery with spiderman but doctor strange is my main marvel guy okay, and they brought clea back when she's my fave character of their's, and jed mackay is a good writer who both likes and understands these characters, so i'm really only interested in modern doctor strange and refusing to even look too closely at dc's current train wreck beyond what my mutuals are telling me is happening

[bibliophilecats]

My Reading Year 2022

A good year.

[minglana]

woooo i get to update my spreadsheet today with new sheets for the books, movies, and shows ill watch this next year :D yipeeeee :DDD

[cfiesler]

This is my TENTH year of sharing my favorite novels I’ve read each year on social media. (I was doing it before it was cool I guess. :-p ) Anyway, here’s my list for 2022! And at the link you can find every other year’s recs. (Also yes I know that the John Green book is cheating because it’s not fiction but it was a really important book for me so wanted to include it. <3 )

FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Angeline Boulley. A gripping mystery/thriller starring a college student and set in a Native American community. I hear this is being made into a Netflix series, and I can’t wait!

AKATA WITCH by Nnedi Okorafor. This falls into the category of “slightly embarrassed I hadn’t read it sooner” after hearing such good things about this book for years, but I’m glad I finally did! YA fantasy featuring the magical community in Nigeria.

TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin. Favorite novel I read this year, hands down. It’s hard to describe, but in addition to being a nostalgia blanket for gamers my age, it’s also a story about friendship and life and the tech industry.

BOOK OF NIGHT by Holly Black. I got to read an ARC of this a bit early, and really wasn’t disappointed by her first adult book. The system of magic was *fascinating* and I really liked the mystery plot.

BLOOD LIKE MAGIC by Liselle Sambury. Fantasy AND science fiction! It’s about witches in 2040s Toronto, and so manages to have a cool magic system while also featuring an evil tech CEO.

THE DEAD ROMANTICS by Ashley Poston. I actually don’t read much romance, so two books making it on this list is pretty unusual for me! This was Ashley’s adult debut, and it was *charming* and has this sort of flavor to it that I often get from writers that I know “grew up” in fanfiction communities. Also such a cool premise: a ghost writer who can see ghosts!

ONE LAST STOP by Casey McQuiston. I actually think it’s a bit of a spoiler to give away the main premise, so I’ll just say that it’s about two women who meet and fall in love on the subway. Except now you know there’s a twist, and I’ll note that (similar Dead Romantics) I almost never read romance that doesn’t have some kind of speculative fiction element.

THE ANTHROPOCENE REVIEWED by John Green. I know this is cheating, because this is a list of fiction reads. But I needed to put this book on my list because it was so deeply important for me this year. I read it during a really difficult time for me, and it sort of kept me going in a way that’s kind of hard to describe. And I think I got out of it something quite similar to what I get out of the best fiction that makes me reflect on my own life. Anyway. Read it.

[dooareyastudy]

Books I read in December 2022 & my opinion on them !

My favorites!

La raison dans l’Histoire, Hegel, 1822 (it’s the intro of Lectures on the Philosophy of History if I am not mistaken) | much more approchable than the Phenomenology, I think it could be a good book to start with if you want to discover Hegel’s work.

Un balcon en forêt, Julien Gracq, 1958 | my favorite Gracq so far. If you don’t already know Gracq, I really recommend you check out his books!!

Hegel et la société, Pierre Macherey et Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, 1984 | a great book to explain some of Hegel’s concepts into simple yet precise ways. Made me want to read Elements of the Philosophy of Right.

Good

Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Toward a Unitary Theory, Lise Vogel, 1983 | Very interesting on paper. Disappointed that the original production of the author only amounts to 2 chapters out of 10. Moreover, they feel more like an introduction than a proper contribution, as the original production is quite underdeveloped and sometimes lacking. An important book nonetheless. Makes me want to read more of Lise Vogel !

Limonov, Emmanuel Carrère, 2011 | Could have easily been a favorite of mine but the author is so.......... annoying. Like mate, the book isn’t about yourself, stop it.

Bad

Querelle de Brest, Jean Genet, 1947 | Maybe it’s a Jean Genet overdose ? Idk, I really liked everything I read of him until now. But this one........... is not it. Very unsubtle, the balance in Genet’s work I liked so far is nowhere to be seen. The writing is usually heavy but here, it’s heavier than ever, making the book very hard to read. The fact that there is no sections makes it even worse. I am so disappointed.............

[anniemika]

So I need to get this out. My life was a freaking rollercoaster for the whole of 2022. I went through so much stuff that I don’t know how I ended up where I am now, but I’m so happy I did. I realised I had strength in me that I had forgotten about, and now having it back feels fucking awesome. I broke up with my boyfriend of almost six years, after being so fucking miserable for at least the past two, I moved to another country alone for 3 months, learned to live without him, learned to let go and open up to new people, got into my studies again, decided I should start doing what I love even if it doesn’t bring me the amount of money that I want, and I can say that for the first time in what feels like forever I’m closer to happiness than I’ve ever been for the past couple of years. It’s not all perfect, but I have great friends and my family is there for me too, and being single turned out to be not as petrifying as I initially thought it would. It’s fucking awesome, actually. At the end of the day, if you’re unhappy with someone, just let them go. It’ll suck for some time, but you’re going to be okay. And you’re going to be so thankful to yourself.

[moranjpg]

Feo's fave books of 2022 (1/6)

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

When something was strange, everyone thought they had the right to come stomping in all over your life to figure out why.

[thelonelybrilliance]

2022 Booklist

Rainer Maria Rilke - The Poetry of Rilke

David Lehman (ed.) - Best of American Poetry 2021

Dorothy Sayers - Clouds of Witness

Dorothy Dunnett - Niccolo Rising

Louise Glück - Faithful and Virtuous Night (RR)

Richard Siken - Crush (RR)

Louise Glück - Winter Recipes from the Collective

Kevin Young (ed.) - The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing

Lana Del Rey - Violet Bent Backwards over Grass

Lorna Crozier - Whetstone

Maggie Smith - Goldenrod

Joan Didion - The White Album

Joan Didion - Blue Nights

John Knowles - A Separate Peace

Louise Glück - Winter Recipes from the Collective (RR)

Richard Siken - War of the Foxes (RR)

Joan Didion - Let Me Tell You What I Mean

Pablo Neruda - Love Poems

Joan Didion - South and West

Barbara Kingsolver - How to Fly (In 10,000 Easy Lessons)

Elizabeth Wein - Rose Under Fire

Michelle Filgate (ed.) - What My Mother and I Don't Talk About

Joan Didion - After Henry

André Leon Talley - The Chiffon Trenches

Dorothy Sayers - Unnatural Death

Nina Garcia - The Little Black Book of Style

Martha Wells - All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries)

Louise Glück - Faithful and Virtuous Night (RR)

Sam Kashner & Nancy Schoenberger - Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century

Margaret Atwood - Dearly

Louise Glück - Wild Iris (RR)

Louise Glück - Winter Recipes from the Collective (RR)

Gregory Orr - The Book Which Is the Body of the Beloved

Jane Austen - Emma (RR)

L.M. Montgomery - Anne of the Island (RR)

Amy Odell - Tales from the Back Row

Jane Austen - Persuasion (RR)

Louise Glück - Vita Nova (RR)

Rosemary Sutcliff - The Eagle of the Ninth

Jennette McCurdy - I'm Glad My Mom Died

The above list is in order I read them--favorites are bolded. If I reread something (RR), you can assume it's a favorite. Red is fiction, blue is non-fiction, purple is poetry.

My favorite books of the year were nonfiction--The Chiffon Trenches, Furious Love, The White Album, and I'm Glad My Mom Died all made a real impact on me. But a special shout-out to the delight of rereading Emma, picking up Sutcliff for the first time since my mom read them aloud to us years ago, the haunting Rose Under Fire (set during the Holocaust), the surprisingly excellent All Systems Red, and Gregory Orr's incredibly moving poetry collection. Louise Glück remains the author of my heart.

Here's to making it to 50 in 2023. Or 52. A book a week. :)

[msbarrows]

Reading Recap 2022

Saw someone else do this and liked the idea enough to also do it.

To make things easier on myself, I limited myself to a) books I read for the first time this year, that b) I added to my library in 2022. Which means there’s a handful of books I added in prior years and only got around to reading this year that are not included. Also a lot of books that I added this year but had previously read (see: slowly replacing all my favourite paperbacks with ebooks), or even just re-read this year (which would make an image with many, many more covers than this one).

Anyway - some of these I got free from Tor giveaways, some I picked up in sales, some I bought after seeing them in a Tumblr post and thinking they sounded interesting, or were written by people whose fanfiction I liked, so might as well try some of their published (or self-published) stuff too.

So, books I’ve read this year that meet the above criteria, in no particular order:

The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison - first saw a mention of her on a Tumblr post about good fantasy authors, where her book The Goblin Emperor was mentioned. Read it, loved it, have been reading her ever since.

The Golden Enclaves, Naomi Novak - started reading her as astolat, moved on to Naomi Novak things, of course I was going to read her published Scholomance series after enjoying her earlier fanfic Scolomance series (pretty much completely unrelated other than it being based around a dangerous magic school).

Nona The Ninth, Tamsyn Muir - Added Gideon The Ninth (from a Tor giveaway) and Harrow The Ninth (on a good sale) in previous years, only finally got around to reading them just before this one was due out. Enjoyed it muchly, looking forward to the next in the series.

All The Horses Of Ireland, Sarah Tolmie - saw a gushing review of it somwehere, decided to give it a try. Liked it.

Nettle & Bone and Illuminations, T. Kingfisher - started reading her after seeing a post on Tumblr about the release of A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking, have been reading her ever since. Both of these were excellent.

Into The Broken Lands, Tanya Huff - I’ve been reading her since picking up a copy of Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light at the end of the 80s, and was delighted a year or two later to learn one of my fave Canadian authors worked at my all-time-favourite book store in Toronto, Bakka (oh hi person I’ve bought my weekly stacks of books from for ages, now sitting behind a table doing a signing). I highly recommend her to anyone interested in good fantasy or some light SF, particularly if they’re interested in books that include queer characters written by a queer author.

Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree - kept hearing good things about this book, decided to make it one of my Christmas presents to myself for reading over the holidays. It was great.

The God Engines, John Scalzi - I keep hearing good things about his writing but hadn’t read anything by him yet. Saw this on sale and tried it. I think I need to try something else by him before I can decide if I like him enough to start working my way through his bibliography.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, Xiran Jay Zhao - sounded interesting, another Christmas present to myself, something to enjoy while impatiently waiting for the next book in the Iron Widow series. It was pretty good.

Pegasus, Robin McKinley - Been wanting to read this for years (since back when she was writing about her writing progress on it on her blog well over a decade ago), and it finally dropped a few dollars in price, from “painfully expensive” to merely “new book expensive”, so I finally bought a copy. It was good, but considering how many years it’s already been out (12!) I was disappointed to hit the end and realize it’s meant to be the first in a series... which has clearly failed to materialize in the years since.

Strange And Stubborn Endurance, Foz Meadows - I don’t recall what brought this book to my attention, but I enjoyed it muchly, and am looking forward to additional books in the series (which apparently won’t be until next December). Should probably try some of their other books.

A Taste Of Iron And Gold, Some By Virtue Fall, and The Lights of Ystrac Wood, by Alexandra Rowland - that first is another where I don’t recall why it went on my wishlist, but I enjoyed it enough after getting around to buying it that I went and bought (and read) a couple more by the same author. All excellent.

Taji From Beyond The Rings, T. Cooper - I think I may have seen it mentioned on a list of queer romances? I forget. It ended up on my wishlist somehow, and when I was picking out things to read over the holidays it’s blurb sounded interesting enough to give it a shot. Liked it, and have since also picked up (but not yet read) the four books in their Familiar Spirits series.

Fete For A King, Infinite Jes, and The Lady And The Tiger, by Sam Starbuck - started reading his stuff as copperbadge, have picked up some of his self-published things this year, really enjoying the Shivadh romances (I’ve already re-read them all twice and will probably re-read them a third time when he posts the next in the series next year). Need to get around to reading the non-Shivadh ebooks I also purchased.

A Swift Kick To The Thorax, by Mara Lynn Johnstone - saw the cover, read the blurb about it being a human veterinarian dealing with aliens with an earth animal problem - thought that the sound of it put me in mind of the Piers Anthony’s Prostho Plus collection of short stories, about a human dentist dealing with alien tooth problems. It was exactly that silly. Very space opera. And also very good. Good enough that I’ve bought (but not yet read) another book by her.

[canonicallyanxious]

Sarah's Top 10 Reads of 2022

Honestly a miracle i read enough books to put together a list of top ten books this year but i'll take it

i'm also including links to my goodreads reviews where i remembered to write one in case anyone is curious as to my first impressions of any of these books (as I recall i didn't write a review for my top read of this year because it made me too emotional if that tells you anything about the kind of books i like to read)

So here we go! My favorite reads of the year:

10. Notes of a Crocodile - Qiu Miaojin, tr. Bonnie Huie (GR)

9. How High We Go In the Dark - Sequoia Nagamatsu (GR)

8. The Chosen and the Beautiful - Nghi Vo (GR)

7. Light From Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki (GR)

6. The Sunflower Cast a Spell To Save Us From The Void - Jackie Wang (GR)

5. The Traitor Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson (GR)

4. Butter Honey Pig Bread - Francesca Ekwuyasi (GR)

3. Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

2. The Tradition - Jericho Brown

1. The Thirty Names of Night - Zeyn Joukhadar

[queerhawkeyes]

2022 reading recap

of the 68 books I’ve read so far, here are some highlights:

favorite novel: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

I don’t normally go for historical fiction, but I’m glad I made an exception here

favorite nonfiction: All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell

this made me feel a lot of things about death

favorite new (to me) author: Sarah Gailly

I read Just Like Home, The Echo Wife, and Magic for Liars. gailly’s ability to engage in quite different genres is outstanding. Magic for Liars was my least favorite of the three, but reading the afterward of The Echo Wife made me want to start it all over again, and Just Like Home was intense in ways I did not expect. I’m looking forward to their queer anti-fascist western, Upright Women Wanted.

and some superlatives to capture the range of horror/suspense/mystery/thriller that I read this year

creepiest: Sundial and The Last House on Needless Street, both by Catriona Ward

weird, violent children, and talking pets

most unsettling: Just Like Home by Sarah Gailly

this reminded me of a horrible dream I had about my mother returning from the dead and my childhood home being alive, only it was even more unsettling.

worst mystery: The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

unsatisfying

most suspenseful: the Luc Callanach series by Helen Fields

I’m currently on book 4 and while reading yet another cop-led series makes me feel gross, the suspense picks up so fast in these books I am going through one 400 page book every two days.

most fucked up marriage: As Long as We Both Shall Live by JoAnn Chaney

I got into domestic suspense this year before getting sucked into three different on-going crime series, and there’s something compelling about the interior of a marriage as the setting for a mystery. the couple in this book wins this award by a long shot.

[josy57]