YEAR IN BOOKS: 2022
And just like that, here we are at the end of 2022!
With another year comes another batch of books, and I have to say…this was a pretty wonderful reading year for me. Not only did I crush my initial reading goals, I read a lot of fabulous works across various genres, from fantasy in a dozen different flavors to memoir and occult nonfiction (a peculiar interest of mine).
This year, I read 52 books, whereas last year I read 41. I have discovered that 50 is a comfortable number for me, challenging me without taking too much time away from my writing and other activities. Some quick stats from GR:
The shortest book I read was 87 pages (Angelo Lytle’s Message In a Bottle)
The longest was 997 (Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Fate)
My average book length was 367 pages, and I read ~19,100 pages over the course of the year
My average rating was 4.2
A funny thing happened this year. Usually, I’m hesitant to tackle chunky books (i.e. 500+ pages), as I fear they will keep me from reaching my goal in a timely manner. Well, turns out I have no problem with chunky books so long as I am really invested in them. Such was the case with Robin Hobb.
Robin Hobb was, by far, the highlight of my reading year. By chance, I discovered The Farseer Trilogy back in late summer/early fall. I did not expect to be so thoroughly hooked by this universe, especially since it appeared to have all the earmarks of a typical Euro-centric fantasy world, complete with heavy court politics. That’s a genre I sometimes struggle with, for reasons I won’t bother mentioning here. But Hobb ensnared me on the first dozen pages of Assassin’s Apprentice, and over the course of the next four months, I binged not only The Farseer Trilogy, but The Tawny Man Trilogy and The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy, as well.
No book is without its flaws, small or large, and the same can be said of these books. However, it’d be remiss of me not to acknowledge the mastery Hobb has over characters and complex plots. Fool’s Fate was the first book ever to make me cry. I don’t mean misty eyes, either; I mean “set-my-tablet-down-and-sob” kind of cry. I found a lot of myself in the Fool, and I really, really appreciated the relationship he had with Fitz. Needless to say, these books are going to be with me for a long time.
Other powerful reads for me this year included:
The Secret History, by Donna Tartt (yes, it was my first time, and yes, this book also destroyed me)
Summer Sons, by Lee Mandelo (satisfying my queer southern gothic horror need)
A Marvellous Light, by Freya Marske
In the Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado (a powerful memoir recommended by S.T. Gibson)
Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
And of course, some books I read from my fellow indies:
Message in a Bottle, by Angelo Lytle (a short & dreamy snack)
Winter’s Dawn & Obsidian Island, both by Arden Powell
Meliora, by Talli L. Morgan (for those with warm & doughy hearts)
Structural Integrity, by Tabitha O’Connell
I’m really looking forward to the next 50 books! I’ve got some intriguing ones on my radar. I’m starting the year with T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead.
May 2023 bring y’all glorious literary blessings! See you on the other side. 💜
