My Goodreads goal for the year has been haunting me for the past 11 months, and although the year is not quite over yet, I have been graced with so many fabulous books. I will be honest, there were some that I hated with a passion, and some that I felt were very average. However, I have narrowed down my top four favorites of the year. Here they are in no particular order, because I do not have the heart to rank them.
Starting off with Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa and translated by Eric Ozawa. I gave this short book four stars on Goodreads, and while that may not seem like a lot I am very stingy with that fifth star. Upon finishing the book I was underwhelmed, but after setting it down and staring out a window I realized how much I had loved the book. It’s very cozy and Yagisawa did such an amazing job bringing readers into the world of the main character, Takako. I found myself extremely frustrated with some of the side characters as I read, but after finishing I realized how emotionally connected I had become to them, thus my frustration. The characters were complex and so well written that I simply could not dislike them. The entire story was about finding yourself when your life is falling apart, and opening up your heart to the world around you. It is a perfect and emotional representation of the importance of human connection. I will most definitely be reading the second book, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop.Â
Next up is Where There’s Room For Us by Haley Kiyoko. This is the second book she has written and although I did not read her first novel, this one was so amazing and did get all five stars from me. Although this book is marketed for young adults it still resonated with me and I most definitely cried, both happy and sad tears. The story follows Freya and Ivy as they fall in love and have to navigate the expectations of England’s high society in the 1800s. Watching the main characters as they fell in love was so incredible. Their relationship felt authentic and realistic despite being set in such a different time. I should also note that individually Ivy and Freya had perfectly written character arcs that showcased their own personal growing pains, which made their love seem even stronger. Overall Haley Kiyoko wrote an incredible opposites attract story that I got completely invested in. I was originally going to give this four stars but when I learned that Freya and Ivy’s story is actually the story of her and her fiance falling in love I had to give it a full five. It’s clear in the novel how desperately she wanted to share this story with the world and how much it means to her.
Another five star read from this year was Outdrawn by Deanna Grey. As someone who loves a good enemies to lovers trope, I have come across many that were done horribly. However, Deanna Grey perfectly creates tension between the two main characters, Noah and Sage, without making it feel as if it’s just a trope added into the book for marketing purposes. After years of silently battling for the top comic artist spot the two women are forced to work together on a project that could make or break their careers as artists. Grey’s writing of the animosity between the two main characters is everything I could ask for. It is not so crazy and unbelievable that they would ever fall in love but you just know there’s something more to this rivalry. This is precisely why I could not for the life of me put this down. I was determined to see these characters get past the hate and fall in love. When they finally did, emphasis on finally because the slow burn is crazy, I wanted to cry. Both characters are complex and flawed but so loveable that you can’t help but root for them to get everything they are working for. I can easily say that this book has set the bar for all enemies to lovers stories that I will read in the future.Â
Finally I have to talk about Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. I was required to read this for a class this semester so shoutout to my professor for including such a good read on the syllabus. This was a four star read for me simply because I dissected it for weeks in class and there are many flaws in Capote’s ethics. Aside from that I was obsessed with this book. It’s a true crime story about the murder of the Clutter family in 1970’s rural Kansas. Although Capote’s authorship of this story is very controversial and I do recognize the flaws, his writing was magnificent. He set up the novel in such a way that readers get a comprehensive understanding of the victims, all four of the murdered family members. Because of Capote’s extensive research he also provides a look into the lives of the killers. The story follows them after they commit this horrific crime, and their trial once they are caught. Capote also includes a dissection of their lives and in an insane way attempts to humanize them. The entire time I read this I was flabbergasted at Capote’s writing of the story and his perspective of it. Because of the amount of times my jaw dropped it ended up being one of the best and most memorable reads of my year.