Reading Recap

It feels good to be an avid reader once more. I’m pretty proud of how much I was able to read this year. I’m also really excited by how much my kids have gotten back into reading.

During the beginning of the year I didn’t read much. I think my knitting kept me pretty busy. I read The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, a gothic thriller. This definitely was a frightening read. Then Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Magical realism at its finest. I grew up with the movie and have a love for both now.

Next came a folk horror and a steampunk, fantasy, adventure. The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher had me jumping at shadows, while The Mortal World had this nerd grinning in delight on the edge of my seat. It’s part of The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman and one I highly recommend.

Summer was when I really got reading and was taking the kids to the library regularly.

I made my way through five of the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. They are romance, I guess, but I think of them as more of an urban fantasy adventure. This was my second time reading them and they were even better than I remembered. I really appreciated the author’s reminders that the story is about hope, especially as it got really bleak.

I also started rereading the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I started this series at 19 thanks to a really enthusiastic recommendation from my friend. I’ve started a reread several times, but I usually get distracted. I made it through four of them this year and am ready to start book eight. This is definitely a favorite of mine.

I read a few comic volumes and graphic novels. Wonder Woman Historia by Kelly Sue DeConnick was absolutely brilliant. I loved the theme and getting the history of Diana’s mother and the Amazonians. I recall having preferences with the artists, but I loved seeing the different styles in this volume. I read a few Archie m/Riverdale comics too.

Then I got hooked on Heartstopper by Alice Oseman and read the four graphic novels a couple times and then devoured Solitaire. I recently bought and finished the fifth novel and am eager to read all of the books straight through in timeline order. I’d prefer paperback, but until I can find them in a store, I’ll just keep borrowing them from the public library.

When Fall began I seemed to gravitate towards historical nonfiction and horror. I read The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris and Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu concurrently. Fitzharris brought history alive in this book, addressing every aspect of life and easily showing how it was all connected. I had chills reading the gothic novel about an alluring creature that could love you while killing you.

I was finally able to finish The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore. Elizabeth Packard was a truly inspiring woman and I’m grateful these stories are being unearthed and brought to light. It was difficult to endure history like this, but it is one I am drawn to.

I followed that up with The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. I think I have a new favorite author. This was truly a surprise at every turn. Kingfisher artfully pushes just far enough to make you unsure of how far you are actually willing to follow, then pulls back while leaving the edge of crazy under your skin.

I started a couple books in December, but the only one I finished was the fifth Heartstopper. I’m going to keep reading Virgin River and tally that for this month. Then, I’m hoping I can get back to When Women Were Dragons. It’s absolutely amazing. I think I just needed a holiday kind of break. Virgin River fits the bill.

That’s a grand total of 24 books. Two a month. Really, there were months I read nothing and months I read a lot. Some books were so short I read them a couple of times. Others took more dedicated reading sessions to get through without my attention span getting bored. These authors were hard to resist, so I had no problem spending my days off reading and getting household responsibilities done in one long swoop. Or doing that in reverse.

I hope everyone is proud of whatever they were able to read, if reading is important to you. The desire and ability to read can ebb and flow, so I’m rolling along wherever my mood takes me. Happy reading!