My 2022 in Books

2022 was the worst reading year (in terms of the number of books/pages read) since 2014. My mind understandably was occupied by current events, I also had trouble controlling anxiety and overall focusing on books was difficult.

My most read genre was fantasy - 45 books. 

I read 44 books from my own library, 6 ARCs and 52 books were borrowed from the library, Scribd or Kindle Unlimited. 

In terms of medium: 29 were in paper, 35 e-books and 38 audiobooks. 

I read 72 adult books, 26 YA and 4 middle grade.

A few books did make a lasting impression. I am including a photo of them below.

For next year, I am not sure I will be setting any lofty goals. I just want to mood-read and get through some books on my shelves.

Last Read of 2022 - a Gothic YA Horror Book

This year was not great for blogging. In fact, for most of the year, I had little urge to write any book reviews. It was also not a great reading year. I ended up getting through lots of mediocre books. My last read of the year, unexpectedly, was excellent. These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall takes place in sprawling manor house. Our main character 17 year old Helen Vaughan fled the place with her mother when she was a child, but now with the death of her grandfather, the family patriarch, Helen is forced to come back, face the past and uncover family secrets. 

I loved everything about this book: the setting, the characters, the supernatural aspects, the backstory. It is my kind of Gothic horror - not bone-chilly scary, but rather very atmospheric. It also leaves no loose ends in the end. Everything is explained and we get a clear resolution. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it. It is also a fast read so it was great to finish one more book in the last couple of days of the year.

"The Measure" by Nikki Erlick

The Measure is probably the surprise book of the year for me. I only heard about it from a couple of book bloggers and decided to listen to eat on during a long drive from DC to New England. 

In terms of genre, The Measure is speculative fiction and I thought it had a really interesting premise and was exceptionally well written. The audio book was also excellent although the southern accent the narrator used for some of the characters sounded fake. The premise of the novel is that one day the entire population ages 22 and above receives a box in the mail with the inscription: the measure of your life lies within. The box contains a string the length of which represents the length of one's life. 

The author then goes on a thought experiment to imagine how politicians, people in certain professions (military, police, etc.) and just regular people deal with this new knowledge. It is very interesting and provides a great commentary on discrimination, the value of one's life, the impact of our lives etc. Highly recommend. I also like the double entendre of the word "measure". Is one's life judged by its length, or by the impact they had one someone, the sacrifices they made, the breakthroughs they contributed to, etc. This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. 5 out of 5 stars. I hope Nikki Erlick is working on more books.

"The Half Life of Valery K" by Natasha Pulley

This is the fifth book by Natasha Pulley that I have read, and up until this book, I absolutely loved her work. However, I suppose each author stumbles every now and again and produces something that could have been better. This review contains spoilers, so if you have not read the book yet, proceed with caution.

The Half Life of Valery K takes place in the 1960s in Russia. Our main character Valery (this is a male name in Russian) is a political prisoner in the gulag and a brilliant biochemist and radiation expert, who gets plucked out of the prison camp to work on a secret radiation study. As we learn a bit later, the location he gets transferred to, is the place where some sort of nuclear disaster took place several years prior. As Valery starts working on the project led by his old university mentor, he discovers shocking truths about what really happened and is happening around him. The story also features a male-male romance between our main character and a KGB officer.

Here is why this book missed the mark. First of all, the easiest way Pulley could have avoided a myriad of misses, is by hiring a cultural sensitivity reader. Here is just a taste for what I mean:

- to say that no one in the Soviet Union heard of Sverdlovsk, is like saying no one in the US has ever heard of Cleveland

- Soviet elevators in apartment blocks had no music in them

- in the 1960s Soviet televisions had no remote controls, programming ended no later than midnight, and there were 2 channels at most - in a remote location where Valery lives, there was probably just one channel. It is much more likely that he would listen to the radio than constantly turn the TV on

- a romance between a KGB officer and a political prisoner is so tone-deaf, I don't even know where to begin... let's just start with the fact that for Valery to fall in love with someone who tortures and shoots innocent people for a living is entirely out of character and does not match up with his own history in the gulag

- lack of understanding how Russian patronymics and last names work

- Alyoshenka is an endearing name of a boy, not a girl

I will stop there. There were lots of other things that were jumping at me as I was reading. However, I like Pulley's writing so much that I was going to overlook all of these faux pas just for the sake of the story. But, then we got to the ending.... The fact that Valery's love interest abandons his wife who has stage 4 cancer and their four children, while he enjoys life in the UK did not sit well with me. I understand that Pulley likes for her romantic lines to have a happy ending. But when you set your story in Soviet Russia, your book needs to be grittier and more realistic. If this was a fantasy, or an alternative history book, I could have written off all of it. However, this appears to be a straight up historical fiction novel, and as such, it is not sufficiently researched or thought through. The more I think about this book, the more I realize that it could have been so much better, had the author spent a bit more time on the details. Pretty disappointed. 2 out 5 stars.

"All My Rage" by Sabaa Tahir

All My Rage is hands down my favorite read of 2022. I hesitated to pick it up because it is targeted at a younger audience, but having read it, I now firmly believe this should be assigned reading in high schools, or at the very least included on summer reading lists. The book follows a dual timeline: in the present we follow Sal (Salahudin) and his closest friend Noor. Both teens have troubled family lives and are burdened with the types of problems, no child should be dealing with at this age. Sal is desperately trying to save the motel that his family owns as his mother’s health fails and his dad loses himself to drink. And Noor works at her uncle’s liquor store and secretly applies to colleges knowing that her uncle will be irate if he finds out about her college dreams.

The second timeline is about Sal’s parents arranged marriage in Pakistan and eventual immigration to the United States. This way, we get a bit of a background on what they’ve been through and how they found themselves in the desert town of Juniper, California thousands of miles away from Lahore. 

I must say, this is not an easy read. The characters in this book deal with a lot of trauma and heartbreak. It’s like the fates decided to get a concentrated dose of pain and lobbed it at the main characters just to see if they will be left standing. Trigger warnings for those who need them: death of close relative, child abuse, off page implied child molestation, alcohol and drug use/addiction, natural disasters.

The book at its core has the message of hope and redemption. It is also a great account of immigrant experience. Every immigrant experience is unique and every one includes a portion of heartbreak, insecurity, bitter disappointment, naiveté, and always hope and desire of a better life. For different people, the proportions are different and some immigrant stories include huge successes, others – spectacular failures, and most – relatively happy, stable, respectable lives. Those who have seen tremendous lows are more likely to be content with little. Sal and Noor without a doubt face major lows, but in the end, their story concludes on a very hopeful note. It was important for me to know this going in. I don’t think my heart could have taken a terrible ending to the story that was fraught with so much pain. 5 out of 5 stars. I definitely recommend this novel.

"Violet Made of Thorns" by Gina Chen

I don't know how many times I've written blogposts about disappointing YA fantasy debut novels. Well, this is not going to be one of those. I absolutely loved Violet Made of Thorns. I've been trying to parse out why exactly this particular book "clicked" where so many others failed. I must says it is the heroine. So many authors are focused on the plot and then try to "jam" the characters' behavior to work with the preconceived scenario. Well, in this book the main character is utterly authentic and everything about the story is unpredictable. Yes, Violet is a Seer who can see people's past as well as the future, but she also struggles to interpret her visions and is not sure how to act and what to do with the information she gets. 

I would also say the behavior of characters in this novel is very human and thus relatable. They lie, betray, make mistakes, act on impulse, pursue their selfish agendas, doubt themselves - Violet's actions and motives made sense to me. I am getting a bit sick of publishers describing characters as "morally grey". In this particular novel, I would describe Violet as just very human and honest with herself. Yes, she is cynical and jaded, but given her position in life, where she came from and who she serves, it is not a surprise. It is actually very logical. 

Anyway, my final point on this book is that it is a fairy tale retelling of sorts. You do not need to know which one. Just go into it blind. If you like fairy tales, forbidden romance and dark magic, do not pass this one by. It is surprisingly fresh, well-written and unpredictable. 5 out of 5 stars from me. 

Reading during the time of war

The last three months have been emotionally exhausting. Unlike two years ago when the pandemic hit and I was voraciously reading and posting reviews; this year, when Russia invaded Ukraine, current events have pretty much overtaken my life. All I've been reading is news trying to make sense of what is happening. So reading has taken the backseat. I have started many books, but finishing them has proven to be impossible.

I did manage to get through some books and below, I'll include three of the most recent ones. Overall, reading has been hard when the world is seriously talking about the nuclear threat and a major war is going on in the middle of Europe.

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

This is a fairly short book. I listened to it on audio and it only took me 4-5 hours to get through it. This is a story of 4 women who all live in the same apartment building in Seoul. Each chapter is written from the perspective of one of the women. Each of their stories is tragic and heartbreaking in its own way. They all just want to survive in a way that preserves their decency and independence. The novel is also a social commentary on the impossible beauty standards in South Korea, on women's rights in that society, pervasive nepotism and generational issues. I really liked this book. I think it is an important read now that the world has been overtaken by K-pop and K-dramas. It is important to see and understand the dark side to the pretty picture we see on streaming services. At their core, the issues are not new, they just have a local flavor. Highly recommend. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

This is a great book to bring to the beach or on a long airplane ride. It is a romcom in a university setting. If you know anything about PhD programs, you will enjoy this book. It is angsty with a fake relationship trope, and I loved every minutes of it. I will definitely pick up more of Hazelwood's books. She has a few novellas out and a new novel is coming out later this summer. Content warning: there is an explicit sex scene in this book, so be aware of it, if this is something that you like to avoid in books. It is also pretty easy to skip it.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

This is a cozy mystery for Jane Austen's fans. Claudia Gray brings the characters of Austen's novels together for a house party at the Knightleys'. Mr. George Wickham, the villain/cad from Pride and Prejudice shows up uninvited. He has apparently managed to scam quite a few guests of the Knightleys' out of significant sums for money and has now come looking for more. As you can tell from the title, Wickham gets killed and the novels turns into a closed circle mystery, which two of the youngest guests present Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney set out to solve. This was fun, albeit predictable. But as an avid Austen reader, I enjoy every opportunity to revisit her characters. 4 out of 5 stars.

"With Love from London" by Sarah Jio

With Love from London by Sarah Jio is a new family drama/romance novel releasing today. In this story, we follow a dual timeline. In present day, Valentina travels from Seattle to London after her estranged mother dies and leaves her house and bookstore to her. Not only is Valentina dealing with grief, unresolved resentment towards her mother and a looming sky high estate tax bill, she is also going through a painful divorce. The second timeline takes us to the 1960s London and 1970s Los Angeles, as we follow Valentina's mother Eloise and her troubled romantic and family life. 

Sarah Jio does a great job ending almost every chapter on a bit of cliffhanger, and because the points of view change with every chapter, the reader can't help but continue compulsively reading. In the beginning, what intrigued me the most was why Eloise left her family and completely disappeared from Valentina's life when the teenage girl needed her most. As we unravel family secrets and delve into the past, we discover that everything is not as simple as it seems to be. In Valentina's timeline, we along with the main character discover the mother she did not know, go to Eloise's favorite places and meet the people she loved.

The story is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. At the core of it all is the greatest love of all: that of a mother towards her daughter. There are of course plenty of romantic interests as well. So the release date just in time for Valentine's day is quite perfect. I really enjoyed this novel. 4 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea" by Axie Oh

Reading this novel I couldn't help but compare it with another Chinese mythology-based fantasy that I read earlier this year: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan. I must say right off the bat that I like The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea much more. 

In this novel, the people sacrifice a young girl to the sea god in hopes that a terrible curse will be lifted from him and prosperity will return to the land. Our main character Mina voluntarily jumps into the sea in order to save the beloved of her brother who was from childhood destined to become the sea god's bride. Thus, Mina finds herself in the world of gods, spirits and mythical creatures.

I really liked Mina as a character. She is independent-minded, strong and incredibly loving. All of her actions in the spirit world are aimed at helping her people. She never waivers from this purpose and does not get distracted even when she starts falling in love. 

And speaking of love, the romance in this book was incredible. I really liked all of the twists and turns in the story, the angst was of just the right intensity, and the connection between the characters was strong and made sense.

Going back to comparing this book to Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I think Axie Oh did a better job giving our character a purpose. It also felt more relatable because Mina is human and the connection to the human world makes sense. In Daughter of the Moon Goddess all the main characters are celestial beings and the human world is entirely removed and almost irrelevant. Axie Oh's storyline is also much more focused, whereas Sue Lynn Tan's novel felt like it was trying to go into too many directions and I really did not like the love triangle there either. 

Anyway, I will definitely be getting a finished copy of this book for my personal library. I already can't wait to re-read it. Also, even though I do feel that this book wins over Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I do plan on reading the conclusion to the Celestial Kingdoms Duology.

5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this retelling. And the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous.

An audio ARC was provided by NetGalley.com. 

"Remote Control" by Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor in my opinion is one of the best short science fiction authors. This novella is under 200 pages, and yet, it manages to convey so much depth about the human nature that I keep thinking about this book even though I finished it a few days ago. Needless to say, I do not review every single book that I read. Only those that stir something in me or get me to think deeply about a topic inspire me to write my thoughts down.

Remote Control is set in near future in Ghana. Our main character Sankofa is a young girl known among Ghanaians as simply the witch or the adopted daughter of death. She walks on foot from village to village and has the power to take someone's life with simply a glance. An unexplained celestial phenomenon occurred when she was just a young child sitting in the branches of a shea tree in her yard. She describes it as simply green stars/lights falling from the sky and landing at the roots of the shea tree. Shortly after her powers first manifested itself when she inadvertently killed the entire population of the town she lived in. Now Sankofa walks from place to place in search of the box containing the shea tree seed, which originally gave her this power.

I think what makes this novella especially powerful is the fact that it is written from the point of view of a young child/preteen. Sankofa gradually learns to control her power and actually manages to use it for good by relieving the suffering of those who are dying from terminal illnesses. Adults and children fear her, try to use her for their own gain, and almost universally shun her company. I thought it was amazing to watch how Sankofa adjusts to having this new power, how she deals with grief and loss, and also how she retains her childlike goodness and purity.

As with Binti I think Remote Control is great for book clubs and buddy reads as people will inevitably have things to say and opine about.

5 out of 5 stars.

"Daughter of the Moon Goddess" by Sue Lynn Tan

This is officially my first review of 2022. Before I dive into the story, please take a moment to appreciate the cover of this book. I must say the cover as well as the title were the first two things that drew me to this book. 

The story is inspired by the Chinese mythology in which a young girl has to overcome multiple obstacles and face numerous challenges in order to free her mother, the Moon Goddess, who is imprisoned on the moon. Even though this book is over 500 pages long, I find that I don't have much to say. Even though individual quests Xingyin goes on were interesting and at times action packed, I did not feel vested in the story. The love triangle became annoying pretty quickly and I also found that none of the other characters were well fleshed out. Maybe if the book followed multiple POVs, the story would have more depth. 

I did like the twist that occurred towards the last one third of the book. However, even there I felt the author missed some opportunities to give us a better idea of the world and magic, and also show Xingyin's character a bit more. She is an immortal warrior who's lived at the Celestial court for many years and understood at least some things about politics and ruthlessness of rulers. Yet, here, when betrayed by someone close to her, she acts quite childish and also at one time, I frankly had to suspend my disbelief when she was able to harvest poisonous flowers while being escorted through the garden by several guards. 

Overall, this book definitely feels and reads like a debut novel. I did think it was too long and even though I enjoyed individual quests, I kept wanting more in terms of character development and world building. 3 out of 5 stars. This is supposed to be a duology, but I am not sure if I will be picking up the sequel.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.