The 10 Best Books I read in 2022

I should have known by the water leak last New Year's Eve that 2022 wasn't shaping up to be an "easy" year. That leak led to a series of unfortunate events which necessitated many expensive repairs to our house, so expensive I had to go back to work. I now have a booth in Benbrook Antique Mall with a business name of "Third Time's the Charm" which has been slightly profitable this first year and more enjoyable than I anticipated. After trying unsuccessfully to sell our house (and moving out most of the stuff in the process to "show" the house) we resigned ourselves to staying in it and moved back in.

Needless to say, all those months of turmoil were not conducive to reading much fiction. Most of what I read, in fact, was for other indie authors--beta reading, proofreading, and in two cases, content editing.

I despaired of finishing my WIP, Fiona's Gift, but thankfully it came together and I managed to publish it over the summer, praise God! I have barely begun on the last in Mercy's Children series, and pray my words will return soon.

Another impediment to much reading has been failing eyesight. In the words of not one but TWO eye doctors, I have the "weirdest" eyes they've ever seen. I had to go back to the opthalmologist in our previous town to get a diagnosis of epiretinal membrane but I've decided not to do the surgery, which has extreme risks, especially since it's my only seeing eye. I'm just learning to cope with the vision I do have (it's like seeing the world through a wrinkled piece of cellophane) and be grateful.

So, I only read 25 books this year, and a good percentage of those were short ones. Thankfully there were some wonderful reads, and I can recommend these to you:

#10 War Between Worlds by Madelyn Braddock

This is a debut fantasy novel by a teen author that combines thoughtful world-building, interesting characters, and action, adventure, and a mystery. Book 2 is in the works.

#9 Fire from the Midst by Sarah Ashwood

This is book 3 of 4 in a suspenseful, gritty urban fantasy series combining a war between rival gangs of shapeshifters from Greek mythology and an unusual romance. Not my usual genre, but I've read other books by this author and got sucked into book 1 with her excellent writing skills!

#8 Fear by Corinna Turner

This is #7 in the unSPARKed dinosaur dystopian series that has become one of my all-time favorites, and not just because of the dinos! Turner's characters are unforgettable, and she makes the reader care deeply about what happens to them!

#7 In Other Words by Julie B. Cosgrove

This is book 3 in Cosgrove's fun cozy mystery series. I love her characters and the clever ways she weaves the plots around word play.

#6 All in Good Time by Carolyn Astfalk

This is a sweet contemporary romance with darker elements that bring to light current prevalent sins, but overall the story is uplifting with memorable and lovable characters.

#5 A Right Rex Rodeo by Corinna Turner

This is #6 in the dino series and is especially fascinating in its details of the hunter culture in Turner's realistic future world.

#4 Hang on Every Word by Julie B. Cosgrove

Book 4 in Cosgrove's mystery series is not quite as light as the others, and in some ways is the best so far! The MC is so human but relatable and admirable too!

#3 A Different Kind of Camouflage by Corinna Turner

A powerful episode #8 in the dino series, still suspenseful even though it takes place in the city and not outside the electrified fences where dinos are the obvious (but not the only) danger.

#2 Please Don't Feed the Dinosaurs by Corinna Turner

Turner's redo of book #1 made me nervous at first, because I couldn't imagine how she could improve on the original #1, Drive, but she did! It makes a stronger beginning to a fantastic series!

#1 A Different Kind of Freedom by Corinna Turner

This latest episode #9 in the dino series is so powerful, it was by far the best book I read this year (and for the past few years). Turner is a master at writing about characters of faith in mortal peril. I highly recommend this book, but it is best read as part of the series.

Monday Review by the Book Dragon: Powerful, emotional story about one of my favorite characters ever

 

The Book Dragon has read Corinna Turner's A Different Kind of Freedom, book 9 in the unSPARKed series and gives it a resounding 5 claws!

My review: I'm so grateful Ms. Turner released #8 and #9 close together, because the two stories happen at the same time and are woven together in many ways. It would have been excruciating to wait to read what happened to Josh! And this story is all his. When we last saw Josh in book 7, he was near death from an infected rex bite and would rather have died from his injury than be trapped in city, in prison because of his real phobia of the city. He does survive and he is sent to prison, so his worst nightmares have come true! This book is his intense, nail-biting survival story among the worst of human predators. And yet, he learns so many spiritual truths while in prison and grows in many ways. A unforgettable, powerful scene near the end brought tears to my eyes, the first time that has happened in this series (so far). There are rays of hope by the end, and I'm anxiously waiting for the next in the series to see how everything comes together between Josh and Darryl & Harry, for an unexpected revelation has changed everything! That's all I'm going to say about it; you must read it for yourself, and you'll be glad you did!

This book is featured, along with all of Ms. Turner's many wonderful books, at Catholic Teen Books.

Monday Review by the Book Dragon: Stellar installment in an exciting dinosaur dystopia series

 

The Book Dragon has finished Corinna Turner's A Different Kind of Camouflage, book 8 in the unSPARKed series and gives it a ripping 5 claws!

My review: I have read and loved every installment of the fast-paced, nail-biting unSPARKed series, but this one went even deeper into the emotions of teen siblings Darryl and Harry Franklyn, who have been taken into the "safe" city by a CPS villainess who joins a sort of "club" with Harry Potter's Dolores Umbridge and Hunger Games' Effie Trinket, all outwardly primped and proper nasties. She causes much trouble for Darryl and Harry; this is their brilliantly written "survival" story. For nearly a year, they learned the skills of living in the wild among dinosaurs and now must adapt those skills to predators and obstacles of different kinds in separate living facilities: Darryl in a group home and Harry with kind but completely unfamiliar foster parents. Though their obstacles to freedom appear impossible to overcome, there are rays of hope, and two scenes at the end will make your heart smile, even though they are not out of danger yet ... and the reader can't help but be as anxious about Josh's welfare as Darryl and Harry are. This is a must-read series for anyone who has been a nerd about dinosaurs, ages 8-88!

This book along with other wonderful books by the prolific Ms. Turner can be found at the Catholic Teen Books site.

Birthing a book is hard work

 

I never intended to disappear for so many months. On New Year's Eve we had a serious leak under our kitchen sink which led to having our foundation leveled (apparently a common problem in North Texas), more expensive repairs, and months' of other plumbing issues which still aren't resolved, but it looks like we're going to have our entire sewer system replaced (cast iron pipes for PVC). Needless to say, with all the money going out and watching our savings deplete as quickly as the plumber's water test proved there was a leak somewhere, I went back to work. I signed a lease for a 10 x 10 stall in an antique mall. It's been a lot of work, but more fun than I anticipated, meeting new people all the time and learning about "vintage" stuff. And best of all, all those extra steps I walk every day are helpful in managing my lymphedema, even in this Texas heat.

For awhile, I feared I had lost my ability to write. I had planned to finish Fiona's Gift in January and publish in March or April, but I couldn't concentrate, either on writing or reading books of any kind. But I kept pushing ahead, sometimes only writing a couple sentences or paragraphs a day, determined to slog through the drought of words. The book was complicated by the fact that the headstrong Fiona changed the plot on me. Good thing I let her, though, because it made the story much stronger. It also turned out to be the longest novel I've ever written--156,000 words!

I was able to finish, to my great relief. The Kindle version releases June 24, but it will be next month before the paperback will be ready, in part because the manuscript is so long, and because I have to remember how to format. Because Fiona's story changed, Tristam's will, too. I hope to begin the last book in this series as soon as possible.

Also because of something that happens in this book (totally unexpected), a third series is percolating inside my head: Mercy's Grandchildren. I really, truly thought Tristam's story would be the end of my time in Levathia, but the characters have taken on a life of their own, and I no longer control their lives. I am merely a scribe to record the stories they wish to be recorded. One of the strangest (and coolest) things that has ever happened to me!

Fiona is Mercy's most difficult child: headstrong to the nth degree. Her story is a kind of "prodigal daughter" tale (along with the further adventures of Val and Emma, and getting to know Tristam better). Even I didn't know what her "gift" would be until I finished writing the book! I hope and pray it is a satisfying read and an encouragement, which is always my goal, along with glorifying God my Father.

I have dedicated this book to a precious young mother who lost her life last December while battling covid in a hospital. I never had the opportunity to meet Allie in person, but she and I connected on FaceBook after her mother introduced her to Mercy & the gang. Allie was such an enthusiastic participant in my FB launch party for Mercy's Joy, which I designed to "feel" like an actual coronation party with a medieval tournament. For the first time I was SO tempted to give her one of the prizes, even though random(dot)org never once picked her number! She was so sweet to message me with heartfelt thanks that reading how Mercy and Valerian and Kieran handled the extreme trials in their lives encouraged her in her own struggles. That has been an unexpected blessing of this author journey--to connect with readers on such a deep level, I felt like a family member died when sweet Allie succumbed to the ventilator.

May you find joy in the midst of trials, for there is definitely joy to be found when we open our eyes!

Fiona's Gift on Amazon is 99 cents to preorder, and if I forget to change the price, like I did last year for Valerian's Flight, it will still be 99 cents after launch date. My chemo-induced brain damage is your gain! LOL