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Monday, January 9, 2023

Brownflopsy's Book Awards 2022

 Brownflopsy's Book Awards 2022




Time to shout about some of the wonderful books I read in 2022, with my annual book awards! 

Some of these I have already highlighted in my 22 of 22, and I will talk about them a bit more below, but there are also so many others that deserve your attention for a variety of different reasons, and this is their chance to shine. I really hope you will add some (if not all) of the ones that are new to you to your 2023 tbr piles, as they are all amazing!

I have linked all the books mentioned to my reviews so you can discover why I have chosen them...

THE DEBUTS:

There are far too many delicious debuts from 2022 to mention in this post, but here are 12 tasty morsels that really deserve your time.




In no particular order:

These are all fabulous, but which one makes it as my DEBUT OF 2022?

🥁🥁🥁

It has to be The Dictator's Wife by Freya Berry! 🎉🎉🎉

Freya's debut offering blew me away! It is beautifully written, cleverly conceived, totally gripping, and full of breathtaking similie and metaphor. I cannot wait for Freya's follow-up The Birdcage Library which is coming in June, and I predict a very bright writing future for her! ❤❤❤


FEEL THE LOVE:

Next up, meet the books that merit my FEEL THE LOVE Award - whether it be romantic love or love of family (sometimes both) these are sure to warm the cockles of your heart and reduce you to a blubbering mess!




The line-up:


I gulped this magnificent book down in one delectable bite, completely enamoured with the way Clift combines all the best elements of a romantic tale with a rollicking, dystopian sci-fi adventure. I laughed. I cried. I lapped up the will-they-won't-they suspense. I adored it!


THE HEARTBREAKERS:




These two books are beautifully written and totally heartbreaking - be prepared to have a whole box of tissues near by when you read them!

The Lion Tamer Who Lost is one of the most affecting stories I have read about family, connection and finding the courage to be true to yourself. Beech uses the themes of lions, family ties, honesty, love and the power of wishes to perfection, and just when you think you cannot cry anymore, she hits you with further moments of sob inducing drama to get you reaching for the tissues again. This the tear-jerker of all tear-jerkers! 

Blue Hour is a beautifull written, many layered story about two women trapped by the choices they have made. Schmidt holds you in moments that convey every ounce of painfully intense emotion, and shows great insight about the contradictions that make up her characters. The push and pull of opposing feelings is captured with perfection, and you become so caught up in the intricacies that only when it is too late do you realise where she has been leading you all along... It left me uttrrly broken.


LIFE AFFIRMING READS:




What is life all about? Read these and see...

BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN:





This award goes to The Unravelling by Polly Crosby which is stunning. This follow-up to Polly's incredible debut The Illustrated Child confirms her place as an auto-buy author for me. I cannot wait for her next book, Vita and the Birds, which is out in May. 


BEST FICTION AUDIO BOOKS:




These are my two favourite fiction audio books of 2022, both from fabulous little indie press Gallic Books:

BEST NON-FICTION/MEMOIR AUDIO BOOK:




This award goes to Putting The Rabbit In The Hat by Brian Cox which is the best acting autobiography I have listened to in a long time -just like settling down for a chat wuth Brian Cox! 


A CLASH OF CULTURES:




This award goes to the glorious Wahala by Nikki May

Nigeria meets London, and examines female friendship, and the expectations placed on women who have a foot in more than one culture, with fabulous insight - and with an injection of a whole lot of trouble!


UNSETTLING TALES:





Here's a selection to upset your inner calm - and keep you awake at night!


OUT-STANDING OUTBACK:




Outback tales are one of my favourite things to read, and these are two of the very best from 2022.


Opal Country is a spin-off from Hammer's Martin Scarsden books, so if you have enjoyed them, you need this one too. The series continues with Dead Man's Creek which has just been released, and is my favourite Hammer yet (review up soon) - so, why not buy both? 

Wake is a cracking debut from new talent Shelly Burr, and it is seriously classy. I am very excited to see what comes next from her.


WISH YOU WERE HERE:




Next up, two books that evoke all those Golden Age crime vives that I love:

Dear Little Corpses is the latest instalment in Nicola Upson's marvellous series featuring novelist Josephine Tey as a sleuth, which us such a brilliant concept - there us also a delicious appearance from Margery Allingham in this one too! I cannot wait for the next one, Shot With Crimson, coming in August.

Miss Aldridge Regrets is an enchanting 1930s murder mystery aboard a transatlantic liner, that nicely channels Agatha Christie. It makes a fine follow-up to Hare's incredible debut, This Lovely City, which I highly recommend. I am very much looking forward to her next book, Harlem After Midnight, due in September. 

I would love to be a character in both of these books - hopefully one that survives unscathed to the end of the story... and one not destined for the hangman's noose!


BEST TIME-SLIP NOVELS: 




All three of these offer a masterclass in using time in the most captivating way, whether it be in a Sliding Doors fashion, or bleeding the past and present together:

THE PERFECT CIRCLE:




The finest use of echoing the beginning and end of a novel, by very clever use of London's historic Thames Frost Fairs, earns The Weather Woman by Sally Gardner the PERFECT CIRCLE AWARD. The bits inbetween are pretty special too!


MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEW:




This character driven, evocative stunner really pares down the cast of players from her wonderful previous book, The Silence of Scheherazade, to just four narratives that really get under your skin. Beautifully translated by Betsy Göksel, At the Breakfast Table by Defne Suman is simply stunning.


WHAT A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE:




Imagine, if you will, a little bit of On the Road, a splash of Natural Born Killers, a twist of Trainspotting, and perhaps a touch of a more edgy Spinal Tap, distilled into a heady concoction from Ross' imagination that begs to be swallowed whole. It might be hard to get your head around at first, but then blossoms into something absolutely stunning, and vividly cinematic. 

Reading Dashboard Elvis Is Dead by David F. Ross  has been an experience... buckle up and go with it, because it is brilliant!


HIDDEN DEPTHS:





Blowing that difficult second book notion to smithereens, The Invisible by Peter Papathanasiou is the second book in the George Manolis series, follow an impressive debut The Stoning.

Papathanasiou layers theme upon theme, with beautiful interplay between facets of 'invisibility and references to uncomfortable history that will send you down many rabbit holes!



FAST AND FABULOUS: 




I present two absolute cracking page-turners from 2022, for tge thrill lovers among you:

A Good Day To Die by Amen Alonge is an action filled debut novel that takes place over a single violent day. I am longing for the next Pretty Boy instalment A Good Night To Kill, which is hitting the bookshops in April!

Double Or Nothing by Kim Sherwood is the first book in a new trilogy set in the universe of James Bond. This tale of the new generation of 00 spies is one of the most exciting books I have read in ages. More please! 


SCI-FI STUNNER:




Many people think science fiction is a genre that is not for them, but sometimes a sci-fi book can show incredidle insight about the human condition - The Actuality by Paul Braddon is a fine example. 

This cracking, speculative dystopian thriller deftly weaves the best if sci-fi with brilliant touches of horror and literary fiction - and it made me sob!


SCANDI THRILLS:




We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal  is by a new voice to me in one of my favourite genres, and it kept me turning the pages long into the night. I am very excited to have a copy of the folow-up You Will Never Be Found in my hot little hands, which is out in February. I am really looking forward to be stunned by Alsterdal once more - keep your eyes peeled for my review.


TURN THE TABLES:




The award for the most original concept goes to Argo by Mark Knowles. 

This is a very clever retelling of the story of Jason and the Argonauts, with the mythical adventurers recast as mortals - and it works beautifully! The Blades Of Bronze series continues with Jason, concluding with Hades which publishes in October. Perfect for the Greek mythology fans out there who are not afraid of a new perspective in a familiar story. They are darned exciting too! 


SEQUELS PLEASE!

PART ONE: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT...




Here are two books absolutely crying out for sequels:

  • Wahala by Nikki May because there is unfinished business needs to be resolved!
  • Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard because I want to be part of 'that' roadtrip! I'm going to keep banging in about this brilliant little book until Colleen gets to write that sequel! 🤣

PART TWO: TANTALISING TEAMS:





And... two books which set up such a lovely gang of characters that I want to read more about - both from fab indie press Moonflower Books:


My fingers are crossed that we will get to meet again for more adventures soon!


EAGERLY AWAITING... :




If historical fiction is your bag, then these books are all second instalments in absolutely compelling series. I am eagerly awaiting third books in them all:


THAT'S A WRAP:




Vera Kelly: Lost And Found merits a mention as the final book in an excellent LGBTQ+ series following the adventures of feisty former CIA operative Vera Kelly, through the 1960s and into the early 70s. This fab series deserves a lot more attention, and I highly recommend you pay a visit to the first two books in the trilogy Who Is Vera Kelly? and Vera Kelly Is Not A Mystery before polishing off the lot with this final volume. I am rather sad to be leaving Vera Kelly behind, but will definitely be reading them again in the future.


SHE WOLVES:




The SHE-WOLF AWARD naturally goes, once again to Amara in:


 Amara's character really grows in this second book in The Wolf Den trilogy through the continuing hard decisions she has to make. I have no idea where she will find herself by the end of the concluding book The Temple Of Fortuna (out in November), but it is a pleasure to be alongside her in her journey. 


QUIRKY LOVELINESS:




It was a joy to discover these QUIRKY GEMS by Finnish author Antti Tuomainen in 2022, from my favourite indie publisher of translated fiction Orenda Books:
This wonderful series follows the hilarious, and surreal, adventures of emotionally challenged insurance actuary Henri Koskinen as he tries to make a success of adventure park YouMeFun, and negotiate the tricky landscape of inter-personal relationships. 

I totally love this series, and am so looking forward to book three, which I believe will be The Beaver Theory. Antti is now a firm favourite with me, and I have bought his entire back catalogue from Orenda to explore this year too!


UNDER THE RADAR:




An eclectic bunch here that deserve way more attention! 


I have already mentioned the amazing A Little Hope and Housebreaking more than once above, as they really stand out from the books I read in 2022, and I hope by now that they are on your list of books to read this year.

So let me expand on why these other books deserve your time...

The Shimmer On The Water by Marina McCarron caught me from the very first page. It is a genre-busting novel that combines a cracking mystery about the unsolved case of a child's disappearance, with a delicious exploration of complicated family dynamics. McCarron keeps you firmly on the edge of your seat with cleverly contrived suspense, while using water, and the tug of hidden depths nicely throughout. Great story telling.

Madwoman is an incredible feat of literature that displays Louisa Treger's impressive ability to mix fact and fiction in a way that really brings her characters alive - this time turning her attention towards the incredible Nellie Bly, whose quest to break the chains imposed on women changed the world in more ways that one. It is one of those brilliant books about forgotten women that are making their way steadfastly into the best-seller lists in recent years, and is the perfect way for Nellie Bly to step into the limelight for a contemporary audience. I hope it flies off the shelves.

Say Her Name by Dreda Say Mitchell and Ryan Carter really impressed me. At its heart, this is a compelling crossover between domestic drama, mystery and psychological thriller, but it is also so much more. It fulfils everything you want in an entertaining read, drawing you in nicely with deftly woven threads of corruption, secrets and sins of the past, but it is the way it delves deep into themes of identity, connection, and discrimination that make it a cut above, and unexpectedly emotional. Absolutely gripping!.

Game of Hearts by Katy Moran is the first in her excellent Regency Romance Trilogy. I came prepared to have a rollicking time, which I certainly did, but I did not expect to also find this quite so bursting at the seams with wonderful characters, storylines and a cracking spin on the historical front. It is a rare and beautiful thing, with lashings of scandal, players to both love and hate, and threads of sex, race and class woven tightly into the fabric of the story. Move over Bridgerton... 


SHORT AND BITTERSWEET:




My SHORT STORY AWARD goes to a cracking little novella, but an award winning author that needs to be more widely known:


This is a beautifully written, atmospheric novella that expands on the short story Red that Amanda Huggins first published in her excellent anthology Scratched Enamel Heart. It is a tale of love and family ties, of belonging and acceptance, that is infused with artlessness, hope, and innocence - making it almost the antithesis of the classic coming-of-age story.

Amanda's novellas, short stories and poetry are all outstanding. Go check them out! 


OLDIES BUT GOODIES:




My awards would not be complete without a mention of one of my favourite authors who has kept me company through 2022 as part of the #ReadChristie2022 challenge cekebrating her many travels - the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie.

These are all the lovely Christie's I read last year:

JANUARY - Inspired by Agatha's travels: The Man In The Brown Suit

FEBRUARY - Featuring travel and romance: Parker Pyne Investigates 

MARCH - Agatha wrote abroad: The Mystery Of The Blue Train

APRIL- Featuring adventure: Why Didnt They Ask Evans

MAY - Set in Europe: The Murder On The Links

JUNE - Featuring archaeology: Appointment With Death

JULY - Which takes place on holiday: At Bertram's Hotel

AUGUST - Set in a hot climate: A Caribbean Mystery

SEPTEMBER - With a female adventurer: The Secret Adversary 

OCTOBER - With multiple settings: Marple

NOVEMBER - Featuring train travel: The 4.50 From Paddington 

DECEMBER - Containing precious jewels: The Adventure Of The Christmas Pudding


Strictly speaking Marple is a 'newbie but goodie', but you get the idea. My love affair with Christie continues and I cannot wait to pick up a new mystery this month as #ReadChristie2023 gets underway - wuth a brand new theme of Motives and Methods! 

***

That's all folks! Which books made your award winning line-up from 2022?



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