Another year full of books…

Welcome to what has become a bit of a tradition. I think my first ‘best reads of the year’ post was in 2020? To give you the lowdown this year I read 68 books. That is a new annual record for me. Mainly because I properly fell back in love with audiobooks this year. They are fantastic for insomnia filled nights as gives me something to focus on without looking at a screen or turning on a light. I have put ‘audiobook’ next to reviews for books I listened to. My average score was 3.4/5 which is pretty similar to last year. For me a ‘5’ is an absolutely exceptional book and a score I rarely give. ‘4’ is a great book with a few issues or bits that were dull. ‘3’ is a perfectly solid book but nothing to write home about. ‘2’ is I didn’t enjoy but had some redeeming moments. ‘1’ is I had to fight my way to the end without giving up. All the books on this post are 4 and 5 stars.

I have split the book recommendations into five fairly broad genre categories of: Fantasy, fiction, non-fiction, history and middle grade. So with that let’s get some reading inspiration…

Fantasy

‘Threadneedle’ Cari Thomas: TW: Domestic abuse. A creative and engaging YA fantasy. Follow themes of magic and the magical orders; family and friendship; secrets and betrayal; and more. There were a few tropes and quite stereotypical characters. But they didn’t detract too much from the book. Be aware that there are some domestic abuse descriptions which may be hard for some. I found the story gripping and full of plot details and twists that I didn’t see coming. I just love the thought of all these hidden magical shops and resources just out of sight in busy London.

‘When Women Were Dragons’ Kelly Barnhill: Audiobook: The whole premise of women breaking out of patriarchal society by becoming dragons was epic. I really enjoyed the alternating character plot and ‘scientific’ chapters. The book felt like it almost could have happened despite being about literal dragons. There were themes family both blood and found; feminism; LGBTQ+ representation; education and more. Yes it was feminism at a pretty basic level but it was enough for the story.

‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ TJ Klune: Audiobook: I really enjoyed this book. It hit me in the feels at many a point, I laughed, I reflected and I nearly cried. The ending was a bit cheesy and predictable. But the story made me think as well, about how we treat people who are different and how often that negative messaging comes from those in power. No one is born hating, we are taught to fear what we don’t know. I wrote down so many quotes that just resonated.

‘Gallant’ V. E. Schwab: Audiobook: A dark gothic fantasy novel following Olivia and her arrival at her ancestral home: Gallant. But all is not as it seems. A darkness lies just beyond the wall. I thought the story was really clever and quite different to anything I had read before. It was spooky but still quite believable which is hard to do. Olivia is mute, which is rare representation in books. Her frustration at not being able to make people understand and her delight at when someone could sign with her mirrors the reality for many in the real world. I would have liked more of an explanation as to why the two Gallant’s existed though to give some context to the story.

‘Scythe’ Neal Shusterman: Audiobook: This young adults book is set in a dystopian future where humanity has conquered nature and people can now live forever. In order to manage the population Scythes are people who are trained to take lives. In this story two young people are required as apprentices to the Scythedom. There were some really interesting discussions about the ethics around choosing who should die and how. As well as the purpose of life and humanity. In a world with no death, what is there to strive for? I did find the characters a bit too stereotypical in their roles though particularly with ‘good people versus bad people’.

‘Legends & Lattes’ Travis Baldree: Audiobook: Travelling on twisty Albanian roads means lots of time for audiobooks. ‘Legends and Lattes’ was just the perfect chilled companion to a road trip. I didn’t realise low stakes cosy fantasy was a genre and I shall definitely be reading more. I loved the characters and the way we got to know them as they got to know each other. The descriptions of taste, smells and sounds brought the story to life. I could imagine standing in the cafe as my coffee was brewed by Viv or Tandri with the smell of fresh baked goods by Thimble filling the air before going to take a seat across from a chess playing gnome.

Fiction

‘The Marriage Portrait’ Maggie O’Farrell: Audiobook: I read this partly on the recommendation of a friend and partly because the Medici family is one of my current historical interests. This historical fiction is about 16 year old Lucrezia who is one of the daughters of Cosimo di Medici and her tragic marriage to Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. Although I felt at times the plot was over dramatised and lost sight of the history in places it was still a fascinating read. There are many moments of commentary about the role of women in the C16th and how so much of their lives were dictated by decisions made by men. My heart went out to Lucrezia on numerous occasions in her powerless and trapped position. But the book does not fully remove the agency of women and I liked that too.

‘DallerGut Dream Department Store’ Lee Miye: This book was the fantastical bundle of joy I hoped it would be. I loved the whole concept of a world that can be found only in our dreams that all humans visit but none of us can remember. That works is also populated and full of people employed in various ways in helping us dream in the most optimal way for us as unique individuals. The use of dreams to help heal people’s trauma was especially powerful. I liked the featured ‘dreamer’ stories and how the DallerGut staff shaped their life paths by the particular dreams they were given. I would have appreciated a little more detail on each dreamers story, maybe examples of their dreams changing over time?

‘Us Against You’ Fredrik Backman: Audiobook: This book picks up more or less where the first one left off. As I already knew the characters I was able to instantly settle into the story. That might be why I enjoyed this more than the first one. I felt part of the Beartown community. This is a book about community; individuality; politics; class; sport; gender roles and belonging. All the wonderful messiness of humanity. This is a truly beautiful book that will both make you cry and fill your heart.

‘The Winners’ Fredrik Backman: Audiobook: The final instalment of the Beartown trilogy and I am genuinely sad to be saying goodbye to this world. You really get to feel like a part of the community, sharing in its joys and troubles. There are so many intricately woven plot lines through all three books and it’s very satisfying to see them all come together. Although some of their conclusions were a bit heartbreaking. Aspects of the plot were a little slow but even then they served to add depth to the story and its world.

‘This Green and Pleasant Land’ Ayisha Malik: This lighthearted but yet topical book is set in the imaginary typical English village of Babel’s End. There lives our main character Bilal Hasham and his family and he is having a mid-life crisis. As such he decides to follow his recently deceased mothers thing wish of building a mosque in the village. Which doesn’t go down well with the largely white Christian population. Some of the characters and the theming was just too obvious and so lost impact. But the story challenges you to think about what inclusion really means; the barriers that attempts to maintain ‘tradition’ can create; and the power of relationships be they friends, lovers, community, religious or anything else.

‘The Secret History’ Donna Tartt: Audiobook: This reminded me in a lot of ways of ‘Babel’ and like that book I really enjoyed the more slow moving; intellectual; mystery filled; first half and liked the more action packed second half less. Basically I thrive on the academia part of dark academia as a genre. But this kept me engaged and guessing throughout all 22 hours of audiobook and I definitely didn’t see the ending coming!

‘Birnam Wood’ Eleanor Catton: What an ending. I stayed up until 1:30am because I had to finish this book before bed. I was gripped. I shall be mulling this over in my brain for quite some time. My first eco thriller book (that may be a genre I have just made up but seems to fit). It has been ages since I had read a book where the plot triumphed above all else and the characters all perfectly served the plot. The story starts of oh so normally and it builds in drama so gradually you hardly realise it’s happening until the moment you can’t put the book down.

Non-fiction

‘Beautiful Country’ Qian Julie Wang: Telling the story of the authors childhood growing up as an undocumented Chinese immigrant in the USA. This was a deeply moving book which did not shy away from the struggles and poverty of living in the states illegally. The irony of how ugly the ‘beautiful’ United States could be. There were a lot of very pointant comments about belonging, family, parental dynamics, education and more. There was some part of me that felt slightly uncomfortable reading in so much detail about someone’s childhood trauma. But it is her story to share and my reaction to it shouldn’t change that. It’s an important read none the less.

‘On the Marsh’ Simon Barnes: A year long story of life for Barnes and his family in Norfolk where they have bought an area of marshland. This is partly a book about wildlife and conservation. But it’s also a book about family; flourishing with disability; and the connection between humans and nature. This was an informative read and I learnt a lot. But the information was presented in an accessible way and threaded in with the story. I especially loved reading about Simon and his relationship with his son Eddie, who has Down syndrome, it was a really positive representation of the positive quality of life disabled people can have. Some of the segments did ramble a bit but it was a really comforting read.

‘Sovietistan’ Erika Fatland: This book tells of Fatland’s journey through the five former Soviet Republics’; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. I will admit to being fairly ignorant about Central Asia and this book provided a brilliant overview. It felt like a text that was part history, part anthropology and part travelogue. That mix made it very accessible and engaging to read. I liked the human interest throughout and the number of interviews with locals. As all five ‘stans were being covered unsurprisingly there was a focus on breadth not depth of descriptions and some sections just felt a little over simplified.

‘To the Edge of the Sky’ Anhua Gao: This autobiography tells the story of growing up in Mao’s China. Through Gao’s eyes we see the beginnings of communism in China and all the hope that came with that and then as time went on how much of that hope was shattered. This book definitely hit me emotionally and was hard to read at point. It showed me how much I don’t know about events like the Cultural Revolution and just how much hardship and loss there was. Gap’s personal journey and determination never to give up are inspiring. My only negative, and this is more a reflection on me, is the way she talked about her siblings at points. It could feel lacking in empathy and I wondered how they might feel about how they have been portrayed in this book.

‘You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine’ Yeva Skalietska: It’s been a long time since I cried reading. But Yeva’s diary explaining how her and her Grannie had to flee the Russian invasion got me right in the heart. Her totally normal life was suddenly destroyed in front of her. Everything she knew: her community, the city buildings, her school, friends and family were all taken away just like that. In a war that she played no part in. She does have some good luck along the way in terms of the connections she builds and help she gets. But I think that came more from how articulate, kind and brave she seems to be and that drew people in. And in escaping a war you need some luck and help! It was so honestly written. I felt like I was really seeing the war through her eyes. The language is quite easy to follow, as one would expect from a 12 year old girls diary. But that adds to the realness makes the book.

‘In the Shadow of the Mountain’ Silvia Vasquez-Lavado: Where to even start with this book. One of the most brave, beautiful, moving books I have read in a long time. A story of trauma and how it can impact all our lives. Not the usual ‘my trauma made me stronger’ which to me can give too much power to the things that hurt us. But a book about how life continues after trauma and how we all process things in our own ways that aren’t always pretty or even healthy but we can keep going. And often achieve incredible things in the end.

‘Sitting Pretty’ Rebekah Taussi: I don’t know if I have ever read a book which spoke to me as much as this. So many experiences I have gone through suddenly there in words on a page. I felt heard by someone I had never met. Thoughts I have had as a disabled person I have felt guilty for (people constantly offering to help you when you are absolutely fine) I realised were completely reasonable. I was nearly in tears by the end. If all folks, disabled or able-bodied read this book I truly believe the world could be a better place for us all.

History

‘The King’s Painter’ Franny Moyle: A fascinating insight into one of British history’s most famous painters, through whose work we view much of the Tudor era. This book read well as a story as well as a factual account. It tells much not just about Holbein’s incredible life but the rapidly changing political, religious and culture times around him. There were a few too many assumptions, which I understand is due to the lack of primary sources actually about Holbein. But had the book been made shorter some of that could just have been cut out. Still the text kept me engaged and interested until the end.

‘The Barbizon’ Paulina Bren: Built in 1927 The Barbizon Hotel for women acted as a microcosm for the rights and roles of women throughout the 20th century. Whilst on the one hand this was a safe haven for women seeking fame and fortune in New York there was a darker side to life at the hotel too. I really enjoy books like this that tell the everyday stories of people and society beyond huge historical events. Particularly when those are stories of women, who are too often overlooked in historical tellings. For me there was just far too much about Sylvia Plath, I understand she stayed at the hotel, but there has been so much written about her, I felt her story ended up over shadowing many of the other stories and told me things I already knew.

‘The Medici’ Paul Strathern: A fascinating history charting the rise and fall of one of Europes most powerful families as they kept a hold over Florence for almost 250 years. I was familiar with some Medici history but had no idea just how influential they had been and how far their reach had spread. Especially in their patronage of the arts: Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci to name a few. As well as architects and even early scientists like Galileo. Learning about the regional and international politics of Italy and Europe with the vying power of the city states. Only critique would be that some individuals did get a little few too many pages about them and so bits read quite slowly.

‘Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames’ Lara Maiklem: Part history; part of exploration; part autobiography; this book is about the magic of truly looking at the world around us and what you can find. I loved how the stories of the objects found reflected the lives of day to day people. How ordinary lives are preserved throughout time. I’d like to have known a bit more about the actual process of mudlarking would be my only comment.

Middle grade

‘The First Shadowdragon’ Lee Newbery: I loved ‘The Last Firefox’ and so pre-ordered this book almost as soon as it was released. When it arrived the first thing I took in was how stunning the illustrations were and the book is full of them. As well it was beautiful to see such wonderfully simple LGBTQ+ representation for young folks. No making it a huge plot point. Just the classic adolescent crush that happens to be between two girls. Gives me hope for todays kids.

‘When I See Blue’ Lily Bailey: This middle grade book tells the story of Ben a 12 year old boy who has just started at a new school and has OCD. This was such a well done portrayal of how debilitating OCD can be but in a way that is approachable for middle grade readers. The same goes for the discussions around alcoholism and addiction. The aimed for age does mean the plot is a little simplistic in places but that’s fair.

‘Nura and the Immortal Palace’ M. T. Khan: Just beautiful both in storyline and the physical book itself. The world building was incredible, I could picture each location in vivid colour in my head. I felt like I was following alongside Nura on her adventure. The book is set in modern day Pakistan and draws on Muslim cultures and traditions that the author has in her own life. As a side note having greater diversity in the stories that are told is so important so props to this book for that. This is a story of family, friendship, a strong female lead, fantasy and realising what truly makes you happy. But as the author explains in her note at the end this story has a purpose other than just entertaining. It draws attention to the real life child labourers as mica is a substance mined across several countries. One way for children to escape work and get a better future is through education, also emphasised in the plot. I wonder if possibly it was a little deep for a children’s book or perhaps they would just read it as an adventure book? But overall a magic and meaningful read.

‘The Wind in the Willows’ Kenneth Grahame: Audiobook: This classic children’s book first published in 1908 tells the story of mole, rat and badger and their life on the riverbank and surrounding countryside. It is all so cosy and homely. But there is some adventure there with their unruly companion Toad and his obsession with motor cars which gets him into quite a bit of trouble. It was just a very soothing listen. A little slow in places and some of the language is a little politically incorrect now but overall it is just a timeless story of friendship.

‘A Kind of Spark’ Elle McNicoll: A middle grade book set just outside of Edinburgh (partly why I wanted to read it!). It follows the day to day life of Addie, an 11 year old Autistic girl and her battle to get commemoration for women killed in her village hundreds of years ago as ‘witches’. Addie can see how the way the women ‘witches’ were treated for being different has overlaps with the marginalisation of neurodivergent individuals today. This book is heartwarming, eye opening, saddening and empowering. It covered some very important but taboo topics such as autistic folks treatment under the mental health act. Reading this gave me a real insight into what living with autism may be like. I did wonder what age bracket the book was for as the writing was quite ‘young’ but there were some really heavy topics discussed in quite a grown up way.

‘Song for a Whale’ Lynne Kelly: A very sweet middle grade book all about the importance of communication and community. This is the story of a girl who is deaf and her battle to give a lonely whale a song he can understand. I loved the use of italics to signify the use of sign language as well as the beautiful descriptions of signing. But then I felt the frustration when Iris was struggling to be heard. The plot did get a little too unrealistic and over predictable at points for me but given the target age group that makes sense. It makes me happy to think of young people being exposed to so much more diversity in books. All children deserve to be seen and represented.

To wrap up…

I have set my reading goal for 2024 at 55 books as I really don’t know if this year was just a fluke with the number of books I read. I’m definitely going to continue using the ‘tbr cards’ that my good pal Steph bought me. I can get quite anxious over choosing what book to read and obsessive thoughts can start kicking in. Pulling out a card and choosing a title based on what the card says (there are a couple pictured in this post) takes the opportunity for over thinking out of book choice. It keeps my reading diverse too. So cheers to another year full of bookish magic.