People Are Sharing The Best Book They've Read So Far In 2022, And I'm Adding Every Single One To My Reading List
Since it's the mid-point of 2022 and the start of summer, book readers across the world have checked off a few good books from their reading list.
NBC / Via giphy.com
So to find out exactly which were some of the best books they read this year, we asked the BuzzFeed Community, "What is the greatest book you've read so far this year?" And the answers covered just about every genre. If your favorite isn't mentioned here, leave it in the comments!
1."I read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar in January, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. It’s a short epistolary novel (I read it in one sitting) that follows two characters who communicate with each other through letters that travel in weird ways across time and space. I had no idea what was going on for the first 75 pages, but I loved every minute of it."
Blurb: "Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange letters—and fall in love."
2."The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. It's so well-written and creative. It really aces the nuances of motherhood."
3."The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. It gave me a whole new perspective on how things that we don’t notice have massive effects on our lives and others."
—Anonymous
Blurb: "Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him, as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers.
One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his 'meaningless' life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: 'Why was I here?'"
4."Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. It was a good one. A small part of it is quasi-sequel to her The Glass Hotel — which is also worth the read — but it's one of those rare things that's full-on sci-fi in premise (involving time travel, handled in a deftly smart way that holds up the Novikov self-consistency principle). But despite also introducing another pandemic (and not her first in fiction!) and all the global anxiety that brings, it told a small essential human story that comes together in a beautiful little burst of violin music you can practically hear off the page."
Blurb: "The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space."
5."Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was the best book I've read, not only in 2022, but probably in the past five years. I read on average 80 books a year, and only a handful are memorable enough that I recommend them to others. Lessons In Chemistry is one of those books. It is a feminist, smart book with a protagonist along the vein of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine that makes science interesting. It is a beautiful, unexpected book."
—Anonymous
Blurb: "Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize-nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with — of all things — her mind. True chemistry results."
6."I read Yours Cruelly, Elvira obviously written by Cassandra Peterson herself. She has lived such a wild life and it was beyond interesting to get a sneak behind the persona of Elvira. From her almost dying as a toddler to her teenage go-go dancing days to her current relationship, I highly recommend reading about all her history. I managed to get an autographed copy and it is now a treasured possession."
7."Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard. It's such a great telling of the LGBTQ experience in rural Australia. The characters are diverse, and I was able to identify with bits of each, which has been a first in quite a while. There are moments that made me cry and other moments that had me grinning from ear to ear. For his first novel, Holden did a fantastic job."
Blurb: "An emotional tale of identity, sexuality, and suicide derived from personal experience about three teenage boys who struggle to come to terms with their homosexuality in a small Western Australian town. On the surface, nerd Zeke, punk Charlie and footy wannabe Hammer look like they have nothing in common.
But scratch that surface and you'd find three boys in the throes of coming to terms with their homosexuality in a town where it is invisible. Invisible Boys is a raw, confronting YA novel that explores the complexities and trauma of rural gay identity with painful honesty, devastating consequences, and, ultimately, hope."
8."A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. This book is so informative and fun to read. It’s so cool to hear how tiny niche things play into each other from paleontology to astronomy to physics and biology. If you’re looking for a scientific book that isn’t too hard to understand, this is a good place to start. It scratches the surface of so many different fields and how they’re connected. It mentions notable scientists in the various fields, too, which I found interesting because a lot of scientific books make it so boring to learn but this book wove everything together near seamlessly."
—Anonymous
Blurb: "One of the world’s most beloved writers and New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body takes his ultimate journey — into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer."
9."The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. My heart ached for Addie. I fell in love with a boy named Henry, and I was charmed by the darkness. Addie made a deal to live forever to finally have the freedom to see the world, but in return, she learns she gave up the ability to ever be remembered. Such a powerful story. I was ready to reread immediately after I finished it."
Blurb: "France, 1714: In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever — and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name."
10."The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams hands down. It's a funny romance novel that's perfect for a beach read. I tend to hate romantic books because they tend to be super raunchy, but this one has the perfect combination of a little bit of sexiness and comedy. I devoured this book in a single afternoon and found out it's a series, so I'll be reading all of them as soon as I can get my hands on them!"
—Anonymous
Blurb: "Nashville Legends' second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major-league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him."
11."Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura. It touches upon key issues such as loneliness, bullying, and mental health in such a beautiful way."
Blurb: "In a tranquil neighborhood of Tokyo seven students are avoiding going to school — hiding in their darkened bedrooms, unable to face their family and friends — until the moment they find the mirrors in their bedrooms are shining. At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives into a wondrous castle straight out of a Grimm's fairy tale."
12."Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough. I am obsessed with how good this book is. It hits on serious topics thoughtfully, while being a heart-warming rom-com aimed at a YA audience. It features two boys who are just realizing they are LGBTQI+. The main characters are all aboriginal and the book looks at oppression and racism in modern Australia, too. Listening to the audiobook is even better as the narrator is aboriginal and brings such life to the story. This book simultaneously taught me so much and stole my heart. A must read."
13."Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. The same guy who wrote The Martian. The sun is dying and we have to do something about it. I could not put the book down."
Blurb: Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission — and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.
All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery — and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?
14."Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. It tackles themes of chronic pain and illness, features BIPOC main characters, and attempts to destigmatize erotica!"
—Anonymous
Blurb: Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget, and seven days to get it all back again...Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award-winning novelist, who, to everyone's surprise, shows up in New York.
15."I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston is one of my favorite reads so far in 2022. If Paper Towns had a baby with Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, this would be that book. Absurd, romantic, and intimate, McQuiston’s YA coming-of-age novel centers on the disappearance of the most popular girl in a small Southern town and how the last three people she kissed — her rival, her boyfriend, and her next-door neighbor — hunt for clues to her whereabouts."
"The book is brutally honest and is wrapped up in the mystery of why the title character ghosted her friends and family while exploring who she really is. The author also raises some interesting topics and questions about being out or closeted in a small conservative community and the assumptions we make about the South and its inhabitants. If you loved this author’s debut novel Red, White, and Royal Blue, then I Kissed Shara Wheeler is your next reading destination."
Blurb: "Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and the puritanical administration of Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny. But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes"
16."Billy Summers by Stephen King. I love the dark sinister side of how Stephen King writes all of his stories, but this took a different side of dark. The build of connection with the main character and small breadcrumbs within that nudge to The Shining made me absolutely have to read it again. Seriously, I fan-girled over this book to this day."
—Anonymous
Blurb: "Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first, there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong?
How about everything.This spectacular can’t-put-it-down novel is part war story, part love letter to small-town America and the people who live there, and it features one of the most compelling and surprising duos in King's fiction, who set out to avenge the crimes of an extraordinarily evil man. It’s about love, luck, fate, and a complex hero with one last shot at redemption.You won’t put this story down, and you won’t forget Billy."
17."This Is The Fire by Don Lemon. It’s an incredible book about the state of racism in our country. It shares a lot of historical accounts and how they’re relevant today. I couldn’t put the book down."
Blurb: "The host of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon is more popular than ever. As America’s only Black prime-time anchor, Lemon and his daily monologues on racism and antiracism, on the failures of the Trump administration and of so many of our leaders, and on America’s systemic flaws speak for his millions of fans. Now, in an urgent, deeply personal, riveting plea, he shows us all how deep our problems lie, and what we can do to begin to fix them."
18."Murder at Melrose Court by Karen Menuhin. The book took you on a ride, with unpredictable characters, and plots, and twists. It kept me guessing right up until the end of the book! Great unexpected find!"
Blurb: "It's1920 and Christmas is coming. Major Lennox finds a body on his doorstep — why on his doorstep? Was it to do with the Countess? Was it about the ruby necklace? Lennox goes to Melrose Court, home to his uncle, Lord Melrose, to uncover the mystery. But then the murders begin and it snows and it all becomes very complicated..."
19."Know My Name by Chanel Miller. I don’t know why this book isn’t talked about more. It is the most real, honest, and inspiring book I have ever read, and it helped me so much that I read it twice this year. I was in a bad car accident a few months ago (hit by a drunk driver) and during the recovery, I have told myself, 'If Chanel can get through that, then I can get through this.'"
—Anonymous
Blurb: "She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford's campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral — viewed by 11 million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.
Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways — there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, and physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life."
20."Sunset by Jessie Cave. I didn’t know the author (she apparently played Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter movies) but it kept popping up in books about sibling loss so I got it and wow, I cannot tell you how much that book helped me to feel understood. It’s set in modern-day England, and about two millennial sisters who are very close. One is a beautiful go-getter and the other is a bit lost but they love each other dearly and go on annual vacations together. On one such vacation, tragedy strikes, and the rest of the book is about how the survivor manages her grief. It’s honest, funny, heart-wrenching, and encouraging. I cannot recommend it enough."
Blurb: Ruth and Hannah are sisters. Bonded by love and friendship, they are perplexingly different characters.
Hannah is radiant, organized, and hard-working. Ruth is forever single and totally aimless. Together they are invincible.
Every summer they go on a budget holiday together where they bicker, laugh, fight and make up.
But this time is different. Something bad happens.
And now everything is changed forever.
This bittersweet love story is about needing someone else as much as they need you. It is an ode to our most powerful bonds, how they build us and break us, and how, when all seems lost, we can find joy in the most unexpected places.
Get it from Amazon for $21.34.
21."The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. This book absolutely took my breathe away. It's well-written and just tugged at all my heart strings. I felt so connected to the characters and just loved getting to know them."
—Anonymous
Blurb: Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place ― and realizing that family is yours.
22."The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. Murder mystery meets Groundhog Day. It was a wild ride, had bizarre and unpredictable characters, and one of the most exciting books to read."
Blurb: "Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. Understood? Then let's begin..."
23."The Elementals by Michael McDowell. This book subverted my expectations of the gothic/horror genre by showing me you don't need a dark or gloomy to have a terrifying atmosphere. Tension is slowly built up throughout that it slowly creeps up on you. You won't find blood and gore, but it you're looking for psychological horror, you'll love The Elementals!"
—Anonymous
Blurb: "After a bizarre and disturbing incident at the funeral of matriarch Marian Savage, the McCray and Savage families look forward to a restful and relaxing summer at Beldame, on Alabama's Gulf Coast, where three Victorian houses loom over the shimmering beach.
Two of the houses are habitable, while the third is slowly and mysteriously being buried beneath an enormous dune of blindingly white sand. But though long uninhabited, the third house is not empty. Inside, something deadly lies in wait. Something that has terrified Dauphin Savage and Luker McCray since they were boys and which still haunts their nightmares. Something horrific that may be responsible for several terrible and unexplained deaths years earlier — and is now ready to kill again..."
24."Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. It’s a thriller about a recovering addict who becomes a live-in nanny for the summer and finds out some mysterious forces are occurring with the boy she’s nannying for."
Blurb: "Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.
Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late."
25."The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. It was one of the first books I read this year, and it totally got me out of a reading slump. The book follows three characters: Nella, the owner of a mysterious apothecary in 1800s London dedicated to providing poisons to help women get rid of the abusive men in their lives; Eliza, the spunky 12-year-old servant of a local noblewoman who begs Nella to take her on as her apprentice; and Caroline, an American visiting London in the modern-day as she grapples with the revelation of her husband’s infidelity. As Caroline tries to distract herself from her troubles, she discovers London’s long-unsolved 'apothecary murders' and decides a research project is just what she needs."
"As Caroline discovers more about the case, Nella and Eliza try desperately to conceal the true nature of the apothecary. The twist(s) at the end honestly had me gasping out loud! I literally couldn’t put it down and finished it in two or three days."
—Anonymous
Blurb: "Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.
Meanwhile, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone in present-day London, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters, and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance, and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time."
26."When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal. It's a story of two sisters told in flashbacks whereas adult women, they have to deal with the painful memories of their past. Kit is a doctor in California who loves to surf in her spare time. Josie is her older sister who was thought dead until after a fire at a club in Auckland revealed a woman who looked exactly like Josie. Kit goes to New Zealand to find out if it is really her sister. Both sisters are haunted by the tragedy that broke their family and what happened to the boy who became their adopted brother!"
Blurb: "Her sister has been dead for fifteen years when she sees her on the TV news…
Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions ― grief, loss, and anger ― that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who’s been living a lie."
27."Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. It’s an LGBTQ+ fantasy novel about a not-so-nice man and his journey after he dies. The characters are diverse and extremely lovable, the plot is interesting, and I really didn’t want the book to end. It was a delightful read!"
—Anonymous
Blurb: "When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.
But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days. Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home."
28."Master of One by Dani Bennett and Jaida Jones. What I absolutely loved about this book was that everything that happened in the plot was driven by who the characters are. In other books, it's clear that a character acted weirdly just to get people where they need to be for the plot, but with this book, every decision is completely led by the protagonists rather than convenience. I haven't heard my people talk about Master of One, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, props to the audiobook narrator who made it such a good read."
Blurb: "Rags the thief has never met a pocket he couldn’t pick, but when he’s captured by a sorcerer with world-ending plans, he realizes even he is in over his head. Forced to use his finely honed skills to nab pieces of an ancient fae relic, Rags is stunned to discover that those “relics” just happen to be people:
A distractingly handsome Fae prince,
A too-honorable Queensguard deserter,
A scrappy daughter of a disgraced noble family,
A deceptively sweet-natured prince,
A bona fide member of the Resistance,
And him. Rags.
They may all be captives in the sorcerer’s terrible scheme, but that won’t stop them from fighting back. And, sure, six unexpected allies against one wicked enemy doesn’t make for generous odds, but lucky for him, Rag’s not generous — he’s smart. And he has a plan that just might get them out of this alive.
With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy, a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for each other."
29."The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. It touches on how trauma is stored in our body until we heal it. This book taught me so much about myself and the human healing process."
—Anonymous
Blurb: "Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Such experiences inevitably leave traces on minds, emotions, and even on biology. Sadly, trauma sufferers frequently pass on their stress to their partners and children."
30."Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica! It’s about a man living in a world where animals are considered 'unclean' and not fit for consumption, so we turn to the only meat source left, humans. I read it in two days! When I read the last sentence, I swear I could not function. It has stayed with me since then. I highly recommend a read if you are okay with talk of cannibalism, animal cruelty, and other not fun topics."
Blurb: "His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat — 'special meat' — is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, and processing.
Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost — and what might still be saved."
31."This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub! I loved it, can’t stop thinking about it. I scared my husband into thinking something was seriously wrong when I emerged from my reading hole in full hysterical tears. I will read and re-read this book many, many times."
Blurb: "On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn’t exactly the one she expected. She’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush, it’s her dad: the vital, charming, 40-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?"
32."A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson! I bought it because it was long-listed for last year’s Booker Prize, but kept putting off reading it because the story didn’t excite me. I ended up reading it a few months ago, and it was amazing! On the surface, the story is quite run-of-the-mill (i.e. missing girl, etc.) but it’s so beautifully written. Every character, even down to small ‘bit part’ side characters are so well fleshed out. The plot is told from the points of view of three people who all live in a small town in the 1970s and the author cleverly staggers the three interlinked stories so that you don’t see different characters recalling the same events one after another."
"Instead of offsetting the stories, you don’t find out exactly what’s going on at a particular time until a few chapters later. This way the author is able to create tension where there really is none. I’ve read other books this year I’ve enjoyed as much as this one, but this one came as such a surprise."
Blurb: "A Town Called Solace, the brilliant and emotionally radiant new novel from Mary Lawson, her first in nearly a decade, opens on a family in crisis. Sixteen-year-old Rose is missing. Angry and rebellious, she had a row with her mother, stormed out of the house, and simply disappeared.
Left behind is seven-year-old Clara, Rose’s adoring little sister. Isolated by her parents’ efforts to protect her from the truth, Clara is bewildered and distraught. Her sole comfort is Moses, the cat next door, whom she is looking after for his elderly owner, Mrs. Orchard, who went into hospital weeks ago and has still not returned."
33."Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. One of the narrators is an octopus! Sounds strange but it’s a great story and a great read!"
Blurb: "After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors — until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible."
34."The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I had no idea what it was about, but I kept seeing it everywhere and finally gave into the hype, and that hype was so deserved. The setting of Old Hollywood is incredibly described, the way it all interconnects with the past and present, and the unfolding of each story behind the seven husbands kept me guessing for so long. You really realize the whole thing is not what it seems as the chapters go on. Also, I loved the bi-sexual representation and that it was taken seriously, unlike so many other representations in books/media that make bisexuality out to be a phase."
Blurb: "Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career."