I vividly remember my final read of Q2, as I rushed to push it into my mid-year-wrap up as one of my favourites only a day after finishing it. It was Private Rites by Julia Armsfield, a book I loved so much that I read it 2x back-to-back, making it my first read of Q3 as well. 35 other books onwards, it’s time for another wrap up. I’ve been slumping slightly, so there were a bunch of rereads (shout-out to the simultaneous binge-watch/read of a bunch of Hercule Poirot mysteries, alongside the BBC-tv-series starring David Suchet). That slump lead to fewer favourites, but still, quite the list of new releases worth a mention.
Favourites:
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Had I been completely honest my “favourites-list” would’ve consisted of a single book this time, as no other read even came close. That book is obviously The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. This is the kick-off novel to an epic high fantasy saga set in Sanderson’s most extensive fictional universe The Cosmere. The Way of Kings had everything I love in high fantasy; well-developed characters, a fascinating world, a high-stakes story and a perfect balance between delivering a satisfying ending and setting up a sequel. A full review can be found here.
Absorbed – Kyrie Whitehead
From the epic scope of a high fantasy novel, we move to an intimate, weird and claustrophobic psychological-horror read. This follows a young woman in a relationship on the verge of breaking. In a desperate panic that she won’t be able to live without him, she absorbs him… literally… Through magical realism, body horror and the authors incredibly observant eye, we explore a tale of female insecurity, fear of abandonment and the complexities of young relationship.
We Carry the Sea in Our Hands – Janie Kim
Probably the most underrated book on this list, and one I’m so happy to shout out. We Carry the Sea in Our Hands combines a literary family-saga with a small speculative element to great success. We follow a successful marine-biologist, researching the origins of life through sea-slug genetics, as she accidentally uncovers a secret hidden in her own genetics. This accidental discovery leads her down a path of uncovering her own past as a Korean drop-box-baby, and leads her to a search for her biological mother. I loved the interweaving of the two storylines (Abby’s biological discoveries on the one hand, and her personal journey on the other) and themes the author managed to explore through them. With stunning prose and believable characters: this was a memorable stand-out this summer. Full review here.
We Used to Live Here – Markus Kliewer
A little bit of The Shining, a little House of Leaves and an opening reminiscent of Leave the World Behind, yet wholly its own thing. That was We Used to Live Here for me. Our story opens with a young woman, recently moved into a new remote house at the edge of the neighborhood. On one of her first nights home alone without her girlfriend Charlie, Eve greets some unexpected guests at her door: a father with his children, declaring to have previously lived in the house and asking to show his kids around. Eve, ever the people-pleaser, obliges… Soon a snowstorm pulls in, isolating the family, Charlie and Eve in the house, where events progress from the uncomfortable, to the unsettling, and eventually into the terrifying...An actually terrifying, claustrophobic thriller with a supernatural horror twist. I devoured it! Full review here***
Recent releases:
- Towards Eternity – Anton Hur
How High We Go in the Dark meets Cloud Atlas, meets Never Let Me Go in this high-brow literary sci-fi novel. Anton Hur already made a name for himself as a translator of fantastic sci-fi, and now provides us with a story all of his own making. My experience with Towards Eternity was a little like the book-cover; I remember it being absolutely stunning, but also slightly hazy and dreamlike, in a way that made me quickly forget many of the details. It’s an ambitious novel that spans multiple generations into the future and covers a large expanse of topics and themes. Although I loved all of them separately, everything together in just over 200 pages might have been a little bit too much and kept me at a distance from the narrative that kept it from emotionally resonating like the aforementioned comp-titles.
Rating: 4/5 stars
- The God of the Woods – Liz Moore
If there was ever a perfect thriller to read during summer; this is it. Liz Moore tells an equal part gripping, equal part emotional story in dual timeline, about the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl at a summer camp in 1975. I don’t want to risk spoiling any plot-points, but be assured that the atmosphere, the mystery and the character-writing were spot on. I wouldn’t have expected it any other way from an author as talented as Moore.
Rating: 4/5 stars.
- Bad Graces – Kyrie McCauley
An all-female YA-survival horror following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America. I already knew McCauley from her previous two releases, so my expectations for her writing were high. She didn’t disappoint. Although quite distinctly YA (and therefore a little outside my favourite genre to read), this was a gripping and memorable story of female friendship and survival. Highly recommend to fans of Wilder Girls or Lord of the Flies.
Full review here.
Rating: 4/5 stars
- My Darling Dreadful Thing – Johanna van Veen
A darkly gothic horror novel set in my home-country of the Netherlands, that gave me some extra creeps for its recognizable setting. Told through a series of interviews with a psychiatrist, we meet Roos, a 21-year old woman who believes herself inhabited by a spirit-companion; the ghost of a bog-body. Through memories and interview-fragments we slowly uncover the horrifying truth of Roos’ past that led to her current situation; confined in a psychiatric facility, accused of a gruesome murder.
Full review here.
Rating: 3/5 stars
- The Spellshop – Sarah Beth Durst
A lovable cottage-core, cozy fantasy novel about a young witch starting a new life in a magical village, running an illegal spell-shop with her sentient spider plant companion. This was pure delight! Coming from someone who doesn’t typically enjoy “cozy fantasy”: I had a wonderful time with this one and highly recommend it.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
- Brat – Gabriel Smith
The title tells you everything you need to know about this protagonist, but I hoped I’d be able to enjoy the novel in spite of having a very unlikable narrator. Unfortunately, I had more reasons to hate this book than just the narrator. Our titular brat finds himself in a life-crisis after the recent death of his father, followed by the breakup with his girlfriend. On top of his grief, he’s now dealing with other strange events too: a series of vivid dreams that mirror his ideas for the manuscript he’s overdue to submit, a mysterious skin condition that causes his skin to slough off by the chunks, and a strange haunting in his house…10/10 premise, 0/10 execution for me. Full review here.
Rating: 1/5 stars
- Smothermoss – Alica Alering
A haunting and twisting magical realism story of two sisters and the menacing, unexplained forces that threaten them and their rural mountain community. Smothermoss combines elements of coming of age, with a murder/mystery and a tiny drizzle of folk horror throughout. It’s a debut novel that I had mixed feelings about, but one thing is for sure: the atmosphere in this one is thick, and would make a perfect companion during these late-summer-/early-fall days. Full review here.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
- Mystery Lights – Lena Valencia
A horror short story collection, centered on the horrors of womanhood in different forms. Stunning cover, slightly disappointing content. Full review here.
Rating: 2/5 stars
- Saturation Point – Adrian Tchaikovsky
Another 2024-release by Adrian Tchaikovsky (seriously, how is this man so prolific?); this time a sci-fi novella about a group of scientists entering an inhospitable rainforest, simply known as The Zone, that formed around the equator due to climate crisis. In many ways this reminded me a lot of Tchaikovsky’s other recent release Alien Clay. Since I loved that one, you won’t hear me complaining too much… Full review here.
Rating: 4/5 stars
- Enlightenment – Sarah Perry
We already knew that Sarah Perry can write some incredible prose, so the fact that Enlightenment was a good book was barely even a question to start with. In her latest novel, Perry explores her familiar themes (science vs religion, tradition, (non-)conformity, unrequited love etc.), this time through the lens of astronomy, and two lives intersecting by the rhythm of an orbiting comet. It's an ambitious tale that works well in its execution. On a personal enjoyment-level; it toes the line between sentimentality and emotional connection a bit too much for me, leaving it short of a place among my favourites by the author. Full review here.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
- Voyage of the Damned – Frances White
Pitched as “what if Agatha Christy wrote fantasy”, I knew I had to get my hands on this one. Although it was even more lighthearted/”light on the fantasy than I expected, it really scratched that particular itch for me. Voyage of the Damned is a closed room murder mystery, set on a sailing vessel, carrying the 12 heirs of the 12 provinces of Concordia. Each has inherited their crown through a magical ability, personal to them and unknown to their fellow passengers. When bodies start to drop, it becomes a race against time for our protagonist to find answers and prevent themselves from becoming the next victim. Full review here.
Rating: 4/5 stars
- House of Frank – Kay Sinclare
I hate to say it: this was my worst disappointment of the past few months… House of Frank promised a cozy fantasy story with a strong focus on found-family and themes of grief. We follow a young witch on her way to Ash Gardens; a set of magical botanical gardens she intends as the final resting place for her recently deceased sisters ashes. Here she takes on a position as one of the housekeepers, among a merry band of magical creatures, each with a story of grief of their own. Although the premise sounded amazing, I was let down by the execution that lacked development in every department. Full review here.
Rating: 3/5 stars
- Small Rain – Garth Greenwell
Last and probably hardest to rate; this was an objectively amazing book that I personally struggled to finish. It’s an intimate character portrait that describes our narrators experience of a life-threatening health crisis that puts him in the ICU against background of an already strained medical system during the start of the COVID-pandemic. You can read my full review here, but in short: as a medical professional, this novel was my life for quite some time. It’s extremely accurate and well worded, but I personally didn’t want to (or benefit from) relive this again.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading plans/upcoming posts:
As far as the final 3 months of 2024 are concerned; I have an uncertain time coming up at work, so there’s truly little planning I can do. My true concrete plans include my annual Halloween/Autumnal Reading Recommendations post, which is planned to go live on October 1st as per tradition. I will also attempt to dedicate the entire month of October to just “spooky” and/or horror reads. As for November and December: it’s pretty open for now. My current top-of-TBR includes: Absolution by Jeff Vandermeer, Model Home by Rivers Solomon, Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsal and Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse.
Have any more suggestions that you think I have to get to before the year is up? Feel free to send me a recommendation, and stay tuned for 100+ spooky/autumnal reads to add to your TBR tomorrow.
コメント