Books to Start 2022 – A Quick List
I am monumentally poor at sticking to a real TBR each month. I’ll admit it! I always set one, and then end up frolicking off to some other book that catches my eye, or doing a reread because it’s something that I feel like at the moment. Since I know that about myself, I’ve stopped making monthly TBRs. Instead, I’ve decided to pinpoint three books that I’d like to tackle each quarter of the year, and just fit them in when I can! So here’s the first three that I’ve decided to start with.
First off is this delightful novel that I received as a review copy. I adore Arthurian retellings, and the fact that this is an LGBQT Fantasy Romance makes my heart SING. It also has stellar reviews so far, so I cannot wait to dive into it!
Carry On meets Arthurian legend in this funny, subversive young adult fantasy about what happens after the chosen one wins the kingdom and has to get married to keep it…and to stay alive.
Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king (turns out magical swords yanked from bogs don’t come pre-sharpened), he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next.
As a temporary safeguard, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except that she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.
With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions. But his attempts at wooing his friends go painfully and hilariously wrong…until he discovers that love might have been in front of him all along.
Ever After by F.T Lukens
As soon as this popped up on my radar, I knew that I’d be reading it. I’m waiting patiently for my turn at the library, and I simply cannot wait to get it! There’s so much goodness packed into this synopsis. Not the least of which is the feature of retired troops. I am so ready for this.
Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off in this fantastic space opera You Sexy Thing from former SFWA President, Cat Rambo.
Just when they thought they were out…
TwiceFar station is at the edge of the known universe, and that’s just how Niko Larson, former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind, likes it.
Retired and finally free of the continual war of conquest, Niko and the remnants of her former unit are content to spend the rest of their days working at the restaurant they built together, The Last Chance.
But, some wars can’t ever be escaped, and unlike the Hive Mind, some enemies aren’t content to let old soldiers go. Niko and her crew are forced onto a sentient ship convinced that it is being stolen and must survive the machinations of a sadistic pirate king if they even hope to keep the dream of The Last Chance alive.
You Sexy Things by Cat Rambo
If you saw my post on books I missed in 2021, this one was front and center! I have wanted to read this book since it first came out, and since I was on a buying ban I had to keep putting it off. I think this might be our first book club read of the year, partially so I can have an excuse to buy it ;).
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.
But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.
When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.
Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
