January: To Sleep In a Sea of Stars - Christopher Paolini.

This is my first book by C Paolini, having not read Eragon. I really enjoyed it. I’d just finished the final Expanse novel before reading this, while there are some Expanse like elements in this story, it’s a lot more “Aliens are attacking” than “Humans are shit to each other in space.”

I love me a good lost technology story and this felt very Mass Effect. The Audio book is narrated by Jennifer Hale AKA Fem Shep which helps…

February: Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

I didn’t enjoy this and did enjoy it, but I think didn’t enjoy it as much because I thought I would enjoy it which meant that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was expecting to, which detracted from my enjoyment, which I ended up enjoying.

Held up as a classic, I wasn’t expecting it to be as farcical. In my head this sits next to 1984 and Brave New World, it’s more like a Carry On film in tone.

I’d have liked it more if any of the characters had been likeable.

March: No One Is Talking About This - Patricia Lockwood

I went into this blind, it starts out vapid and shallow, which is the point, and as draws to the end it slowly just crushes you.

I don’t DNF books, but if this hadn’t been a book challenge book I might have at the start. I’m glad I stuck it out, it’s clever and particularly poignant given the shitstorm that’s happening on Twitter just now.

I think this is part fictional, part autobiographical and very good commentary on social media.

April: She Who Became the Sun - Shelly Parker Chan

This is a good book, it’s an award winning book beautifully written, I thought it was okay. I found it hard to get invested in a couple of the viewpoints, and the romance which is one of the hooks for many people didn’t do it for me. But I don’t particularly like romance.

I think reading this would have been better than the audiobook, there are a lot of characters to keep track of, and I’m crap at remembering names at the best of times.

May: Any Human Heart - William Boyd

I had to refresh my memory as to what this book was about. Which isn’t a good start.

This was beautifully written, and there were times when I was really invested in it, but the main character is a bit of an arse if memory serves.

Written as an autobiography of an author who doesn’t actually exist, it’s a clever walk through the event of the 20th century. It’s very well done.

I’m just not sure I cared about the character and his plight.