Books I’d Like to Read in January 2022
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a healthy holiday. This year has been full of ups and downs, but one constant for me has been reading. I want to continue that into 2022, and what better way than to start with the books I’ve been gifted?
1. My brother is an avid fantasy reader and has been begging me to read more of Brandon Sanderson’s works (Mistborn, Stormlight Archives, etc.) for some time so that he has someone to nerd out with. With that motive in mind his first present to me was The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.
A short summary taken from SuperSummary.com:
“On the continent of Roshar, on a planet of the same name, events called Desolations periodically reduce humans to a Neolithic stage of development and population. In the Roshar religion, Vorinism, the Almighty sent 10 Heralds to help humanity. These divine messengers formed the Knights Radiant, warriors with magical abilities, to protect humans from Voidbringers, the monsters who cause Desolations”
Now, I have only read one book by Sanderson, arguably his most well known book: Mistborn, and I was kind of ‘meh’ about it once I finished…Well, actually I loved it, but when I went to pick up the sequel I found the beginning of that book ‘meh’; so I stopped reading Sanderson’s work. Fair? Mmmm probably not.
2. My brother’s second gift was Red Sister by Mark Lawrence which I’m about a quarter of the way through, and let me just say, this book is a SLOW burn (so far, that is). The protagonist is a peasant named Nona who is rescued from the hangman’s noose when a mysterious nun interrupts her execution. She is then taken to a convent that trains gifted young women in the ways of the Ancestor. Some of those gifts include warrior reflexes.
From what I’ve read thus far I think it’s a unique book and I can see why my brother suggested it. I’m a sucker for badass female protagonists and I’m interested to finish it!
3. My brother also gifted me The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, which I also am about a quarter of the way through as I’m writing this. I have heard nothing but an abundance of praise for Lynch’s writing style and characters. I’m enjoying the way he writes dialogue so far. In fact, I’ve laughed out loud a couple times because Locke and his companions have S tier banter. It’s a read that is incredibly different from the other two books I have listed.
So what is it about? Here’s a short synopsis from Goodreads:
“ An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly.”
“But wait! I thought you were trying to move away from reading fantasy?”- You
Well, I’m glad you asked. I tried! I’m not that strong. Also, these were free and far be it from me to kick a gift horse in the mouth…leg? Whatever. You get what I mean. I’m going to try to finish all three this month, but they are sizable and I do have graduate school work as well, so there’s a large likelihood that my reading will spill into next month. But hey! At least I’m reading and that’s what counts.
Please leave any suggestions or your current reads below!