An Ode to the Books I've Loved this Year
Reading is good for the soul!
Hello friends!
I love to read. I think many people would, whether that’s in audio format, digital, or plain old paperback. Half the battle is time. Over the last few years I’ve made a real effort to read like I did back in school, when time was easier to find and I didn’t feel guilty shutting off the world for two hours to voraciously flick through a novel. That’s the other thing about me, I read fast. I can usually read a book cover to cover in around two hours, give or take of course, for length. Two hours tends to be about the average though, and as I’ve been working on giving myself time to rest, I’ve been letting myself have that treasured time to just sit and read a bloody book.
And what better way to celebrate the stories I’ve read this year, than to share them? Below, I have picked out one book from each month to share with you all. I hope you like them as much as I did if you choose to give them a go!
First up, is The Binding, Bridget Collins
What can I say? This is a truly stunning book. The Binding is set in a world where memories are bound into books, a practice which is maligned and feared. The story follows Emmett Farmer, a young man who has suffered a terrible illness at his family’s home, and his journey into becoming a Binder under the watchful eye of his Mentor, Seredith. He will learn how to create beautiful volumes of books, learn how to Bind memories, and eventually, discover the terrible secrets of what people want to hide away and forget.
This is a wonderful read and I deeply enjoyed falling into the story as the plot gradually revealed itself. The switch in perspective is a little jarring towards the end of the book, but other than that, this book was a wonderful read.
Pine, Francine Toon
Trigger warning for child neglect, endangerment, alcoholism, bullying
Ten year old Lauren lives with her father in the Scottish Highlands, in a small community surrounded by a thick pine forest. After the disappearance of her mother 9 years ago, her father turns to drink to cope, and Lauren to her mother’s tarot cards. But, when a young girl goes missing and neighbours seem to know more than they let on, Lauren is no longer sure who she can trust, and whether or not she can even trust her dad.
Pine was such an interesting book to read, because for the majority of the book, it feels like nothing much is happening, but it’s an impulsive read, with each page leaving you hanging for more. I felt like I needed to dig deeper into this village and the secrets of the villagers, and of course the only way to do that was to get through the book. Because this book is primarily told through the experiences of a fairly neglected ten year old child, the world does feel confusing and overwhelming at times.
The book is advertised as being “spine chilling,” which I personally think is a stretch, but I don’t actually think that was the author’s intention. To me, it is much more in vein with Nordic Noir type stories, which some supernatural aspects, and I feel when you think about it like that, you will get a lot more from the book than if you go in expecting a straight horror. The supernatural aspects and folklore were weaved into the book beautifully, and didn’t feel like they were shoehorned into it, as it is an otherwise quite realistic setting.
Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
Fingersmith follows the stories of two girls, Sue and Maud, who are intertwined through birth, crime, and love. This book is incredible, set in Victorian England, with all the canny descriptions and cleverness that put you right there. Waters brings you deep into the Victorian underworld, where Sue must learn to become a Fingersmith in order to pull off a heist that will change her life, and the lives of all in her adopted family. Once she agrees to the plan, she is sent away in the guise of a lady’s maid to meet Maud, the girl she intends to rob.
I loved this book. The writing is superb and both Sue and Maud are incredibly written, with flaws and mistakes that make them feel so real.
Dracula, Bram Stoker
This is a book I come back to again and again. This year was a good year for vampire, as was, incidentally, the year of Dracula’s publication. Mina as always remains my love and the most valuable character in the novel - without her, I truly believe the men would never have stumbled their way into defeating Dracula, as it was Mina who put the clues together, and figured out what and where they needed to hit. As always, Dracula is a classic, and a must read, for anyone who loves a tale of the vampire.
The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
*Note: Trigger warning for suicide and animal death
A short, but ultimately life affirming book, Matt Haig’s Midnight Library was an enjoyable read. A little obvious in places, especially with where the plot was going, but I still found it fun. There were some elements that I wish had been handled better. Overall though it makes into one of my favourite books this year, because sometimes you don’t need a book to be painfully complex-covering every issue in depth-perfect. Sometimes you just need to be reminded that life is worth living, and as someone with chronic depression, anxiety, and ocd, this book was just right at that time.
Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Trigger warning for sexual assault
Mushrooms.
After Noemí receives a concerning letter from her newlywed cousin, her father sends her to go and see what is wrong. Noemí travels to her cousin’s new husband’s family estate, and finds herself involved in a plot that might leave her attached to this house, and this family, forever.
This book was a wild one for sure, and I loved it. Initially sitting squarely in the psychological horror genre, it manages to spread out into body horror and more. There are some truly visceral moments in this book that made it impossible to put down, and Noemí as a protagonist was wonderful. She is a take no shit kind of woman, and just the balm needed for the overbearing family she has come to investigate. I’m truly looking forward to reading more from Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie
Trigger warning for violence, domestic violence
This book is so much fun. The first book of the First Law trilogy, it follows a multi-viewpoint plot involving characters from different places in the world Abercrombie has built. It’s clever, quick, and very, very engaging, and I can’t wait to read the next one.
We first find ourselves in the company of Logen, a barbarian from the North, who gets separated from his friends and must fend for himself, leading him into perhaps even greater danger than before. In the South, Jezal, a spoilt brat, is training for a swordsmanship competition while Inquisitor Glotka tries to figure out who is at the centre of a treasonous plot. Across the sea we have Ferro, a slave escaping from her brutal captivity, and linking them all, the wizard Bayaz.
Despite a bit of a clunky start, the book really hits its stride and I’ve been told that the trilogy only gets better. For my own criticisms, I always want to see more women and lgbtq folk in fantasy, and I feel this is again something this book could have considered.
The Lost Ones, Anita Frank
Trigger warning for suicide, child death, implied sexual assault
Set in 1917, The Lost Ones is Anita Frank’s debut novel. A strong start, this book was a charming read, with elegant writing and a great build up of suspense. Being a historical ghost story, I was hoping for something quite evocative, and this book did the job well. In the book, we follow Stella Marcham as she goes to check on her pregnant sister at the behest of her sister’s husband in their mansion of Greyswick. There, Stella meets Lady Brightwell, her sister’s imposing mother-in-law, and begins to find that all in the mansion are not what they appear.
The plot is unmistakably tragic, which is something I love in a ghost story. As it exists against the backdrop of the first world war, things do get visceral in flash backs of Stella’s time nursing on the front, showcasing the horror of that time, and indeed, of war in general. My main issue with this book was the portray of Mrs Henge’s sexuality, as I felt it reinforced certain tropes of the deviant, evil coded queer.
Things in Jars, Jess Kidd
Based in Victorian London, Things in Jars follows Bridie Devine as she tries to follow the trail of Christabel Berwick, the daughter of Sir Edmund Berwick, but things are not what they seem when it becomes clear that Sir Edmund Berwick is hiding some pretty important information about the child. Aiding her in this task, is her seven foot tall maid, and a tattooed ghost. This book was unexpectedly full of heart and expertly blended humour, folklore, and horror to create something quite lovely and unique. The prose was lyrical, with some truly beautiful descriptions, though occasionally the tone felt a little clunky. A wonderful read overall, and one that made me want to read more of Jess Kidd’s work, as she was completely new to me.
Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir
I had seen Gideon around the internet, and finally decided to jump feet first into the trilogy as it piqued the I love everything about this part of my brain. Actual canonical lesbians? Space? Necromancy? Fantasy? Swords???? Yes please.
Gideon the Ninth follows smartmouthed swordswoman turned caviler Gideon and her frenemy, the necromancer Harrow, as they explore a gothic palace in space. There, they meet other necromancer/caviler pairs as a fierce competition to earn the title and powers of Lyctor unfolds. Harrow and Gideon must learn to work together, and trust each other if they are to make it out alive.
I could not put this book down. The blinking light that had gone off every time I saw this book mentioned online that told me I’d love it was right, in fact, it perhaps underestimated how much I loved it. Unexpectedly deep and thoughtful, Gideon the Ninth explores themes isolation, loss, and the pressure we put on ourselves to achieve and become more than what we started as. Throughout this book there is also a tangible thread of grief, something I am expecting to continue in Harrow the Ninth, which my lovely partner gifted me and which I will be diving into asap.
Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson with Emily Carroll as illustrator
Trigger warning for rape, sexual assault, bullying
Speak is both a graphic novel and a prose novel. I read the graphic novel, with art by the inimitable Emily Carroll whose horror illustration added a dimension of terror to this book that I feel only she could achieve.
Speak is the story of Melinda, a highschool student who is outcast for calling the police to a house party she attended over the summer - but no one knows why she did it, and no one has bothered to ask.
This book is fierce and authentic, and ultimately tragic in its exploration of the subject of sexual assault and rape. It is only through the help of an art project that Melinda is able to confront what happened to her, and regain her voice.
Grass, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
Trigger warning for rape, sexual abuse, assault, CSA
Grass is a graphic novel following the life of Lee Ok-sun. It is powerful, unflinching, and not for the faint of heart. The art is raw, which lends itself well to the horrors within the book, and manages to both show the harshness of childhood then turn, and deeper still show the brutality that was endured by Korean women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the second world war. Known as “Comfort Women,” this book sheds a light on their plight through focusing specifically on Lee Ok-sun’s experiences.
This book is an absolute masterpiece. Hard to read at times, and conveyed all the more strongly with Gendry-Kim’s powerful lines, Grass will take you through the nightmare of Lee’s youth to her survival, and will teach you exactly why the term “Comfort Women,” is a misrepresentation of what happened to the victims of this system.