Book Recap 2022

Here are some of my favorite books that I've read in 2022. Some of these you've probably seen, but hopefully this might help you find a new book to try! Also, these books are not ranked, just listed.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is one of the few books that I always recommend first to people who want to get into reading. I know that this is my friend’s favorite book so far (hey Becky if you’re reading this) and this falls within my top three favorite books.

The book follows the girl Addie LaRue starting from her current life and her past living in France. She makes a deal with the devil to live forever in exchange (more so cursed) for everybody forgetting her. Addie has traveled to many places and was exposed to centuries of history and art. However, when she goes to a bookstore in New York City, she meets a guy who remembers her. I could tell that Schwab has poured her heart and soul into this book, that many of these characters come from her personal life (e.g. Luc was based on her ex-boyfriend). I absolutely loved the plot and the characters. Addie is incredibly mysterious and reserved with her past life. There is a lot that she hasn’t shared with Henry immediately when they meet, just several bits and pieces like meeting Hemingway or living through years of war. I appreciate the inclusion of Addie’s connection with art, especially with books and paintings. Throughout there are “artifacts” that show Addie’s influence on many creations like sheet music, photography, paintings, etc. Even though she was cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets, she still lives within the art. I absolutely loved Henry and the details about his character. How he has a wall full of mugs and that he said he’d eat "chocolate, the kind so dark it's almost bitter" for the rest of his life if he could. There is a crazy plot twist within the book that gives a lot of explanation to the bargain and this book is 100% right person-wrong time. I would highly recommend this book to people who like historical fiction. (like me :D). Also, be sure to listen to the podcast episode on this book! It was probably one of my favorite episodes to record!

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

This is my favorite memoir that I've read so far. Know My Name, such a clever title and so powerful. She hid her identity for so long and was finally able to relinquish the anonymity. Miller told her story that was thorough and haunting, showing how painfully slow the process was throughout the case and the amount of denial for her story. I liked that she didn’t sugar coat anything, she explained everything that happened and showed the uncomfortable truth. I learned a lot about how broken the legal system is and the corruption of colleges and the length they will go to protect their reputation. It was frustrating watching how these criminals will get away because of privilege and wealth. How emotionless the father was towards Miller, and how the predator’s friend attempted to mask the crime as “idiot boys and girls having too much to drink… and having clouded judgement”. I admire the way Miller was able to articulate her feelings in such a beautiful way. This forever changed the way I view sexual assault and I applaud Chanel Miller’s resilience and bravery to tell her side of the story.

Content Warning! Reader discretion is advised! This book covers many dark topics including, but not limited to: alcohol facilitated crimes and sexual assault.

Circe by Madeline Miller

I was shocked by how much I actually enjoyed this book. I read Song of Achilles a while ago, but I felt like I was never able to appreciate Madeline Miller's writing. Her writing is absolutely whimsical and lyrical yet stayed true to the source material and style of classical writing (I am mainly thinking about the rhythmic phrasing and tone of Homer). I read The Odyssey by Homer so I had some background of Circe's story, but I was somewhat going into this book blind. This book was so drama filled and showed so much of Circe's character development. I do feel like Miller did focus on Circe's relationships like with Daedalus and Odysseus and there was not much explored with the feminist themes as I hoped. I had gone in knowing that Circe was this all powerful enchantress and yet I felt like I couldn't see that side of her as much. I know that Circe struggled with finding herself and felt vulnerable with her family, but I would've much rather have portrayed her as a more head-strong witch. Overall, one of my favorite Greek stories to read and I would highly recommend if you want to get into Greek mythology.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Queue the shocked faces from Doris and Anya when I rated this book 4/5 stars (currently a 5/5 now). I was never really the rom-com type book reader until recently. Mainly until I read Emily Henry. I was always the super philosophical and metaphorical type reader and mainly read books like The Great Gatsby or A Picture of Dorian Gray (which are still amazing books, but I have learned to love really light hearted books as well). I wasn’t able to appreciate well-written and non-cringey romance novels until now. It is difficult to write a book so heart-wrenching and light-hearted which is why I give a lot of respect to Emily Henry.

People We Meet on Vacation follows the characters Poppy and Alex and their summer vacations for the past ten years, until their last trip that caused them to stop talking. Two years later they reunite to go on one more vacation together (Poppy’s attempt to get their friendship rekindled). Poppy and Alex reminded me of Rosie and Alex from Love, Rosie (one of the best rom-coms to ever exist, go watch it). They have very similar personalities to the characters of Love, Rosie and follow the same friends-to-lovers trope (which I love by the way, I don’t care how many people hate it). I also could only view Alex as Sam Claflin and that somewhat made me love Alex more. I loved Alex and Poppy’s interactions and how well they foil together (also, a foil character is a character who depicts the opposite characteristics of another character. Thank you, AP Lit). This was a lot cuter and enjoyable than I imagined and was definitely the biggest surprise for me. Also, I am incredibly jealous that my friend found this book at the library book sale and got it when I was stuck at home with COVID. Go listen to the podcast episode to hear more of our thoughts!

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The number one book on this list that I saved for last. Are we shocked? The Secret History is one of the many books that has stuck with me and allowed me to absolutely appreciate the craft of writing. The initial plot reminded me of Dead Poets Society (also one of my favorite movies of all time), but darker. This is my favorite book of all time and I know that my brother would absolutely disagree with any opinion I have for this book. I loved how this book is an inverted mystery, how the prologue starts with one of the characters dying and then Act I following the characters and events leading up to the death. This definitely challenged my analysis for characters and interactions. The main character, Richard, views this new school that he arrives at romantically and glorifies this place that he’s in. He acts as an unreliable narrator throughout the book, which will make you question all the character’s motives even though Richard is idolizing each one of them. Julian, the Greek Studies Professor, limits his classroom to about 6 students, and the story follows these 6 students. This does play a significant role to the Greek Tragedy that all the students view themselves to be in. They eventually start to spiral into insanity and obsession, and thrive off appearance and superficial relationships. Many of the characters are realistic and undeniably flawed. They have many layers and motives that the reader needs to study and break down.

Henry Winters (another character named Henry, I know) is my favorite character. He sees himself as the tragic Greek hero and allows himself to be stepped over and used to cover up his past actions. He is the anti-hero in my mind, since there is no clear villain (though some will argue Bunny), and in my mind the most complex character. He is incredibly mysterious in the beginning, like his suspicious relationship with Julian and his willingness to spend on lavish trips to Italy with Bunny. His character is nuanced and confusing, which I found the most interesting to analyze the entire book. I recognize that this book is flawed and I wished there were many aspects of it written out. I want to acknowledge that there does seem to show some ignorance in some of the wording, though it is intentional for some of the character’s dialogue, so proceed with caution if you decide to read this.

Content Warning! Reader discretion is advised! This book covers some dark topics including, but not limited to: murder, substance abuse, death, and mentions of sexual assault.