It’s getting pretty clear that 2022 is becoming the year I got back into reading. It all started after buying myself an e-reader as a graduation gift in July 2021. I refused to buy one for years because I used to prefer “real” books. But when you travel constantly, you simply can’t stuff 10 books in your luggage. Anyway, back to July 2021, I gifted myself an e-reader and slowly found my love back for reading. Shortly after, I found my way to Booktok, a niche for readers on Tiktok with a never-ending list of recommendations. Moral of the story: some damage was done… and now I am here to take you to the dark side with the best books I’ve read in January 2022.
A little side note: all summaries are the official summaries because I usually get too excited when reading a good book and when that happens, I always end up spoiling the whole thing.
Disclosure: When you decide to purchase through any of the shared links, I will receive an affiliate commission, at no extra cost to you! This will make a huge difference to Finding Falke and ensure I can keep sharing many more travel tips and tricks.
Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
Summary of Sad Cypress: An elderly stroke victim dies without having arranged a will… Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity and the means to administer the fatal poison. Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty: Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows…
The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie
Summary of The Mysterious Mr. Quin: Harley Quin is an enigma. Even his friend Mr Satterthwaite is unable to understand how the man seems to appear and disappear almost like a trick of the light – and when he does appear it’s usually in the sparkle of sunshine, or surrounded by a spectrum of coloured light pouring through a stained glass window. Indeed, he is Harlequin. The only consistent thing about the Mysterious Mr Quin is that his presence is always a harbinger of love … or death.
Okay, I’m going to talk about the two Agatha Christie books here because I didn’t particularly like them. They were not bad at all but between the more famous classics of Agatha Christie and more modern books I like to read, it just didn’t pique my interest. I did read both of them in French – I had a French exam a week later – so maybe the translation didn’t bring the right vibe. In my opinion, you are not missing anything if you skip these books.
Cain’s Jawbone by Torquemada
Summary of Cain’s Jawbone: Six murders. One hundred pages. Millions of possible combinations… but only one is correct. Can you solve Torquemada’s murder mystery? In 1934, the Observer’s cryptic crossword compiler, Edward Powys Mathers (aka Torquemada), released a novel that was simultaneously a murder mystery and the most fiendishly difficult literary puzzle ever written. The pages have been printed in an entirely haphazard order, but it is possible – through logic and intelligent reading – to sort the pages into the only correct order, revealing six murder victims and their respective murderers.
This book! This unique book was made for me! It brings my love for reading and solving murder mysteries together. But be warned, finding the one true solution is harder than it seems! Last I heard, only 4 people managed to solve the story since 1934. My toxic trait is thinking I might be able to do it too. But up to now, I read all 100 pages (several times), but I haven’t been able to find the right combination… to my biggest frustration.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Summary of A Court of Thorns and Roses: Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price … Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.
This is the book that really got me back into reading. I discovered this series thanks to the one and only booktok, and it ended up being one of my favourite series I have ever read. I am 1000% sure I will reread this series in a few months. That’s how much I loved it. My fingers are twitching to start summing up all the details I loved, like my favourite characters, quotes, moments… But like I said in the beginning, I will spoil the whole thing.
“A Court of Mist and Fury” and “A Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah J. Maas
I liked this series so much that I managed to read the next two books “A Court of Mist and Fury“ and “A Court of Wings and Ruin” before the end of the month. I loved these two books even more than the first one. That being said – as in before I start spoiling everything – I will conclude this booklist with only one last message for the readers that love an epic fantasy story: read this series!
Disclosure: When you decide to purchase through any of the shared links, I will receive an affiliate commission, at no extra cost to you! This will make a huge difference to Finding Falke and ensure I can keep sharing many more travel tips and tricks.
