My Favorite Books of 2022
It's time to get into my favorite books I read in 2022, but first some thoughts. 2022 wasn't the greatest year for me and that had some impact on my reading. I lost an uncle in March, so I was leaning more into comfort and cozy reads and found some great books. I met my reading goal on Goodreads. I deliberately set it low because I like to win lol. Even though I met my goal, I still would have liked to have read more. I read less than I usually do. I had too many distractions going on.
As for other “goals” the only official one I had was to read more books from authors where I only read one book, but loved it (I gave it five stars). I had a little list. I tried two authors from that list. Nicky Drayden and Silvia Moreno Garcia. It wasn't so successful. The Nicky Drayden book I ended up DNFing and the Silvia Moreno Garcia book was just OK, but I'll still try more of her books. I also had a bit of a goal to start a new epic fantasy series from my physical TBR. I only had to read the first book to count towards the goal. I don't know if The Books of Babel count as epic, but I not only read the first book, but the entire series. If that one doesn't count though, I did start the Bloodsworn series with The Shadow of the Gods and I definitely plan on continuing. The only other “goal” I had was to read more non-sff classics. Well, I can say I read part of one, but that's it lol.
Now for some stats. I'm mostly going to focus on the stats that interest me. I read a total of 36 books last year. Again, less than I would have liked, but admittedly there were DNFs too, more than usual. I read more female than male authors, and about 10% were a non-binary author because I read more than one book by them. 19% were POC authors and protagonists. 16% were queer authors and 19% had queer protagonists. I think those stats are pretty good. I did read more books with LGBTQ+ characters in them, but I only count it when the protagonist is LGBTQ+. I read five books where the main character would be considered to have a disability, which is pretty cool. As usual, my most common star rating was four stars, which made up 44% of the books. And most of the books I read were in the 300-400 page range. No surprise there. That's about the average size of a book. My most read genre was fantasy. Again, it always is. It made up 61% of my reading. My next most read genre was sci-fi at around 17% if I round up, and then surprise surprise horror at 11%. I've been getting into it a little more around Halloween time. I do enjoy supernatural horror/haunted house kind of stories. My average number of books I read per month was between 2-4. I never read more than four.
But I think that's enough stats now. On to my favorite books I read in 2022.
Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson - I enjoyed the pulpy action adventure style. There was a lot to unpack and I thought it was wonderful and deeply moving.
Gutter Mage by J.S. Kelley - I loved this book so much. I loved Roz. I loved the action, dark humor, and emotional moments. I wish it was a series so badly.
Doctor Who: Legends of Camelot by Jaqueline Raynor - This was not a five star read for me, but I'm putting it on here anyway because it was so much fun and funny. I just loved the Doctor and Donna's banter.
Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft - I read the whole series and loved them all, but I'm picking this one as my favorite because you get to know the supporting characters and I came to really love them, and it was just a fun time.
Legend and Lattes by Travis Baldree - I'm glad this book has really taken off right now because it's worthy of all the praise. It's a charming cozy read with lovable characters that will make you crave yummy sweets and coffee.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - I read the Six of Crows duology this year. I also read the King of Scars duology too, but I think this series was the better of the two. I think Crooked Kingdom edged out Six of Crows a little more because the con games were more satisfying for me. Fantastic character development and an emotional gut punch.
The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - There's a trend here where I tend to love books with great characters, and this was no different. It was very sweet and reminded me of Star Trek. It should be a TV show. I definitely want to read more.
Saga Volume 10 by Brian K. Vaughn - I've waited so long for this volume and it continues to hurt me. I'm worried and I just want the characters to be happy.
Farilane by Michael J. Sullivan - Really loved this and loved Farilane as a character. The ending came unexpected and let's just say it's going to leave an emotional impact. One of Sullivan's best works. I enjoyed it more than Nolyn.
Honorable Mentions
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow - This book was not at all what I was expecting, but I did really like it and the writing was beautiful.
Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala - I read both books from her cozy mystery series that came out last year. I think I liked this one a little more than Blackmail and Bibingka. They're fun and entertaining.
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne - This would be my first John Gwynne. I can't help but compare to Joe Abercrombie who I think is a better writer, but this was still good and atmospheric. Will be reading on.
Witchmark by C.L. Polk - I really liked the setting and the romance and found the mystery intriguing. I did like the other two books in the series, but I really wanted to be following the main character from the first book rather than switching POVs, so that was a little disappointing.
Dishonorable Mentions and DNFs
The Maid by Nita Prose - Frustrating and unacknowledged representation that was too much of a stereotype, and the ending left a bad taste in my mouth.
The Lost Years by T.A. Barron - I had high hopes for it and it ended up letting me down. The beginning was strong, but it devolved into childishness. Too much even for me and I'm one who sometimes enjoys middle grade books.
The Legacy of Molly Southborne - by Tade Thompson - Maybe it had been too long since I read the last book, but I just wasn't into it.
Gallant by V.E. Schwab - I've enjoyed some of Schwab's other books, but this one failed to engage me.
The Girl and the Moon by Mark Lawrence - I think I'm officially giving up on Mark Lawrence because his books are very hit or miss for me. I wasn't fond of the direction this book went in.
I DNF'd three books last year, which is more than usual for me. I rarely DNF books because I've gotten good at knowing what I will like. Two of these I actually received in a Goodreads Giveaway, which is such a shame.
Temper by Nicky Drayden - I read The Prey of the Gods previously, which I loved and was weird in a good way. This one was just weird in a bad way. It wasn't for me.
Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge - This was miserable to read and not my cup of tea.
Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin - I read a good chunk of this book and there was no plot to be found and way too many pop culture references. I didn't really care about the characters either. Then again, it's not a genre I typically read.
As for any reading goals I might have next year -- I don't like to do them because I hardly ever stick to them. However, I wished I had read more sci-fi last year, so maybe this year I will try to read more sci-fi. Maybe even some classics because I have several on my shelves. Of course this will all be depending on my mood. That's another reason it's difficult to follow goals as I'm kind of a mood reader.
Tomorrow I'll post that book survey I've enjoyed doing the past couple of years.
As for other “goals” the only official one I had was to read more books from authors where I only read one book, but loved it (I gave it five stars). I had a little list. I tried two authors from that list. Nicky Drayden and Silvia Moreno Garcia. It wasn't so successful. The Nicky Drayden book I ended up DNFing and the Silvia Moreno Garcia book was just OK, but I'll still try more of her books. I also had a bit of a goal to start a new epic fantasy series from my physical TBR. I only had to read the first book to count towards the goal. I don't know if The Books of Babel count as epic, but I not only read the first book, but the entire series. If that one doesn't count though, I did start the Bloodsworn series with The Shadow of the Gods and I definitely plan on continuing. The only other “goal” I had was to read more non-sff classics. Well, I can say I read part of one, but that's it lol.
Now for some stats. I'm mostly going to focus on the stats that interest me. I read a total of 36 books last year. Again, less than I would have liked, but admittedly there were DNFs too, more than usual. I read more female than male authors, and about 10% were a non-binary author because I read more than one book by them. 19% were POC authors and protagonists. 16% were queer authors and 19% had queer protagonists. I think those stats are pretty good. I did read more books with LGBTQ+ characters in them, but I only count it when the protagonist is LGBTQ+. I read five books where the main character would be considered to have a disability, which is pretty cool. As usual, my most common star rating was four stars, which made up 44% of the books. And most of the books I read were in the 300-400 page range. No surprise there. That's about the average size of a book. My most read genre was fantasy. Again, it always is. It made up 61% of my reading. My next most read genre was sci-fi at around 17% if I round up, and then surprise surprise horror at 11%. I've been getting into it a little more around Halloween time. I do enjoy supernatural horror/haunted house kind of stories. My average number of books I read per month was between 2-4. I never read more than four.
But I think that's enough stats now. On to my favorite books I read in 2022.
Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson - I enjoyed the pulpy action adventure style. There was a lot to unpack and I thought it was wonderful and deeply moving.
Gutter Mage by J.S. Kelley - I loved this book so much. I loved Roz. I loved the action, dark humor, and emotional moments. I wish it was a series so badly.
Doctor Who: Legends of Camelot by Jaqueline Raynor - This was not a five star read for me, but I'm putting it on here anyway because it was so much fun and funny. I just loved the Doctor and Donna's banter.
Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft - I read the whole series and loved them all, but I'm picking this one as my favorite because you get to know the supporting characters and I came to really love them, and it was just a fun time.
Legend and Lattes by Travis Baldree - I'm glad this book has really taken off right now because it's worthy of all the praise. It's a charming cozy read with lovable characters that will make you crave yummy sweets and coffee.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - I read the Six of Crows duology this year. I also read the King of Scars duology too, but I think this series was the better of the two. I think Crooked Kingdom edged out Six of Crows a little more because the con games were more satisfying for me. Fantastic character development and an emotional gut punch.
The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - There's a trend here where I tend to love books with great characters, and this was no different. It was very sweet and reminded me of Star Trek. It should be a TV show. I definitely want to read more.
Saga Volume 10 by Brian K. Vaughn - I've waited so long for this volume and it continues to hurt me. I'm worried and I just want the characters to be happy.
Farilane by Michael J. Sullivan - Really loved this and loved Farilane as a character. The ending came unexpected and let's just say it's going to leave an emotional impact. One of Sullivan's best works. I enjoyed it more than Nolyn.
Honorable Mentions
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow - This book was not at all what I was expecting, but I did really like it and the writing was beautiful.
Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala - I read both books from her cozy mystery series that came out last year. I think I liked this one a little more than Blackmail and Bibingka. They're fun and entertaining.
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne - This would be my first John Gwynne. I can't help but compare to Joe Abercrombie who I think is a better writer, but this was still good and atmospheric. Will be reading on.
Witchmark by C.L. Polk - I really liked the setting and the romance and found the mystery intriguing. I did like the other two books in the series, but I really wanted to be following the main character from the first book rather than switching POVs, so that was a little disappointing.
Dishonorable Mentions and DNFs
The Maid by Nita Prose - Frustrating and unacknowledged representation that was too much of a stereotype, and the ending left a bad taste in my mouth.
The Lost Years by T.A. Barron - I had high hopes for it and it ended up letting me down. The beginning was strong, but it devolved into childishness. Too much even for me and I'm one who sometimes enjoys middle grade books.
The Legacy of Molly Southborne - by Tade Thompson - Maybe it had been too long since I read the last book, but I just wasn't into it.
Gallant by V.E. Schwab - I've enjoyed some of Schwab's other books, but this one failed to engage me.
The Girl and the Moon by Mark Lawrence - I think I'm officially giving up on Mark Lawrence because his books are very hit or miss for me. I wasn't fond of the direction this book went in.
I DNF'd three books last year, which is more than usual for me. I rarely DNF books because I've gotten good at knowing what I will like. Two of these I actually received in a Goodreads Giveaway, which is such a shame.
Temper by Nicky Drayden - I read The Prey of the Gods previously, which I loved and was weird in a good way. This one was just weird in a bad way. It wasn't for me.
Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge - This was miserable to read and not my cup of tea.
Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin - I read a good chunk of this book and there was no plot to be found and way too many pop culture references. I didn't really care about the characters either. Then again, it's not a genre I typically read.
As for any reading goals I might have next year -- I don't like to do them because I hardly ever stick to them. However, I wished I had read more sci-fi last year, so maybe this year I will try to read more sci-fi. Maybe even some classics because I have several on my shelves. Of course this will all be depending on my mood. That's another reason it's difficult to follow goals as I'm kind of a mood reader.
Tomorrow I'll post that book survey I've enjoyed doing the past couple of years.