It has been a long time since I last visited this place. I had essentially stopped blogging around 2020, when the pandemic first hit. In fact, it wasn’t just blogging; my reading had also taken quite a hit in those days, and I was barely able to make it halfway to my usual 52-book yearly goal. But that was then. Today my reading couldn’t be better. Even if I don’t hit the numbers I used to in terms of books finished, I have been way happier with the quality and subjects of books I read nowadays. I have almost completely switched my primary book genre to fantasy, thanks to a book club I joined in 2021, to get back into (and expand) my reading. My shelves are full of fantasy authors like Brandon Sanderson, V. E. Schwab, Samantha Shannon and many more. And I am excited to write about them again too. Perhaps even go back and write about memorable books I read in the last few years. For now, here’s a little list of highlights of this year’s reading
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 / 5
Medium: Premium Hardcover
Tress of the Emerald Sea was the first of Sanderson’s secret projects and follows the journey of a girl named Tress on her various adventures across the spore seas
I’ve read quite a bit of Sanderson’s works and this was quite different. I’ve heard the term “whimsical” used often for this. And I could not agree more. It is a lovely story. The magical world is fun and unique. And the protagonist, Tress, is probably one of my favorites in any of his books so far.
The Fellowship of the Ring
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 / 5
Medium: Audiobook (Libby)
As I have been exploring more fantasy books and subgenres, I figured it was about time I gave the age-old Tolkien classic a go. I read The Hobbit last year and have been listening to the other Lord of the Rings books since then, having finished The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers so far
It’s interesting because they certainly have a different style of writing than anything I’m used to. The story itself is quite engaging, though it does have its slow moments. Also, I just want to add that Andy Serkis did an amazing job in narrating the audiobook
Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 / 5
Medium: Paperback
I have been reading this book on and off for mooonths. It’s easily the biggest book I’ve read, the combined page count of my editions being 1380. After a final push of 400 or so pages in one weekend, I finished it. And it was all so worth it. The backstory we get on certain characters, the way we see them go through their struggles and journeys. So many little and big epic moments sprinkled throughout. And omg the ending. It is all so amazing
The Stormlight Archive has been one of my best reading journeys so far, and the fact that I have so much more to go, so much more to enjoy, makes me even more excited
Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3)
Author: Martha Wells
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 / 5
Medium: Audiobook (Spotify)
The third book of the Murderbot Diaries, this is a series of relatively short books that follows the journey of a human-like android who keeps getting sucked back into adventure after adventure. And he calls himself… Murderbot. Why? Because somewhere deep inside, he wants to kill all humans. Fortunately, he has managed to keep that in control. Mostly
This series has been a lot of fun to listen to and manages to combine humor and tension quite superbly into a thrilling sci-fi adventure
The Will of the Many
Author: James Islington
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐4.5 / 5
Medium: Hardcover (Library)
This was an interesting take on quite a typical formula for a fantasy: an academic setting, an existing class system in society and a vague magic system that can, well, do anything the author wants. The author did tease some more complexities in possible sequels but for now, this is what we had.
But hey, that doesn’t mean a bad thing. Though the beginning was slow, once we reach the school though, things do get interesting quite quickly. New mysteries, new characters, new discoveries. All with a controversial main character that I got quite invested in
2001: A Space Odyssey
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 / 5
Medium: Hardcover (Library)
Beautifully written and a thought-provoking story, this is a sci-fi classic. It’s hard to believe this was written in 1968, given how well it portrays things like artificial intelligence and space travel. I don’t think I was bored at any point in the book. It’s a relatively short and quick book anyway
Kavi Reads 
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