Favourite Reads of 2022: 12-4

 I haven't entirely finished my reading for the year yet, I've still got one or two books going that I'm really enjoying, but I nonetheless figured it was time to get my favourites list for 2022 going!

I'm saving my Top Three for a separate post, but for now I want to share some of my favourite reads of this year. Please bear in mind these are not in order because it is impossible to choose, really... Ranking is hard!

First we get into a Sci-Fi and Speculative Fiction section!

Dune by Frank Herbert

I jumped on the Dune bandwagon in full force this year and was not so mildly obsessed this summer! But while I was fascinated I wasn't, necessarily, fully on board with everything.

What I will say is that, for me, the beauty of Dune came not in the reading of it but in the contemplating of it. When key moments happen, their weight only truly hit me once I stepped away from the book and considered it on my own, brought my own experiences into play. In a sense, I believe, this was on purpose. I think Herbert wants his readers to turn inwards, to consider their own standpoints, beliefs, to use Jungian archetypes and find their inner oppositions. But this is all work that readers have to be willing to do and Herbert doesn't always help himself. (Review)

I've since also read Dune Messiah and will get around to the last one in the trilogy somewhere in 2023. While I didn't think Dune was perfect I can't deny the influence it had on me this year.

Sorrowlands by Rivers Solomon

Sorrowlands was one of my first, if not the first, 5 Universe read in 2022. Solomon just consistently surprised me with where the book was going. At the same time I hadn't felt quite as connected with a main character as Vern in a while!

The writing of Sorrowland is stunning. Vern's speech feels both archaic and blunt, always direct yet for of mystery. Similarly, Solomon has a real knack for describing nature and dissecting human behaviour. At the heart of Sorrowland is a desire to remember, to not forget the sufferings and crimes of the past. To confront human behaviour, at its best and worst, straight on and, at the very least, acknowledge it. (Review)

Africa Risen: A New Era in Speculative Fiction edited by Sheree Renee Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight

I was excited about this book even before I was approved for it and I ended up loving so many of the stories in this collection. I was just awed by the sheer breadth and innovativeness throughout Africa Risen. I've definitely also noted down some new names to keep an eye on whenever I enter a bookstore.

Whether these stories take place in Morocco or Ghana or South-Africa, they are united by these very human themes. But no matter how united they are, each author brings a unique skill and way of writing to the table. Each story is infused with a specific culture, with particular details that rise above the idea of 'Africa' as a block. Yes, these stories are united, but they are also a sign of the diversity of this continent, of the way each element adds to the whole. (Review)

Here comes the Audiobook section. It was quite hard to decide which ones to put in here as I thought about saving some of these for the Top Three, but I decided they worked together nicely here.

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, trans. by John E. Wood, narr. by David Rintoul

I was always intimidated by The Magic Mountain but finally decided to bite the bullet with the audiobook and it turned out to be an absolute highlight this year. David Rintoul does such a beautiful job with an enormous and at times complicated book.

The Magic Mountain is elusive; you cannot pin down what Thomas Mann meant to say with it. Perhaps here I should admit that the thing that finally pushed me towards reading it was listening to a lecture by the mythologist Joseph Campbell in which he extolled the virtues of the book. According to Campbell, The Magic Mountain is full of symbology, psychoanalytical depths, and mythology. And I found that indeed I could get lost on this mountain myself. Perhaps it is the times we live in, maybe it's just me, but I felt the strong pull of the mountain, of an ordered life in which my only responsibility was to get better and in which I could completely leave the rest of the world behind.  (Review)

The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham, narr. by Alex Jennings

This book is in a completely different category than The Magic Mountain and yet I loved it fervently. I was obsessed with Wyndham during the second half of this year but this one definitely stands out as my favourite.

What also really set The Kraken Wakes apart for me was that it's not just great Sci-Fi, but also that so much of the book is about how you tell a Sci-Fi story. Literally the opening is Mike and Phyllis arguing about the best way to start and structure the book, what quotes to put at the beginnings, etc. Being journalists, they are often concerned about what they're saying and how they're saying it and I found that a really interesting aspect of the novel. (Review)

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, trans. by David McDuff, narr. by Luke Thompson

Yes, also a major classic! Like The Magic Mountain I was a bit scared about starting this one but oh my God did I fall in love with it. So much of that is due to Luke Thompson's brilliant narration. It is honestly impressive work to bring this alive in the way he did. 

Classics are classics for a reason. I'm not talking about the Canon here, the books you "should" read. What I mean is simply those books, that despite their age, still hit. That's a Classic for me. It is why Jane Austen will continue to be adapted, to varying results..., and why novels like The Brothers Karamazov continue to strike a chord. Did I expect to care so deeply about the disaster known as the Karamazov family? No. But I did. Because Dostoyevsky is brilliant. For me, the pull of this novel was in its characters, in the way Dostoyevsky draws out nuances through small actions and words, and in the manner in which these characters embody the novel's themes. (Review)

I think I'm going to call this there 'Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves' section even though women go through it in these books!

Shit Cassandra Saw: Stories by Gwen E. Kirby

Loved this from the moment I saw the cover, but then the stories just blew my mind even more! Kirby's writing is just so beautifully reckless and her characters are such a mess that I felt seen.

Gwen E. Kirby moved herself onto my 'Will Buy on Sight'-list by the time I was halfway through the third story of Shit Cassandra Saw. The rage and joy in her voice is like an electric jolt. Kirby revels in everything womanhood has to offer, from the beautiful to the horrifying... maybe especially the horrifying, and she depicts it all without a trace of shame. The women in Shit Cassandra Saw are complex human beings, torn many different ways, and I developed a soft spot for all of them. They felt like me, like my friends. (If that's a compliment for anyone involved I can't entirely say.) (Review)

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I had looked forward to this book quite a bit which meant that once I had it, I actually had to wait a bit so my expectations wouldn't overwhelm the story itself. But I love what Moreno-Garcia does with Wells' classic, the way she brings out nuances he couldn't even have imagined, and how she crafts a fascinating story for her main character.

Written from both Carlota's perspective and that of Laughton, the British overseer who is running from his own past, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau asks crucial questions about self-determination and how our past shapes us. Carlota was a delightful character, so alive, so passionate, yet also sheltered from the world. Watching her confront the reality of her circumstance, the future planned out for her, was both heart-breaking and refreshing. Rather than making her lose her kindness or naivety, Moreno-Garcia finds a way to have her grow up and grow into herself fully. It was a joy to read. (Review)

They: A Sequence of Unease by Kay Dick

This one really got to me

Our protagonist is desperately trying to communicate her fear, her yearning for human connection, her desire to create, but there is no safe space within which to do so for long. She always has to move on, be on guard, watch what she says, even to the reader. It is brilliantly done. There are moments of real horror in between this contemplation, specifically in a later chapter when the protagonist is in search of a safe haven. The way in which the tension builds up, in which every tree and person becomes intimidating, it is quite something! (Review)

So this is my, rather messy, top 12 to 4 books of 2022. It was actually quite hard to narrow it down and yet also go through all of my books. In 2021 I had some really clear stand-outs, whereas this year I had a good bunch of really good books. However, the ones I'm saving for my top three were absolutely amazing and I look forward to sharing them with you next week!

What were your favourite reads of 2022? Do leave a link in the comments if you're also writing a post, I'd love to see!