Favourite Books of the Year so far

hello everyone! 2022 has been quite the year for me with going to campus (finally!), doing an internship, going on vacations again and also me turning 20 later this year in September (omg, already??). Somehow amidst it all I managed to read quite a lot as well, definitely a lot more than I expected I would resulting in me having almost finished my goodreads challenge I set out with of 75 books having read 71 as of now. The reads have been a mix of great ones which blew my mind and left me thinking about them for days, if not weeks, and some truly mediocre or bad ones I just finished for the sake of it. So, here are my favourite so far that I wholeheartedly recommend you check out!

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
This series was recommended to me by a dear friend and I was sure I’d love it since our tastes tend to be similar but I didn’t expect quite how much. This book was fun and action packed with great characters I easily fell in love with and deeply cared for. The plot and the wold were fascinating as well with so many mysteries I couldn’t help but be curious to know more about. The books had me hooked from the start and I easily read the first three books in a week despite them being chunky and me also having college classes to attend.

How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love With The Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
This book is so special to me. It sees me and who I am in many ways and that spoke to me at a time I needed it. Trying to put into words why I love this book makes me feel so vulnerable because in so many ways Moon and I are the same and it just isn’t possible for me to say something about the book without revealing too much of me. All I can say is that this book is beautiful and sweet but also deals with harder topics and I highly recommend it but please do check out the content warnings before reading and if you do pick it up, I hope you too find something in this story and end up loving it!

Babel by R F Kuang
It’s not surprising that I fell in love with the new R F Kuang book given my obsession with The Poppy War. While I do have my own slights with this book, they are very small compared to the larger picture this book creates and the important themes it deals with. Following four unlikely students who form a bond merely because they’re the only ones surrounding the others, this book tackles colonialism, its violence and the rhetoric that helps sustain it. Not only does it expertly handle these themes and gives insight into them, it also tells us an interesting story where we care for the characters and root for them making it more powerful and raising the stakes in doing so. This book is heavy and hard to read at times but it tells so many stories that have been lost or have been quietened and for that, it is remarkable.

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
This phenomenal book spans multiple centuries and features multiple characters whose storylines compliment each other very well and in so any ways parallel each other bringing out its message of loneliness and love perfectly. Further, the prose in this book is just so beautiful and enchanting and however much I may praise it, it’s not enough. Leaving me absolutely heart wrenched and in pain, this exquisite space opera delivers on all fronts. This book stirred up so many emotions and if you’re looking for something intense and consuming to take over you for a while, this book is definitely the one!

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
A feminist retelling of one of the most hated women in Hindu mythology, this book reimagines the Ramayana from Kaikeyi’s perspective starting from her childhood moving through her life slowly showing us how her reasoning and views and giving an alternative and insightful look into Kaikeyi’s life. Beautifully written capturing the fantastical with the Gods and the small but well developed and significant magical system along with detailed descriptions of the traditions and lives people led in this era, Kaikeyi is a wonderful novel which I couldn’t recommend more! As someone who has heard the Ramayana a lot and different versions of it as well, I could see the love and research that went into this book as Patel cleverly chooses which specific regional stories that fit in with the narrative and compliment the story and writes excruciatingly well making Kaikeyi an understandable character you could empathise with.

Books Lovers by Emily Henry
This book just wormed its way not my heart and made me obsessed and I can’t stop thinking about it. Charlie and Nora just keep coming back to me in small everyday things I see and I am just completely and utterly taken by this book. To be fair, when I read it it came out to only be good, nothing too great or special and I gave it 4 stars and was done. But since, it just refuses to leave me alone until I gave it my full attention. There was definitely something in the book making me feel this way although I still can’t tell you exactly what that was. What I can tell you is that it features grief, a great sister relationship, amazing banter and chemistry between the LIs and learning to grow and heal.

Ophelia After All By Raquel Marie
Another book that just inexplicably sees me and makes me feel so full and happy and truly I am glad to have this tory of a girl just questioning and confused out in the world for other queer teens, or even adults, who aren’t sure so they too know they aren’t alone and it’s okay to not choose any labels, for now or forever. I loved seeing Ophelia discover all these new things and also herself and who she wants to be. A story about love, friendships and growing up, this was a great read!

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
An absolutely fantastic sci-fi which had me hooked and am still obsessed with a week after having finished it. Set in space featuring an arranged marriage for political reasons, this book delves into politics, a mystery of sorts regarding the treaty to be renewed and a great romance. I loved the dual POV letting me get to know both MCs very well and just see the mutual pining (which was exquisite) and how they slowly fell for each other. If you’re looking for something which perfectly blends a fantasy and a romance giving both plots enough to grow and compliment each other, I recommend this for you!

So those are my favourite books of the year so far! Have you read these books? What did you think of them? What have been some of your favourite books of the year so far? Let me know in the comments below!

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