I almost forgot to publish this, I’m so scatter-brained today. Thank you sinus infection meds!
Ahem. It’s that time of the year again! The time when I slap down some of my favorite reads I read during the past year. I don’t think I have as many as I have had in past years due to so many of them not passing my strangely high standards (still don’t know what was up with me this year, I swear I used to be more lenient…), but I still got some really good ones out of my pile of 180 books, and two of these are now all-time faves.
Onto the recs!
The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel is first up, and it gains a spot on my all-time faves because I had such a blast reading this whole series. It’s a sci-fi book that I’m not going to say too much about, because I will be reviewing each book in the series, but if you like aliens, giant robots, and Pacific Rim (I know, redundant to the former two, but you’ll see what I mean if you read it), then this might be for you! I loved the dossier-style, and I can’t wait to read it again.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is up next, despite it only getting four (well, closer to four and a half) stars from me. Probably not a shocker since so many people loved this book, and I am one of them. I just adore Reid’s writing style, and Evelyn Hugo had such a fascinating and fleshed out life from what little we actually got of her story (and don’t get me wrong — it was a lot) that I felt like she was a real person by the time I was done reading the book. I can’t wait to read more of Reid’s work!
Up next is Birthday by Meredith Russo. This one definitely had its faults, especially near the end where it left me wanting so much more than I got, but it was still a heart-wrenching, exciting story where I couldn’t help but feel for Morgan every step of the way. I really want to read Russo’s other work, because I have a feeling it’ll hit me right where it hurts just like this one did, and I love that kind of pain.
So, the fact that Circe by Madeline Miller is on here should probably come as no surprise to you guys who have been around a while, considering how much I would not shut up about A Song of Achilles and how it’s the book that destroyed me and keeps me destroyed even to this day. Miller is a master of words and knows ways with retellings that really suck you in, and Circe is no exception to her wordcraft. She might actually be my new favorite author for keeps, because I’m loving all of her retellings so far, and I crave more.
Okay, I might not have read the whole series yet, but I loved The Diviners by Libba Bray so much (and I’m loving Lair of Dreams, too! Just waiting to get my hands back on it… *shakes fist at library waiting list*) that I had to include it, because it’s proably going to be a favorite even if the following books fall flat. Honestly, though? I don’t expect them to at all. It’s such a fascinating paranormal story set in the 1920s American era that I can’t see myself not snapping up everything I can from this series, because it hits one of my niche interests so nicely.
(Plus, okay, I love Memphis. So much. I’d read the book just for him.)
And that’s all I got for this year’s recommendations! I do want to throw out some honorable mentions to Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross, a historical fiction novel about the missing female pope, Joan, simply because the story was absolutely fascinating to read about, and the info in the back was possibly the best thing of the whole book, and to The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent, which is a historical fiction novel (I really like my historical fiction, can you tell?) about a mother and daughter living during the time of the Salem witch trials, by which the mother is accused and hanged for alleged witchcraft. The story is told from the daughter’s view, and it’s super, super interesting to read if you’re interested in that kind of story.
I didn’t include either of these simply because I didn’t absolutely adore them in some way like I did all the others listed, but if you really like historical fiction or are interested in one of these topics, I do recommend you try them!
Anyway, that’s it for this post!
Thanks for reading!
Confessions of a Literary Addict 