Best Books of 2022 Pt. 1: Backlist & 2023 Releases

 

Today I am presenting to you all Part I of my favorite books of 2022! I know we're already into the second week of January, but I've been weirdly busy and had a lot going on already so we are a little behind on things–but that's okay! I always feel very fortunate to be able to read so many books every year–both the good and the not so good–and always find so much joy in looking back at all the books I read in order to pick out my favorites. I really enjoy a lot of books I read, but I think we all know when we read one that just feels a little extra special to us and is one that will likely stick with us just a little more than others, and these are some of them.

Just as I split up my lists for the past couple of years, I am once again splitting up my favorites lists into a few categories because I read a grand total of 154 books and there are just too many that I loved to make only one list. Today I am sharing my favorite backlist titles (this will include any title published prior to 2022) and two 2023 ARCs I read and also loved. Part II, which consists of 2023 releases, will (hopefully) be up later this week, and my annual reading stats post will be up by the end of the month (assuming nothing drastic happens in my life to change that). As always, these lists are in no particular order. Without further ado, let's dive in!

Backlist Titles 
(pre-2022 release, in no particular order):

    
1. Hunting by Stars by Cheri Dimaline: The Marrow Thieves was a favorite read last year, and this sequel was just as incredible. This duology is about dystopian future where Indigenous peoples of North America are the last ones able to dream, and the rest of the world begins hunting them for their bone marrow and ability to dream. Hunting by Stars is a sequel that really carried on the story in a meaningful way and served to further expand on each character's experiences, backstories, and evolutions as people throughout these books. I was captivated by the plot and moved by the stories within this book. 

2. The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens: Since I loved Anna Stephens' previous series, Godblind, I had a feeling I would like The Stone Knife–I didn't realize I'd end up loving it quite as much as I did! This is a fantasy taking place in an ancient Central American setting and it was truly incredible to explore this world in a fantasy setting. I adored all of the characters and found the magic system, political intrigue, and plotlines fascinating. I genuinely cannot wait for the sequel (which I think is coming soon!) and would urge any fantasy fan to try this one out. 

3. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson: (Quick note: This was re-released under Orbit this year, which technically makes it a 2022 release, however, I read the self-published version early in the year so am counting it as a backlist since it was initially published in 2021.) The first thing that grabbed me about A Dowry of Blood was the gorgeous, immediately captivating prose. Gibson is clearly an incredible talented writer and knows how to write a character that is impossible to look away from. I also found myself completely captured by the general story itself of Constanta as Dracula's first bride and how she moves through her life with him. This was incredible! 

    

4. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer: This was a book I'd been meaning to read for a number of years now and I'm really glad I finally did. I read this after reading Treuer's Rez Life, which was also great, and was blown away by his immense research and insight throughout this book. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee covers much of Native history in the Americas (to the extent that one book can) and it was an unbelievably enlightening and important read. Not to mention, if you are a history fan like me then you'll be getting tons of history to learn about. It also covers present day issues and where things currently stand, which I also found incredibly helpful in deciding what I want to read next. If you like nonfiction and/or history and haven't read The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee yet, then add this to your TBR!

5. The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting by Evanna Lynch: I had a feeling that this would be a really thoughtful and well-written memoir, but I didn't expect it to resonate with me as much as it did. There are a lot of personal reasons I connected so much with this book, but I especially liked hearing her talk about a consistent theme that plagued her through life regarding what she was meant to do and what was expected of her–I think these are very common themes many of us can understand. I loved hearing about her perspectives on life dealing with all the anxieties and obstacles that plague us all. This was 

6. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu: This book hit me hard in all the best ways possible. I believe it's considered a novel, but it reads much more like a series of interconnected short stories set in over hundreds of years throughout the future after a climate plague has wreaked havoc upon humanity. It's an intense read that includes a variety of different settings and characters, but that all maintain a very cohesive theme and thread of humanity, dreaming for something more, and the resilience that humans always display. It was deeply moving, beautiful, and I still think about it fairly regularly. 

    

7. Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont: This book is one I'd been wanting to read for a number of years and finally got around to it... and was immediately taken aback by how much I really loved it. This entire book has a melancholy air to it that fits so well with the teenage experience in a way that is very deep and relatable and gives validity to these experiences. None of the characters in it are perfect, but that's the point to some extent, and this book covers so many of the things we all struggle with, from guilt to loss to much more. This is a beautiful story. 

8. Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston: I read some great nonfiction this year, and Lost City of the Monkey God was one of my favorites that involved exploring one of my favorite settings. I've never read any of Douglas Preston's books, but I really enjoyed reading about his experiences researching and visiting the archaeological site known as The White City in the La Mosquitia region in Honduras. I loved all of the historical information he provided, as well as the nuance and care given to the topic of relics and idea of "discovery" regarding past civilizations. I think this would be a great read for anyone who loves adventure and exploration, as well as someone interested in history or who is curious about how to tackle topics around "lost" civilizations and how we look at the past. 

9. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam: This was a very unexpected horror novel that I loved. It seems to have a fairly low average rating on Goodreads and I can actually understand why because it's a little odd and a little... lacking in action? But everything weird about it worked incredibly well for me and I really loved how this author played with tension and atmosphere. I didn't love every aspects, such as some of the weird things thought by the male characters, but I liked the overall story and that's why I've included it on this favorites list. 

2023 Advance Reads:

  

1. Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee: Although I won't have a review up until closer to the release of Untethered Sky in April, I had to include a brief note about it in this list since I loved this novella and I did read it in 2022. Untethered Sky is one of the best novellas I've read for so many reasons: it has adventure, rocs (awesome large birds of prey), ruhkers (riders of rocs), family, revenge, loss, hope, and much much more. I already knew Fonda Lee was an incredible writer, but getting to see her write something so different from The Green Bone Saga has really cemented for me just how talented she is and how she is clearly capable of writing in many different genres. This makes me even more excited for future work from Fonda Lee!

2. Sister, Maiden, Monster by Luca A. Snyder: I don't even know what to say about this novella other than what the actual f@ck just happened. This was an unhinged level of bananas and I loved it. Seriously, I was more glued to this book than I've been glued to any book in a very long time. It starts off as a pandemic story, only this pandemic is a million times worse than Covid (in my opinion, and especially as someone who is emetophobic) and things go completely sideways as the story progresses. I don't know how I feel about how this went but I know it was crazy and awesome and very thought-provoking and I think you are all in for a huge treat this year when it releases. I'll have a review up closer to its publication, but for now just know it was a favorite 2022 read for me and it will keep you hooked and dying to know what's going to happen next. 

Have you read any of these books? What backlist titles and/or 2023 ARCs did you read and love last year? Feel free to link any of your favorites lists below!

Best Books of 2021 Pt. II: 2021 Releases! (and two backlist titles I forgot!)

Today I'm excited to share with you all the second and final part of my favorites books of 2021 list! I have split this list up into 2021 debuts and 2021 releases from authors who are not debut authors (and apologies if any of the debut authors are not actually debut.. I tried my best to research and this is what I came back with). I'm also apparently a huge mess this year and thought two backlist books were actually 2021 releases so forgot to include them in my part one post... so you can find those at the bottom of this post! As with the previous post, these are listed in no particular order. I read some really fantastic books this year and also had a lot of fun putting this list together. Let me know if you've read any of these books and what you thought of them, as well as what some of your favorite 2021 releases were!

If you'd like to see part one of my favorite books, which includes backlist titles and two 2022 releases, you can check it out here. 

As mentioned before, my annual yearly stats post with all the fun stats about my reading (# of books, genres, sources, etc.) will be up in late January, so stay tuned!

2021 Debut Novels:

(in no particular order)

1. Malice by Heather Walter: I'm still surprised that I don't see this one around more because it was just so good. I love a villain origin story and this one delivered. It was deep, complex, and had a truly wonderful descent that I was fully understanding of. I was ecstatic to see that this will get a sequel this year! Review

2. The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec: This was even better than I could have hoped for! I adored Gornichec's depiction of Loki and Angrboda and htink she developed their relationship in such a gradual, beautiful, and deeply complex way. Absolutely loved this one and can't wait to see what's next from this author. Review

3. Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden: This was a completely unexpected and unpredictable favorite. I saw this on sale on Audible one day, thought it sounded interesting, and subsequently decided to try it out. I think it was a mixture of the characters, story, and narration that really made me love this book as much as I did. Review

4. Sistersong by Lucy Holland: This was a truly beautiful and rather heartbreaking story of three sisters and their experiences as they and their fellow people undergo some major changes. I didn't expect to be as taken in by this story as I was and really can't wait to read Lucy Holland's upcoming release. Review

5. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint: When I started this book, I really didn't expect it was going to end up a favorite, but as the story progressed I began to fall more and more in love with Saint's depiction of this myth and the characters involved. It really felt well done and was so tragic and captivating, it became an easy favorite. Review

2021 Releases (from established authors):

(in no particular order)

1. Sidewinders by Robert V.S. Redick: Was there really any risk of this sequel not being on my favorites list?? Sidewinders was probably one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it lived up to my hype and surpassed it. Redick is a master and if you haven't started this series yet, go check out Master Assassins and then pick up Sidewinders. Review

2. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes: I finished reading this via audiobook in the last couple weeks of December, but I knew it was going to make it on this list by the time I was halfway through. I am floored by Haynes' depiction of these Greek women and I really feel like she did her research and has a strong level of personal interest and care towards creating them in an authentic and compelling way. This book was pretty heavy throughout and I always felt like I needed to take a deep breath before picking it up again, but it was absolutely gorgeous and so worth the read. 

3. Mother Pig by Travis M. Riddle: Mother Pig was another one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I'm so happy to say that it was even better than I hoped! I have been loving this trilogy from Travis Riddle and you should absolutely go check out Flesh Eater if you haven't started the trilogy yet (and the third book will be out soon!). These characters are absolutely the best and so well-written, and the world is so much fun to explore. Review

4. Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee: What an ending! I am so sad that The Green Bone Saga is now over, but I'm so satisfied (and a little devastated) with this ending and can do nothign but applaud Fonda Lee for writing such a truly incredible series. I would love to see this adapted one day, I think it would work really well on screen and I think would work to draw even more people to the books! Review

5. The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft: Another outstanding series ender! This series felt like a real journey for me and it felt like one that I'd been on for a while, so I honestly felt a little sad for it to end. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think Bancroft ended this series perfectly and exactly how he should have (and still entirely unpredictably for me!). Review

6. The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart: I didn't honestly expect this to end up as a favorite simply because I didn't love the first book, but wow did this book blow me away! I had so much fun with it and am so glad I decided to give it a shot. I think I may need to re-read the first book again because maybe I was just in a bad mood or something when I read it?? Regardless, The Bone Shard Emperor was a fantastic sequel! Review

...and I sort of messed up and thought these were 2021 releases, but they actually came out in 2019/2020 and I still want to include them, so... here's two more backlist favorites!

1. Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik: I was really excited for this book and hoped to love it, but it ended up being something very different from what I expected and I loved it far more than I expected to as well. It was so much more heartfelt and meaningful than I realized it would be and I think the journey of our main character was really something special. 

2. Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica: Whew, I still feel unsure what to say about this book. I am obsessed with how deeply uncomfortable it made me because it takes a lot to make me feel weird or eeked out by something, and this book did just that. I wouldn't say I loved this book in the same way I love other books, but it's one I think about more often than I'd like to and that I would still recommend all the time (with some very strong warnings!). This book was insane and horrible and I loved it so much. 

Have you read any of these books?? What were some of your favorite 2021 releases?

Top Five Tuesday: New Authors!

 

This week I decided to switch back over and participate in Top 5 Tuesday, originally hosted by BionicBookworm, now hosted by MeeghanReads!

This week's topic is: Top 5 (or maybe 9?) New Authors I Read in 2021

This week I've joined up once again with Top 5 Teuesday to share some of the many incredible authors I read for the first time this read this year! These aren't all necessarily debut authors, but moreso a mix of any author that I read and fully intend to read more from in the future, debut or not. 

1. David Heska Wanbli Weiden

What I read: Winter Counts

This story was such a surprise! I saw it on sale at Audible one day and thought it sounded interesting, so I opted to check it out and it proved to be one of the best impulse buys I'd made in a while. Something about the characters, the narration, the themes, and so much else about this book just really captured me. I'm really hoping to see more books from this author in the future.

2. Nicole Kornher-Stace

What I read: Firebreak

Firebreak was a complete surprise to me that I really didn't expect to love as much as I did–nor did I expect it to hit quite so hard!

3. J.S. Dewes

What I read: The Last Watch

This is another sci-fi that I didn't expect to love as much as I did, but it ended up being a truly fantastic read! I still haven't gotten to the sequel yet, but I'm hoping to soon.

4. Agustina Bazterrica

What I read: Tender is the Flesh

I don't know if. many of Bazterrica's other works are translated into English or not, but if they do choose to translate more I would definitely be eager to check more out. Tender is the Flesh was such a visceral and intense read, and I'm curious to read a different story from Bazterrica. 

5. Lucy Holland

What I read: Sistersong 

Holland's prose was gorgeous and I really loved her characters' incredible character development. I believe there is a 2022 release already planned for Lucy Holland, so I can't wait for that.

6. Elodie Harper

What I read: The Wolf Den

This has become one of my favorite historical fiction novels because of the incredible characters, storyline, setting, attention to detail, and for the fact that it's simply an incredible story. I genuinely cannot wait for the sequel!

7. Heather Walter

What I read: Malice

This is easily one of my new favorite villain origin stories and I can't even describe how excited I was when I discovered that this was going to be a duology! 

8. Genevieve Gornichec

What I read: The Witch's Heart

Gornichec's prose was so beautiful and captivating and I think she really maanged to capture the atmosphere and themes of the Angrboda/Loki story perfectly. 

9. James Welch

What I read: Fools Crow

James Welch was one of those authors I'd been meaning to read ages, and I'm glad I finally did! I really enjoyed him manner of storytelling and the details and characters in this book. I'm really curious and excited to check out more of his work in the future. 

Best Book of 2019 Pt. II -- 2019 Releases!

Now that we've covered my top backlist titles and 2019 debuts, we can finally move onto my favorite 2019 releases! There were so many to choose from, but there were definitely a select number that really stood out to me. As with my previous 'best books' post, I decided to highlight a couple titles that particularly meant a lot to me. Without further ado, let's jump in!

1. The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky: I don't usually have a single favorite book each year, but if I had to pick it was unquestionably be The Wolf in the Whale. It's beautiful, unforgettable, and one of the best stories I've read all year (or even years). (Review)

2. Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff: Although there seems to be some controversy over whether this was a good or bad finale, I loved it. The ending had some issues that weren't my favorite and I don't love the pairing that ended up surviving, but despite that everything else was utterly riveting and beautifully written and I just wish I could bask in this book and world forever. Kristoff's writing in the Nevernight series has been some of my favorite--ever--and I'm so sad that this book marked the end of this one. But it'll always be there for re-reads!

3. The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden: A perfect ending to a perfectly magical trilogy. Arden's prose in incomparable and she paints such a vivid story with incredible characters and a fairy tale atmosphere that I just can't get enough of. I almost don't know what else to say about this book, save that it was one of the best endings to a trilogy (the other ending to a trilogy I loved is also in this favorites list) and I will never stop loving this trilogy. (Review)

4. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger: This was probably my favorite unexpected read of the year. I knew nothing about this book when it showed up on my radar, but I decided to pick it up and it was one of my best decisions. This is a really beautiful and heartbreaking tale of four orphans on an unpredictable and dangerous odyssey towards what they hope is a better life. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone! (Review)

5. Wanderers by Chuck Wendig: I was blown away by the sheer scope of this novel and am still pretty much in awe of it. I loved how Wendig explored a lot of different themes that are really core to our issues and values in society all while still telling a story that was impossible to put down. This book is a hefty one at about eight hundred pages, but I promise it's worth every page--I ended up finishing this one while on vacation this year because I just couldn't stand not knowing what would happen at the end! (Review)

6. The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso: If you haven't read the Sword and Fire series yet, you need to! It's unbelievably good and so underrated. The Unbound Empire is the final book in the series and it was one of the most satisfying and perfect endings I've read. (Review)

7. Spit and Song by Travis M. Riddle: Riddle's Balam, Spring made my list last year and now Spit and Song is on it for this year, which I think is a great tradition. Spit and Song is one of those that was just so much fun that I can't help but think back on it with so much fondness and positivity. The story was great, the characters were relatable and incredibly well developed, and the writing was engaging and entirely readable. (Review)

8. The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang: This is a bit of a 'sleeper' favorite for me and I almost didn't even put it on this list because, to be honest, I sort of tend to forget I read it this year? I'm not sure why, but this book was such a ride! It was very different from The Poppy War, but just as intense, unpredictable, and compelling. (Review)

9. The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft: Bancroft is such a unique and imaginative voice in the fantasy genre and I have loved reading his Books of Babel series. I didn't love the second books much, but with The Hod King I once again fell in love and I was blown away with how wild Bancroft's imagination must be. There's really something special about Senlin and his journey up the Tower. This series is continuing strong and I'm so anxious for the next book to arrive next year in 2021! (Review) 

10. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas: Whether you love S.J. Maas or hate her (the arguments about her are so old these days, let's just enjoy whoever we want), I can't deny that I found this final installment of the Throne of Glass series to be truly an incredible book. I think it's pretty mixed among people, but I loved it and thought it was so entertaining, exciting, and one of her best books yet. It's quite literally unrecognizable from the first book in the best ways possible and for being a nine hundred+ page book, I wasn't bored for a single page--and I think that says something.

11. Jade War by Fonda Lee: I didn't realize how much I would fall back in love with this intense, cutthroat world created by Fonda Lee. I love all of the politics and incredibly nuanced roles of the characters and the intricacies of the world involved in this story. This is such a fantastic series so far and Jade War really stood out to me as strongly written novel that I keep seeming to come back to. (Review)

Have you read any of these? What were some of your favorite 2019 releases!?