Category: Special Interest

Anticipated Reads for Spring 2022

Leave a comment

I’m a little bit late posting this – my Anticipated Reads for Winter 2022 covered new releases from January to March, so my goal for this post is to cover new releases from April to June. So some of these are already out, but there’s so many great new releases coming out this season that it’s a little overwhelming! Here’s some of the books I can’t wait to pick up – what’s on your list?

Fiction

People Person

Author: Candace Carty-Williams

Pub. Date: April 28

[Things get complicated when five people who don’t have anything in common are forced to reconnect with the absent father they never really knew]

Yerba Buena

Author: Nina LaCour

Pub. Date: May 31

“The debut adult novel by the bestselling and award-winning YA author Nina LaCour, following two women on a star-crossed journey toward each other”

Nightcrawling

Author: Leila Mottley

Pub. Date: June 7

“A dazzling novel about a young black woman who walks the streets of Oakland and stumbles headlong into the failure of its justice system–the debut of a blazingly original voice that “bursts at the seams of every page and swallows you whole”.”

Counterfeit

Author: Kirsten Chen

Pub. Date: June 7

“For fans of Hustlers and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise–an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship.”

Historical Fiction

Memphis

Author: Tara M. Stringfellow

Pub. Date: April 5

“A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter’s discovery that she has the power to change her family’s legacy.”

Four Treasures of the Sky

Author: Jenny Tinghui Zhang

Pub. Date: April 5

“At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.”

Take My Hand

Author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Pub. Date: April 12

“Inspired by true events that rocked the nation, a profoundly moving novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench.”

Last Summer on State Street

Author: Toya Wolfe

Pub. Date: June 7

“For fans of Jacqueline Woodson and Brit Bennett, a striking coming-of-age debut about friendship, community, and resilience, set in the housing projects of Chicago during one life-changing summer.”

Mystery/Thriller

Portrait of a Thief

Author: Grace D. Li

Pub. Date: April 5

“Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief, a lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums; about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity.”

In the Dark We Forget

Author: Sandra SG Wong

Pub. Date: June 21

“With jolting revelations and taut ambiguity, In the Dark We Forget vividly examines the complexities of family—and the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive.”

Romance

Book Lovers

Author: Emily Henry

Pub. Date: May 3

“One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again, what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.”

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

Author: Akwaeke Emezi

Pub. Date: May 24

“New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Akwaeke Emezi (they/them) reimagines the love story in this fresh and seductive novel about a young woman seeking joy while healing from loss.”

Other Genres

Time is a Mother

Author: Ocean Vuong

Pub. Date: April 5

“In this deeply intimate second poetry collection, Ocean Vuong searches for life among the aftershocks of his mother’s death, embodying the paradox of sitting within grief while being determined to survive beyond it.”

An Arrow to the Moon

Author: Emily X.R. Pan

Pub. Date: April 12

“Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology in this magical novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After.”

Finding Me

Author: Viola Davis

Pub. Date: April 26

“Finding Me is a deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you.”

A Year to the Day

Author: Robin Benway

Pub. Date: June 21

“National Book Award–winning author Robin Benway returns with an ambitious I’ll Give You the Sun meets Every Day story of love, loss, and sisterhood told in a reverse chronological narrative that will claim a permanent home in your heart.”

Every Book I Read in 2021

Leave a comment

As usual, I’m very late posting this, but I was also very far behind on my reviews from 2021. I’ve now posted all the reviews I’m planning on writing about the books I read in 2021 (I wish I’d reviewed them all, but sadly I missed a bunch that I read in the summer and couldn’t remember them well enough to review). Posting the full list here since I’ll be removing it from the dropdown menu. However, you can of course still search all these books by title, author, rating, and genre under Book Reviews!

  1. Mansfield Park – Jane Austen
  2. The Wild Heavens – Sarah Louise Butler
  3. Emma – Jane Austen
  4. The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
  5. Nice Try, Jane Sinner – Lianne Oelke
  6. A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1) – Deanna Raybourn
  7. A Perilous Undertaking (Veronica Speedwell #2) – Deanne Raybourn
  8. The Woman They Could Not Silence – Kate Moore
  9. Two Trees Make a Forest – Jessica J. Lee
  10. His & Hers – Alice Feeney
  11. A Court of Mist & Fury (ACOTAR #2) – Sarah J. Maas
  12. A Court of Wings & Ruin (ACOTAR #3) – Sarah J. Maas
  13. The Mermaid from Jeju – Sumi Hahn
  14. The Four Winds – Kristin Hannah
  15. A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell #3) – Deanna Raybourn
  16. Butter Honey Pig Bread – Francesca Ekwuyasi
  17. Elatsoe – Darcie Little Badger
  18. A Dangerous Collaboration (Veronica Speedwell #4) – Deanna Raybourn
  19. The Kindest Lie – Nancy Johnson
  20. If I Tell You the Truth – Jasmin Kaur
  21. SLAM – Nikita Gill
  22. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
  23. Honey Girl – Morgan Rogers
  24. Infinite Country – Patricia Engel
  25. The Lost Vintage – Ann Mah
  26. Finlay Donovan is Killing It – Elle Casimano
  27. Firekeeper’s Daughter – Angeline Boulley
  28. With You All the Way – Cynthia Hand
  29. A Murderous Relation (Veronica Speedwell #5) – Deanna Raybourn
  30. Lovely War – Julie Berry
  31. Brooklyn – Colm Toibin
  32. On the Jellicoe Road – Melina Marchetta
  33. What’s Mine and Yours – Naima Coster
  34. Swimming Back to Trout River – Linda Rui Feng
  35. The Lost Apothecary – Sarah Penner
  36. Detransition, Baby – Torrey Peters
  37. Of Women and Salt – Gabriela Garcia
  38. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – Lisa See
  39. Luster – Raven Leilani
  40. Park Bagger – Marlis Butcher
  41. Five Little Indians – Michelle Good
  42. The Push – Ashley Audrain
  43. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev – Dawnie Walton
  44. Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid
  45. Bad Blood – John Carreyou
  46. The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune
  47. Keep Her Safe – K.A. Tucker
  48. Consent – Annabel Lyon
  49. Crying in H Mart – Michelle Zauner
  50. Damnation Spring – Ash Davidson
  51. We Are the Brennans – Tracey Lange
  52. The Ones We’re Meant to Find – Joan He
  53. What Comes After – Joanna Tompkins
  54. The Strangers – Katherena Vermette
  55. Please Don’t Sit on my Bed in your Outside Clothes – Phoebe Robinson
  56. Fight Night – Miriam Toews
  57. Apples Never Fall – Liane Moriarty
  58. Once There Were Wolves – Charlotte McConaghy
  59. Where Hope Comes From – Nikita Gill
  60. Em – Kim Thuy
  61. We Are Okay – Nina LaCour
  62. In My Own Moccasins – Helen Knott
  63. An Embarrassment of Critch’s – Mark Critch
  64. You Better Be Lightning – Andrea Gibson
  65. She Who Became the Sun – Shelley Parker-Chan
  66. This is How you Lose the Time War – Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
  67. Talking to Canadians – Rick Mercer
  68. Black Girls Must Die Exhausted – Jayne Allen
  69. All the Young Dudes Vol. 1 – MsKingBean89
  70. The House on Mango Street – Sandra Cisneros
  71. All the Young Dudes Vol. 2 – MsKingBean89

Anticipated Reads for Winter 2022

1 Comment

Wow, there are a lot of great books coming out this year! I don’t know if it’s just that I’m in a good reading place right now, but I feel like there’s a lot more new releases coming out than normal! I’d love to make a list for all of 2022, but it’s too hard to narrow it down and I’m sure there will be so many more great books in the latter part of the year as well, so here’s a few of my anticipated reads for January, February, and March!

Fiction

Olga Dies Dreaming

Author: Xochitl Gonzalez

Pub. Date: January 4

“A blazing talent debuts with the tale of a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her social ambitions, absent mother, and Puerto Rican roots, all in the wake of Hurricane Maria.”

Fiona and Jane

Author: Jean Chen Ho

Pub. Date: January 4

“A witty, warm, and irreverent book that traces the lives of two young Taiwanese American women as they navigate friendship, sexuality, identity, and heartbreak over two decades.”

Brown Girls

Author: Daphne Palasi Andreades

Pub. Date: January 4

“A blazingly original debut novel about a group of friends and their immigrant families from Queens, New York–a tenderly observed, fiercely poetic love letter to a modern generation of brown girls.”

Wahala

Author: Nikki May

Pub. Date: January 11

“An incisive and exhilarating debut novel of female friendship following three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group—the most unforgettable girls since Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda.”

Black Girls Must Be Magic

Author: Jayne Allen

Pub. Date: February 1

“In this highly anticipated second installment in the Black Girls Must Die Exhausted series, Tabitha Walker copes with more of life’s challenges and a happy surprise–a baby–with a little help and lots of love from friends old and new.”

Black Cake

Author: Charmaine Wilkerson

Pub. Date: February 1

“In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s death and her hidden past–a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.”

Mystery/Thriller

The Maid

Author: Nita Prose

Pub. Date: January 4

“A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.”

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

Author: Elle Cosimano

Pub. Date: February 1

“Finlay Donovan is—once again—struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on. With her next book’s deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn’t a noose at the end of it…”

Girl In Ice

Author: Erica Ferencik

Pub. Date: March 1

“From the author of The River at Night and Into the Jungle comes a harrowing new thriller set in the unforgiving landscape of the Arctic Circle, as a brilliant linguist struggling to understand the apparent suicide of her twin brother ventures hundreds of miles north to try to communicate with a young girl who has thawed from the ice alive.”

Historical Fiction

To Paradise

Author: Hanya Yangihara

Pub. Date: January 11

“From the author of the classic A Little Life, a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.”

An Impossible Impostor

Author: Deanna Raybourn

Pub. Date: February 15

“While investigating a man claiming to be the long-lost heir to a noble family, Veronica Speedwell gets the surprise of her life in this new adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.”

The Diamond Eye

Author: Kate Quinn

Pub. Date: March 29

“The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.”

Romance

Yinka, Where Is Your Husband?

Author: Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Pub. Date: January 18

“Meet Yinka: a thirty-something, Oxford-educated, British Nigerian woman with a well-paid job, good friends, and a mother whose constant refrain is ‘Yinka, where is your huzband?'”

Running Wild

Author: K.A. Tucker

Pub. Date: January 25

“From the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.”

Science Fiction

The School for Good Mothers

Author: Jessamine Chan

Pub. Date: January 4

“In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgement lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance.”

Non-Fiction

An Abolitionist’s Handbook

Author: Patrisse Cullors

Pub. Date: January 25

“In An Abolitionist’s Handbook, Cullors charts a framework for how everyday activists can effectively fight for an abolitionist present and future. Filled with relatable pedagogy on the history of abolition, a reimagining of what reparations look like for Black lives and real-life anecdotes from Cullors.”

Top 7 Reads in 2021

3 Comments

Every year I try to identify my top 15 reads of the year. Usually I dedicate the top 10 to my best books from 2021 and the other 5 are books published in other years, but I read a few more this year that I loved that weren’t new releases. So this year I have my Top 7 reads in 2021, ordered in terms of how much I loved them:

7. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I love Lisa See’s writing and I’ve slowly been trying to make my way through her backlist books. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan seems to be the most popular of all her novels, so I decided to add it to my TBR for this year. Like her other books, I ended up loving it. It’s a hard read about the Chinese culture of foot binding, but it’s about so much more than that. More accurately, it’s about women’s culture and the friendship and comradery that develops between two girls that come from different socio-economic backgrounds, but grow up together and develop a strong bond.

6. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

We Are Okay is from another repeat author, Nina LaCour. This is only my second book by her (although arguably her most popular) and I really liked it. It’s a young adult/new adult book about a young girl named Marin starting University after the loss of her grandfather. It’s a simple book about guilt, grief, and friendship. It has a small setting, which the author uses to explore the impacts of grief while we learn more of Marin’s backstory. LaCour is a wonderful writer and I really appreciated the hard honesty in her storytelling.

5. Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

Brooklyn is a rare book that I read after seeing the movie. I loved the movie and didn’t expect that I would like the book quite as much, but fortunately, I did! It differs a little bit from the movie, but mostly I just think this is a timeless tale of what it means to leave home. The tenderness you feel for it, the pain of saying goodbye to your loved ones, and the conflict you feel when you develop those same feelings of love for a new place and new people. I loved both the book and the movie and you can’t go wrong with either one!

4. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

A Curious Beginning is the first book in the Veronica Speedwell series, a historical mystery set in London in the late 1800’s that captured my heart this year. It’s been on my TBR for a long time and I flew through the first 5 books in 2021. Veronica Speedwell is such a fun character and I love how the author blends so many different genres in this laugh-out-loud series. I debated stopping after book 5, but I think I’m going to continue on and read the next 2 books in 2022.

3. In My Own Moccasins by Helen Knott

This is another book that was on my TBR for a while that I read in 2021 with my book club. It’s a memoir about healing from addiction and trauma that is incredibly impactful. Helen Knott has experienced years of multi-generational trauma, racism, and sexual violence that leaves her addicted to alcohol and drugs, before finally finding the help she needs to heal her spirit. This is a book that matters because Knott is incredibly honest in her storytelling and highlights that she shares her story predominantly for other indigenous women.

2. Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

I haven’t seen a lot of press about this book, but it is so deserving. Elatsoe is a debut novel from Lipan Apache writer Darcie Little Badger. It’s an excellent blend of genres: mystery, fantasy, and young adult, that feels like the most wonderfully wholesome read. It reads a bit more like middle grade to me, but it features teen Elatsoe, who is investigating the suspicious death of her cousin. It blends traditional Lipan Apache myth with fantastical elements and makes for such a fun book!

1. The Wild Heavens by Sarah Louise Butler

The Wild Heavens was one of my first reads of 2021 and it has stuck with me ever since. It’s a character driven story set in remote British Columbia and has the most atmospheric mood throughout the book. It evokes similar feelings to my top pick from my other 2021 list, Once There Were Wolves, as well as other favourites like The Great Alone, so I’m not surprised I loved it. I love remote settings, character driven stories, and local authors, so this was a slam dunk. Intriguingly, Bigfoot is featured in this book, but it’s primarily a book about growing up and growing old – those that we’ve loved and lost and how they influence our lives.

Top 8 Books from 2021

2 Comments

This is usually one of my favourite posts of the year, but I haven’t done it since 2018, so I’m thrilled to return again this year! Almost the entire year of 2020 was a book slump for me and while I didn’t do much reading through summer of 2021, overall this was a much better year and I’m a lot more excited about the books I read.

As usual, I’ll be doing 2 posts that collectively feature my top 15 reads of the year. This post is dedicated to my favourite books of the year that were actually published in 2021 (because I read a lot of new releases) and the second post will feature my Top 7 Reads of 2021 that were published in other years. So without further ago, let’s get into it – these are intentionally ordered in terms of how much I loved them.

8. What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

What’s Mine and Yours snuck on to my list this year. It was an impulse purchase on Audible that I ended up really enjoying. It has low ratings on goodreads, but I felt it was such a meaningful story that touched on huge number of social issues: race, class, status, family, grief, and of course, love. It features a large cast of characters and I liked how the author examines nature versus nurture and how blinding privilege can be to another’s experience.  

7. Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill

Where Hope Comes From is a short poetry anthology by Nikita Gill that I cannot stop thinking about since I read it. I find her poetry a bit hit or miss, but picked it up when I saw it was about the pandemic. I wasn’t really looking forward to the pandemic starting to show up in books, but I couldn’t deny that it was exactly what I needed. Reflection is an important part of processing things that happen to you and it was cathartic to read about someone else’s experience with the pandemic and to feel solidarity and acknowledgement of some of the crap we’ve all been through in the last year.

6. If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur

I’m sensing a bit of a theme, but If I Tell You The Truth was another impulse buy from my local bookstore. Jasmin Kaur is a local author (to me) and this story is written in prose and set in the BC Lower Mainland. I ended up loving it. The writing is fantastic and features a young Indian girl who moves to Vancouver for university to find herself pregnant. The author explore a lot of themes, particularly family and gender dynamics in Indian culture and the struggles of immigration. The writing is incredibly honest and heartfelt and I felt so connected to the characters.

5. The Strangers by Katherena Vermette

The Strangers was my second read by Katherena Vermette and was nominated for the Giller Prize this year. This book gutted me within the first chapter and I couldn’t stop reading about the 4 female members of the Stranger family. It’s a multi-generational story that examines the circular nature of trauma and the racism that still exists in Canada’s family and social services. Vermette is an excellent writer and I connected deeply with each of her characters.

4. Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

This is book that I had no right to enjoy as much as I did! It’s a mystery/thriller about a crime writer who is mistaken for a hired killer when overheard talking about her latest book plot with her publicist. When she’s offered a huge sum of money to off a woman’s husband, things quickly get out of control and spiral into a fast paced train wreck of epic proportions. It’s an easy-to-read style that translated so well to audiobook. It’s not a literary masterpiece in any way, but I had a lot of fun with it and couldn’t put it down!

3. Infinite Country by Patricia Engel

Infinite Country was yet another surprise read that I picked up on Audible and ended up loving. It’s a very short book, but succinct.  It’s a beautifully written immigration story split between America and Colombia that captures the heartache of having your family separated and your kids growing up as part of two different cultures. The struggle to make a living in a hostile environment and the dream of one day reuniting your family. We all just long to be together.

2. Please Don’t Sit on my Bed in Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson

If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while you probably know I love Phoebe Robinson. She consistently gets better with every novel she publishes and this audiobook was easily my best of the year. It’s a collection of essays written for a large audience and I love how she seamlessly blends humour with her astute observations on social issues. She is so relatable and an important voice for black women. I still think about essays from her last novel and I loved her reflections on the pandemic, on her decision not to have children, and her thoughts on the white saviour complex.

1. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Without a doubt this was my favourite book of the year. Once There Were Wolves is a haunting story about Inti Flynn and her determination to re-introduce wolves into the Scottish Highlands. The townspeople are vehemently opposed to the wolves out of fear and when one of the villagers go missing, Inti is worried her wolves will take the fall. It’s a wonderful blend of literary fiction and mystery and has the most lonesome atmosphere of grief and sadness that permeates the entire novel. Inti is trying to come to terms with the traumatic events of her shared past with her twin sister and McConaghy uses the loveliest prose to explore themes of loss, abuse, feeling, and sisterhood. Can’t recommend enough!