A lot changed for me this year. It’s New Year’s and I find myself curled up in front of a roaring fire with a pile of books cracked open. I haven’t taken pleasure in reading for months, but these are strange times and we’re in need of small delights.
I never imagined that I’d be going to dental hygiene college, but here I am and I’m starting next fall. I’ve had my nose buried in my anatomy and physiology textbooks ever since I got acceptance back in April. Nevertheless, here are my top five books this year, not including Ken Follett’s new drama, Never, which would surely be on this list if it weren’t for the fact that I haven’t finished reading it yet.
The Rose Code, Kate Quinn
Oh-so-deserving of the title “Reigning Queen of Historical Fiction”, Kate Quinn delivered another knockout this year, this time about the brilliant minds who cracked enigma. There’s Osla—written off as a ditsy debutante even though she burns to prove herself as a translator. There’s prickly, imperial Mab—product of east-end London poverty refashioned as a self-made woman. And Bletchley village spinster Beth—who shines as a cryptanalyst once she gets out from under her mother’s thumb. Years after the war and with one of them confined to a mental asylum, these estranged friends are forced to confront their differences to take down an even more sinister threat, one who nearly cost them the war.
What I love so much about Kate Quinn is her unpredictability and her wicked sense of humour. The identity of the spy who destroyed their relationship remained a mystery until the bitter end. And once they unmasked the evildoer, I could have easily imagined Queen Mab putting her stiletto heel through their eye socket. A small part of me was disappointed she didn’t.
The Unfortunate Importance of Beauty, Amanda Filippachi
This one came recommended by a dear friend, who described it as part murder mystery, part commentary on female beauty standards. What’s more, it’s comedy-centric and should appeal to any inner creative.
Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid
This debut is light, breezy, and surprisingly insightful. It makes a firm point about white privilege without being patronizing, something I’ve admittedly had a hard time reconciling in the past. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for an easy read with a strong message. If there’s one thing I took away from it, it’s that we’re all too busy trying to do the right thing to actually do the right thing. When we think we are using our voices to empower change, we’re smothering other voices. We’re not letting people who’s stories we want to tell decide for themselves whether or not they want them told.
The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner
Did you ooh and aah over the cover art, too? I nearly put my hands together and squealed when I saw it. But you know the old adage, you can’t judge a book by its cover. And it’s true, so it’s a good thing The Lost Apothecary‘s beauty measures up to its dust jacket.
An eighteenth-century poisoner working out of a London alley helps women liberate themselves from the men who have wronged them. An innocent child burns to learn the art of potion-making. A present-day academic not searching for anything but a distraction from her crumbling marriage is inadvertently drawn to the mystery of a precious glass vial that washes up on the shores of the Thames. Three lives spanning the centuries are set on a dangerous collision course. You’ll feel like a child again, staying up late with a light on under the covers.
The Collector’s Daughter, Gill Paul
Ancient Egypt meets Downton Abbey in this novel about Lady Evelyn, the daughter of the Earl of Carnarvon.
Eve enters society just as the gilded age is coming to an end. Her very prim and proper mother expects her to make an advantageous marriage. But Egypt and the promise of the discovery of a lifetime draws her away from home instead. When Howard Carter finds Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, she is the first person to crawl inside and see its splendidness in over 3,000 years. Soon after, however, a string of tragedies give credence to the curse of the young pharaoh.
Seeing as the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb was the focal point of the story, I would have loved it if Paul had spent more time recounting the unveiling of the tomb. It was the discovery of the century, and it wasn’t dramatized quite to the extent I expected it to be. Nevertheless, I always enjoy Paul’s versions of history. It was a charming read and I fell even harder for her version of Lady Eve with this new addition to my bookshelf.