I don’t know about everyone else, but 2022 was a hectic year for me all around but it was filled with mostly ups, so I’ll take that as a win. But here’s how my reading went this past year – the good, bad, boring, and forever faves!
And we’re going to try and go for no repeats, so wish me luck.
2022 READING STATS
Number Of Books You Read: 203 books
Total Pages Read: 76,276 pages
Hours Listened: 661 hours 10 minutes
Number of Re-Read: 7 books (10 less than last year!)
Number of DNFs: 20 books
Genre You Read The Most From: Romance.
Author You Read the Most From: Krista & Becca Ritchie coming in strong with 11 books.
1. BEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2022?
There was so many books I loved this year, but I’m not sure if there was a single one that stood out above the rest. So take this post – and my other wrap-ups – as a general recommendation of my favorites of the year. All come highly recommended.
2. BOOK YOU WERE EXCITED ABOUT & THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO LOVE MORE BUT DIDN’T?
When Gracie Met the Grump by Mariana Zapata. I’ve liked or loved most Mariana Zapata books I’ve read, with only a few being a miss. And after loving All Rhodes Lead Here earlier in the year, I had high hopes for this grumpy x sunshine romance, but it was just bad. A miss on every level.
3. MOST SURPRISING (IN A GOOD WAY OR BAD WAY) BOOK YOU READ?
Good:
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dern. I hadn’t heard much about this book, and if I did it was mostly moderate to negative, but I loved it. The internal character focus was a win and I didn’t mind the slower pacing at all.
Bad:
Normal People by Sally Rooney. I know she’s a beloved author, but based on this book, I’m not sure why. It was just lackluster and boring, and nothing stood out at all.
4. BOOK/AUTHOR YOU “PUSHED” THE MOST PEOPLE TO READ?
Kennedy Ryan is the author I fell head over heels for this year. Every book was a win and there are so many more books I want to read from her.
5. BEST SERIES YOU STARTED IN 2022? BEST SEQUEL OF 2022? BEST SERIES ENDER OF 2022?
Started: Jade City by Fonda Lee
Sequel: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
Ender: I didn’t read a finale that wowed me this year.
6. FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR YOU DISCOVERED IN 2022?
Kennedy Ryan. I mean see above. Every book I read from her in 2022 was a win. To say she became an auto-buy author is an understatement.
7. BEST BOOK FROM A GENRE YOU DON’T TYPICALLY READ/WAS OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE?
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. I’m still a novice at horror – especially apocalyptic horror. But the audiobook narration made the story come alive and I liked the ambiousness of the story.
8. MOST ACTION-PACKED/THRILLING/UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR?
The One by John Marrs. The amount of characters and storylines keeps this moving at a break-neck pace. Not to mention that almost every chapter change ends in a cliffhanger, I could not put this down.
9. BOOK YOU READ IN 2022 THAT YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO RE-READ NEXT YEAR?
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I know I’ll need to re-read this before I continue with the series – whenever that may be.
10. FAVORITE COVER OF A BOOK YOU READ IN 2022?
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwake Amezi | The rich warm tones and the stunning detail on the cover are so eye catching
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. | The dark natural elements are 100% my style and I would totally frame this cover.
11. MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTER OF 2022?
Like books, I loved a lot of characters in 2022, but simply do not have the brain power – or will – to narrow the choices down.
12. MOST BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK READ IN 2022?
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. The balance of small town politic with the tension and undercurrent of secrets and lies was perfectly balanced.
13. MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING/ LIFE-CHANGING BOOK OF 2022?
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li. While this fell a little short of my expectations, I loved the conversations about colonialism, ownership, art, and museums.
14. BOOK YOU CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WAITED UNTIL 2022 TO FINALLY READ?
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. This book is easily worth all the hype and I’m determined to read more than one a year to make progress on the series.
15. FAVORITE PASSAGE/QUOTE FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2022?
Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng)
“Because hope is a knife that can cut through the foundations of the world.”
Every Heart a Doorway (Seanan McGuire)
16.SHORTEST & LONGEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2022?
Sidetracked by S.T. Abby | 98 pages
Cursed Fates by Caroline Peckham & Susanen Valenti | 886 pages
17. BOOK THAT SHOCKED YOU THE MOST
One of the perks of not reading synopsizes is that most books have the potential to shock you. I knew The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead was a mystery/thriller book and that was pretty much it, and I never could have guessed the direction or turns this story took.
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (YOU WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP!)
Bristol and Grip from The Grip series by Kennedy Ryan.
19. FAVORITE NON-ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP OF THE YEAR
The second generation from the Like Us series has my heart just like their parents.
20. FAVORITE BOOK YOU READ IN 2022 FROM AN AUTHOR YOU’VE READ PREVIOUSLY
Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas. I probably could have included a number of books here, but this one was one of the most surprising wins for me. Pike and Jordan’s chemistry was insane and jumps off the page.
21. BEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2022 THAT YOU READ BASED SOLELY ON A RECOMMENDATION FROM SOMEBODY ELSE/PEER PRESSURE
The Mindfuck series by S.T. Abby was everywhere earlier this year and I couldn’t resist a revenge story with a romantic subplot.
22. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2022?
I don’t really do fictional crushes.
23. BEST 2021 DEBUT YOU READ?
I am so bad at keeping track of what’s a debut book and what’s just new to me. But I know that B.K. Borison’s Lovelight Farms was a holiday read highlight for me this year.
24. BEST WORLDBUILDING/MOST VIVID SETTING YOU READ THIS YEAR?
The atmosphere in Adrienne Young’s Spells For Forgetting is so perfect for fall/winter. Plus the mystery and slow reveals pulls the story along and keeps you engaged.
25. BOOK THAT PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE/WAS THE MOST FUN TO READ?
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kahn is the perfect beach book with loveable characters, low stakes, and high entertainment.
26. BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY OR NEARLY CRY IN 2022?
I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter. I was on the verge of tears for most of this book and I lost the battle many times.
27. HIDDEN GEM OF THE YEAR?
Gild by Raven Kennedy. Who doesn’t want to read a King Midas re-imagined fantasy romance story.
28. BOOK THAT CRUSHED YOUR SOUL?
Still by Kennedy Ryan. This entire series – and many of Kennedy’s book in general – are steeped in emotion, but this book pull my heart out of my chest and crushed it over and over.
29. MOST UNIQUE BOOK YOU READ IN 2022?
Jade City by Fonda Lee. The magic is so unique and I really loved the urban fantasy setting.
30. BOOK THAT MADE YOU THE MOST MAD (DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU DIDN’T LIKE IT)?
A lot of books disappointed by but I can’t think of any off the top of my head that made me really mad.
1. ONE BOOK YOU DIDN’T GET TO IN 2022 BUT WILL BE YOUR NUMBER 1 PRIORITY IN 2023?
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Circe is one of my favorite books and Song of Achilles has been on my TBR for years.
2. BOOK YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING FOR 2023 (NON-DEBUT)?
You can check out my 2023 anticipated releases posts for books coming out through April that I’m excited about. (and come back in May for the next anticipated releases post!)
3. 2023 DEBUT YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING?
As mentioned above, I’m laughably bad at knowing what’s a debut book and what isn’t. So I couldn’t tell you if any books I’m excited by are debuts or not. Maybe that will be something else to track in my reading this year.
4. SERIES ENDING/A SEQUEL YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING IN 2023?
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t enjoy Ninth House as much as I wanted too, or maybe I just thought everyone else was hyping it too much and it was just fine. But I have high hopes for the sequel because I loved Darlington.
5. A 2023 RELEASE YOU’VE ALREADY READ & RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE (IF APPLICABLE).
Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka is truly amazing. It’s one of the most tension-filled and pining books I’ve ever read. If you’re looking for a unique second chance romance story, you will not regret this pick.
Here to everyone having the 2023 of our dreams!
Life of a Literary Nerd 