Jan 3
Bookish Favs of 2022
I write most of my book reviews and book thoughts on my own website, but I was thinking I could share some of my bookish thoughts here on Medium, as well. Though I have been slow to adopt writing regularly on here, I do like it when I occasionally visit.
I have seen many intriguing books on Bookstagram this year. Sometimes they look so beautiful I just want to admire the cover art instead of read the book! But social media dedicated just to books is not something I was aware of prior to taking a Publishing course in early 2022. Perhaps this is odd for someone who graduated with a degree in Literature not that many years ago. When I found out about it, it was like finding out about a secret society only the bookiest book worms knew about.
Of the books I have had the privilege of reading this year, my favourites are Piranesi, Sister Outsider and What My Bones Know.
I wrote about each of these on my blog. However, here’s a shortened version of what I loved about each book.
Piranesi: The fantasy world is incredible. There’s a lot of mythos and layers to the story, as well, with hints throughout it. The characters are beautiful and interesting. Also, as someone who spends so much time thinking and learning about trauma, I think Clarke handles this exceptionally well.
Sister Outsider: This book was written in the late 80s and I am astounded by how contemporary and fitting it still is. Lorde was a pioneer of the third wave feminist movement of the 90s. I found it was both educational and exhilarating to learn of how she approaches her subjects and life. Lorde is convincing throughout the book, which discusses the many angles of what a black lesbian feminist facing inequality looks like and she approaches each chapter with both compassion and fervor.
What My Bones Know: Written by Stephanie Foo, a journalist on This American Life, Stephanie goes through the harrowing ordeal of writing about her childhood abuse and how she was diagnosed with C-PTSD. The memoir is highly informative, but it’s also crushing at points. I did find it was easy to relate to her struggle in finding adequate help and healing from her lifelong depression and mental health issues related to her trauma.
There are tons more books that I enjoyed reading this year, in fact probably all of them with one or two exceptions. What books did you love reading this year?
