A Cuppa Cosy Reads – April 2022

How is it already May??? Just how? April has completely flown by, and I don’t even know where it went. It’s been a wild time over here- a life update is coming your way very soon, but I still somehow managed to read several books and they were almost all wins! I read a total of 9 books with an average rating of 4.22. A win indeed!

Severance by Ling Ma 4 Stars – I enjoyed this though I recognize that this will definitely not be for everyone. In fact, I don’t know many that I would recommend this to. There is a pandemic which leads to a commentary (which is what I would say this book is) on capitalist society and its’ downfall. It looks at the downside and maybe leads the reader to what maybe we could do differently, though it’s not a full condemnation of capitalist society. There isn’t much plot propelling the story forward, which is why I think it leans more towards commentary. 

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson 4 Stars I just really enjoyed this murder mystery. It’s a fun one from start to finish and even though the twist wasn’t really my favorite thing ever, it’s one that I didn’t see coming and one that I don’t feel like detracted from my feelings about the book as a whole. The only reason it’s a 4 is I feel like the narration got a bit…much at times. 

The Reunion by Kayla Olson 4 Stars Oy- it’s a romance. I’m reading romance from time to time, mostly because I don’t think I’m finding what I really want in my fantasy romance areas- it’s either too much for me, or it’s just not capturing me. So, I’m leaning more into traditional romance that meets some of the niche things that I like (multimedia, royal, celebrity). And this one I really enjoyed! The multimedia is…slim but added to the story and the romance was sweet. 

The Savior’s Book Café Story in Another World Vol 3 & 4 by Kyouka Izumi 5 stars each I’ve read the next two volumes in what is easily my favorite manga at the present. I mean this woman is living my dream life (except I already have the husband and kids’ part). 

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen 4 Stars This one is the one I’m not sure that it’s really worth the 4 stars that I gave it. I enjoyed it well enough, loved the twists it presented, loved the whole conversation around counterfeit merchandise, but I also recognize that this didn’t really do anything super groundbreaking. It was a fun ride when I read it and then it was over. 

Royal Blood by Aimee Carter 4 Stars Ok, this filled all my niche Royal needs, and I loved it every step of the way. It is a YA and definitely reads it, but I enjoyed it none the less. And it’s a series so looking forward to the next one.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz 4 Stars This is a mystery, almost a thriller but not quite, that I don’t think will be for everyone. It’s a slice of life meets secluded cabin mystery, and I really enjoyed it. If it could do anything better it would be the balance of the book- it felt a bit…off in the pacing, but again didn’t entirely detract from my enjoyment. 

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke 4 Stars Ok, I haven’t read a book in that IM format in a long time, and I really think it’s a great format for storytelling. It certainly adds something to the storytelling and makes the reader feel a certain way. I might be looking for more of these…but anyways- this is a book following a short period of time and a person who has “fallen into” a computer. Talking, again, about what’s important, how you can have feelings about people through the office lens you view them in, and remote work. 

And that was it! A really solid reading month. I’m hoping to keep the same upward ratings for May, though we will have to see how that goes.

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Best & Most Disappointing Books of 2022

Better late than never, right? Every year I compile a best and most disappointing books list for the previous year. I go through all of my stats and just give a quick…debrief as you will. And while I think the time might be close to passing to do this, life has just gotten away from me a bit. And to be honest, this is going to be a bit of a book heavy month on the blog…it’s what I’ve got going on over here right now haha. 

Also- I realize that I never wrapped up the books I read in December…I read 6 books and I honestly just don’t have it in me to go backwards and review them at this point. The standout reads were The Savior’s Book Café Story in Another World by Kyouka Izumi (manga), The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton ((Historical Mystery) and that’s really it. 

So, in 2022 I read a total of 31,032 pages across 85 books. I gave an average rating of 3.8 stars. My longest book of the year came in at 805 pages! I feel like I had several standouts for both good and…not good reasons. I will say- most of the books were average to good – even some great ones in there and this year it was actually hard to narrow down to the best books I read.  Let’s get into those…

Best Books of 2022

People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn – Be prepared to hear a lot about this one this month (as I’m doing a nonfiction edition of Jewish Literature), but I’ll scream this to the rooftops- read this book. Seriously. This single handedly changed the way I looked at several things, and a lot of it was relating to how I look at what we consume and Jew Hatred. Read it. Read it. Read it.

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes – Let me tell you, this science fiction novel took me by surprise. I enjoyed the suspense, the slow build up to the explosive ending, even if the ending felt a bit like an empty balloon (and I mean the end end, not the explosive ending). The atmosphere and that foreboding feeling was enough to make this a standout success for me. 

Neon Gods by Katee Robert – Boy did this book set me off on a course that I didn’t expect. Hades/Persephone retelling with a whole lot of smut thrown in…I guess I’m there. Now I will say, I do think that A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair is BETTER, but this one gets the props because it really set me off on the road. 

My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen – You’ll hear me talk about this one again next month I believe as it features in a Jewish Literature post, but I loved this young adult novel. It talks about so many different, but very real and very similar social issues that we deal with in a historical baking setting. A gender swapped retelling of Pygmalion (by Shaw) it’s a good time that had me shouting YES throughout. 

It wouldn’t be a best of list if there weren’t some Honorable Mentions…

You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen – I found this book, similar to My Fine Fellow, really tackled those social issues at a YA level incredibly well. As a reader you are really able to see the modern world, where internet and reality collide and how that impacts everyone, as well as different levels of hatred. 

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare – This was a surprise for me as I put down Cassandra Clare a long time ago and had zero interest of picking it back up. I read this on a whim and fell right back down the rabbit hole of her worlds. Looking forward to continuing on with all the series (minus the very first). 

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair – I mentioned this earlier, but I find this Hades/Persephone retelling to be just top notch. The entire series is a great coming of age story with a fantasy romance that just makes for fun reading. 

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong – Another smash hit by Chloe Gong! I’m looking forward to just about anything she writes. 

Disappointing Books of 2022

Only two this year as, like I said, I feel like most of my stuff was average and above, so really only two notables stand out as disappointing.

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb – This was just…not great. It was supposed to be one of those fun mystery/thrillers with like bored housewives who start something, and it gets out of hand. And it is, but it’s horrible. The main character does not have any redeeming qualities, none of the side characters are developed in a way that maybe you could root or find enjoyment in them, and the story is…predictable and nothing great. 

Trouble on the Books by Essie Lang – This one wasn’t much better than the other. I was hoping for a good cozy mystery set in/around a bookstore, small town community (a la Ellery Adams) and it was just…not. The story was flimsy, the main character who was supposed to be a “detective” in the amateur sense, was horrible and she just went off the deep end so many times. The story was a bit too convenient in too many ways and it just wasn’t enjoyable. 

So, there you have it! My Best and Most Disappointing for 2022. What tops your list for the past year??? 

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