Dean's 2022 reading challenge [12 books]

[Dean]

oh, i'm absolutely terrible at remembering to read books. but i figured if i get back into tracking what i'm reading, then it'll force me to read more because it feels more fulfilling or something like that.

so, here we go!

i'm going to attempt 12 books, because that's one a month, and although i'm a little behind right now, i could probably catch up!

[Dean]

Here's the list of books I've read so far, but with nice pictures because they make brain go brrr:

1.     2.     3.     4.     5.

[Dean]

Here's a nice, minimalistic list of the books I've read so far:

1. Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson
★★★★★

2. Maurice
★★★★★

3. Never Mind
★★★★★

4. Bad News
★★★★★

5. The Duke and I
★★★★★

[Dean]

And here are some of my reading stats for 2022:

➜ Books read: 5
➜ Pages read: 1,420

Ratings:

★★★★★ - 5
★★★★☆ - 0
★★★☆☆ - 0
★★☆☆☆ - 0
★☆☆☆☆ - 0
☆☆☆☆☆ - 0

[Ilona]

Best of luck with your reading challenge! :)

[Dean]

Maurice - E.M. Forster
★★★★★
June 8th 2021 ➜ May 14th 2022

"I since cricket match do long to talk with one of my arms round you, then place both arms round you and share with you, the above now seems sweeter to me than words can say."

This book is from 1913 and it didn't fall into either the 'Kill Your Gays' or the 'Unhappy Gay Ending' trope. Can we stop pretending now that gay stories have to be inherently sad to be interesting? Is it not enough to just yearn and loved and be loved?

It took me long enough to finish it but I think I'm emotionally in the right place for it at this point. 'End of 2021' Dean was not prepared for where this book was going to go. 'Mid 2022' Dean, however, was so ready for it.

[Dean]

Never Mind - Edward St. Aubyn
★★★★★
May 14th ➜ May 16th

"Nobody can find me here, he thought. And then he thought, what if nobody can find me here?"

There isn't a single character - Patrick excluded - in this book who is redeemable. They are vapid, and unemotional, and narcissistic, and seemingly incapable of doing one nice thing without immediately sullying it afterwards.

But did I struggle to put this book down? Absolutely I did.

I'm so in love with the way that Edward St. Aubyn writes that I powered my way through this book, picking it up whenever I had a spare moment to do so. And, admittedly, I found myself staying up a little later than I probably should have done in order to read more.

I know that this book series is going to destroy me emotionally - I've seen the TV adaptation and it made me cry like a baby - and I have to admit, I'm excited to take this journey. It's been a while since a book series has gotten to me in this kind of way.

[Dean]

Bad News - Edward St. Aubyn
★★★★★
May 16th ➜ July 18th

"Cruelty is the opposite of love," said Patrick, "not just some inarticulate version of it."

Oh Patrick, my darling, you really are truly and wickedly damaged, aren't you?

What a slow and uncomfortable descent into a man's inner psyche this was. But I simply adore Patrick and though I want the absolute best for him, I know that not only are we definitely not going to get it, Patrick himself doesn't want that either.

And I love the brief glimpses that we're given into what other characters are thinking because they don't feel like we're hearing their true thoughts, but are instead hearing what Patrick surmises that they might be thinking.

It took me a little longer to get through this one than the previous one because I simply didn't have the time to dedicate to a book. But with an abundance of free time suddenly springing up out of nowhere, I easily got through it in a matter of a couple of days. Wonderful writing by St. Aubyn, as always.

[Dean]

The Duke and I - Julia Quinn
★★★★★
August 5th ➜ August 6th

"You don't have a quizzing glass."
He grinned — the slow, devastatingly wicked smile that all Bridgerton males seemed to possess. "I bought one just for this occasion."

I'd mentioned to a few friends that I was planning on reading this series after devouring the Netflix show within a week, and the majority of them said the exact same thing to me: that it wasn't the best written series in the world and that all of the books were basically the same format. The last statement remains to be seen as I've yet to read any of the others, but I certainly don't think that the writing is terrible.

I think it has a charming character to it that just kept me drawn in and the conversations between the Bridgerton siblings felt so real that at times, I could almost imagine my own siblings and I having a similar conversation. And the tension, at times, between Daphne and Simon was absolutely bilstering. (view spoiler)[I especially enjoyed the addition of Anthony being in on their little plan, which I think made it all the more poignant when he caught them in the garden and challenged Simon to a duel. (hide spoiler)] I love the way that Julia writes, I find it incredibly easy to read and it keeps me engaged, which is admittedly difficult to do these days.

And now, dear reader, This Author comes to the most important part of the review which is devoted solely to the strength of the love in my heart for Anthony Bridgerton. We both have big eldest sibling energy, are essentially the heads of our household, and can at times be remarkably brusque but with the best intentions. Ignore Paula Abdul when she said that Opposites Attract, this season it's all about how being the same person means that you're meant to be together.

Now, I'm going to assume that the remainder of the series is going to be about the whirlwind love affair that I will soon be embarking upon with Viscount Bridgerton, and have renamed the books as follows:

The Viscount Who Loved Dean
Dean's Offer From A Viscount
Romancing Anthony Bridgerton
To Anthony, With Love
When Anthony Was Wicked To Dean
It's In Anthony's Kiss
On The Way To Dean And Anthony's Wedding

I shan't hear a word against this, lest my heart be cleaved in twain.

Yours truly,
the soon-to-be Viscount Dean Bridgerton.