Annie Sawyer's
2022 Best and Worst Reads
Favorites:
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
This book was my first introduction to the author Christopher Moore, and it certainly won’t be my last. It was as much of a fever dream as the title suggests, and just when you think you get where the book is going, everything takes a turn for better or for worse. Regardless of how the title sounds I found the characters so endearing even with a remarkably absurd premise and was left wanting to know more about how the characters end up past the end of the book. This book is great for anyone who struggles to be entertained by books or has a true passion for Owen Wilson and Adam Sandler movies. One of my all-time favorites this year.
Tokyo Ueno Station by Miri Yü
A first for me this year as I had previously never read any Japanese literature and I’m so happy I chose to pick this book up. A short read with a simple premise of a ghost witnessing life move around him at the station he died in. However, this book embarks on an unforgettable journey that discusses themes of Japan’s imperial family, dehumanization of homeless individuals, and what comes after death. A bittersweet read that made me very attached to the main character who felt so human with flaws and layers that he doesn’t shy away from showing to the readers. I think this was a great short read that left me thinking about and going back in to understand all the nuances within it.
Bunny by Mona Awad
Best described as a cross between Heathers and Donnie Darko, this book takes you on a psychological thrill ride. I read this book at a point when I was in a big reading slump, and this is the exact kind of book to get you out of it. The synopsis of the book follows the main character Samantha who is a loner, MFA student whose life takes a turn when she is stuck in her fiction cohort with a group of girls who call each other “Bunny”. As Samantha gets closer to the group the book unearths a very sinister tone that carries on throughout the book. This was such a fun, twisted read and honestly as dark as it was, the absurdity of it still made it enjoyable to read and I found it such an easy book to get through. Parts of the book you find yourself lost with the main character but it all ties together when you see everything through the eyes of Samantha who is lost in her own life and identity. An interesting satire on friendships between women and the creative process that ultimately leads to artistic competitiveness, I highly recommend this strange, absurd book.
Not my cup of tea:
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
*Spoilers*
TW: Discusses domestic abuse
I want to get this one out of the way because I was too easily influenced by people on Tik Tok that raved of this book that left me disappointed and wasn’t my thing. The writing style felt too simple when the premise of the book dealt with the main characters domestic abuse, and I didn’t like the arc of her ending up with another man who “saved” her. I understand the topic being very important and the difficulty of emotional manipulation hence why the main character stayed with him for so long, but I didn’t find him likeable from the beginning and his intense obsession for the beginning was off putting and found it hard to believe Lily’s (main character) interest him. Also, this is a petty reason for not liking the book but the fact that her name is Lily Blossom Bloom, and she opened a florist shop, I just can’t with that whole concept and couldn’t take it seriously. Also, the continual excuses for Ryle (the abuser) and how hard his childhood was and his sister defending him just put a bad taste in my mouth, also that he got to keep seeing his kid that he had with Lily after all the abuse, just not a good ending in my opinion. As you can tell I wasn’t a fan and given the author as a person it’s not just the writing that I dislike but the author herself. Needless to say, I’m not a Colleen Hoover fan.
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
There is a strong chance that the author walked through an Ikea and found it so remarkable he had to write a story about it being a zombie prison. Besides the detailed cover which I found interesting as it resembles an Ikea magazine the actual book lacked any depth or substance in the plot or characters. Thankfully this is a short book, so your disappointment doesn’t last too long. I think the concept is interesting and seems more like a first draft of a screenplay than a book, the writing felt a little lazy in parts with too many conveniences for character’s dealing with paranormal activity. The cover being the saving grace only makes it unfortunately fit better with the quote, “It’s not about what’s outside, but what’s on the inside that counts.”
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
Just because it’s a classic does not mean I have to like it. I enjoyed A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemmingway so it’s not the author I have a particular issue with, it’s honestly the plot of the book I just couldn’t get through. I rarely give up reading a book halfway and this is no exception but honestly, I wish I had. It’s not an interesting plot and spends like half the book just describing how he refuses to let go of the line because he believed he caught a Marlin. Two Days and Two Nights he stays there like at that point cut the line and give up. I understand the deeper meaning behind it showing a man’s need to accomplish something great to feel like his life has purpose. But for me I found the book far too tedious to have that as the concluding meaning and didn’t feel like I got any lasting thoughts about the book in my reading experience.
Teagan Canady Book Review
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is one of those books that you stay up late into the night reading, and right when you think you’ve gotten to a point where you can put it down and not think about it as you try to fall asleep, another clue or plot point or twist comes out of nowhere, and all of the sudden you realize it’s three a.m. and you have class the next day. In other words, I highly recommend it.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder focuses on high school senior Pip, who has decided to solve a murder for her senior project. Most of the story around the murder has been kicked up by the rumor mill, but common knowledge says that Andie Bell, a popular high school senior, was murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh in a jealous rage, who subsequently killed himself. Pip, however, knew Sal Singh, and doesn’t believe that he could have killed anyone, so she teams up with Sal’s younger brother Ravi to clear Sal’s name. As their investigation ramps up, answers start coming back to people close to Pip, and she begins receiving threats. It becomes abundantly clear that there is more to the story than the public once wanted to believe, and someone doesn’t want that coming to light.
Told through a combination of narrative and through investigative notes from Pip, the mystery is both solvable and surprising, and has just the right amount of suspense and danger that you just want to keep reading. The suspense, for me, seems particularly serious because it feels just realistic enough that you could probably picture it happening in your own hometown. If you’re looking for something that’s a cross between a murder mystery, a thriller and a high school drama with a little bit of social commentary thrown into the mix, this might just be the book for you. If not, I think it’s a fun read besides.
Note: check the content warnings on books if you are going to be harmed by specific topics. The major content warnings for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder include racial profiling, animal death (not detailed), drugs, rape, murder and abuse. This is not an extensive list of potential content warnings, but if you are concerned, you can find content warnings for this book and others at booktriggerwarnings.com. Happy and safe reading, everyone!
Books Rory Gilmore Would Read in 2022
Annie Sawyer '23
Staff Writer
October 22
The Idiot- Elif Batuman
The Idiot follows a new Harvard student named Selin Karadag from Turkey who is pursuing a writing career. A book filled with the embarrassing realities of your late teen years and encapsulates both practical and seemingly meaningless challenges of a young girl’s experience in a new country and college. This book takes a slow and gradual speed that doesn’t stray from its melancholy mood. If you are someone who needs intense action to keep your concentration than I suggest you pass on this one. However, if you enjoy a coming-of-age story of a young girl going through the early stages of adulthood and the reality of being a writer than this book is for you.
The Little Friend- Donna Tartt
The Little Friend is set in the 1970’s in Mississippi that follows a young girl named Harriet who is trying to solve the mystery of her brother’s death. This is an intense thriller that represents prominent racial tensions within Southerners and children being pushed into the reality of the adult world. A fast-paced book that has this underlying intensity throughout that will keep you at the edge of your seat.
Severance- Ling Ma
What many describe as a The Office in an apocalypse is only the beginning of what’s in store with Severance. Following Candence Chen who works an unfulfilling job as a Bible product coordinator all until a pandemic strike’s the world, causing the “Shen Fever”. Watching New York city empty and becoming a waste land with few stragglers, does not stop Candence from still going to work. A satirical book that confronts the first-generation immigrant alienation in a new country as well as the unrelenting work mindset and consumption in the current state of our world. A great expeditious humorous novel all set in a zombie apocalypse.