A Year of Reading - 2022

What better way to wrap up a year of reading than with graphs and charts - in true Science grad fashion.

My 5-star reads

	​The Housekeeper and the Professor Yoko Ogawa (Translated by Stephen Snyder) #fiction #contemporary #literary Explores what's it like to live with a brain that cannot hold memories. Truly endearing characters and comes with an enjoyable side of math tidbits!
	​Transcendent Kingdom Yaa Gyasi #fiction #contemporary #literary A neuroscience PhD candidate studying reward-seeking behaviour, depression and addiction. She attempts to scientifically examine the loss and suffering that envelopes her family.
	​Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro #fiction #dystopian #literary #sciencefiction A story of a curious isolated school and its students. Explores themes of memory, and society's treatment of the vulnerable. The kind of book you can't stop thinking about even long after finishing it.
	​Project Hail Mary Andy Weir #fiction #sciencefiction #thriller The Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy (go read that too) left a gaping hole in the part of me that loves sci-fi and this one patched it right up! Love the humour - Rocky is my favourite alien character and no other aliens shall have my heart.
	​The Disaster Tourist Yun Ko Eun (Translated by Lizzie Buehler) #fiction #literary Interesting premise - tour agency that designs itineraries for disaster sites. Critiques the tourism industry and the relationship between human actions and the environment.
	​Piranesi Susanna Clarke #fiction #fantasy #literary A story of a labyrinth with infinite rooms, corridors and and statues. It may be a slow start as there's a lot that goes into world-building, but it gets better and better as pieces come together and more is revealed!!
	​I'm Glad My Mom Died Jennette McCurdy #nonfiction #memoir Worth all the hype. Provides a raw glimpse into the life of a former child actor, her relationship with her overbearing mother and her struggles with eating disorders and alcohol addiction.
	​The Hawthorne Legacy Jennifer Lynn Barnes #fiction #contemporary #mystery #youngadult The sequel to The Inheritance Games. What's not to love when there's a good combination of mystery, rich family, puzzles and lots of money at stake?
	​The Decagon House Murders Yukito Ayatsuji (Translated by Ho-Ling Wong) #fiction #mystery Students visit an island where multiple murders took place the year before. One by one they meet their deaths. The revelation was so satisfying (since it was not predictable, but also not ridiculous).
	​The Tokyo Zodiac Murders Soji Shimada (Translated by Ross and Shika MacKenzie) #fiction #crime #mystery A murdered artist and daughter, and another six bodies dissected to create a supreme woman Azoth, with astrology thrown in the mix. Another very satisfying revelation.
	​Einstein's Dreams Alan Lightman #fiction #historical #literary A fictional collection of possible worlds dreamed up by Einstein as he works on his theory of relativity. In one, time is circular. In another, time stands still. Fascinating and deliciously imaginative read.
	​Ella Minnow Pea Mark Dunn #fiction #speculativefiction #youngadult If you love linguistics and wordplay like I do, this is for you! Cleverly written with good sense of wit and humour - but also comments subtly on themes of totalitarianism, censorship and freedom of speech. (Not suitable for readers of serious content. haha.)
	​A Psalm for the Wild-Built Becky Chambers #fiction #lgbtqia+ #sciencefiction Cute story about a tea monk who meets a robot. Set in a future where robots have gained self-awareness and have stopped working for humans, and instead have wandered off into the wilderness never to be seen again.

May 2023 be a good reading year too! Happy new year!