{"id":17827,"date":"2022-12-29T16:28:07","date_gmt":"2022-12-29T21:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/?p=17827"},"modified":"2022-12-29T16:28:07","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T21:28:07","slug":"the-books-of-2022-romance-comics-and-audio-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/archives\/17827","title":{"rendered":"The Books of 2022: Romance, Comics, and Audio Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

I once again read a lot of romances, however, more than half the romances I read were rereads, and they don\u2019t count in the end-of-the-year roundup. Which I means I read some disappointing new-to-me romances (just over 20% of the romances I read had a rating lower than 7, and the new-to-me reads had an average rating of 6.8). Luckily, there were only three books that I disliked (though now I come back to it, I want to rate one of the books lower than the 4 I gave it).<\/p>\n

All of which is to say I didn\u2019t read a lot of new romances I loved.<\/p>\n

Which is why I\u2019m adding audio books and comics to this post, as I only read one stand-out comic. I did listen to 33 audio books, but the way I listen to audio books means they are almost entirely books I\u2019ve read before. Plus, I did a complete re-listen to several series, to get caught up so I could read forward (Rivers of London, Jane Yellowrock, which were 24 books for both series).<\/p>\n

Romance<\/strong><\/h4>\n

~ 8.5\/10 ~<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Agents<\/a>Agents of Winter<\/em><\/a> (2022) (The Agency)
\nby Ada Maria Soto<\/a>
\n[LGBT]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His Quiet Agent<\/em> is a comfort read for me. One character is ace, the other is demi, so there is absolutely no boinking, and although the author didn\u2019t do it on purpose, both characters are neurodiverse.<\/p>\n

Since His Quiet Agent<\/em> was published in 2017, and the story snippet set after in 2018, I was assuming there wouldn\u2019t me another story.<\/p>\n

I was delighted to be wrong.<\/p>\n

To be clear, neither this nor the first book is an easy read, as Arthur deals with a death in the first book, and then his first Christmas after than death in the second, and Martin\u2019s past is a nightmare, yet I find the story as a whole is incredibly comforting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, which one is B-837?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRomantic or sexual involvement with another agency employee or contractor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 um\u2026\u201d Arthur felt his cheeks flush and didn\u2019t know what to say. It had never crossed his mind to fill out the \u201cFucking Form\u201d as it was referred to by the crasser employees. His and Martin\u2019s relationship had slid from friendship into something deeper and intertwined so smoothly that there was never a date he could point to on a calendar and say \u2018Yes, here is where our relationship began and I will put that into box 14A.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cSo, who is this Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t lie to your lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe-\u201d Is the name I put on form B-837. \u201cIs someone who accepts me exactly as I am and has my heart for it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n


<\/p>\n

~ 8\/10 ~<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Always<\/a>Always Only You<\/em><\/a> (2020) (Bergman Brothers)
\nby Chloe Liese<\/a>
\n[Contemporary *]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This was another recommendation\u2014the female lead has ASD and rheumatoid arthritis, and is the grump in the grumpy-sunshine trope.<\/p>\n

The psychologist said I\u2019d have been diagnosed sooner if not for my fantastic ability to follow rules, copy behaviors, and pretend I was \u201cnormal.\u201d Everyone hits a breaking point, the shrink said. It was only a matter of time before I\u2019d have to stop pretending and get honest about my neurological difference.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

I like my books. They\u2019re one of the most vital tools in my arsenal for navigating human behavior, to explore my feelings about the parts of life that most confuse me. Books help me feel a bit more connected to a world that often is hard to make sense of. Books are patient with me. They don\u2019t laugh at me instead of with me. They don\u2019t ask why I\u2019m \u201calways\u201d frowning, or why I can\u2019t sit still. Books welcome me\u2014 weirdness and all\u2014 and take me exactly as I am.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n


<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>An Agreement with the Soldier<\/em><\/a> (2021) (Necessary Arrangements)
\nby Sadie Bosque<\/a>
\n[Historical *]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a light story. It\u2019s about grief and PTSD and addresses both in a realistic way, which means that falling in love with the heroine doesn\u2019t fix he hero\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n

But the heroine has a loving and protected family, and the hero eventually finds other former soldiers who can support him, so things are ok in the end (this is a romance of course) but in a realistic way, which I very much appreciated.<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Husband<\/a>Husband Material<\/em><\/a> (2022) (London Calling)
\nby Alexis Hall<\/a>
\n[LGBT]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I love Alexis Hall\u2019s writing.<\/p>\n

All of it, in all the genres I\u2019ve read.<\/p>\n

However, being with a major publisher means said publisher tries to categorize his books into existing pigeonholes\u2014and they simply don\u2019t fit neatly.<\/p>\n

Parts of this book are hilarious, but that doesn\u2019t make the story a romantic comedy. It just means the humor and the silliness offset the darkness.<\/p>\n

Luc is much better than he was in the previous book, but it is still a work in progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what if knowing it\u2019ll make him feel better makes me feel worse?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen maybe you need to revisit the does-he-have-power-over-you question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh<\/em>. Right<\/em>. My shoulders drooped. I was supposed to be\u2026 not like this anymore. \u201cWhy do people keep having power over me?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is a fair amount of darkness in this story, but it is offset by the humor.<\/p>\n

Oliver took a deep breath. \u201cYou are not that kind of person. You just worry you might be every time somebody likes you.\u201d That was at once reassuring and embarrassing.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop knowing me,\u201d I whined.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which brings me to an aside, you\u2019ll notice Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble<\/a><\/em> is not on this list. Was it a bad book? No. But it was sure as hell NOT a romantic comedy, and despite the content warnings, I was not prepared for just how dark things got.<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019ll keep reading and recommending Alexis Hall, but also keep in mind that major publishers are going to shoehorn books into a category whether they fit or not.<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n