My Year in Books
Every year I love when I get my "Your Year in Books" infographic from Goodreads. I tend to forget what I've read, even when they are notable books! I had been quite disappointed in not having completed the PopSugar reading challenge, so this year the review helped me to see I still read a lot, though less than in the past couple of years.
I’ve included my stats for the year and highlighted a few of my reads in some self-chosen categories.
Favourites
Here are my favourite three books of the year in no particular order.
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Album. This novel follows Eddie after he dies in an accident at his job at the carnival. In the afterlife, he is reacquainted with people from his past, shedding light on his life's meaning. I love Albom's ability to write about death in a way that is poignant and touching.
The Humans by Matt Haig. An extraterrestrial being visits earth on a mission, taking over the body of a Cambridge University professor and mathematician. Haig describes the world and humanity from the perspective of a being utterly uninformed of humans in an insightful way, but it also made me laugh out loud.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. In her final days, Evelyn Hugo, an iconic Hollywood actress, hires a struggling Monique to write her biography. She shares her life that has, until this point, been kept purposefully and deeply secretive. Reid provides a deeply emotional, raw narrative with a bit of suspense.
Surprised Me
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good & An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed by Helen Tursten and translated by Marlaine Delargy. These are two of my most adorable books. I had the first of the duo on my "to read" list, and then when I saw them in a local bookshop, I fell in love with them. I was caught entirely by surprise with how quickly I fell in love with Maud, the elderly lady who is making the most of tragedy and ultimately does good for others.
Disappointed Me
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. This book left me wanting and somewhat confused. I loved the premise and felt the writing itself was beautiful. Perhaps it was that I missed it being categorized under horror and therefore felt frustrated by the worsening of Julia's condition and the lack of answers or reason in choices made by characters.
Check out my full Goodreads summary of my 2022 of books here.