The end of the year approaches and I am deep into re-reading Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series so I think it’s safe to say I will not be reading any new-to-me novels for the remainder of the year. I realize I’ve been pretty quiet for the last several months, but I do intend to be a bit more vocal. Especially with the bird site going up in flames. So I put together a list of my top 5 novels that I read this year, some of them were even released this year! The criteria is that they could not be manga (that’ll be a separate list coming soon) and that they all had to be new-to-me books. These books are in no particular order, I just thought they were all great.
First up was Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Thief by Maurice Leblanc. This book is definitely not new, but it was a new edition. I knew very little about the character other than he existed and that was mostly thanks to the video game Persona 5. I loved this story collection and I intend to continue checking out the other Lupin books. My partner and I later watched the Lupin show on Netflix and really enjoyed it. Check out my full review by clicking the image above!
The second book I really loved this year was Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley. As a contemporary story, this novel was well outside of my comfort zone however I really fell in love with the characters and their interactions with each other as they continued to grow and support each other. I am a sucker for found family and this book has it in spades. Again, you can check out my full review by clicking the image above!
Alas, I did not do a full review of Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma! by Preeti Chhibber on the blog, but I can attach my Goodreads/Storygraph review!
Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma by Preeti ChhibberMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Every now and again, a story comes out that just makes you smile. This is an original story about a Spider-Man (respect the hyphen) that is still fairly new to his role. He’s sixteen, has a crush on Mary Jane, and learning how to use social media to build his brand. There was so much heart in this story, a compelling mystery, and I’m very eager to check out the sequels when they’re released.
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As you can see, I thought very highly of this story and still think back on it. I’ve already pre-ordered the sequel, Spider-Man’s Bad Connection, which is supposed to be out in July 2023. On a side note, Preeti is an absolute delight to follow on social media and my son really enjoys her Star Wars book, A Jedi You Will Be. I also recently started listening to her Wheel of Time podcast, Tar Valon or Bust.
Another book that I didn’t do blog review for, so check out my Goodreads/Storygraph review below. In October, I read The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and then got to meet him later in the month to get it autographed!
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. KluneMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a beautiful, whimsical book with such a lovable cast of characters. I had a hard time putting it down, and it brought me to tears on multiple occasions. I highly recommend reading this.
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TJ Klune was a genuine delight and was the best part of the convention I attended to meet him. I haven’t read any of his other books yet, but you can bet that I will be reading them through 2023! This book in particular was such a cozy read that gave me a lot of joy. Another book with found family and themes of being yourself no matter what society thinks of you.
My last book to recommend is The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah. This is book 1 of the Sandsea Trilogy, and book 2 will be titled The Ashfire King. Another book involving found family (surprise!) and this one is inspired by the Arabian Nights stories. After reading this, I actually went to a used bookstore to buy Arabian Nights because I definitely want to read it now. Check out my full review by clicking the image above!
And that’s it! Let me know if you also enjoyed these books and what your favourite books of 2022 were! I’ll try to have my manga list up soon!
PEI Bookworm 