The Year Turns, But We Look Back - Books and Video Games Played, Loved, Remembered

 I have read nearly 75 books this year. I have played countless video games (some that are never ending, some that had stories that were poignant and stayed in my thoughts long after I played them). Not only that, but I dealt with the near loss of both parents due to a bad trike accident. This blog and the art I absorbed this time helped me keep my sanity and strength during these rough times. 

Watching the political sideshow currently happening, I’m sure that I will be turning to art, once again, to help me make it through the upcoming years. I’m not going to stop doing Drag (although I have not been in any recent shows since May). I’m not going to stop reading the smaller authors, nor reading the fluff that keeps me feeling lighthearted. 

I’m. Not. Going. To. Stop. Stopping lets the darkness win. While Reed Faster has their own little dark corner of the universe, there is hope out there. 

Enough of that. Let’s get to the books and video games that didn’t get a full review from me this year, presented in no particular order.

1. I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephan Graham Jones - A fascination with what creates a slasher will always lead me to books like this. This book is from the perspective of the slasher, who just happens to be a teenage boy named Tolly. He writes about what made him a slasher, but the twist is that he is an unwilling slasher. He doesn’t want any of the pain he causes. The ending of this book had me a sobbing mess.
2. Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune - This is a sequel to The House on the Cerulean Sea and brings in all the same queer love and joy that the first book enjoyed. In this one, Linus and Arthur have formed a family out of the misfits of the magical world. But in an attempt to make it official, Linus and Arthur come up against government red tape and the ignorance and hatred of others. This novel is about found family and about partnership. Linus and Arthur are such a delightful couple - they are so very normal, even when they aren’t. Arthur’s pants are always too short, Linus is always a little fussy about things. But together, they have built a joyful life for the orphans in their care. I can’t praise this book enough. 
3. Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft - I had seen this series floating around for a while, and I finally bought the entire thing on a book spree this year. I read the first book and was immediately struck by the loveliness of the world building, of the senselessness of doing things by rote and routine, and the sheer force of will that Senlin displays as he searches for his lost wife. I look forward to the rest of the series, because it definitely started off really strong.
4. Bringer of Dust by J.M. Miro - This book continues the dark story that began in Ordinary Monsters continues in the sequel. The world is dark, but there is hope with found family. Characters are forced to change, just trying to survive in a world underneath the one of “normal” people. That underworld is just as dangerous, if not more so. The power that destroyed Cairndale is still at large, and there are those who would exploit it. 
5. Loddlenauts, developed by Moon Lagoon and published by Secret Mode - This is such an adorable game. It’s about cleaning the ocean, restoring the wildlife, and collecting Loddles. Loddles are the adorable creatures that sort of look like axolotls that like to eat and follow you around. It’s very relaxing and something I enjoy playing while listening to my podcasts.
6. Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson - I JUST finished this book last night and I have FEELINGS. This is the end of the first arc of the Stormlight Archive and brings in elements of the entire Cosmere (which is basically all of the worlds in which Sanderson’s works take place). This book was HUGE, but I savored each and every page. There wasn’t a moment that the story wasn’t gripping me as I watched my favorite characters really come into their own. There are some losses in this book, which hurt, but made sense in context. No one gets out unscathed, but everyone gains something important. I look forward to the next arc in this series. 
7. The Eyes Are The Best Part  by Monika Kim - Ji-won is a college student who is dealing with her father’s infidelity, her mother’s new boyfriend (a white man who treats Ji-won’s family like a fetish). She starts dreaming of eyes and people around campus are being murdered. She watches as her mother fawns, her sister hurts, and her own life starts to fall apart.

This isn’t a hugely comprehensive list of all the books and games I played this past year, but it definitely has some of my favorites. 

This year is going to be interesting and in some ways, not a good interesting. I hope to see it through with just as much chaos as I did this past year. 

Until next time, when the final sea anemone is cleaned and the last chapter read, I shall be here with another book suggestion, should you need it.