I cracked 50 books for the year!! Here are my Top Ten Favs so far!

 

If you are on Goodreads you've probably participated in their reading challenge. Honestly, it's one of my favorite parts of the website *mostly* because this is a goal that I know I can actually accomplish (unlike the rest of the yearly goals that I set like I will stop drinking soda. Yeah. Right.). This year I've had more time than I normally would to read so cracking 50 books before say June is something that has never happened so I'm pretty stoked. In honor, celebration, or just because I'm bored I've compiled a list of my top ten favorite books/mangas/graphic novels that I've read so far this year. These will not be in any particular order. 

This book was absolutely not what I was expecting at all. And I think that may be part of the reason I enjoyed it, but I think the real reason is that it really allowed the reader to open up a dialogue with themselves regarding a myriad of issues that we all face. It ends on a cliffhanger so I hoping there will be a second one soon!

Have I mentioned I am a huge fan of everything Frankenstein? Well, if I haven't I am. The original was such a well-thought-out social commentary that it still just blows my mind that Shelley wrote it over the course of an evening. And as retellings are one of my absolute favorite things on the planet I knew I had to read this and I was not disappointed. If I had the ability to write this would be the Frankenstein book I wrote. 

Is it possible to write the perfect book? No, I don't think so but I think that RJ Barker has come as close as possible with his Tidechild series. I'm actually putting off reading the last one because I really do not want my time in this beautiful, ugly world to end. 

It was really tough to decide which of Yokomizo's books to pick for this list because honestly, I love them all. I went with this one however because it is one of the most well-known of his books. It is an absolute shame that his books are just being translated to English they are simply some of the best Detective novels I have ever read. 

What I wanted: Yokai wreaking havoc on the U.S. for putting the Japanese in internment camps during WWII. What I got: An intricate story following four people affected by the camps weaving a terrifying tale of how fear and anger can lead to something far worse than any yokai; Hate. A masterfully done look at what led to one of the darkest parts of American history the author uses her family's own personal stories of internment to bring us this story. I received a free eArc of this book from Netgalley, you can pre-order today at major retailers!

Sometimes funny, sometimes heartwarming, but always making you question how you deal with the big things life throws at you. An interesting take on the Reaper story Knox does a wonderful job of weaving heavy ideas like grief and self-reflection into this tale. I cannot wait for the next one! 

So it's not necessarily this book that is my favorite, it is the series itself, I just couldn't pass up the chance to throw this series in my Top 10 list. I just love Sebastian and Hero, honestly, they are my new favorite fictional couple. So this is a shameless plug for them. Plus if you need to read this book they both threaten to kill a guy because he threatened to kill their cat and if there is a better reason to read a book I can't think of it. 

The author states at the end of this book that it is a children's book, Goodreads classifies it as a young adult book. Quite frankly I'm not sure it matters, except that other young adult authors should sit up and take note of the excellent character development that happens in this book. I like young adult books don't get me wrong but many of them lack real, meaningful character development and that drives me bonkers. Ogiwara does not just do an excellent job of this but creating a new version of the Japanese creation story. 

I wasn't going to include this one because it won't be published until April but I really had to. On the outside, this manga looks like it's going to be just a cutesy manga with no real depth to it. On the inside, it has a complex storyline with Alice the main character addressing what she really wants out of life. With the pandemic, I think this is a question that many people asked themselves in a way it almost forced us to address that very question, so I found this to be a timely release that many will be able to relate to. Plus the art is stunning. I received a free copy of this from NetGalley but you can pre-order from any major book retailer!

I own several of Jemisin's books, I just haven't gotten around to reading them so this is my first one. I was not disappointed. Fantasy books in particular allow people to address things that they would rather not while giving them a kind of safety net. At least the good ones. This is one of the good ones. This book opens up a wonderful discussion on how we view death. With several conflicting viewpoints playing out this book will definitely make you reexamine your own beliefs surrounding this subject that is oddly controversial and yet something none of us can escape from.