This was my fourth Akwaeke Emezi book, and so far my favorite! A lush, interesting romance that tackles grief, recovery, processing trauma through art, and falling for someone in a complicated family dynamic all against the background of gorgeous tropical island. The main character, Feyi, is very tentatively stepping into dating again after loosing her husband five years prior in a car crash. It's taken a long time before she's even felt alive again herself, let alone willing to open her heart to someone new. The writing is so sensual, full of food descriptions to make your mouth water, landscapes and vistas to make you yearn to travel, and witty banter that will make you want to call your best friend to dish about your ex or your new crush. Highly recommend! 

A girl wakes up on a lab table, stitched together from pieces of a previous girl, Maura, who died in a lab accident. Maura's sister is an experimental scientist and when she wakes up a spirit, she's convinced she's gotten her sister back. But the new girl, M, has no memories from a previous life. She looks like Maura- and when she looks in the mirror she can see Maura's ghost- but she feel compelled to pretend to be someone she isn't. This is an interesting take on resurrection, the afterlife, and identity. It's beautifully drawn in black ink with teal shading, and includes a minor nonbinary character. The book flirts with some real danger and existential fear around our lead, but ultimately takes a gentler route towards a happy ending. 

I am a big fan of Susanna Clark. I've read Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrel two or three times, and will probably read it again someday. I love The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories but I've been waiting to read this one until the time was right. When I saw a half off paperback at my favorite indie bookstore right before the holidays, I knew that was my moment! I associate Clark's work deeply with winter, and love reading her stories by a warm glow around the shortest and darkest days of the year. This one opens in a House of apparently endless size, filled with statues, great vaults, marble floors, and many staircases. The lowest level is full of the sea, with fish, sea creatures, seaweed and seabirds. The upper floors recede into cloud and mist, which rain at regular intervals. In this cold but beautiful world lives a man called Piranesi by the only other living inhabitant. Piranesi journals diligently about his days, his discoveries, his catalogue of the tides and statues. The Other Man arrives at irregular intervals and gives him tasks and the occasional gift. Piranesi is very happy in his world, but soon it is threatened by outside forces: another person, with possibly malicious intent, begins to invade. The peace of the House is broken. What does this say about the bones of 13 dead which Piranesi has found, and the occasional fast food wrappers that regularly blow in one of the vestibules? Some might savor this book, but I instead devoured it in three days and wished for more. 

What a wonderful book to end the year with! This one came highly recommended by many friends and did not disappoint. Epic in scale, with fantasy rooted in Chinese history, this story is set in an alternate mid-1300s with Mongols attempting to control all of mainland China, but resisted by a rebel force. The book opens with Zhu, the only daughter of a peasant family struggling to survive during a famine. A fortune teller predicted a great destiny for Zhu's one brother, and nothing for her. But when her brother dies, Zhu decides she will inhabit his destiny instead. She disguises herself as a boy to seek shelter and education in a monastery, a story trope I have always enjoyed, but especially here because this book takes the narrative in a explicitly trans/genderqueer direction by the end. Elsewhere in the story, a eunuch general in the Mongol army hides a bitter desire for revenge from his dearest friend; the rebel leaders battle each other for power, doing nearly as much damage to their cause as they do to their enemies; and a daughter of a rebel commander despairs over the constant bloodshed and death of the seemingly endless war. This is a complicated conflict, in which neither side is morally superior to the other; I was equally compelled by the personalities on each side and also certain that all of them were on a path towards destruction that they could not escape. 

Chris, Jo, Elise, and Alex bonded over being the only queer waiters at a restaurant, but their friendship long outlasted their stint at the job. Ten years on, the crew, now in their mid and late thirties, face a whole slew of new challenges: parenting, vying for promotions, balancing partying and work, being judged by baby gays at the club, and scariest of all, drifting apart. Fans of Bongiovanni's Grease Bats will enjoy the familiar flavors of a messy, horny, queer and trans friend squad but paired with a more nuanced slice-of-life narrative. These characters are trying to stay true to themselves, invest in their communities, get laid, and support each other. But it's not so easy to balance all of those conflicting needs, and they frequently fall short. I was left hoping that the characters could forgive each other's deeply human failings. I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of the book- it's available for pre-order now, or check it out when it's released in March 2023! 

This was my second book this year by Helen MacDonald. Shorter and more traditionally nonfiction that H is for Hawk, this book is a collection of facts and anecdotes about the relationship of falcons and humans across many centuries and cultures. Human have long anthropomorphized falcons, attributing to them traits such as nobility, cunning, and martial prowess. Humans have been training and hunting with falcons for at least 3,000 years; lately, we have driven many species to near extinction, and created involved and wide ranging programs to try and rehabilitate the dwindling populations. I listened to this entire four hour audiobook during one long car ride and was well entertained the whole time. 

This fourth book in the Truly Devious YA murder mystery series introduces a new cold case for anxious teen detective Stevie Bell to bang her head against. This one, a quadruple murder from 1978 which took place in the woods outside a summer camp, was mishandled from the beginning. Dubbed 'The Box in the Woods' murders, the police at the time initially thought it was a drug deal gone wrong, then thought it might be the work of a contemporary serial killer. Stevie is hired by the new owner of the summer camp, who wants to make a podcast about the crime. Stevie doesn't care about the podcast, but she does love getting to bring her friends with her to a camp and getting her hands on a difficult case. This book continues to develop Stevie's friendships and romantic relationship in satisfying ways. I remain very delighted by and impressed with this series, and I'm excited there's a fifth book coming out before the end of the year!

This is a conversational, light, easy to read nonfiction that traces the way comedy and humor have spread their roots into almost every aspect of American life. Advertisements are now expected to be funny, as are politicians, the news, the modern art world and some types of avant-garde fashion and food. Also, social media, particularly twitter, which (even in its crumbling perhaps final days) is a near constant stream of jokes and jibes at every current happening, large or small, including very horrific tragedies that probably shouldn't be made light of. And things that were already funny, like sitcoms, have nearly doubled their joke density in the past 50 years. The author explores the historical development of comedy in these different fields, and also wonders what it is doing to our brains to be fed such a constant stream of jokes. I missed a lot of the references by virtue of having seen almost none of the TV shows or comedy specials the author was referring to, yet still found this a quick and lively read.

This third book is the series is more whimsical and light than the first two, which I suppose makes sense as it takes place primarily in a nonsense world. It introduces a few new characters, as well as bringing back Christopher and Kane from book 1. A group of these teens sets out together on a quest, but not all of them return to Earth at the end of it. I'm definitely planning to continue with the audio books of this series. 

This magical, brightly-colored tale follows Batcat, a creature of comfort, who is driven out of their cozy home by an annoyingly friendly ghost. On their quest, Batcat is forced to face some of their deepest fears (the dark, being eaten) and some of their biggest questions: are they more a bat, or more a cat? Readers of all ages who have wondered about their own place in a world keen on dividing things into categories will relate to this quandary, and delight in the playful ways that Batcat defines themself outside of the binary. I got to read an advanced copy of this adorable book because it was written by a dear friend. Yes, I am biased, but I loved this story and highly recommend people check it out when it is released in March of 2023, or preorder it now!