The Starless Sea and 2022 book goals

My 2022 book Goals are:

• To read all the paper books I bought at events in the last couple of years

• Finish all the books that I started and enjoyed then for some reason stopped

• Try and keep up with my book clubs

On the first day of 2022 I started with The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, a title I have been looking forward to reading since it was published in 2019. Why did I wait so long?

So my head has been full of wonderfully whimsical ... and uncanny imagery.

A dreamy story, full of whimsical imagery that makes you pause to let your imagination fill it up and spill over the edges. Secret library business and bees. Magical doors and new worlds. Don't try to read it in a hurry.

February's Patreon digital wallpapers were inspired by The Starless Sea which you can see here.

After a friend read the Midwich Cuckoo's by John Wyndham I was reminded how much I liked The Chrysalids by the same author, so I settled down for a summer holiday re-read.

A Sci-fi classic from 1955, which would be classified YA today I think, The Chrysalids is set in a post-apocalyptic world where genetic mutations rule and shape communities. I first read it in high school but still enjoy deft storytelling. (The cover by the way is VERY misleading)

This lead to re-reading Chocky also by John Wyndham and then I watched the 1984 Thames TV series adaption - which is pretty good and very English. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GEICZux9Jg

The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher was the Carterhaugh Bookclub read for January. A fairy tale retelling, mainly Bluebeard /Fitcher's Bird but many other folklore and fairy tale motifs wind their way in. I have not read many retellings of this fairytale but the author reimagined it in an engaging and meaningful way.