Alise's Book Year In Review
My top ten (okay eleven) books of the year.
If you can’t already tell by my glasses and general Velma vibe, I’ve always been a reader. When I was a child I won the 4th-grade reading award and set the record for most pages ever read in my grade despite the fact that a boy in my class tried to get me disqualified for reading Harry Potter. (I went to a weird Christian school at this time and Harry Potter was strictly forbidden.) I fought him all the way to city hall (the office of the vice principal) and eventually prevailed. Best guess now is he’s a cop who voted for Trump or something.
In my twenties I nearly stopped reading altogether because I was so singularly focused on improv comedy I had no time to do anything else (though I did read the UCB improv training manual - one of the most boring books known to man). Thankfully, starting about three years ago my reading habit came roaring back. What major life event also occurred roughly three years ago that might have sparked this? You do the math.
Now I set reading goals (trying to hit 30 books in 2023!) and find myself compulsively buying new titles even though I have a stack of at least twelve unread books already in my TBR. I also keep a reading log, where I rank my books on a scale from 1-5 stars and donate anything that gets below a 3 because I firmly believe every book deserves a home where they are loved and appreciated. Also I need the room on my bookshelf for more books.
Every book on this year’s list got a 4.5 or higher on my little scale, which is based off nothing by my personal opinion and vibes. Now that you’ know where I’m coming from, onto 2022’s list…
“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I’ve been obsessed with Taylor Jenkins Reid since I read “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” (a 2021 fave) in one sitting and proved my attention span isn’t as royally fucked as I’d previously thought. All of TJR’s books are about fake famous people from various eras (based on the lives of various real famous people from various eras), and this installation revolves around the fictional Riva family. Their (deadbeat) dad is an Elvis-type rock figure who is barely around, and the kids are all famous surfers (nepo babies!). The story centers around an epic party the eldest sister (who is also a model) throws on the eve of her divorce. I didn’t quite connect to the surfing of it all (sorry dudes!) but I just love any chance to live in one of TJR’s worlds and *love* that they’re all starting to intersect. Great beach read!
“Ariadne” by Jennifer Saint - I’m a sucker for retellings of Greek myths ~from the woman’s perspective~ so I’m not sure why I let this one languish on my bookshelf for so long. Ariadne the daughter of King Minos, whose mom has sex with a fancy bull and gives birth to the minotaur. (None of that counts as a spoiler since these details have been available for roughly 2,300 years.) If you read “Circe” (one of my 2020 faves!), this ties into that myth and it’s interesting to see two different authors’ takes on some of the same characters. The bull-fucking mother Pasiphae, for example, has a very different characterization between the two novels. Loved this one and learned a valuable lesson: no matter how horny you get…do not have sex with the gods’ fancy bull!!!! It’s bad news!!!
“Pachinko” - Min Jin Lee - I was surprised by how quickly this book drew me in. If you’ve ever read Márquez’s “A Hundred Years of Solitude”, it’s very much like that in that it follows one family for several generations while also exploring the history of the country in which they live. “Pachinko” follows several generations of a Korean family from WWII through the 1980s as they immigrate to Japan and deal with discrimination and poverty. I went into this book knowing very little about Korean history or the historical relationship between Japan and Korea, and the book does a great job of exploring all of those things without feeling like a textbook. I haven’t watched the show yet but I’ve heard it’s also excellent! Maybe I’ll pop an episode on today, honestly. I’ve got nothing better to do...
7 - 5. The “Shades of Magic” Series - V.E. Schwab - As you all know because I literally did an hour-long one-woman show about it, I am very sad about what has happened to the Harry Potter series as a result of J.K. Rowling’s…you know…everything. If you want to see where I come down on the whole “art vs. the artist” debate, check out the show (2023 dates to be announced soon!) but regardless, this year I put some feelers out for a new magical fantasy series to help me scratch the HP itch without feeling morally complicated. Enter the “Shades of Magic” series. The books take place in a world where there are three different Londons - white, red, and grey. (There also used to be Black London, but it was sealed off long ago for ~mysterious reasons unknown~) The protagonist Kell is (hot!) one of two people left that can travel between all the Londons. In Grey London he meets a thief named Delilah and adventure ensues. Magic! Pirates! A Goblet of Fire-esque tournament plotline! Plus there are both queer and hetero love stories that feel equally fleshed out and important to the story. Schwab is apparently working on a sequel trilogy set in the same universe and I truly cannot tell you all how happy I am to have a magical fantasy book release to look forward to again. If anyone wants to do a midnight release at Barnes & Noble in costume HMU.
“Carrie Soto Is Back” by Taylor Jenkins Reid - TJR you got me again! This book intersects directly with “Malibu Rising,” but while I never got quite taken with the surfing of it all in MR, “Carrie Soto is Back” had me feeling like a tennis expert by the end. Seriously. I just signed up for a beginner’s tennis clinic because of this book. About a badass tennis player who goes back to defend her record even though everyone thinks she’s a bitch who’s too old. It rocks.
“Queenie” - Candice Carty-Williams - I’ll say it: Sally Rooney wants what Candice Carty-Williams has. (I actually really like Sally Rooney.) This is another book that I let sit on my bookshelf for way too long. The story is about a 25-year-old British Jamaican girl dating and dealing with her mental health. Sounds basic, but it’s so much deeper, sharper, and funnier than I could possibly convey in a little blurb. And so many great characters! Someone turn it into a Hulu show, please!
“Invisible Life of Addie La Rue” by V.E. Schwab - V.E. Schwab take my money! Part of the reason I dove into the “Shades of Magic” books was because I had already loved this one-off by Schwab so much. I’m usually not a “love story” girl, but this one got me. About a woman from 1700s France who makes a deal the devil (or like…a kind of devil? a devil-like figure?) to live forever, but no one she meets can remember her for longer than one night. Until one day…someone does! And he’s hot! What more do I need to tell you? Just read it.
“Olga Dies Dreaming” by Xochitl González - Hands down my favorite book of the year. About a Puerto Rican woman in Brooklyn who is a high-end wedding planner and her brother who is an up-and-coming representative in Congress. Explores Puerto Rican history, racism, and gentrification but never feels like it’s preaching at you. I believe I’ve already recommended this one on the Sup Podcast, but just to reiterate: its so good. 10/10 would recommend and am recommending!
Honorable Mention: “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver - This book was interesting. Another sweeping historical epic (I guess I really like sweeping historical epics?), this time about a minister who moves his entire family to a remote part of the Congo to try and convert the locals to Christianity. It does not go as planned. I previously read “King Leopold’s Ghost” (another 2021 fave!) and it was interesting to see some of that history re-told through fiction. That said, it is ultimately a book from the perspective of a white colonizer family and even though it is definitely meant to critique that mindset (particularly in its characterization of the father), it still falls victim to some weird white savior shit, especially toward the end. Like, do we really need to waste any more ink on what colonizers thought about all their colonizing? Would love to hear from the Congolese on this subject, please! Read if you liked “King Leopold’s Ghost” and are looking for more of that history but if you’re just looking for the history and haven’t read KLG I’d start there.
Honorablest Mention: Book of the Month - This is not an ad but given that 5/11 of these were BOTM picks, I simply must shout the good people of Book of the Month out for supplying/sustaining my book addiction. Membership is $16.99 monthly and you can either choose from their curated list or pull from past selections. Skipping months is easy if your TBR gets too backed up (I have skipped more than a few times), so you don’t get overloaded with books you don’t want or need. If you’re into it, here’s my referral code. Again, this is not an ad but I *will* get a free book credit if you use it to sign up.
**promos and plugs**
Pre-order my new book Zodiac Connections: A Book of Astrological Numbers and Lists now!
The last Low Stakes of the year is tonight at The Gutter in Brooklyn at 8pm! It’s totally free and our lineup is stacked with great comedians (plus I’m filming my set for promotional purposes and would love your enthusiastic laughs.) Even if you can’t make this one, we’re up every other Tuesday so make a plan to come out in 2023! First show of the new year is 1/10!
I’m going to be live watching my absolute favorite episode of The West Wing ("Somebody’s Going to Emergency, Somebody’s Going to Jail”) on The Betches Sup’s Instagram Stories at like noonish today! (i.e. it may be happening while you read this.) Stories will be up all day as part of our “best political television bracket.” Should be a fun time!
That’s all for now!
See you in the new year!
besitos,
alise
Love this, thanks for sharing! I forced myself to become a reader this year and just finished my 25-book reading challenge. Going to shoot for 30 next year as well! I’d recommend “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin when you’re not sure what to read next - that was a 2022 fave for me