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Wow this book is incredible! There’s so much to say that I’m afraid I don’t have the words to convey it all. Becky Chambers’ book gave me so many FEELINGS. Each new page revealed some unexpected delight or curiosity that kept me hooked right to the end.

I love science fiction, but especially stories that involve both the minutia of the daily lives of spacefarers or colonists and the sweeping grand scale of interstellar travel and galactic politics. Combine this with a healthy dose of chunky, tangible tech, sentient AIs and a variety of different races and cultures and I’m in my happy place.

The Long Way delivers on all of this and so much more. The multi-species crew of the Wayfarer are all fleshed out as distinct individuals, each with their own personalities, belief systems, desires and struggles. It was thrilling to discover little snippets of their backstories and how this influences their relationships with each other. I also really enjoyed that our window into their world was initially that of an outsider, Rosemary, and that as I grew more accustomed to the crew, so did she.

(Kizzy is my absolute favourite❤️ Jenks asking “are you making them hats?” absolutely killed me😂)

Becky makes expert use of the interpersonal relationships between this small cast of quirky characters living in tight quarters to explore themes of identity, family, gender and sexuality effortlessly. It never feels heavy handed and the variety of species only made it more natural. It was refreshing to discover a universe where multiple gender pronouns, sexual orientations and found families are the norm.

All this set against the backdrop of the Galactic Commons and the political concerns of different planets and species. The destination, Hedra Ka - the small angry planet of the title - is only found after a long and meandering journey, but what a journey. This is a story that’s all about what happens when you take the long way round and it’s SO worth it. I adored this book.

I’m really sad that it’s over - a little stunned to be honest - but I’m so grateful for the heartwarming, emotional story that now lives rent free in my brain. Better still, I am delighted to discover that, not only is there a sequel, this is the first book of four in the Wayfarer series. The little preview of the second book was a nice teaser and I’m looking forward to what comes next. Highly recommended.

2022 was the year I made space for reading. Also reading for pleasure, for a change, rather than for study or work.

Having only finished one book in 2021 (The Only Living Girl on Earth by Charles Yu), I read five books this year and I’m over half way through my sixth (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers).

In January, I filled the space waiting for mum’s funeral with The Martian by Andy Weir. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the film, mainly due to the way the lead character, Mark Watney, came across. However, I loved all the attention to detail.

In June, while visiting a close friend in Bristol, I read Fix the System, Not the Women by Laura Bates. It sets out in painful detail the systems that allow misogyny to thrive. Highly recommended.

In July, I read How One Becomes Sarah Mead by CL Craven. I really liked the way the different characters related to each other. Beautifully written - hopeful if at times heart breaking - and raises lots of questions about our ideas of happiness and relationships.

In November I discovered Bookwyrm and set myself the lofty goal to read 12 books in 2022. That didn’t happen but this was also the month where I started both Mask Off by JJ Bola and The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley, both books I bought for my eldest nephew.

The former is a good primer on toxic masculinity and the systems that both imprison and harm us. The latter I can only describe as ‘quirky’ but I loved it for this, even if I did find some of the period-specific cultural attitudes difficult to swallow.

In December I started The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. I’m really enjoying it - this kind of ‘group of outcasts on a spaceship’ and the cultural tapestry that surrounds their adventures is my kind of science fiction - and I’ve discovered the Monks and Robots series by the same author that I’m looking forward to reading.

I think i'll stick with a goal of 12 books in 2023. I already have some books i'd like to return to and finish and some new ones i've been making a note of. However, whatever I end up reading, i'm looking forward to it.

BookWyrm #AmReading #Books #2022RoundUp

Mask Off is a fantastic primer on toxic masculinity and the patriarchal structures we, as boys and men, are both damaged and privileged by.

I bought this book for my nephew but couldn’t resist reading it myself first. I wish I had read a book like this when I was a teenager. It both reassures and challenges the thoughts and feelings I think we all experience.

J. J. Bola takes the reader on a journey through many aspects of our society that place insidious expectations on men: politics, gender, love, sex, social media, sports. These are illustrated with hard-hitting examples and the wider ramifications. I could not help but identify many instances from my own development as a young man that echo the dangerous structures highlighted here.

I was pleased to find a strong focus on mental well-being in the book and how our harmful views of masculinity can impact this for boys and young men.

I also found the discussion of feminism and gender identities in relation to masculinity very revealing - and actually highlighted histories I was previously unaware of.

The book leaves us with both comforting reassurance and very clear calls to action. I feel very fortunate to have been recommended this book, and even more confident that it’s exactly the kind of conversation I want my nephew to be a part of. Highly recommended.