#tbr 2022

[whitneydaniell]

by: Colleen Hoover Published: Dec 7, 2018 Genre: Thriller, Romance, Mystery 336 Pages, Audio Book (HH:MM) 08:10

★★

GoodReads Synopsis:

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

My Review:

I think I read too many thrillers or watch too much, true crime because, I am figuring these plots out too early and then, I get annoyed when the characters don't 'get to it' fast enough.

Lowen couldn't mind her business. Where did she get the audacity to snoop around in Verity's things and in her bedroom? Probably the same place she got the audacity to push up on (and eventually sleep with) Jeremy.

Verity, girl, you sneaking around like a thief in the night just to keep up this charade. Who are you fooling? If you're going to be a lunatic, just be that in front of everyone instead of scaring the shit out of Lowen and your kid.

Furthermore, the sex scenes are too much. Nothing about them was intriguing and I literally gag at the pictures that I have of Jeremy and Lowen in my mind so, I can't imagine that their sex is as hot and heavy as CoHo is trying to make it out to be.

I would love to read a story just about how sadistic and crazy Verity is, without the romance of L & Jeremy. Give me 100% pure deranged, kid-killer Verity.

One-Word Summary: Flat

[citrusses]

AO3 Wrapped 🎁: Drarry Favorites Published in 2022

Featuring eighth year and fuck-or-die fics that were instant classics among classic tropes, steam and suds, mind-bending non-linear narratives, and character studies that made me consider anew the protagonists with whom I’ve spent so many years. 

January

Finely Drawn Lines by @the-sinking-ship (E, 61k) 

Draco doesn’t consider himself an artist (though the dozens of sketchbooks lining his shelves might suggest differently). Yet ever since Potter returned to Hogwarts, accepting a teaching position alongside Draco, his drawings have taken on a rather singular focus.

February

The Things We Need by @kbrick (E, 25k)

Three hundred and fifty-three days out of the year, Harry is in a monogamous, fulfilling relationship with Draco Malfoy.

Then there are the other twelve days.

Lateralus by @shiftylinguini (T, 2k)

The world after the war was so big, and so untamed. Magic spilled out of every corner, creatures never seen before watching from nooks that never used to exist. There were colours in the air, in the morning dew drops on the leaves―indescribable, and new. Otherworldly, and pulled from a spectrum that shouldn't be visible in their world.

March

Heartlines by @sorrybutblog (T, 22k) 

Just as Draco Malfoy's life seems to be getting back on track, the magic at Malfoy Manor is spinning out of control. Auror partners Harry Potter and Angelina Johnson are assigned to the case and quickly find that nothing about the situation is obvious. The flare ups are unpredictable at best, downright dangerous at worst, and why has a Hogwarts first year gone missing at the same time?

April 

​​Heal Thyself by @astolat (T, 47k) "Are you going for the course?" Lovegood asked. "You have the NEWTs.”

“What course?” Draco said, then, “No, don’t be ridiculous,” when he realized she meant the notice pinned up on the board he’d been staring at: Applicants To The Introductory Mediwizard Course For The Coming Term Shall Present Themselves In The Chief Mediwizard’s Office By August 24th.

“Oh, I thought you might,” she said. “Well, goodbye.” And off she wandered again in her addled way.

any day now by @oknowkiss (E, 17k)

The rehabilitation centres were the Minister’s idea, or that’s what the Prophet said anyway. Their stated objective is simple: to provide a safe space for low-tier Death Eaters and high-tier sympathisers to reconsider the entirety of their life choices. All guests–because no one is a prisoner here, the literature brags–are to be provided with shelter, food, clothing, and the guided support of a Mind Healer via a programme they call “ideological restructuring,” which is, of course, mandatory. 

Lovesick by @corvuscrowned (T, 8k)

People keep spiking Auror Harry Potter with love potions. Healer Draco Malfoy keeps having to pick up the pieces. But it's getting harder and harder for Draco to watch Harry fall in love with everyone except for him.

The Only Magic Left Between Us by @lqtraintracks (E, 24k)

Harry goes to the market and ends up having to save Draco Malfoy’s life with sex. He saves Draco’s life with sex and ends up with a husband. The last thing he expects in all of it is to fall in love.

Once More With Feeling by InnerLilith (E, 29k)

Draco is dosed with a consummation-compelling potion, with Harry Potter as his intended. It’s a cruel irony, because he’s wanted Potter for years. But not like this.

May 

Not Nineteen Forever by @sorrybutblog (E, 6k)

A rogue charm hits on a mission and suddenly, Draco is nineteen again. Harry is still thirty-five and doing his best to look after his de-aged Auror partner (and forget about his long unrequited crush) until St. Mungo’s can brew the antidote. Only, Draco insists on wandering around Harry’s flat wearing nothing but Harry’s pants, flirting like his life depends on it and in the end, Harry’s only human after all.

June 

An Emerald In The Sky by @corvuscrowned (M, 7k) 

The hardest part about shagging an Unspeakable is that they’re not allowed to speak of anything. All Draco knows is that Harry works in Time. Harry works in Time, and while he’s out there in all of that time, it is as unforgiving to him as it is to anyone.

July 

Two to Lie and One to Listen by @fluxweeed (E, 85k)

It’s weird when Hermione announces that she and Ron have broken up. It’s weirder when this is followed by the revelation that she’s already moved on—and the new object of her affections is Draco Malfoy.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by @sleepstxtic (T, 6k) Astoria watches her husband fall in love with Harry Potter.

August

The (Third) Worst Year by TheFrancakes (E, 20k) 

Draco Malfoy has one year to fall in True Love with Harry Potter or be turned into a Dragon. And he knows that is never gunna happen. This is going to be the worst year of his life.

Well, minus that whole having to kill Dumbledore or be killed by Voldemort thing.

Second worst year.

Oh, but there was his whole 7th year while Voldemort was using his house as a home base for Death Eaters and making him torture his fellow students. That one was pretty bad too.

Fine, this is the third worst year of his life. Hoppípolla by @moonflower-rose (E, 21k) Falling in love was as easy as jumping in puddles, and Draco Malfoy was completely drenched.

September

The July Tree by @oknowkiss (E, 52k) 

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail… nor well-meaning friends, nor questionable communication skills, nor seven years of hating each other’s guts can keep Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy from falling in love. OR: It’s Eighth Year, and Harry Potter has detention. What else is new? Well, since you asked: Greenhouse Four and the Tree of Life, for a start, and then there’s the new shared Eighth Year common room, and Harry’s sexuality, and these pesky dreams he keeps having about a blond man pushing him into things…

Pack by @rockingrobin69 (Not rated, 1.4k)

It was cute when they were in school, the whole rivalry thing. 

What Makes a House a Home by @writcraft (E, 27k)

Ten years after the Battle of Hogwarts Draco Malfoy wakes up in an unfamiliar house owned by none other than Harry Potter. Even stranger is the snow in September and a night sky without any stars. Naturally it’s a matter of life and death, because isn’t it always?

The Unspeakable by @the-sinking-ship (E, 24k)

Healer Draco Malfoy took the job at the International Department of Mysteries for the paycheck and the prestige.But what he got was Unspeakable Harry Potter and the most fascinating curse he’d ever seen.

October

The wrong sort by @vukovich (Not rated, 1.6k)

Draco half-rolled, half-fell onto his back, his skin sweaty against Harry’s sheets.  He licked his dry lips and exalted the plaster ceiling with, “Jesus fucking Christ.”

Howl by @tackytigerfic (M, 9k)

After an encounter with a vicious werewolf, Draco Malfoy wakes in a field hospital with a mangled shoulder, a furry little problem, and an inconvenient crush on Harry Potter. Potter, meanwhile, is still trying to save the world, only this time he wants Draco right there with him while he does it. Taking part in a rebellion against a corrupt regime isn't always glamorous, but at least sometimes there are organic farmshop pastries and fancy hotel bedsheets. Just don't ask about that smell of burning.

November

Under Giant Mountains by @wolfpants (E, 34k) 

Harry doesn't know where he's going. Everyone else has their life paths figured out; he doesn't even know where his map is. Who'd have thought Draco Malfoy bathing in a Norwegian forest would be the guidepost Harry needed?

but first, we fight by @nv-md (E, 8k) 

Fighting with Draco Malfoy has never been quite this thrilling...or this frustrating. Harry's always horny, Draco's in denial, and there simply isn't enough time in the day to fight crime and watch your ex-archnemesis wash his arse.

December

Tapestry by @kbrick (E, 51k) WIP

In 2017, Harry is on his way to Pansy and Luna's beach house. He’s a bit terrified of seeing Draco, to be honest. It’s been a while, and then there’s the little matter of Draco having married someone else in the interim.

In 2001, Draco is drunk, wearing Pansy's mother's ermine coat, and afraid to walk into the Leaky because someone might throw a curse at him. So, of course, he runs into his ex-nemesis and hopeless crush, Harry Potter.

The Same Sweet Shock by @xiaq (E, 17k) WIP

One day, Draco Malfoy is going to get his life together.

One day, he will be a respectable citizen. He will have a respectable job and his last name will no longer be a scarlet letter and people will no longer try to hex him in the street. One day, he is going to live a good, honest, ordinary life.

Today, however, is not that day. Because today, he is driving a stolen police car and will likely be responsible for murdering Harry Potter.

Accidentally, of course; not that the papers will care.

[therefugeofbooks]

I usually have a tbr for October, but I've been busy and tired lately, so my tbr this year is more modest 🥲 I'm hoping to finish at least one of these!

Frankenstein by Junji Ito

In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Are you guys reading anything spooky this month? 🍂

[aroaessidhe]

2022 reads // twitter thread    

When The Angels Left The Old Country

historical fantasy

follows an angel and a demon as they search for a young person from their small Jewish village who emigrated to America, helping others along the way, alongside a young adventurous lesbian

queerness & magic & immigration & workers rights

obsessed

[missgryffin]

jily awards 2022 nominations

Thrilled to have these fics recognized amongst such an incredible list of fic and art from this past year! 💫 I truly can't say thank you enough for reading, reviewing, sharing, nominating, and enjoying these stories with me 🫶 So very grateful for all of you!!!

Nominations by category are up over on the @jilyawards page, and @mppmaraudergirl also just put up a handy index of those posts here! Echoing Lauren's thanks to the Jily Awards blog for keeping this tradition alive. It's really incredible to see so many fandom creations together like this 🥲

[bookaddict24-7]

(New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (December 6th, 2022)

___

Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

___

New Standalones/First in a Series:

Acting the Part by Z.R. Ellor

Lumara by Melissa Landers

No Accident by Laura Bates

Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford

New Sequels: 

This Cursed Crown (These Feathered Flames #2) by Alexandra Overy

The Shattered City (The Last Magician #4) by Lisa Maxwell

Yesterworld (Down World #2) by Rebecca Phelps

Curse of Shadows (Amassia #2) by A.K. Wilder

___

Happy reading!

[thesurielsteacorner]

Will I ever actually start this book…?

[rockislandadultreads]

Historical Fiction: Best of 2022 releases

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor

On a sultry August day in 1922, Jay Gatsby is shot dead in his West Egg swimming pool. To the police, it appears to be an open-and-shut case of murder/suicide when the body of George Wilson, a local mechanic, is found in the woods nearby. Then a diamond hairpin is discovered in the bushes by the pool, and three women fall under suspicion. Each holds a key that can unlock the truth to the mysterious life and death of this enigmatic millionaire. Daisy Buchanan once thought she might marry Gatsby—before her family was torn apart by an unspeakable tragedy that sent her into the arms of the philandering Tom Buchanan. Jordan Baker, Daisy’s best friend, guards a secret that derailed her promising golf career and threatens to ruin her friendship with Daisy as well. Catherine McCoy, a suffragette, fights for women’s freedom and independence, and especially for her sister, Myrtle Wilson, who’s trapped in a terrible marriage. Their stories unfold in the years leading up to that fateful summer of 1922, when all three of their lives are on the brink of unraveling. Each woman is pulled deeper into Jay Gatsby’s romantic obsession, with devastating consequences for all of them.

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

"Within every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes, until the end of time." It is 1938 in China and, as a young wife, Meilin’s future is bright. But with the Japanese army approaching, Meilin and her four year old son, Renshu, are forced to flee their home. Relying on little but their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll, filled with ancient fables that offer solace and wisdom, they must travel through a ravaged country, seeking refuge. Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao. Though his daughter is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood. How can he keep his family safe in this new land when the weight of his history threatens to drag them down? Yet how can Lily learn who she is if she can never know her family’s story? Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving look at the history of modern China, told through the story of one family. It’s about the power of our past, the hope for a better future, and the haunting question: What would it mean to finally be home?

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been—including the ones she most wants to leave behind—in order to finally claim her own name and story. At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

"There is one every generation--a seer who keeps the stories." Luz "Little Light" Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, is left to fend for herself after her older brother, Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, is run out of town by a violent white mob. As Luz navigates 1930's Denver on her own, she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland in the nearby Lost Territory. Luz recollects her ancestors' origins, how her family flourished and how they were threatened. She bears witness to the sinister forces that have devastated her people and their homelands for generations. In the end, it is up to Luz to save her family stories from disappearing into oblivion. Written in Kali Fajardo-Anstine's singular voice, the wildly entertaining and complex lives of the Lopez family fill the pages of this multigenerational western saga. Woman of Light is a transfixing novel about survival, family secrets, and love, filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, all of whom are just as special, memorable, and complicated as our beloved heroine, Luz.

[parmahamlarrie]

.

[whitneydaniell]

by: Tia Williams Published: Apr 12, 2016 Genre: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary 363 Pages, Audio Book (HH:MM) 11:48

★

GoodReads Synopsis:

Jenna Jones, former It-girl fashion editor, is broke and desperate for a second chance. When she’s dumped by her longtime fiancé and fired from Darling magazine, she begs for a job at StyleZine.com from her old arch nemesis, Darcy Vale. But Jenna soon realizes she’s in over her head. She’s working with digital-savvy millennials half her age, has never even “Twittered,” and pretends to still be a Fashion Somebody while living a style lie (she sold her designer wardrobe to afford her sketched-out studio, and now quietly wears Walmart’s finest). Worse? The twenty-two-year-old videographer assigned to shoot her web series is driving her crazy. Wildly sexy with a smile Jenna feels in her thighs, Eric Combs is way off-limits – but almost too delicious to resist.

My Review: ***SPOILERS***

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaby, hated it!

Jenna is too damn old to be making reckless mistakes like sleeping with this young photographer who turned out to be her new boss' son!

They say with age comes wisdom well, Jenna only has the age. Everything about the circumstances screams, LET ME FOCUS ON SELF but nooooooooo, she's perpetrating and pretending in front of people who couldn't care less about her. She's pining after this young man like she's never had some good D before! Cringe fest.

Jenna and Eric move from all-night sex benders in the house to being out in public, and guess what? Of course, some IG famous model who knows Eric sees them out. Obvious! Darcy threatens her job because of this close relationship between her and Eric. Obvious. Girl, this is an HR manager's nightmare.

All of that aside: the age difference between Jenna and Eric, the obvious plotlines, and the lack of critical thinking and good decision-making, were all bad but the ending is where I really wanted to throw this book into a dumpster fire.

I 1000% do not like when women feel like they're taking the "high road"* by not including a man, the father, in the lives of their children. I hated that Jenna said nothing about being pregnant, never reached out, sent an IG DM, or anything. That burned me up. Then (another obvious plot line) Jenna just happens to run into Eric 4 years later and then presents him with his son, Otis -- I hate this name -- and Eric is overjoyed. WHAT?! This man has been purposely left out of this child's life for 4 years and in the end, he just, walks off into the sunset with you. I wanted him to cuss Jenna's dumbass out! Hell, I cussed enough for him just reading this.

*by "high road" I mean, this idea of not wanting to upend the man's life or inconvenience the man by dropping a baby that he wasn't planning on having, into his lap. by volunteering to be a single mother so that you don't distract/disturb the man and his dreams and goals. It's bullshit and I hate it. Meanwhile, Jenna's whole life gets tossed into a Vitamix while she juggles her career and being a mom and Eric gets to live his best life. All the while, living said best life, he has missed out on years with his son. Ugh, I'm getting mad all over again.

One-Word Summary: Trash

Other Tia Williams' books I've reviewed: Seven Days in June

[hotwraithbones]

untitled art piece from Into Oblivion {@sweatdrenchedpress ‘22} by Ami J. Sanghvi {@HotWraithBones} — the hybrid, multimedia, full-length quest narrative//experimental novel 🪦🔪🌬️

[books-in-a-storm]

To Be Read

The Last Ever After, Somain Chainani

Wake, Amanda Hocking

Unspoken, C.C. Hunter

The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding, Alexandra Bracken

[ninja-muse]

2022 Release TBR - Take 3

Because my second list was getting full! I’ve been doing pretty good at keeping up with releases this year.

Carolina Built - Kianna Alexander (historical fiction) - February 22 BIPOC

When We Were Birds - Ayanna Llord Banwo (fabulism) - March 15 BIPOC

Ripple - Jim Cosgrove (true crime) - April 5

Persians - Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (history) - April 12

Not Good for Maidens - Tori Bovalino (YA fantasy) - May 3 🏳️‍🌈

The Fairy Tellers - Nicholas Jubber (history/travel) - May 3

Uncommon Charm - Kat Weaver and Emily Bergslien (historical fantasy) - May 17

The Peacekeeper - B.L. Blanchard (alternate history) - June 1 BIPOC

Garden of Earthly Bodies - Sally Oliver (fiction) - June 7

Hot Moon - Alan Smale (alternate history) - June 14

The Book Eaters - Sunyi Dean (contemporary fantasy) - August 2 🏳️‍🌈

High Times in the Low Parliament - Kelly Robson (historical fantasy) - August 9 🏳️‍🌈 🇨🇦

A Killing in Costumes - Zac Bissonette (cozy mystery) - August 9 🏳️‍🌈

Reluctant Immortals - Gwendolyn Kiste (horror) - August 23

Diary of a Misfit - Casey Parks (memoir) - August 30 🏳️‍🌈

Be the Serpent - Seanan McGuire (urban fantasy) - September 6

The House With the Golden Door - Elodie Harper (historical fiction) - September 6

A Death in Door Country - Annelise Ryan (cozy mystery) September 13

The Collectors - Philip Pullman (fantasy) - September 20

Terry Pratchett - Rob Wilkins (biography) - September 29

Saga, Vol. 10 - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (SF/graphic novel) - October 5

Cold Case BC - Eve Lazarus (true crime) - October 11

When the Angels Left the Old Country - Sacha Lamb (historical fantasy) - October 18 🏳️‍🌈

Anywhere You Run - Wanda Morris (historical thriller) - October 25 BIPOC

Into the Windwracked Wilds - A. Deborah Baker (fantasy) - October 25

A Restless Truth -  Freya Marske (historical fantasy) - November 1 🏳️‍🌈

The World We Make - J.K. Jemisin (contemporary fantasy) - November 1 🏳️‍🌈 BIPOC

The Dress Diary of Mrs. Anne Sykes - Kate Stradsin (history) - November 17

Remainders of the Day - Shaun Bythell (memoir) - November 29

[the-loverboy-poet-no73]

Books & Annotations

[aroaessidhe]

2022 reads // twitter thread    

Space Opera

fun sci-fi

aliens come to earth & say they have to compete in a galaxy-wide singing contest to show their species has value & avoid destruction

...and they chose a long-broken-up band to compete

half plot half worldbuilding

hitchhikers guide x eurovision

[bookaddict24-7]

(New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (November 8th, 2022)

___

Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

___

New Standalones/First in a Series:

Whiteout by Various

The Q by Amy Tintera

The Secrets We Keep by Cassie Gustafson

Children of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima

Black Internet Effect by Shavone Charles & Ashley Lukashevsky (Illustrator)

Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell

Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps & Clarence A. Haynes

New Sequels:

Gleanings (The Arc of the Scythe 3.5) by Neal Shusterman & Various

Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracy Deonn

Cursed (Gilded #2) by Marissa Meyer

Charm (Crave #5) by Tracy Wolff

___

Happy reading!