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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
☃️ Freebee: Favorite Book Quotes❄️
For the freebee this week, I decided to do some of my favorite bookish quotes that I love.
Reviews Week 4
January 23rd-29th
Book 19: The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem
By Jack Mitchell
Read January 20th-25th
Pages Read: 224
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I have wanted a modern day epic poem for years, especially one based on one of my favorite stories of all time. The original trilogy of Star Wars fits the format very well and has the epic qualities that make it a perfect story to tell in this way. It was a lot of fun seeing the ways that Jack told this story throughout the book.
Each of the books is set in another place throughout the story, for instance Tatooine, Dagobah, Hoth, etc. One of my favorite aspects was at the beginning of the parts for Return of the Jedi and how Luke was relaying his story to Obi-Wan. Such a fun way of having the in media res represented in this epic poem.
Another of my favorite parts of this story were the aspects that Jack took from the Prequels, Rouge One, and the Han Solo movie. I was not expecting to see any of that in this story but it was interesting how he chose to add parts of those stories throughout. For instance, when Obi-Wan is talking about Anakin fighting Count Dooku during the Clone Wars.
The Odyssey is one of my favorite stories and I have wanted an epic poem just like it or The Iliad for a very long time. I hope that Jack Mitchell will write more epic poems from other stories.
Book 20: Only You Can Save Mankind
By Terry Pratchett
Read January 27th
Pages Read: 240
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Another fun Terry Pratchett adventure, this time for younger readers. I enjoyed the story in this book quite a bit and having the classic Pratchett humor in a more modern setting. Terry was a fan of video games and you can tell that in this book. It was a fun story and I look forward to seeing what happens next with Johnny.
Book 21: Shakespeare Well-Versed
By James Muirden
Read January 27th
Pages Read: 226
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I enjoy the idea behind this collection of poems, especially that James wrote a poem for each of Shakespeare’s plays. Such a neat idea. Each poem tells the synopsis of his plays in many different ways. Makes me want to read some of the ones that I have never read like The Winter’s Tale.
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Reviews Week 3
January 16th-22nd
Book 13: The Hunting of the Snark
By Lewis Carroll
Read January 16th
Pages Read: 96
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The Hunting of the Snark has all the whimsy and nonsense that you would expect from Lewis Carroll. It was a joy to read a new piece from him that I had never read before. Also, the illustrations from Chris Riddell were wonderful.
Book 14: Mysteries of Thorn Manor
By: Margaret Rogerson
Read January 17th
Pages Read:192
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I loved returning to Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas's world in this beautiful novella. During this story, they are dealing with Thorn Manor's wards trapping them in the manor, and trying to figure out how to appease them. This was such a sweet and hilarious book. I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book.
I loved reading about them fighting with parts of the house, but I enjoyed the heartfelt moments the most. Silas and Elisabeth have so many scenes together, and I love how they have become a family, just as much as Silas is for Nathaniel. Silas has a way of caring for them that pulls on my heartstrings. It made me very happy reading this book and seeing them all together again. They are one of my favorite found families.
This novella was a magical adventure that felt true to the original. The grimoires play an essential role in the plot again, and I enjoyed seeing their different personalities. Another significant part of this book was the focus on fairy tales and how they connect Nathaniel with his mother. I want to read the Austermeer Fairy Tale book so much now, and I hope that Margaret Rogerson will publish a copy of it.
Also, the epilogue was great! I won't spoil what happens in that here, but it made my day reading what happens.
Book 15: Haroun and the Sea of Stories
By: Salman Rushdie
Read January 18th-20th
Pages Read: 224
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It took me a lot longer than expected to get into this book, but I did enjoy it once I did. This is quite a strange book with a fantasy world that is intriguing. My favorite part of this book was the focus on the importance of stories and how they shape the characters throughout the novel. Haroun goes on quite the adventure in the story, along with his father. I enjoyed his time in the Sea of Stories and will probably pick up the second novel. I have heard very good things about that one.
Book 16: Holidays in Blue
By: Eve Morton
Read January 21st
Pages Read: 207
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My favorite aspects of this romance were the focus on the relationship between Cosmin and his father, The Tempest by William Shakespeare, and Cosmin's radio show. The romance between Cosmin and Eric was sometimes cute, but those other aspects were the standouts in the story. There was too much going on in this book, and the romance was not focused on much at all. Eric and Cosmin did not have chemistry that amounted to anything. I did not enjoy reading about most of their relationship, but I did enjoy some of it.
Book 17: This is Not My Story
By: Ryan Uytdewilligen
Read January 22nd
Pages Read:40
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I'm always looking for new books to read to the children I watch, and I loved the idea behind this one. This Is Not My Story is a fun book that explores many different genres, such as Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery, etc. It is great for readers and young writers. Also, the format of a graphic novel was clever, especially with the main character walking out of the panels.
The main character does not want to be in any of the stories the author is writing for him and talks to him throughout the book. I enjoyed the fourth wall breaking in the book, and this would be a good way of teaching genres to children. It would have been even better if there were interactive elements for the readers. Kids would love to interact with the main character.
Overall this was a cute book with a good premise. I know a couple of kids that would enjoy this format.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
Book 18: Skull Cat and the Curious Castle
By: Norman Skurtliff
Read January 22nd
Pages Read:112
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The style of this graphic novel was interesting and reminded me of the Bones comics. I liked that the main character was a cat, but the plot didn't work for me. Scully's story jumps around a lot throughout the graphic novel, and it feels like parts were being skipped in the narrative. I did enjoy the aspects about his boss near the end, and I wish the focus would be on her and her husband. So many ideas were put into this story that did not feel fleshed out in the ways that I wish they were.
*Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for my ARC of the book. All opinions are my own.*
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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
☃️ Bookish Goals for 2023 ❄️
Here are ten of the bookish goals that I have made for myself for 2023. My full list is at this link: 2023 Reading Goals
1. Read 100 books in 2023
2. Read 10 Poetry Collections from 10 Different Poets
3. Read the 23 books I picked for 2023
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4. Read a 2023 release every month
5. Reread a book every month
6. Read 10 Tomes
7. Read 5 classics
8. Read a graphic novel series
9. Finish 5 book series
10. Read The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper and The Johnny Maxwell books by Terry Pratchett
Reviews Week 2
January 9th-15th
Book 7: Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom
By Nina Varela
Read January 7th-9th
Pages Read: 320
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It took me a while to get into this book, but I fell in love with Juniper and Galatea's story once I did. This book was an excellent middle-grade fantasy novel with great characters and a fascinating fantasy world. I enjoyed the friendship between Juniper, Galatea, Ollie, and Sam and seeing that grow throughout the book.
Juniper and Galatea do not start off well when Galatea comes from her world to Juniper's, but as the story progresses, they become friends. I enjoyed seeing Galatea try to blend in at Juniper's school and try not to talk about her magical world. This was not an easy thing for her to do and many of those scenes were quite funny. Juniper is also dealing with her crush on Galatea and the feelings that come along with that.
One of my favorite aspects of the story was the importance of Juniper's art throughout the novel. Seeing this aspect of her character and how she uses it in the story was great. I loved the anxiety representation that Nina had in her book and how Juniper used art to cope with her anxiety. Wonderful rep.
The goddesses from Galatea's magical world are my other favorite aspect of the novel. I won't go into too many details about that because that would spoil the book, but I loved the mythology in this story. I loved that Nina created her own gods and goddesses for this fantasy world, and how we learn about them as the story progressed.
I cannot wait to see where Nina takes this story, especially with the cliffhanger at the end. My hope is that we will spend more time in Galatea's fantasy world. This is an excellent middle-grade fantasy novel with great anxiety and LGBT rep. I highly recommend it.
*Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
Book 8: Norse Mythology: Volume 3
By Neil Gaiman
Read January 10th
Pages Read: 144
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Last year, I read both Volume 2 of Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology graphic novels and his book named Norse Mythology. Mythology is one of my favorite things, and I enjoyed learning more about Norse Mythology in these books. This time around, I knew the stories but enjoyed seeing how they were adapted in graphic novel form.
P. Craig Russell does a great job adapting these stories from Neil's original book into this new format. It keeps the overall message and adds beautiful illustrations by Galen Showman, David RubÃn, and Colleen Doran. My two favorite stories to see adapted were "The Death of Balder" and "The Last Days of Loki."
After reading Neil's collection of Norse Mythology stories last year, I eagerly awaited to see "The Last Days of Loki" adapted in this format. It definitely lived up to my expectations for it. This is one of my favorite stories from Norse Mythology. This is one of the most known stories from Norse Mythology, and I loved seeing Neil's take on it in the original book. "The Death of Balder" is another favorite for me. I love the story, and seeing it adapted here was great.
This volume comprises the last four stories of Neil's collection, and all lead up to the events of Ragnarok. The last story, "Ragnarok: The Final Destiny of the Gods, " is the culmination of it all. Norse Mythology: Volume 3 is one of my favorite graphic novel adaptations of Neil's work. It did a great job adapting the stories into the visual medium and keeping their overall messages. This is a beautiful book that I highly recommend to fans of Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman, and the original text.
*Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for my ARC of this graphic novel. All opinions are my own.*
Book 9: Dear Medusa
By Olivia A. Cole
Read January 10th-12th
Pages Read: 384
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This was a difficult story to read. Olivia A. Cole’s writing was absolutely stunning and was so authentic. If you read the book's description, you will know some of the content. Many important issues are discussed throughout this novel, including sexual abuse, racism, homophobia, divorce, and friendship.
The main character Alicia is a sixteen-year-old dealing with being sexually assaulted by one of the most popular teachers at her school. Shortly after, her best friend deserts her because of how she has changed personally. She is also growing further away from her family, acting out at school, causing her to get ISAP (in-school suspension), and feeling lonely.
Alicia is known around her school for having sex with many different guys and is being called so many other names because of this. What they do not know is why she started acting this way. She also details the many different men, who she calls wolves, and how they have treated her.
This is a very thought-provoking novel that is both heartbreaking and impactful. Dear Medusa is written in verse and is in Alicia’s voice. We get an authentic look into her story and thoughts as everything is happening. One of the most intriguing parts of the story is the allusion to Medusa throughout. As the story continues, Alicia learns more about Medusa and adds more to this inclusion to the story. By the end of the novel, Alicia has gained more friends.
I’m glad that it ended with a hopeful message.
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
Book 10: Twistwood Tales
By A.C. MacDonald
Read January 13th-14th
Pages Read: 160
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I loved this strange little book of comics so much. Many different little stories take place in Twistwood and show the different characters that live there. The illustrations of the woodland creatures were absolutely adorable, and I loved seeing the adventures that each of the characters got into throughout.
Many lessons are shown in the book, along with wonderfully witty jokes. The snarky jokes and characters stood out quite a bit, making this an even more enjoyable read. Also, there are overall arcs focusing on characters, such as Bucket Boy's journey to find his usefulness and value in his friendships. I had so much fun reading this and hope there will be more from Twistwood.
*Thank you to Edelweiss for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
Book 11: Galatea
By Madeline Miller
Read January 15th
Pages Read: 56
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Wow!
Madeline Miller's novels The Song of Achilles and Circe are two of my favorite pieces of literature. I love how she uses Greek Mythology stories and creates her own takes on these tales. Galatea is an excellent example of how impactful she can make a story, even one so small. This short story focuses on the aftermath of Pygmalion and Galatea's relationship. It's packed full of emotions and gives Galatea more of an active role in her story.
In the original myth of Pygmalion, the story focuses on the love that Pygmalion feels for a statue he created. Before this, he is disgusted by the other women around him and wants to make a love for himself that would be pure. So, he created Galatea out of marble and prayed to Aphrodite (Venus) to give life to her. Aphrodite gives life to the statue, and Pygmalion gets his happily ever after with who he believes to be the perfect woman. Galatea never speaks during the original myth; her only purpose is to be what her husband wants her to be.
In Galatea, Madeline Miller takes the elements from this story and goes past them. We are seeing what happens after Galatea is not the perfect wife for Pygmalion. I will not go into details, but it is a brutal and haunting read. It is a short story that was not only impactful but also powerful. What an ending. Madeline Miller has such a way with words that makes them all count in incredible ways. I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next! I hope she will eventually do a short story collection with stories similar to this.
Book 12: Sorcery of Thorns
By Margaret Rogerson
Read January 14th-15th
Pages Read: 456
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2023 reread:
I had an incredible time returning to this book again in preparation for the sequel novella that is coming out tomorrow. Margaret Rogerson has such an excellent way of writing that draws you in from the first word until the end. It was wonderful immersing myself back into this world, and I am highly looking forward to continuing where this left off in the novella.
Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas are characters I love following throughout the novel, and I loved seeing their found family form again. Their bond is powerful and one of my favorites in literature. It was great starting the book this time, knowing what would happen with them.
Also, I love the elements of the magical grimoires throughout the book. They stood out a lot for me, especially with my own love of books. It was great how they all had personalities of their own and their purpose in the novel.
2019 review:
I fell in love with Sorcery of Thorns from the first page and was sucked into this beautiful story. In the novel, we follow a young librarian who grew up in Summerhall, one of Austermeer's Great magical Libraries. Magical grimoires fill the shelves that she has a connection to. Elisabeth becomes unlikely allies with a sorcerer named Nathaniel and his demonic servant Silas. They team up to fight a force that could destroy everything they hold dear.
Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas are some of my favorite characters in all literature. I loved the bond between them all and the element of found family. Their witty banter throughout the book had me laughing out loud countless times. They had me crying a couple of times, also.
This was a powerful book that I connected to on so many levels. Being a child of the library and books in general, I felt a genuine bond with Elisabeth. Books have always been and always will be an essential part of my life. The world created in this book was creative and very interesting to read. When reading, I felt like I was a part of their world. It felt like this book was created for me because it had everything I love in a book.
I hope there will be a sequel to this book because I loved this world so much, and man, that ending.
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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
☃️ Most Anticipated Books Releasing
in the First Half of 2023 ❄️
Here are my top ten most anticipated books for the first half of 2023.
1. The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro (Release Date: May 2nd, 2023)- I have been eagerly anticipating this book for years now, ever since Rick first said that he was going to write a book for Nico and Will. Cannot wait for it to come out.
2. Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson (Release Date: January 17th, 2023)- Not long now for this book to release. I've wanted a sequel to Sorcery of Thorns for years, and now we are finally getting one! Just a week to go.
3. Painted Devils by Margaret Owen (Release Date: May 16th, 2023)- I read Little Thieves last year and loved it. Can't wait to see what happens next for Vanja and Emeric.
4. The Eleventh Hour (The Adventure Zone Volume 5) by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch (Release Date: February 21st, 2023)- I love The Adventure Zone series and have been waiting for this book for over a year now. It's going to be great to see what happens.
5. In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (Release Date: April 25th, 2023)- This is one of the many books on this list that I was lucky enough to get an ARC of from Netgalley. I will be reading this one very soon.
6. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (Release Date: April 4th, 2023)- Another of the books that I was lucky enough to get an ARC. I love Rebecca Ross's writing style, and the plot of this book sounds amazing.
7. Spin by Rebecca Caprara (Release Date: March 28th, 2023)- Mythology is one of my favorite things to read about, especially Greek Mythology. Also, I love books written in verse, so this sounds like the perfect book for me.
8. Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief by Ben Hatke (Release Date: April 18th, 2023)- I love the folklore stories of Reynard, the fox, and have wanted to read this ever since I heard about it early last year. It's an adult graphic novel take on what is usually children's tales. Can't wait to see where Ben takes Reynard.
9. Norse Mythology Volume 3 by Neil Gaiman (Release Date: January 24th, 2023)- Another of the books that I have an ARC of. I love Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology book and have been enjoying reading the graphic novel versions.
10. When You Wish Upon a Star by Elizabeth Lim (Release Date: April 4th, 2023)- I highly enjoy the A Twisted Tale series, where many of the Disney movies are twisted into new stories. This book sounds very good, especially with the focus on the Blue Fairy.
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Reviews Week 1
January 1st-8th
Book 1: Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monsters
By Nikita Gill
Read January 1st-2nd
Pages Read: 256
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Absolutely beautiful! I love how Nikita retold many different myths throughout this collection, both in poetry and prose. It was interesting to see the different formats in this collection, and each piece fit well together. She retells stories of the goddesses, gods, mortals, and monsters from Greek Mythology through a feminist lens.
We get multiple poems for most of the characters that she uses throughout the volume. Each gives insight into their thoughts and also their actions in the mythology. Some of my favorites from the work were the modern-day takes such as "Persephone & Hades, After" and "Ares, After." Her depiction of Ares was very different from what I have ever seen done before, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. That one stood out to me from the volume. Another favorite of mine was "Hephaestus's Tale." Hephaestus and Aphrodite's relationship is hardly ever depicted in a positive light. I thoroughly enjoyed this take on them.
What I enjoyed most about this volume is the fact that Nikita did not just look at all of the male gods/mortals in a negative light. Many "feminist" pieces make all of the males terrible and show them in a horrible way compared to the women. I loved how we got to see both sides. Zeus is obviously horrendous because that's how he is. But then we get characters like Hephaestus, Hades, and even Ares, who are depicted more positively.
Another aspect I would like to touch on is how this volume starts with many of the Titan characters, such as Gaia, Metis, Chaos, and so on, and then continues through to the goddesses, gods, mortals, and monsters. We get stories from so much Greek Mythology, and I loved that. Also, the hand-drawn illustrations throughout were beautiful and added even more to the volume as a whole.
My many favorite pieces from this collection were:
"What it Means to be a Forgotten Magic Maker"
"The Titanomachy"- I really enjoyed Hera's depiction throughout this volume.
"The Making of a God-Queen"
"Athena's Tale"- Such a great piece
"War and Poetry"- This in the following piece are interesting takes on Ares
"Ares, After"
"Hephaestus's Tale"
"Apollo to Icarus"
"A Friendship: Demeter and Hestia"- Loved their story of sisterhood
"Hades to Persephone"
"Persephone and Hades, After"
"Asterion"- Stunning take on the Minotaur
"Athena to Medusa"
"Danae, Mother of Perseus"
"Penelope, Wife of Odysseus"
"Argos, Dog of Odysseus"- This one made me tear up
"Iphigenia, Daughter of Agamemnon"
Book 2: Lore Olympus: Volume 3
By Rachel Smythe
Read January 3rd
Pages Read: 384
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My favorite volume so far. I loved seeing more of the Underworld throughout this one. Rachel's take on the myths is so interesting, and I cannot wait to see where this goes from here. Especially with the ending. The Hades and Persephone myth will always be one of my favorite stories, and I love how different this version is from the ones I have read before. Volume 4 cannot come soon enough.
Book 3: Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
By Tom Felton
Read January 4th
Pages Read: 308
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I decided to pick up the audiobook of Tom’s memoir, and I am incredibly glad that I did. It was a wonderful experience to listen to him share stories from his life, especially the ones from the set of the Harry Potter movies. Most of the book focuses on that time, but he also shares about his family, his life before the movies, and also his life afterward. His stories were touching, and I am glad that he decided to share so much in this book. One of my favorite parts was when he discussed Daniel Radcliffe. Also, I loved Emma’s forward at the beginning. I recommend this to any fans of the Harry Potter movies.
Book 4: Stronger Together (Partners, #1)
By Jamie Lynn Miller
Read January 4th
Pages Read: 234
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I love friend-to-lovers romance stories, and this one was pretty great. Collin and Liam had a close relationship throughout the novel, and I enjoyed how Jamie showed how close they were as friends before they became lovers. It was sweet, and I loved the setting of the English cottage. I definitely want to read the second book with them, spending Christmas in the cottage.
Book 5: I'm nobody! Who are you?
By Emily Dickinson
Read January 5th
Pages Read: 105
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Emily Dickinson had an interesting way of writing poetry that stands out quite a bit in this volume. There were some that I loved from the poems, especially the titular one. For my 8th grade English class, we had to memorize that poem, and I still remember it to this day.
The poems I loved started with the lines:
~ "A word is dead."
~ "Pain has an element of blank,"
~ "A precious, moldering pleasure 'tis."
~ "Hope is a thing with feathers."
However, many of the poems in the volume were not ones I really enjoyed reading. Emily had a melancholy way of writing that comes across in most of these poems perfectly. Though, I did not personally love reading them the way I hoped I would.
Book 6: Hilda: The Wilderness Stories: Hilda & the Troll /Hilda & the Midnight Giant (Hilda 1 & 2)
By Luke Pearson
Read January 7th
Pages Read: 96
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My first introduction to Hilda’s world was through the Netflix series. The little girl I used to nanny for last year was obsessed with the show and asked me to watch it with her one day. I don’t know what episode we started with, but I have got to say that I got hooked a couple minutes in. We continued through to the movie.
So going into this book, I did not know the full extent of the start of Hilda’s story, but I did know that I would love this adventure. This is the first two volumes of the Hilda graphic novels. I love this type of fantasy adventure and Hilda as the main character. She is a young adventurer that enjoys learning about the world around her and spending time in the wilderness.
In this first volume, we are introduced to Hilda, her mother, her deerfox named Twig, and the Woodman. We also see many other creatures, including the rock trolls, who play an essential role in the series.
I also enjoyed the information that came at the end of each of the volumes. The first had info on the rock trolls, and the second was on the giants. Luke Pearson’s illustration style is stunning and fits well with the story. I look forward to picking up the other books in this series and cannot wait to see Season 3 of the show when that comes out.
I recommend this to the fantasy lovers out there, both young and old. It’s wonderful.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
☃️ Favorite Books of 2022 ❄️
Instead of doing my top 10 favorite books of the year, I decided to do my top 15 because I couldn't narrow it down. Here are my top favorite books from the 192 books I read in 2022.
1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott- My favorite book of the year by far. I read this book back in March, and it instantly became my favorite book of the year. It is absolutely wonderful. This novel made me laugh, cry, and just completely and utterly happy. It was one of the best books that I have ever read in my life, and I cannot wait to read it again. I don't think that I need to recommend this book to anyone at all because it is so well-known. But I will anyway. It is definitely worth the read, and I cannot recommend it enough. I only wish that I had read it before I did.
“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”
2. A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna- This wonderful book had everything I love in a story, witchy vibes, found family, quirkiness, a cute romance, and a warm cozy feeling. I went into this book knowing that I would love it.
It was just an enjoyable experience reading every single page of Mika's story. I adored her as a character and the family that she grew to love. Ian, Ken, Lucie, Jamie, Rosette, Terracotta, and Altamira were such great characters, and I loved how close Mika grew to all of them. Their little family was perfection. Truthfully, I did not want this book to end, though I will say that the ending fit so well with the story. It was absolutely hilarious and beautiful.
“The thing is, being a witch is extraordinary,” she said. “It might seem sometimes that all we are is odd and different, but the truth is, we’re amazing.”
A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Review
3. Little Thieves by Margaret Owen- This was a phenomenal fairy tale retelling of "The Goose Girl". I loved every single page of this book, and I especially loved the main character, Vanja. Going into the book I knew the basics of the original fairy tale, but I have never read it myself. I really love where Margaret Owen took this story. Vanja does a lot of terrible things, but I just loved her so much. Her narration was perfect. I loved the little stories she told throughout the entire novel and how they were interspersed in the entire story. It was great to get little pieces of her past and to learn more and more along the way.
Cannot wait for the sequel this year!!!
“You’re what happens when an encyclopedia wishes on a star to be a real boy, if that encyclopedia was also an absolute prick.”
4. Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett- I adore the Death subseries books, and this was a great last book to the subseries. Susan's scenes as a teacher were great! She's a strict teacher in some aspects but uses her powers in ways that make her class one of the most interesting ever. Her class is so popular that parents are fighting to get their kids in it. I would have loved to have just a book of her teaching. It made me think of the Magic School Bus also when she took the kids on their "fields trips." This had such a great Discworld twist to it that I absolutely adored.
“Sometimes I really think people ought to have to pass a proper exam before they're allowed to be parents. Not just the practical, I mean.”
5. Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan- I adored the story in this book and learning even more about C. S. Lewis than I knew before this. This book is a beautiful story about the love between a sister and a brother and the lengths she will go to for him. Megs' little brother George falls in love with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and wants Megs to find out where Narnia came from for C. S. Lewis. Megs goes to meet C.S. Lewis (who goes by Jack) to find the answer to her brother's question. Throughout the novel, Jack tells Megs about his life, and she tells her brother the story. I adored this novel with all my heart and soul.
One of the most beautiful books I read in 2022.
6. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune- This was one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read, and I adored every little bit of it. I originally planned on reading it in 2021 right when it came out, but I never felt like it was the right moment to pick it up. I knew that this would be a heavy-hitting book, and man was I right about that.
I highly recommend this gem of a book. It is one of the best that I have ever read.
“The first time you share tea, you are a stranger. The second time you share tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share tea, you become family.”
7. North Wind by Alexandria Warwick- One of the first books I read in 2022, and I still adore it. I love how it was a mixture of Greek Mythology with the gods of the wind, a bit of Beauty and the Beast, and also a Hades and Persephone retelling. This was a perfect slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance.
8. The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton- I absolutely adored the world and characters in this book, especially Twain and Quinta. It was so much fun reading about their adventure and romance. Also, the magic system with the starlight was intriguing, and I loved how we discovered more about it as the story continued.
This book is a highly entertaining read that I adored from Twain’s first perspective. I liked seeing the story from both his and Quinta’s point of view. The Vermilion Emporium was such an excellent idea with a shop that moves from place to place. I won’t spoil anything about the inside, but I know that I would love to be able to go into a shop like that. Such a neat idea! This fantasy world was a favorite that I know I will return to again and again.
9. Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross- I have fallen in love with Rebecca Ross's writing style in this book and also in Sisters of Sword and Song. This book was absolutely incredible. I love the feeling when I start reading a book, and by page 20 you know that it is going to be a new five-star favorite book of all time. This was one of those gems that I became obsessed with so quickly.
10. The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander- I loved reading the entire Chronicles of Prydain series in 2022. Besides the first book, I adored the rest of the series. I grew up watching and loving the Disney movie The Black Cauldron. It was interesting to see how different these books are from that. I wish that this series would have got a much more loyal adaptation. This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it and following books in the series so much more than the first. I loved watching Taran grow throughout the book and become a leader.
11. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett- I loved following Sam Vimes as he traveled back in time and mentored his younger self. This book was a wonderful time, and I loved seeing Sam's growth throughout. I will always be a sucker for a great time travel story. It was great to get one from Terry Pratchett.
12. Secrets of the Looking Glass by J. Scott Savage- I loved the first book in this series, so I was excited to see that there was going to be a sequel based on Through the Looking Glass. The plot in this book was very enjoyable, and it was great getting to follow along with Tyrus and Celia again in a new adventure.
This zany adventure was a great follow-up to the first book, with lots of riddles, wordplay, and characters that I was looking forward to seeing Savage's take on. I am not as big of a fan of the original book Through the Looking Glass as I am of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but I will say that Savage's version of this story was awesome. I'm glad that the adventure for Tyrus and Celia was unexpected, especially the ending.
Secrets of the Looking Glass Review
13. My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows- This book was one of my most anticipated books of last year, and I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it. I have read every Lady Janies' book and have loved almost all of them. Their sense of humor is some of my favorite in books. This book was the one that I was looking forward to the most because I love Mary Shelley and Frankenstein. The fantasy and science fiction elements were some of the best aspects of the story.
14. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle- This book was phenomenal. I have heard a lot of great things about it over the years, but I did not ever expect it to be this great. Beagle's writing is beautiful and I loved this world so much.
15. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge- 2022 must have been the year of Mary Shelley for me. Throughout the year, I wrote multiple lessons for work on Frankenstein, I read and adored My Imaginary May, and then read this beauty. This book is one of the best biographies that I have ever read. I love how it was written in verse and also the stunning illustrations.