And it was all yellow – a bookish roundup

I love how the AtoZ forces me to go through a dictionary for fun; and the many words that the most difficult to choose for alphabets i.e. X, Y and Z actually have. I chose yellow for this post because of the Coldplay song and the way the lyrics so beautifully capture my love for reading:

Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow
I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called Yellow
So then I took my turn
Oh, what a thing to have done
And it was all yellow

It’s been 4 months since 2022 began and I have now read enough books in the new year that I can write one of these posts called top favourite books. But before I reveal my picks, here’s a look at my digital library:

I have never read books this quickly – it’s another high to realize in 4 months you have reached 60% of your reading goal.

My favourites so far:

Felix

Felix is a trans boy and as he’s searching for how his body fits into the larger scheme of things, he’s also looking for someone who can love him for who he is. And even though he knows what he deserves – love and respect – he does not know how to identify it, maybe because he has never felt it before. So when he does get what he is looking for, he runs.

This book was a meditation on personhood and how murky those waters can become. Some of the themes explored in this book – like a girl’s declaration that Felix was a misogynist for being trans – were surprising and it left me thinking for days.

Project Hail Mary

When you think of a space mission to save earth, you think of we’ve got a problem Houston. Or astronauts running out of oxygen. Or spaceships breaking apart. This book does not have any of it. It has a high school science teacher trying to figure out where he is and what he’s supposed to do. I want to tell you more but I feel I’ll be going into spoiler territory and I really don’t want to do that.

Source

I loved this book – it was not like a typical intergalactic space mission to save earth. The surprises and twists make this book a gem. And god help me, it is so adorable! I just want to hug the crap out of this book.

Captive Prince series

Two princes who are sworn enemies are forced to work together. Laurent, so he doesn’t lose his throne to his power-hungry uncle. Damianos, so he can get back the throne his elder brother usurped. Sounds like a typical fantasy affair but what sets this series apart is how the two princes learn from each other. How they realize that violence is not the answer. That they can let go of that legacy of hatred, enmity and the belief that they are different from you that their fathers gifted them with. That it’s okay to forge a path to peace rather than war. 

The one in blue is Damianos and the one in white is Laurent. (source: Goodreads)

They Both Die At the End

The title is a spoiler and yet I kept hoping and praying that the two protagonists who lead you on this merry ride don’t die at the end. The closer I got to the finish and the more I learnt about the two of them, the harder it became to let the story go and the mounting inevitability that they will indeed die.

From the book

It’s sweet and lovely and the underlying message of “being alive” was so well delivered. I cried at the end – and I want you to cry with me so please, read this book?

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line

Most of this story is narrated by Jai, a nine year old boy, and I was in awe of how the author has used the way a boy that old would talk while showing the world from his eyes. There are stories of good djinns, Junction-ki-rani and Mental – all ghosts who the people of the basti call for help because the police instead of protecting them or listening to their grievances are turning the other way as children are being snatched left and right. The themes of gender and gender roles, the importance of money and the freedom it provides, and just the apathy and fickleness of the human were so well crafted! It’s a heartbreaking book but if you can manage such a stark portrayal, give it a read.

So that was my round-up. What’s been your favourite reads of 2022 so far?

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Connecting this post to #BlogchatterA2Z. To read other posts, check Theme Reveal 2022: Without Prearrangement.

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PS: If you like how I write and would like to read more, I have 2 ebooks on Kindle – both free if you’re on Kindle Unlimited. You can read more about the ebooks here.