Hello Loves!
Getting back to sharing my favourite reads of 2022.
Before we jump into adult fiction and historical fiction and literary fiction, I thought let's go age wise and get the kid lit and YA books out of the way. I didn't read a whole lot from this particular genre but the ones I did read I loved a lot and they deserve a post of their own.
So let's go.
In no particular order, here are some my favourite books from YA and Kid-Lit:
1. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys: I adore everything this author ever writes. She exclusively writes historical fiction, set in turbulent times usually and from the perspective of young people. This book took us to a part of the world and a time period I knew next to nothing about, apart from the very, very basic facts. I recommend pretty much all of her books and this one is so so good.
I have a done a full review, so I won't go on about it. You can read it HERE.
2. Heartstopper Vol. I to IV by Alice Oseman: This one I binge read in a matter of days after I binged the Netflix show in a day. Ah! This is the cutest, sweetest, warmest and real (est) portrayal of love and longing and being queer and figuring your shit out. Sweet and wonderful. Love it so much. The show is gorgeous too and if you haven't watched it you should, but the books are absolutely darling! Cannot recommend enough.
3. The Agathas by Kathleen Glasglow and Liz Lawson: I don't read a lot of YA anymore. Especially YA romance. But the genre I am reallllly enjoying lately is YA Thrillers. I think it's because growing up teen slasher films were my favourite things to watch. I still love some of those 90s classics, you know films like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream and Urban Legend. So Ya thrillers have me all invested and excited.
This book was fun and I really enjoyed my time with this book. Two girls, very different from each other, come together to solve the murder of a girl from their high school..and one of them takes inspiration and tutelage from the great Agatha Christie to solve said murder. Sounds amazing and it was good fun. The twists and turns keep you hooked and I really had fun reading this.
And I think this might turn into a book series so there's more adventures to look forward to.
4. The Hundred Choices Departmental Store by Ginger Park: I loved this book so much. It's a middle grade book, though I'd even realise this while I was reading this. It doesn't feel quite like a children's book, maybe because it's about such a difficult time in history. Set in Korea (unified Korea) during WWII and immediately after, this is the story of a young girl and her family. What a brilliant little book! I read it in a day, I could not put it down. And then I made my sister read it too, which only happens when I absolutely adore a book. So so so good.
5. Our Sister Again by Sophie Cameron: This book is curious mix of a family drama and a touch of sci-fi. I don't read sci-fi, at all. This to me, from the outset seemed like a slightly dystopian world, not in the classic sense, perhaps it's even mildly speculative.
A young girl, Isla, and her family suffered an unimaginable loss of her older sister a few years ago. And now they've been given an incredible chance to have her back, well almost have her back. A version of her, an AI version of her. This book really made me stop and think about grief and what makes a person a person, is it your memories, your thoughts or a mix of your history and interactions? I loved this book and how much it made me stop and think about things.
6. After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss: This book had everything I love in a thriller/mystery.
A cult. Let's face it, I am kinda obsessed with cults.
Life in a odd sort of family.
Abduction.
Siblings.
Finding your place in the world again.
Loved this book and breezed through it. It shows how people adapt to life after stepping away from the controlled and often abusive world of a cult. Two siblings survive an inferno in their family compound, a cult type situation and must now not only adapt to the real world but also learn devastating secrets about who they are and where they go from here. Really interesting.
7. The Storyteller by Kathyrn Williams: I have been very into historical fiction all of 2022. And it started early with this book that I read in January. A young girl wants to solve a mystery, about her family and a mystery that has the world curious. Anastasia Romanov, did she survive? If yes, where did she end up? Is she in the US? Is she our main character's great aunt?
I loved reading about both the last of the Romanovs and seeing the investigation into the possible scoop of the century.
(The book is set before the discovery that answered the questions about Anastasia's fate once and for all.)
Those were all my YA and Middle Grade favourites.
Now let's talk about my three Kid Lit Favourites.
8. A Friend for Poochi by Meera Ganapathi, Art by Rohit Kelkar: Just the sweetest thing ever. Poochi is a bug, he has no friends, most people take one look at him and run the opposite way. Poor Poochi really wants a friend. This book just made me smile and I made my sister read this because she is petrified of bugs like poor Poochi.
I read this on Story Weaver.
Loved.
9. Beauty is Missing by Priya Kuriyan: Ah!! This lovely little book is a thing of joy. A beloved buffalo goes missing and her human looks for her and even puts up with the jeers of the people around her but doesn't give up. Sweet and funny and the art was just gorgeous. Just a wonderful little book, read this on Story Weaver too.
10. This is How We Do It- One Day in the Lives of Seven Children Across the World by Math Lamothe: I randomly picked this book up on KU, and loved it and it's very concept. We see the daily lives of seven kids from all over the world. I would have loved reading something like this when I was little, to see how kids my age lived and how similar and different our daily lives are. The art was lovely too. A good and fun read.
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