On the Bookshelf

I'll admit I'm not one of those people who read 100 books a year. I have constraints on my time, like job, horses, writing, and family, so although I'd love nothing better than to curl up in a sunny book nook and read for hours every day, my reading tends to be in snatches. At night I almost always have to read before I fall asleep. It's a comfort thing. And nowadays, I read quite a it on my phone. I'm a Kindle Unlimited subscriber and I choose a fair amount of Kindle reads through that. I tend to keep one print book, and several ebooks going at the same time, as well as non-fiction (which is where my biggest queue is). I won't bore you with a list of the dozens of books I've read this past year, but these are a few standouts I want to share with you. All three so very different in their own ways.

The Bone Shard Daughter, by Andrea Stewart was a wonderful surprise. I picked it up on after reading some very solid reviews, and it didn't disappoint. I try to balance my fiction reading with about half in fantasy/sci-fi since I am writing primarily in that genre. In The Bone Shard Daughter, I was immediately caught up in the action and intrigue of one of the main character's lives, Lin, daughter of the Emperor. However, this book has multiple POV's, all with their own story that intertwines and comes full circle to a wonderfully original ending. You might fall in love with the worldbuilding and 'constructs', the otherworldly amalgams created by the Emperor to help rule his house of cards kingdom. The sequel, The Bone Shard Emperor, is now available in hardback, ebook, and audiobook. I can't wait to get started on it.

The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler is not a new book. I was drawn to it for it's dystopian angle. The Parable of the Sower, is not so much a novel as it is a statement on humankind in the face of survival against the odds. It could be compared to The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, but not as depressing and gritty. I thoroughly enjoyed it and you will too if you want a book to sink your brain into, rather than just be transported to another Fae world.

I'm leaving what I consider the best for last. If there is a book I read in 2021 that I would like to say I wrote, it would be Hamnet. I was drawn in to the beautiful prose and the story, while feeling slightly off kilter on what was different about the way it was written. It wasn't until I was a few pages in that I realized Hamnet is written in third person, present tense, a rather unusual choice for a novel. The beauty of Hamnet is the melding of history and an author's poetic license, a historical novel that will sweep you up in a microcosm of one family's life. It's possible some readers didn't like this book, but I just can't fathom it. Hamnet is truly a remarkable piece of work.

I'll share some of the books that are on my list for 2022 next time. Till then, stay safe!

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#onthebookshelf

#onthebookshelf #kkjohnsblog