2022 Books

The Witch King - H.E. Edgmon

9/52 (finished behind schedule, 13Apr22)

History: picked this up last year during pride month from my local bookstore.

Overall: I liked it, and I'll read the sequel. I fully admit i am picky when characters are angry. I like writing angry characters, but reading them is very hit or miss, but it rarely changes within the book. This books was one of those. Anger is a fragile thing, and the authors note indicated it was personal, which made it feel more... honest, even if it also made me feel old. And it made it work better when they were angry for reasons i didn't draw parallels to. The anger I could identify with held me over for the anger I couldn't.

Of the two books i bought last june that had supernatural trans main character, i definitely preferred this one. The character was "teen acting like adult" not "teen acting like 12 yo" which is a lot better, especially when dealing with supernatural adventures and romance and mischief. For a writer's first novel (per goodreads) this was really solid. There were some clunky peices of dialoge that were just... confusing in context because they felt... awkward.

This is also one of the few books about fae i didnt give up on. But i still just... dislike fae books. So it did good in not making me just drop the book after a few chapters.

Back on the Shelf/[to someone else's shelf]

Grotesque - Natsuo Kirino

8/52 (finished behind schedule, 27Mar22)

History: picked this up for a dollar from my library impulsively because i thought it would be a mystery. Probably got it in ~2009ish, so ive had it for 13 years.

Overall: weird book. Excellent writing that crafted 4 deeply unlikable and unreliable narrators who kepy trying to win the readers affection. The main narrator was so desperate in this attempt and each instance just made me detest her more. Grotesquely, one might say.

One of those books that has a theme, but ultimately no plot? A slice of 4 interconnected lives, all of whom where trainwrecks and collided, sometimes violently.

Back on the Shelf/[to someone else's shelf]

It took me over a month to read this book and I don’t see myself reading it again. Even if the writing was good, it was kind of exhausting to read.

Nimona - Noelle Steveson

7/52 (finished behind schedule, 21Feb22)

History: I bought this when it came out back in 2015 form B&N. I remember that there was hype surrounding it at the time, though I couldn't say what it was.

Overall: I liked it. Reminded me of the evil overlord list of days gone by, vibe wise, and I liked the mystery. The art style was very good and I loved certain sections of it related to Nimonas back story the most. I'm kind of sad it took me this long to read it because it probably would have shamed how I perceived Stevenson's other works (she-ra for example)

[Back on the Shelf]/to someone else's shelf

Taproot - Keezy Young

6/52 (finished behind schedule, 21Feb22)

History: well, this book still had the receipt in it. Bought in January of 2019 on impulse from my local bookstore.

Overall: I liked it. I got lost at a few points about why things worked out the way they did, but I loved the art style throughout. I am not a plant person, broadly speaking, so this didn't hit me there. I do love stories about necromancy though, so that was fun. I liked the concept of balance presented and I enjoyed the vibe they were going for, which was kind of alt cottage core.

Back on the Shelf/[to someone else's shelf]

Grace and Fury - Tracy Banghart

5/52 (finished ahead of schedule, 02Feb22)

History: I bought this in 2021, from my local bookstore. They do a "blind date with a book" thing, where they wrap the book up and give you a genre, a vague summary or a passage. This was entirely an impulse buy. I decided that as a blind buy, I should read it, bc I assumed I'd be like 'meh', and it would be easy to take it off my shelves.

Overall: Is this the best book I've ever read? No. Is it the best book I've read recently? No. Was it kind of cliche and heavy handed with the girl power and anti-oppression themes? Yes. Is the plot a bit like the teenage version of a harliquen romance novel? Yes. Did I predict the plot twist before my heroine? Yes. Did I immediately check the sequel out from the library when I finished?

Yes. Yes I did.

Because, weirdly, this book was strongly written. Voice was clear, the characters were drawn well, the world building didn't get overly complicated. Unlike certain other books that are on my to read list but I have heard awful things about, this world has sexism, and the women know it's unfair, but still have to live in it. The women aren't enemies with each other. Which is so freaking refreshing in a story that sets up woman conflict at every turn. Both plots revolve around women competing with women for survival, but at the same time no woman is written for other women to tear down as stupid, or vapid, or a bitch.

It was candy reading, enjoyable, surprising (tho not the overall plot, but I will say the very similar plot twist in other YA novels was executed far worse haha).

[Back on the Shelf]/to someone else's shelf

The Name of the Star -

4/52 (finished behind schedule, 30Jan22)

History: pretty sure I bought this at B&N. Since it's hardcover and I probably picked it up based on it's cover, probably first edition so also 2011.

I vaguely remember watching a YouTube video and some famous YouTuber talking about the book as being written by his friend and I went Oh, I have that". It also is a book about Jack the Ripper, which I am always looking for books about. I like Victorian murderers.

The first YA novel as part of my resolutions.

Overall: I liked it. Suitably mysterious, tho less Ripper-y than I wanted. Strong sense of voice with the characters and decent pacing. Part one of a series, and I'll probably check out the next book as well.

Back on the Shelf/[to someone else's shelf]

Grimoire Noir - Vera Greentea & Yana Bogatch

3/52 (finished behind schedule, 23Jan22)

History: the first GN makes its appearance on the list. I didn't sit and read as much this week, so I went with an easier task. I still have too many GN I bought over the years still unread so...

I bought this in 2019 from B&N, based on the spine (followed by a flip through the interiors). It's been sitting next to my bed since then in my shelves, next to a variety of other GN, also unread.

Overall: enjoyable, beautiful, with strong style choices and a great color palette. The story is straightforward, with a slight twist at the end. I will say I found it prettier to look at more than enjoyable to read in some sections, and I mostly just was depressed for this wacky, rained out town.

Back on the Shelf/[to someone else's shelf]

The Last Werewolf - Glen Duncan

2/52 (finished behind schedule, 16Jan22)

History: So, I've owned this book since probably 2011-2012 as well. That's the edition publication date on the cover, and I bought it at Costco which tends to only stock current best sellers. I love werewolves, extensively, and I thought the premise was interesting. Also, since I do very much judge books by their cover, the minimalism appealed to me, as did the symmetry.

Overall: weird mix of sex (but not sexy), violence (sometimes described more sexily than the sex, because werewolves) and poetic (mostly about the sex and the violence).

I laughed out a few times. Highlight was our protagonist refusing to put on a show and eat someone during the full moon, writing how he'll be strong for the next several hours. The next chapter begins with "Reader, I ate him."

I also loved how this book characterized werewolves as horny and vampires as impotent and bitter about it. It was a small detail, but it made me smile.

Back on the Shelf/[to someone else's shelf]

Anno Dracula - Kim Newman

1/52 (finished behind schedule, 09Jan22)

History: So, I've owned this book since probably 2011 as that's the date for the edition and I know I've had it for a long time. This book moved with me, and I kept it through an additional several years, telling myself I'd eventually read it. Bought at a my local bookstore.

After nearly a year of it sitting in my bedroom instead of on the bookshelves in my "library", I finally read it.

At the end of the year I'll try to do a ranking of all of the books I read, but obviously right now, this book is 1 out of 1.

Overall: enjoyable pulpy referential.

Reminded me a lot of League of Extraordinary Gentleman, and also it also profited from me rewatching all of Ripper Street in Fall 2021.

I had been looking for a Jack the Ripper novel, and it turned out I owned one all along.

Back on the Shelf/[to someone else's shelf]

2022 goal is to work on the backlog of books I have bought over the years and get rid of some of them.