It's July, which means we're half-way through the year and it's time for that annual tradition that makes us all wonder where the last six months of our lives have gone, the mid-year freak out book tag!
1. The Best Book You've Read So Far In 2022
Honestly I'm having one of those years where I'm reading a lot and reading a lot of great books, but have discovered very few new favourites. So far, my favourite read is Sara A. Mueller's genre-defying debut, The Bone Orchard. Part political fantasy, part revenge narrative, and part mystery, The Bone Orchard is cleverly written, deftly plotted, and its world is richly drawn. It revolves around Charm, the necromantic mistress of a brothel that services the wealthy of Borenguard, including its Emperor. When Charm is summoned to the Emperor's deathbed, he charges her with choosing which of his awful sons will carry on the empire, and discovering which one is responsible for his own murder. I absolutely loved this book and I'm baffled it hasn't been more hyped or better received.
2. Your Favourite Sequel This Year
As a reader of predominantly sci-fi and fantasy, I usually wind up reading a number of sequels. Surprisingly I can only think of three that I've enjoyed so far this year. Volume 4 of Alice Oseman's Heartstopper is heartfelt and tear-jerking as it delves deeper into Charlie's mental health problems. The Missing of Clairedelune, the second book in Dabos' The Mirror Visitor Quartet, strengthens the relationship between Ophelia and Thorn and expands the worldbuilding in an intriguing follow-up that ends with a devastating cliffhanger. Finally, Nghi Vo's When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain is another knockout as it weaves in themes of storytelling and how a tale changes depending on the audience, the teller, and the cultural context around actions and words.
3. A New Release That You Haven't Read But Really Want To
I've been a fan of Robert Jackson Bennett's for awhile, so I'm looking forward to seeing how he wraps up his Founders Trilogy in Locklands! Apparently this volume is set eight years after Shorefall and I'm curious about the ripple effect that those events have had on the universe!
4. Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year
My favourite book of 2021 was Victoria Goddard's fantasy doorstopper The Hands of the Emperor. Described as a cross between Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor, Disney's Moana, the musical Hamilton, and TV show, The West Wing, it's a quiet fantasy about the slow, important work of political change and about the individuals trying to make the world a better place through reforms like universal basic income. Goddard is hard at work on a direct sequel to The Hands of the Emperor, titled At The Feet of the Sun, which continues the story of Cliopher 'Kip' Mdang, the Wide Seas Islander who serves as His Radiancy's secretary and the head of His government. Goddard is self-published and an official release date is forthcoming, but it is expected to be near the end of the year!
5. Your Biggest Disappointment
I absolutely loved The Great Gatsby, which I read for the first time last year, so I expected Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night to work for me too. Alas, I found this unspeakably boring. I didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them, and I frequently zoned out while reading. If I hadn't been reading this for a book club, I would have DNFed it.
6. Biggest Surprise Of The Year
I've never been all that interested in fairy tale retellings and my feelings towards Peter Pan are decidedly 'meh', so I went into this trans retelling with limited expectations. Surprise! In Peter Darling, Austin Chant cleverly constructs a plot where Peter Pan returns to Neverland after ten years in the real world. Things have changed in his absence and the only person who seems to have missed him is his old rival Hook. The rivalry between them blurs into something more complicated and sensual. Moving, profound, and tautly written, I loved reading this original queer take on J.M. Barrie's classic adventure story.
7. Favourite New To You Or Debut Author
Besides Sara A. Mueller, another new-to-me author I enjoyed reading is Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun. Their historical fantasy is a queer reimagining of the life and ascension of Zhu Yuanzhuang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. This sapphic trifecta novel is so well-written and plays with gender in a really interesting way. I loved the bonds between both Zhu Chongba and Ouyang, a General in the Great Yuan army and a eunuch, and between Zhu and Ma Yingzi. At a time when I was having a lot of trouble reading, this book held my attention and I look forward to seeing what Parker-Chan writes next.
8. Your New Fictional Crush
Pass.
9. New Favourite Character
Two of the characters in Mueller's The Bone Orchard are new favourites of mine; Charm and Justice. Charm is the Emperor's mistress, a prisoner who asserts her will and independence through frequently dying her hair in vivid shades. Her survival instinct, strength, and cunning, won me over. Justice, one of her 'bone ghosts', offers more generosity of spirit, steadfastness, and compassion. Unsurprisingly, I was also won over by Ophelia, a plain, quiet-spoken museum curator who prefers books and objects to people, in Dabos' Mirror Visitor Quartet. Ophelia's intelligence, courage, and drive make her a new favourite character of mine.
10. A Book That Made You Cry
-
-
I haven't yet added any of this year's reads to my I-actually-cried shelf on goodreads, but these two certainly made me come close! Everyone in this room will someday be dead certainly offers its share of second-hand embarrassment, as the protagonist makes decisions that make you want to slam your head against a desk, but it's also an unflinchingly honest portrait of mental illness and living with severe anxiety and panic attacks. Some of the descriptions made me, a woman going through her own mental health issues and dealing with anxiety, relate a little too hard and I definitely teared up on more than one occasion! Alec, William di Canzio's sequel to the gay classic Maurice, had me tearing up for other reasons. The way this book brings in queer community and gay elders is incredibly moving, but it's the reunion between Alec and Maurice, which uses the very best trope of two lovers being separated for awhile, perhaps even thinking the other dead, spotting each other and walking slowly toward each other. Yes, this made me tear up just as it does in Pride and Prejudice and in Black Sails.
11. A Book That Made You Happy
As discussed above, I was moved by di Canzio's Alec in the way that it depicts queer community, found family, and a loving gay relationship with a happy ending in times when that was less likely. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb was my first Cat Sebastian book and it won't be my last! Abiding by the "be gay, do crimes" catchphrase, it throws together Percy, the son of a Lord, and Kit, a retired highwayman and current coffeehouse owner, for an odd couple pairing that I really enjoyed. Over the past year I've been delving into the works of Canadian author Victoria Goddard. While I didn't love The Return of Fitzroy Angursell in the same all-encompassing way as I did The Hands of the Emperor, it's a delightful book that continues the adventures of The Last Emperor of Astandalas on his quest to find a successor, and perhaps look up some old friends along the way. I did not expect to find out that the serene Emperor was such a chaos gremlin and it did take some wrapping my head around, but I wound up really enjoying this!
12. Your Favourite Book To Movie Adaptation That You've Seen This Year
I don't think I've seen any book to movie adaptations so far this year, but I did absolutely love The Power of the Dog, a beautifully shot look at the impact of toxic masculinity. A book club I'm in is planning to read Thomas Savage's book this fall, and I'm looking forward to it!
13. Favourite Book Post That You've Published This Year
I haven't been around here much, but I was pleased with 5 Bookish Things I Changed My Mind About + 1 I'm Hoping to Reconsider!
14. The Most Beautiful Book You Bought Or Received This Year
I'm a big fan of the colourful cover on Sang Young Park's Love in the Big City. Hilarious and heartfelt, Love in the Big City is about a gay man's search for love in Seoul, South Korea.
15. What Are Some Books That You Need To Read By The End Of The Year
So so many! I'm focusing on books I own and intend to prioritize, which include: Another member of the Sapphic Trifecta, The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri; Mary Renault's historical fiction classic about Alexander the Great, Fire From Heaven; Till Human Voices Wake Us, Victoria Goddard's first novel about a mage trying to prevent the end of the world when his estranged brother appears at his door; Freya Marske's queer historical fantasy romance set in an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies, A Marvellous Light; and Victoria Goddard's latest novel, The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul, about a folk hero turned scholar who uses her tongue and pen more than her sword these days, but who keeps her sword sharp in case adventure comes calling.
How is everyone else feeling about their reading this year? What are your favourites so far? Let me know in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment