Books have always been a lifeline for me. A place to escape when things got too real, too rough, too complicated. They were also the first place where I felt seen and recognized…most shows didn’t showcase kids who looked like me and if they did, it was rarely in a positive light. And even as a child, I knew that I didn’t want to deal with trauma in real life and in media, so I am grateful I found the books I did, books from Sharon Draper, books in the Bluford High series, and many more.
That being said, I read, a lot. (It has earned me a Wizard badge on BlueSky.) And even when I’m not reading, I’m writing or actively searching for books to add to my TBR. I have a little joke that my TBR will one day crush me under its weight, haha. I’ve read about 30 books this year, not including those I DNFed. So, there’s a pretty wide variety to choose from. Here are 5 books that are at the top, in my opinion. Some I have reviewed, others I haven’t.
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
This was a great novel! If you love thrillers and suspense, this is definitely one that I recommend. I picked it up firstly because I loved the cover, but when I saw the little rhyme that acted as a catalyst for the whole story, I knew I had to take this book home with me and rescue it from the bookstore. This novel is set in the 80s, when typewriters are still relatively new, phones are still connected to the wall, and people are excruciatingly nosy…much more so in a small town.
Our protagonist Kit McDeere is a home health aide who is now in charge of the woman behind the children’s rhyme…and once she is in the grand mansion atop a cliff, Kit is unsure if she’ll make it out…or if anything is as it seems. My favorite aspect of this novel is how Kit is an unreliable narrator simply because she doubts herself so much. She has her own trauma and guilt to deal with, plus she wouldn’t have even taken the job if she had had a choice. But, being arrested for murder once before really does limit your job options.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster, along with 5 other novels that they released (or are going to release) this year. This science fiction/time travel story was a wonderfully fresh take. Why? Because it isn’t about trying to achieve time travel or someone going through time travel. When we meet the cast of characters, the time travel has already happened and now we’re dealing with the aftermath. Folks from colonizing armies now being forced to cohabitate with the very same people they didn’t deem as people. A new world order that they didn’t ask for, as the British government simply plucked random folks out of their respective timelines.
My favorite thing about this novel was the dual timelines and dual POVs which give a more complete (although still not 100%) look at the situation from a government agent meant to acclimate these time travelers and one such person who longs for home. Of course, their is mischief and mayhem that you would expect with any time travel novel, identity crises and shady government dealings. But I feel that all of those are just to highlight the Otherness of the main characters.
Blindness by Jose Saramago
If you’re a fan of exploratory narrative styles, Saramago is definitely an author you should check out. (Don’t worry, there are much cuter covers than this one, lol.) This literary fiction answers the question of what would happen if one day everyone went blind? And what if instead of perpetual darkness, there was perpetual light?
I love Saramago’s narrative style, but it can take some getting used to, especially for western readers. He keeps various speakers on the same line, doesn’t use quotation marks and his sentences can be looooonnnnnnngggg. But, I have never regretted reading one of his works, nor gave it less than 4 out of 5 stars when reviewing. As you can imagine, the characters in the world of Blindness are forced into some pretty awful situations, especially since it seems like the blindness is random and contagious. From being quarantined to escaping months later, we witness a small group of individuals who come to terms with this new world order, which we get to see from the perspective of a doctor’s wife, the only one who has kept her vision.
Divine Disruption by Tony Evans et al.
This is a book that has been on my TBR since it was first announced. It is a nonfiction autobiographical account of how one family dealt with multiple deaths and health scares all in the span of two years time. Tony Evans and his four children wrote this book in part to share the story of how they dealt with losing so much from their grandfather, cousin, mother, and more….and although it deals with a lot of stressful things, it is a very uplifting book overall. It ends on a note of coping and remembering the blessings one has and celebrating your loved ones while they are still here.
A Song To Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
If you follow me on Twitter (I will never call it X) or BlueSky, you may have already seen some of my thoughts on this retelling of an old Chinese myth. Not only is the cover of this novel gorgeous, but I love how Xishi, our protagonist, is thrust into a bad situation but we don’t get that annoying reactionary response. No, in the midst of war and loss, Xishi is determined to do her part and come back home to her family with her good friend by her side.
Not only is this book very accessible (ADHD-accessible font, large font) it is full of beautiful imagery that drops you right into the rooms of the palace. Liang definitely has a way with storytelling and while this was my first read of her work, it won’t be my last.
Do any of these books sound like they would be up your alley? Let me know by leaving a comment!
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