Every year I make a running list of books I really enjoyed throughout the year that I would recommend to my friends and readers. These aren’t necessarily books within the genres I write, just ones I enjoy. I have tried to give you some info about why I enjoyed them, so use your best judgement and make sure to check for CWs online if you have things that bother you. You can read part 1 here. The links below are affiliate links, so I get a small kickback if you buy something.
- Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher- a fresh take on Snow White involving a mirror world. The main character is a poison specialist who is called in to figure out why the king’s daughter, Snow, has taken ill since her mother and sister were killed. The main character is a hyper-competent woman who feels neurodivergent. There’s also a body guard who loves her and a rather interesting background world.
- A Long and Speaking Silence by Nghi Vo- this is the sixth book in the Singing Hills Cycle, but it can be read as a standalone. This volume follows Cleric Chih in their early years as they deal with being stuck in a town working at a restaurant. Immigrants are flowing into the town due to a natural disaster and tensions are high. I loved this volume. It dealt with immigration, leaving behind parts of yourself while retaining others, how memories and culture are shared, and what’s lost along the way.
- Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland- a bitter man who has been fighting all the good things in his life finally has to face the fact that he can have good things when his [one-sided] frienemy with benefits tells him that he is one of the harvest goddess’s chosen people. With both of them being under the goddess’s wing, he has to face the fact he has been getting in his own way for years. I loved watching the MC realize that no one is holding him back but him and seeing him grow as a person. This book feels very hobbit or forest elf coded, so if you’re into coziness in a warm fires, plants, and getting your ass kicked into gear kind of way, this one’s for you.
- Starling House by Alix E. Harrow- a modern fairytale about an orphaned young woman taking care of her little brother who dreams of a creepy house in town only to find herself drawn to the house and its stern owner, Arthur. It’s a tale of monsters, memory, legacy, and nightmares. Can people and places shed their histories in order to move on and grow? I love Opal and Arthur and how awful they can both be and how haunted they are by their families’ legacies. The texture of the town is rich and horrifying in how recognizable it is. Alix E. Harrow is steadily becoming a favorite for me.
- Bone Map by Sara Eliza Johnson- Recently, I decided to get back into poetry since I haven’t read much since grad school, and I really liked this one. Not going to lie, I picked it up because the cover is very on brand for me, and the poetry is as well. Johnson speaks to my romantic-goremonger heart. She slides between the grotesque imagery and love and grief with ease. It’s complex without being too hard for someone who doesn’t venture into poetry that often.
- Quackery by Lydia Kang and Nate Pederson- Is this the best nonfiction book on quack medicine? No, but it is a good primer for the ridiculous lengths that people have gone through to stay alive or make a quick buck. The tone is a bit irreverent, which isn’t always my favorite, but it’s clear and easy to see the connections to a lot of our modern quackery that people like RFK Jr and anti-vaxxers push. Definitely worth taking a look if you want to get an introduction to this sort of bullshittery.
- Autistic Menopause by Julie Gamble-Turner and Rachel Moseley- As someone who is autistic and in their mid 30s, this felt very timely and a good way to prepare for the future. It was recommended by a friend, and if you are autistic or ADHD, I highly recommend checking this out because the changes involved in menopause can affect neurodivergent people differently than it affects neurotypical people. There is already so little info on perimenopause that is actually clear, and there’s like none for ND people, so while there were times I wish there was more info about certain things, this is a really good starting point for AFAB or intersex people with uteruses/ovaries. I also appreciated that this book was gender inclusive and not just women-focused.
- Revenge of the Sunshine by Jackie Lau- I was so excited to get an ARC for Jackie Lau’s latest book. If you love very whimsical sunshine characters and grumpy characters who are more stoic, this one is for you. In this novel, the sunshine character is cheated on and asks her ex’s brother to be her fake boyfriend. After he asks her to move in due to his brother’s tomfoolery, they become closer as she cracks through his shell. Jackie’s books are some of the only cis-het MF romances I read because her books are never aggressively heterosexual, and this one is no exception. What I loved about this is the reason as to why the male main character is “grumpy” since it’s deeper than just personality (cw for grief) on top of what feels like maybe autism/neurodivergence. That isn’t confirmed in the text, but he feels ND. This is a lovely seasonal romance (autumn/winter), and I have to admit that I love seeing a sunshine character doing something devious.
- Radio Silence by Chace Verity- I was lucky enough to read this as an ARC, and I absolutely loved it. It’s set right after WWII as an ex-radio star returns to Hollywood after disappearing suddenly five years earlier. As he picks up the pieces of his old life to rebuild, he has to grapple with if he is brave enough to face the man he loves and the people he left behind. This book is a fascinating look at old Hollywood radio and how the Hayes Code looms over their lives. There’s also a great balance of darkness in the background while so many of the characters are bubbles of sunshine. For anyone worried, it ends well. You can join Chace’s newsletter to find out first when it’s up for preorder or sale.
- The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling- This book feels like a Bosch painting. It’s Medieval-flavored magic as a castle fortress under attack is about to run out of food when it’s visited by supernatural creatures that claim to be manifestations of their beloved saints and they’ve come bearing food. The castle’s mad scientist (and ex nun) is suspicious of the saints while the lady knight immediately swears fealty to her saints. The story is sumptuous horror with a ton of cannibalism, bees, and Catholic but not Catholic horror. I loved this, and I especially loved how it deals with the horrors of war, power, and obedience.
Kara Jorgensen 