20 Books I've Read This Year and Why You Should Read Them

Every year, I challenge myself to read a certain number of books, this year's goal is 69. I'm so funny. Here are 20 I've read so far....

                                               

1. Mean Time by Carol Ann Duffy

This is a nice collection of poetry which focuses on Duffy's exploration into adulthood and reflections on her adolescence. Perfect for a quick read and I love the simplicity of Duffy's poetry which makes it so easily loveable. My favourite poem of Duffy's is Small Female Skull. 

2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 

A beautiful classic which needs no explanation as to why you should read it but if you need some convincing, it has wonderful descriptions of the American South, interesting reflections on her adolescence and an incredible wit to it. It is also incredibly sad and honest if you enjoy that kind of thing. 

3. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

After Didion's passing, I was determined to read one of her books and this one stuck out to me the most. A truly incredible insight into grief and all that comes with it, it is an absolutely heartbreaking recount of her husband's death and the grief that follows but is so comforting and enjoyable at the same time. My first fave star read of the year and it is so worth it. Highly recommend to anyone living with grief. 

4. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

After reading Never Let Me Go in one sitting in summer, I knew that I needed to delve deeper into Ishiguro's magic realism. This was incredible, a reflection on artificial intelligence and human nature, also one of the easiest plots to follow which doesn't come often with these kind of books. 

5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

First of many re-reads this year, but wow Mary Shelley really was that bitch! So captivating despite the difficult language, I was absorbed the whole way through. This should take no convincing!

6. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Very creepy. One of the only books I read in one sitting and boy did that add to the tension. Incredibly built plot with amazing links throughout, I never read horror stuff but this was amazing. I also am deathly afraid of people thinking I'm insane when I know I'm not so this book definitely increased that fear. 

7. The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

Another reread for my English work. You get it, it's a very good book. Everyone knows this. Nick is definitely gay. 

8. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

You guessed it another reread. This was very welcomed after all the classic literature and it is just an incredible book despite all its cringey Wattpad moments. 

9. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels 

Boring but what did I expect? Obviously very revolutionary at the time so points added for that. I think it's incredible we get to read things that affected so many people's lives, the whole of Russian history was transformed by this. But the actual text was boring so probably give this one a miss if you aren't interested in this kind of thing. 

10. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 

Beautiful! A story about Shakespeare's family, focusing on his wife and son Hamnet. I was completely blown away by this book and all it's little quirks. 100% recommend if you get bored of hearing about just Shakespeare all the time. O'Farrell is a genius and I love her portrayal of Agnes. 

11. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng 

Lovely book but just missed the mark for me. Similar to The Lovely Bones in its plot but a great insight into cultural identity, stress and family dynamics. I don't know why but the characters were quite dull to me but maybe that's due to the shortness of the book. Despite that, a very good read! 

12. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart 

My book of the year so far. I cannot express how much I loved this one, I found myself grabbing for it in any free time I had and was absolutely blown away by the crafting of the characters by Stuart. The ending felt like genuine heartbreak yet was so cathartic. An incredible exploration of addiction, abuse, family relationships and 1980s Scotland. 

13. My Policeman by Bethan Roberts

Missed the mark for me again, it was good and I enjoyed the multi faceted characters but the ending wasn't very good and I feel it was overwhelming good. Despite that, it is a look into 1950s Brighton and the homophobia that is so dangerously precedent at that time and I thought the explorations into this were wonderfully done. 

14. Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier 

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. The last half really sold it for me and I thought that the whole book was wonderfully crafted, so much that you can just picture the luxury of Manderley whilst reading and this book felt like a lovely escape from reality for a while. 

15. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Never read anything about Greek mythology but was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Very nice retelling of Homer's The Iliad and I was invested throughout. Brieseis was the best character ever and I only really liked her to be honest. 

16. Talking to My Daughter: A Brief History of Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis 

For someone who hates the economy, I sure did like this one. A very concise history of the market society which actually makes sense of all the overcompilcation of money, yet it does not feel patronising. Highly recommended for a quick read with lots of fun analogies. 

17. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Yet another reread for college, studying this does suck the joy out of it slightly but also I love doing close readings of this text and spotting hidden gems I did not notice on first reading. Incredible book now and for it's time, go Bronte sisters!

18. Just Kids by Patti Smith 

Heartwrenching look into Smith's relationship with Mapplethorpe and I loved every second of this. I appreciated this so much more on a second read and Smith's prose is unmatched. Must read for Smith fans or people who have never heard of her alike. Incredible!

19. White Teeth by Zadie Smith 

This book took me far too long, I started in the summer and finished it almost a year later. Due to its choppy structure I found it hard to get into, but a beautiful examination of second generation immigration, the battle with conflicting cultures and indentity, and so witty throughout. Irie is the best character ever written she needed more time!!!!

20. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 

Again a reread for college, but I am always happy to read this book. Another heartbreaker, exploring two women and their lives during the tumultuous political time in Afghanistan. Wonderfully handled and incredibly crafted, Hosseini is a genius. 

And those are my reads for 2022 so far, so blessed to be able to read these incredible books and disappear for a while in them. My must reads are Shuggie Bain and Hamnet, I recommend them viciously.