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Reading List 2022

So there was lot that happened in the last year, but one of them was that I finally got a regular access to the library of the University I´m studying at. Though, the majority of the books on this list, still come from my own shelves, and were simply collecting dust for a long time.

I wanted to share with you guys, what took my attention a lot of the time, whenever I sat down to read something, apart from the copious amount of Fanfiction I read on the daily. Something, that is between me and AO3 only.

This list is supposed to be something between a casual review and recommendation. There are a few books on here, that I simply adored, and others that I hated. Either because I didn´t like the style or it was written in a genre I´m not fond of to begin with.

But without further ado: Let´s begin, but be aware of spoilers!!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Let´s start with something I absolutely adored!

Nobody Owens escapes death just barely as a young child, and is instead raised by the folks at the graveyard. Ghost and spirits of the deceased and his legal guardian Silas, who is clearly a vampire though it never gets outright said in the novel. We follow Bod around, as he grows up, makes friends, gets though of as an imaginary friend several times, and even meets the personification of death. With him we explore the stories of the graveyard he grew up on, and the secrets it has.

I loved the character of Nobody „Bod“ Owens and how he interacted with the world! This was the first book I read, that was written by Gaiman and I gotta say I wasn´t disappointed. There was such a heart wrenching moment, when the story came to an end, that really felt like a final goodbye. The story, was inviting to read, and didn´t become boring. I genuinely enjoyed reading it, and was left with a melancholy, that comes with a story, that is about growing up!

The Wicked and the Damned by Warhammer Horror

This is one of the books, where it was gifted to me, and the genre is not something I enjoy.

Three people meet up in a place full of the death, without a clue how they even arrived here, they tell the stories of their lives in hope of finding out what had brought them here. We get told of a soldier, who keeps the army in line, and fulfils his duty with a fervor. A woman, who did everything to rise through the ranks, and now is haunted her own deeds. A pastor, who simply can´t believe in what he does and slowly looses his faith. We get told their stories, and how they ended.

Here we have a gritty and rather bleak horror novel, with hints of it being Sci-Fi, where not one of our protagonists is likeable in my opinion. Their motivations always seemed so horrible to me. I think, in the end, this story, is really about the absolute depravity humanity can reach. The scenario is some far away future, where society is ruled by, what seems to be a dictatorship and religion. We have the stories of 3 different people, and how they deal with the situations they find themselves in. All of them, by the way, don´t deal all that well. Worth it I think if you´re a fan of horror and Sci-Fi, and to be honest kind of bleak stories, but otherwise, it can become exhausting to read.

The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling

It´s a cute little children´s stories, and it is good.

The premise could be described as „Where do the things we loose end up?“ Jack will find out, as he makes the journey to recover his stuffed animal, that he lost. On his journey, he comes to know the stories, how quite a few of the things he met ended up lost, and the horrible threat that looms over, the entire realm, as he slowly learns to love.

The story beats come at the right time, and the story itself is interesting as well. I found it quite fascinating how some things were working with „The Lost and Found“ concerning everything inside the story. I also quite liked the character voices.

Amok by Richard Bachman

The entire concept of the story is interesting.

The setting: A high school in Maine. After a conversation with the director, Charlie Decker shoots first his teacher and then holds his classmates hostage. Let the mind games begin, as he simply talks with them, while keeping the police in check

Getting into the mind of Charlie was something I enjoyed, though I have to admit, when the story comes to an end I can´t quite tell you what happened. Either because I was sleep deprived when reading that last part or because I seem to have terrible reading comprehension or because it isn´t that clear to begin with. In the end, I enjoyed it regardless.

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Another horror novel, that was gifted to me...

Ben Mears returns as a successful novelist back to his childhood home. He plans to write a novel in this deserted town, far away from the big cities. Almost at the same time, a weird stranger shows up as well, who decides to rent a building that has been empty for decades, because the previous owner just up and vanished. Soon enough, it becomes weird. Lights burning without a source, a dog gets found dead, and children go missing.

I´ll be honest, I expected witches, demonic rituals, anything, that might connect the happenings to Salem. My first thought was „Salem Witch Trials“ and I was disappointed when I got vampires instead. They were surprising, yeah, but not a great choice in my opinion. Though, my father disagrees with me on that...

Seibetsu "Mona Lisa" no Kimi he by Tsumuji Yoshimura (Volume 2 – Volume 6)

A beautiful manga, that really became important to me personally, and where I fear a bit the ending.

„What gender was the Mona Lisa? There is a lot of myth surrounding the painting, and some even say, that it combines both“ In a world, where everyone is born without a gender, they will have to choose. Most children have chosen who to become around the time, when they celebrate their 12th birthday. Not Hinase. Already 17, they still haven´t decided. And it seems, that time is slowly running out for them, as they are the oldest living person, who still hasn´t decided.

Hinase struggles, resonate with me on a personal level and I´m really invested in how their story will end, even though the end scares me at the same time as well. The love triangle though, is something I am just tolerating. I mean on their own the characters are really well done, and their struggles are just beautifully presented. I just can´t stand the declaration of the Male Interest, and though the Female Interest says the same thing in the beginning, she quickly changes her tune, and realizes, that she would still love Hinase no matter what they become, all the while the Male Interest still is stuck on getting Hinase to become a woman. The characters are good. The love triangle isn´t. The story resonates with me on a personal level.

The Green Mile by Stephen King

The story definitely hit it´s mark with me.

Paul Edgewoth is a prison guard, and tends to talks about his guest. He is responsible for seeing the death penalty through. Though things take a turn to the scary and supernatural when two girls die and John Coffey gets convicted and is put on the death track.

It was a pleasure to read through these books, and slowly getting more and more of the story. I was deeply saddend by the inevitability that seemed to haunt me, after reading it, and truly dreaded the end. It was compelling to read, and a beautiful commentary on something truly despicable. My little summary can´t reach the brilliance of what is happening. Well done, King.

‎The Wicked Sister by Karen Dionne

A thriller, that was truly enjoyable.

The 26 year old Rachel Cunningham lives for 15 years in an „asylum“ in Michigan. She believes, that she killed her own mother as a little child. That memory, of her standing there with the weapon in her hands in front of the body, won´t leave her be. Though the memory lies, and the deadly truth comes creeping in.

It truly took me a while, till I realized, that the little girl in the flashback was not Rachel but her older sister, and in that moment all the tension relied on Rachel first of all figuring out what truly happened, and then escaping her sister. It was tense, and I enjoyed it a lot while reading it on the train.

Leiden sollst du by Laura Wullf

Another great thriller, that kept my interest till the end

Was it really an accident? The seventeen year old Julia was missing for several months only to be found dead. Marie is deeply disturbed by this cause her cousin, Ben, was friends with the now dead girl. She asks her husband, Daniel an ex-cop who is now paralysed, for help and finds out that Ben has been receiving threats and has been followed now for several weeks. Shortly after the next body appear and Marie joins a game she never wanted to play.

I admit, this one is rather average and not that memorable, still it is enjoyable to read through. I liked the characters well enough, and the game the killer plays was also unique enough to keep me interested.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Another gift, another one, that I really wasn´t fond of.

This is London as you´ve never seen it before. A city of wonders and terrors. A city of ancient secrets, which is haunted by it´s past. A city where you are never far from magic. A city Peter Grant will help you discover: My name is Peter Grant, and I used to be a probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service, and to everyone else as the Filth. My story really started when I tried to take a witness statement from a man who was already dead...

Quite frankly, I was glad, when I finally finished the book. Something about the book just rubbed me the wrong way, and so the end couldn´t have come soon enough...

Die Dunklen by Ralf Isau

Something, that collected dust for a very long time in my shelf...

The pianist Sarah d´Albis has synaesthesia. She can see music. While listening to a piece of Franz List a foreboding message is revealed to her. She starts to follow the trail of a secret brotherhood, who call themselves the dark ones. For ages they have been searching for a terrifying piece of music who promises to grant them complete control over humanity. Together with the Russian Oleg, Sarah will do anything in her power to stop them. The future of the world depends on them.

This book would have been a lot more enjoyable if I cared about music and the terminology used for it. As it is, I don´t. While I did like the characters and the stories itself, Isau became to long-winded for me to properly enjoy his story. The end was too often in reach, only for it to be pulled away again.

Santa Clawed by Rita Mae Brown

Goddamn, I hated it...

As Harry well knows, there’s hardly a place on earth cozier than Crozet, Virginia, at Christmastime. Snowflakes, carolers, it’s all picture-perfect until Harry and her husband, Fair, find the tree they’ve chosen grimly decorated with a corpse. The tree farm is run by the Brothers of Love, a semimonastic organization whose members live atop the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains. Now, as the season grows merrier, a murderer is growing bolder. One by one, prominent men of Crozet are being crossed off Christmas shopping lists and added to the morgue. And if Harry and her four-legged helpers aren’t very good–and very careful–this Christmas will be her last.

The story was mediocre at best, downright bad at worst. I couldn´t stand to read it, and at the same time get away from the religious imaginary, that was just thrown at me the whole time. I was glad to finally shut it, and will open it never again. Moving on!

Whisper by Isabel Abedi

A reread, and a good one at that.

An unnatural silence lays over Whisper, the old mansion, where Noa is supposed to spend her vacation. The old building hides a secret, which no one dares to mention. Fear but also curiosity drive Noa to discover the trails over a long silenced crime. Together with David, a boy from town, she will discover the secrets of these old walls.

I read this story before, but couldn´t quite remember what had happend so I made my journey again, and it was great. I love how done Noa is with her mother, and I completely forgot about the twist at the end, though it does come kind of outta no where. Got to admit that. I also adore, that all our characters seem like people, and not just walking tropes. It´s nice children book.

Der Verehrer by Charlotte Link

This story is my cup of tea, through and through.

When the body of a recently murdered young woman is found in a forest, the police and her family are confronted with a mystery. For the last six years, the woman was considered to have disappeared without a trace. Only another crime leads to new approaches and to a woman who has no idea she could be the next victim.

This story grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go. It was such an enjoyable read through, I don´t quite know how to put it in words. One thing only: You should know around the halfway point what is going on. At least I did. Though I liked, that Link didn´t try to drag the mystery for too long. It became obvious, but it never lost it´s tension.

Funfact: I took the book with me, while going to my first convention, and I really gotta say I had to convince myself to put it down, when I was reading after coming back to the hotel to wind down for the night, because I had an early start the next day. Amazing story!

Black Out by Marc Elsberg

Let it end already!

On a cold February day, all electricity grids in Europe collapse. The total blackout. Italian computer scientist Piero Manzano suspects a hacker attack and tries to warn the authorities – unsuccessfully. When Europol Commissioner Bollard finally listens to him, dubious e-mails appear in Manzano's computer, directing suspicion to himself. He has come under the crosshair of an adversary who is as sophisticated as he is merciless. Meanwhile, all of Europe is in darkness and the battle for survival begins . . .

At this point most of you should have realized that I hate bleak fiction. I just can´t stand it! This was another book, where it felt like a pain, or worse a chore, to read it. I genuinely couldn´t enjoy it at all. I mean the twist at the end was kind of funny, especially because it´s a call back. But the rest, I dreaded it. While the characters were somewhat fun, they also felt like plain caricatures the whole time. I was glad, when the book finally ended.

Todesträume am Montparnasse by Alexandra von Grote

No, just no...

It is not a pretty sight to see Commissioner Maurice LaBréa at the scene of the crime. The deceased is lying on the bed with his hands and feet tied to the bedposts with a thin nylon cord. The mouth is covered with a large patch. On his chest, the killer deposited a cassette with Ravel's Boléro on it. At first, the police suspect an act of revenge – but shortly after, a similar murder occurs, and LaBréa is confronted with a mystery. A race against time begins . . .

The vibe of this story was just off. I genuinely can´t tell you what it was, that made this story so fucking uncomfortable to read, but I really gotta say, I was the worst. Especially, because I could never pin point, what it was now, that was rubbing me the wrong way. Really the vibes were just so off!!

GANGSTA by Kohske (Volume 1)

I love it! I love it so much! It´s everything.

In Ergastulum, a city rules by violence, drugs and the mafia, there are two independent handymen – Nicolas and Worick. Alex, a former prostitute who joins them, wants to know more about them. About their friendship and past. On the streets murder is a everyday thing, a strange drug and superhumans called Twilights, are calling the tune. It´s a mafia fantasy through and through.

You know what? I take some it back, even though I still love it with all my heart. The story and the world can be a bit bleak. Because Ergastulum and the reality Nicolas lives in. That´s just dark! Still the teasing he exchanges with Worick, the way he already worries over Alex! It´s everything to me! I really, really just adore the way he acts! The way you can already tell how much he loves the people around him. I just love it. Everyone, please give this oldie (and it kinda is) a chance.

Funfact 1: I won the first volume in a Go-Tournament.

Funfact 2: For those, that know of the anime, I could actually see StereoDiveFoundation (the guy who wrote the absolute banger that Renegade is!) live this year ( in June 2023 btw..., yeah it takes that long...)

The Speaker by Traci Chee

It was definitely an interesting read, and I loved the story telling in this.

Having barely escaped the clutches of the Guard, Sefia and Archer are back on the run, slipping into the safety of the forest to tend to their wounds and plan their next move. Haunted by painful memories, Archer struggles to overcome the trauma of his past with the impressors, whose cruelty plagues him whenever he closes his eyes. But when Sefia and Archer happen upon a crew of impressors in the wilderness, Archer finally finds a way to combat his nightmares: by hunting impressors and freeing the boys they hold captive.

Something I have to mention upfront: On a side note, it can work as independent story, even though this particular one is the second book from a trilogy. So my opinion of it, might be a bit strange. Especially because of that. But yet, I still adored the story telling of Chee. She had a beautiful way to bring this entire world closer to me and reading this never felt like a chore to me. My applause. Genuinely. Also, the German title is very dear to me: Ein Schatz aus Papier und Magie (downright poetic)

The Thing on the Doorstep by H.P. Lovecraft

Creepy as fuck, as I hoped it would be.

A collection of short stories by the popular horror author H.P. Lovecraft. Including „The Thing on the Doorstep“, „The Outsider“, „The Colour Out of Space“, „The Dreams in the Witch House“ and „The Shadow Out of Time“.

These short stories had me in a tight grip when I read them. I practically devoured it. It hit all of the right points for me to sit back and question it. Lovecraft allowed me to follow along, while still giving himself enough time to actually explain, what was going on. Well, at least well enough, that I didn´t feel too terribly confused and got annoyed with him. It was a gorgeous collection and definitely worth the read. Because yeah, this was a collection of his though the titular one was by far my favourite.

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P Lovecraft

This one was weird...

Arkham, 1933. Professor Dyer, learns that a scientific expedition will soon leave for Antarctica following in the footsteps of the journey which he himself had made in 1931. In the hope of dissuading the attempt, Dyer decides to make a full account of the tragic events he had survived, this time without omitting the passages which he had kept silent about on his return, for fear of being taken for a madman.

Two years earlier, ships chartered by Miskatonic University had landed on the frozen continent at the start of the Antarctic summer, and the group of four professors and sixteen students set to work immediately. The expedition biologist, Professor Lake, left with several members of the team to follow a promising fossil track. After just a few days, he announced by radio that he had discovered astonishing specimens of an unknown ancient species, before stopping all communication after a terrible storm. Guessing the worst, Dyer went to their rescue the next day. What he discovered went beyond his wildest fears ...

Okay as much as I loved the previous one, this one was a bit strange. I couldn´t quite tell, what his intentions were with that one, but I found it so much more strange and off-putting. It´s written more like an actual scientific report, which made reading it a bit more tedious than the previous one. I´m just not a fan of rhetoric used in those stories, so I knew I wouldn´t like it. In the end the horror story did it´s job though. I was freaked out and a bit afraid.

Monster by Robert Waugh

Admittedly a super interesting, if a bit dry, read.

A series of essays by Robert Waugh, where he explores the themes, motive and narrative in the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. He pulls from the live of Lovecraft, as he tries to find what makes his stories so special, and where the many fears, that Lovecraft uses in his horror come from. The trilogy was titles „A monster of Voices“, „The monster in the mirror“ and „A monster for many“.

It was so interesting to actually read all of this. At some points, it started to feel a bit heavy, but it´s kinda what I expected from a series of academic essays. Though one thing I noticed, because it was frankly hilarious, was how the print got gradually bigger and the books thinner over the course of the three books. No, if there is an avid interest for the work of Lovecraft I recommend checking these essays out.

Profiling Violent Crimes by Ronald Holmes

That one was so much fun!!

Another series of essays, that busy itself with the topic of violent crimes. Where does it pop up? Who are the victims? And who are the guilty? What styles of violent crime are there? And who is the most likely to do what?

It was so much fun to actually read that, cause he comes to a few conclusions that seem pretty strange, but Holmes argues well-enough for them, that it seems to make sense. A book, where I actually enjoyed looking at it´s graphes. Something, I usually dread.

Sisi by Andy Englert

Cute!

Every year, the three famous “Sissi” films enchant millions of people in front of the TV at Christmas. The image of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth is shaped by the “Sissi” classics with Romy Schneider. But what was the “real” Sisi really like? Royals expert Andreas Englert sheds light on the historical figure – Munich-born Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie von Wittelsbach, later Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary – in the spotlight. Did you know that after the dream wedding in Vienna with Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1854, disenchantment quickly reigned and why? Or that the “real” Sisi did not suffer from an eating disorder, as has often been claimed? And why is she actually called “Sissi” in the movies and not “Sisi” or even “Lisi”? Questions about questions, all of which are answered in a well-founded and exciting way in this book.

It was cute little biography, filled with some funfacts about Sisi. Definitely very entertaining to read, but nothing memorable, that I can say now about it. Cuz, while I do like Sisi well enough, certainly not enough to actively memorise facts about her...

In the end, it was all about love. by Musa Okwonga

Another mediocre book. Not great, but not bad either. Somewhat fun.

The narrator arrives in Berlin, a place famed for its hedonism, to find peace and maybe love; only to discover that the problems which have long haunted him have arrived there too, and are more present than ever. As he approaches his fortieth birthday, nearing the age where his father was killed in a brutal revolution, he drifts through this endlessly addictive and sometimes mystical city, through its slow days and bottomless nights, wondering whether he will ever escape the damage left by his father's death. With the world as a whole more uncertain, as both the far-right and global temperatures rise at frightening speed, he finds himself fighting a fierce inner battle against his turbulent past, for a future free of his fear of failure, of persecution, and of intimacy. In The End, It Was All About Love is a journey of loss and self-acceptance that takes its nameless narrator all the way through bustling Berlin to his roots, a quiet village on the Uganda-Sudan border. It is a bracingly honest story of love, sexuality and spirituality, of racism, dating, and alienation; of fleeing the greatest possible pain, and of the hopeful road home.

Let me tell you something. I was reading this book, while having the nigh watch, and you know what even being awake for far over twenty hours I didn´t fall asleep with it. Which says a bit more, when I tell you that I definitely feel asleep before while reading, several times, pretty often. So, it was interesting enough, to at least keep my attention. Even when I was exhausted beyond belief.

Nahe Tage by Angelika Overrath

Break my heart, why don´t you?

With the last of her mother's belongings, Johanna returns to the apartment where she grew up. As if under duress, she sorts her mother's laundry according to temperature tolerance, and while the washing machine starts running, Johanna makes an inventory of her childhood. . .

What a text on which I ended my year. It made me cry. You can just feel that grief, that Johanna is going through the whole time. The disbelief, as she is still grabbling with what happened. Her childhood. I´m dying. Especially reading this over Christmas was either the best decision ever, or the worst one. I genuinely can´t tell.

I´m finished!! A total of 31 books were read in the year of 2022. Looking back I will definitely continue to sort through my shelves. Cuz I got too many of those damn books. I always collect them but never read them (Note from the future: I try my best here, but I ain´t easy (my to be read list is already longer than it was last year...))

#reading list

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