The best books I read in 2022
The title says it all really!
The title says it all really!
It’s been a slow start to the year in terms of reading, but I have nevertheless enjoyed all of the books I read this month, which doesn’t usually happen!
I read this super short story…like really super short (it’s 5 pages!) by Salih because I fell in love with his writing style last year after reading Seasons of Migration to the North, a powerful post-colonial novel set in Sudan. Again, he manages to evoke a sense of setting and lifestyle quite vividly, even in just 5 pages! Can’t wait to read The Wedding of Zein and any other translations I can get my hands on
I listened to The Bell Jar on audible, and I must say Maggie Gyllenhaal’s narration is perfection. I so was immersed in the story, and I really enjoyed her intonation and how she performed this very conversational and confessional text. As for the narrative itself, wow, it was dark…and uncomfortably relatable in some places. I’ve been through some dark times in my life and the toxic thought patterns and destructive behaviour that Esther partakes in felt a bit too close to home! But overall The Bell Jar is a powerful story and is perhaps overshadowed by the tragedy of Plath herself, she, unlike Esther, succeeded in taking her own life. Is succeeded even the right word here?
Norse Mythology has interested me for years, and it’s almost ridiculous that I have only just read it now. The main and one of the only surviving collections of Norse myths! Because Vikings, like the Greeks and other “ancient” civilisations, had a largely oral tradition, it is often many years later that the stories are written down. Such was the case with The Prose Edda; the believed author Sturlusson was a Christian and writing perhaps 400 years later! This makes the reading of Edda rather intriguing…or is that just my English Lit brain firing up again…ooh authorial intent…what can I infer from this.
It’s also worth noting that this text has inspired so much from J.R.R Tolkein’s legendary Middle Earth books (fun fact many names like Gandalf and Thorin (from The Hobbit) are taken from The Prose Edda!) to the wonderful American Gods by Neil Gaiman (and its fantastic TV adaptation which is currently airing its 3rd season on Amazon Prime). And, of course, you can’t forget Marvel, which with its hilarious and playful spin on the original mythology, has made Thor, Loki, Odin and Heimdall household names.
I enjoyed dipping in and out of The Prose Edda (which was the first Book Club pick, February’s selection will be announced soon!) while bundled under a blanket with a fire crackling…on my tv screen and sipping coffee. To borrow from the Danes, reading this book has been a wonderful dose of Hygge these past few weeks.
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Let me know in the comments section what books and short stories you’ve read this month.
I read the first volume of this comic book a few years ago and I really enjoyed the artwork and the complex but compelling storyline. But for some reason I only got round to reading the next instalment this July and I am rather annoyed that I didn’t read it sooner, but I guess it’s better late than never.
Monstress is an epic fantasy series set in a Matriarchal world and follows Maika Halfwolf who is learning to come to grips with the fact that a demonic entity resides within her. She is also navigating a world that is at war while trying to avenge the death of her mother. Its a complex but beautiful story.
I love Han Kang’s writing, she is a master at her craft (whenever I write this word I always write my surname Crafter, and then have to delete the extra letters and de-capitalise the C! I literally can’t help it!). Europa is a very short story but it is brilliant nonetheless. The story touches on gender identity, the break down of marriages and friendship all in 36 pages.
I am so getting in to the Harry Potter books, and I guess it’s better late than never. But to be honest the main reason why I didn’t read the books or watch the movies when I was younger was because some mean girls at school said that I looked like Dobby the house elf and in the P.E. changing rooms they would throw dirty socks at me. It was traumatising to say the least. But I can now put the distance between that time and now and enjoy this series at last.
Bae Suah is another Korean author who I love reading and this little novella is in the same series of Korean short stories as Europa by Han Kang published by Strangers Press as part of the 여유 (Yeoyu) collection. The story follows a lonely filmmaker as he navigates life and when his indie film is wins a grant his life gets a little weird. This short story kinda reminded me of A Painful Case from James Joyces’ short story collection Dubliners. I don’t know if thats just me but I did.
This was the Books & Bunnies Book Club pick of the month and while it was an enjoyable read I feel like I made a misstep reading it after watching the TV series, I should have read it years ago when I first bought it!
This past month was a rather good reading month but I am still behind on the Goodreads challenge to read 50 books this year so I think August will be a hectic month of catching up!
"‘Let’s start the book club again,’ Cate said for the fourth time with a knowing smile on her face.
Yes I am rebooting the Book Club because I need to force Charlotte (my sister who I used to share this blog with) to read as she only picks up a book once in a blue moon. So it goes without saying, I need to save her from the bookless life she is currently living! So each month we will pick a book to read and you can read along with us, on the first Sunday of each month we will then make a video about the past months book where we discuss what we think of it and you can join in with the discussion too!
Yay, sounds like fun? Stay tuned for the book reveal which has technically already been revealed in the title of this blog post.
This month we are reading…Good Omens!