The more things change, the more things stay the same... we're another year older and wiser, and most likely still carrying a little more extra hand sanitizer and a couple of KN95s in our tote bags. We've made it another rotation around the sun with all our brains, bones, and limbs still intact, and we've got a few more good reads to show for it. Which means, of course, it's time for my 2022 Reading Stats!
Well, you lose the Goodreads Reading Challenge once (like I did in 2020), you might as well miss the mark twice! For the second time ever, I have once again biffed it on my numerical reading goals... this time missing out on my stretch of 55, by way of a 46 total. That's a nine book difference, but it feels like so much more than that, when I know that the number of books I've been shooting for has only gone downhill over the last couple of years, as well.
I mean, back in 2015 and 2016 - my last two years of college - I easily handled my 75 and 77 book totals. I tried giving myself a bit of a break in the last few years hence, with goals of 55 and 60, but barring the aberrational year of 2020, I had no problems with handily dispatching those kinds of numbers. In 2021, I barely squeaked by with a shot at 52, ending the challenge on the last day of the year, but this year? I didn't even make it up to the 49 I still managed to make in 2020, the First Year of Failure. What gives?
To be honest, I think there are a couple of things that ended up shifting around the way I prioritized books in my life this year:
- I'm in the middle of a job search, and my reading record reflects that. I read a lot of job-hunting books, which - while not entirely inaccessible in diction or large in size - required a lot of self-reflection and play-along activity sheets while reading. It's not every book you read that makes you completely rewrite your resume or create a Pinterest board whilst in the middle of a chapter. (And yes, I'm still searching around for a new métier.)
- I went through some health drama that really changed my perspective on the regular Care and Keeping of Me. After living for over six months with severe brain fog, daily migraines, occasional vertigo, and sinuses that felt like they could explode inside my head at any moment, I finally got to the doctor in May. An allergist had some explanations for me at the end of July that not only rocked my world, but set me on several routine kinds of daily medication. (Without getting into it, let me just overarchingly say that I am allergic to "The Outside"... aka, severely allergic to the grass, moderately allergic to most of the weeds, and slightly allergic to a lot of the flowering trees, all in Washington state. Because this is hashtag so my life, naturally these revelations didn't come to pass until AFTER I had already suffered through two camping trips last year. One of the first things my mother said in response to the news was call me "bubble girl.")
- As you might be able to surmise as a relational aspect to both of the above, I spent a lot of this year in pretty severe mental health flux. I hold up as proof, the fact that I spent all of yesterday rereading my journal from 2022 before I cracked open the front page of 2023... and lemme tell ya, I certainly made sure my first read of the year was a major downer.
Hopefully, I'll be able to get a better handle on each of these aspects of my daily life in 2023, so they won't spend another whole year mucking up my ability to focus on the words on a page.
But while my Total Pages Read was THOUSANDS of pages lower than in recent years, it seems that my propensity for average scores is still pretty on target: I'm holding at around a 3.5 to 3.6 ratings for cumulative scoring, which feels pretty right to me, as I'm a little more discerning in my reading habits nowadays. I might not be racking up the point totals like I used to in my peak performance years, but I still have a pretty good idea of when I'm looking at something that just isn't quite up to standard.
I also ended up reading a whole lot of Romance and Memoir - of the 46 books I read, a total of nine came from each of those two categories alone - as well as a significant amount of Fantasy and SciFi (ten total). These kinds of escapist categories go far in representing a year where I clearly spent a lot of time trying to get out of my own head... routine reaches for unrealistically witty banter, celebrity insider scoops, and worlds where magical creatures and high-functioning technology exist are the Savannah equivalents of having an extra glass of wine at dinner (or in some extreme cases, a Long Island Iced Tea at lunch).
And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the amount of writing I also did this past year... not in the "consistent and dedicated focus" kind of way, but more in the "I wrote 100K words for Camp NaNoWriMo in April and kind of blacked out for a little while there" kind of way. I squirreled away a few different drafts into my Word docs and drew up a couple of other outlines here and there, but while I don't have a lot of content to show for it, I promise, there was a lot of writing going on.
(Just not on this blogging space. Sorry.)
books of the year
But I did manage to read something! In fact, a few somethings. Not consistently enough to merit a "Fave Book of the Month" out of the twelve in the year - being that some months, I read only a few two- or three- star reads, and some months, I didn't manage to actually read anything at all - but enough to merit a Top Ten, at the very least.
As it turns out, your second read of the whole year, can also be one of your favorites!
A young woman's account of her unexpected post-collegiate journey, in a traveling orchestra that didn't really play music, conducted by a man whose compositions sounded a little bit like... well, you can guess from the title. Her writing is remarkably free of moral judgement of the people she traveled and played with, and instead offers a unique perspective on coming of age in the early '00s, in a tense political and cultural sphere, and in the inherent questions of value - or devaluing - of commodified art.
As a theater fan, I'm a huge Hadestown girlie, but particularly, in a "I've Been Following This Since 2016 New York Workshops and the Concept Album Was My Most-Listened On Spotify Before It Ever Hit Broadway" kind of way.
This detailed, behind-the-scenes perspective not only allows for the deep dive into the lyrics that this evocative storytelling deserves, but also, shows exactly how much effort - from all quarters - goes into getting something ready for the stage. Mitchell shares lyric drafts and and cast-and-crew developments alike, in a way that fans of the show will greatly enjoy. Highly recommend just taking an afternoon to get cozy with the Broadway album, and read along, whilst getting lost in the music.
One of the best parts of my Summer, was getting back into some of my childhood favorites: after a Summer Book Bingo slot back in August called for a reread of a past page-turner from the elementary years, I picked up some heavily-loved hardcovers from the children's section of the library, and got to it. It instantly transported me not just into the fantasy realm I remembered... but also, those amber-colored afternoons, coming home on a Thursday (aka, "Library Day," in the fourth grade) with something new checked out, and trying to squeeze in a few chapters before Mom called you down for dinner.
My brother ended up getting me a minty-fresh softcover boxed set for my Birthday, and they made for some of my final reads of the year.
Roanhorse had been on one of my most-anticipated stacks of books last Summer, but unfortunately, this book's brutal opening two chapters sent me skittish, and I didn't end up picking it up again until THIS Summer, when I was in a less squeamish place. What followed was in no way less brutal, but also rich, vibrant, gritty, and fantastic, and called forwards mythology not typically seen in Fantasy novels, in a way that felt inherently true and real.
As soon as I put the book down, while on vacation with my brother, I told him that, despite my aversion to so much bloodshed, I was still thinking of picking up the sequel.
Speaking of squeamish, nothing like the memoirs of an OB-GYN doctor within the British NHS structure to make you rethink the idea of owning a uterus. His unflinching, heartfelt, and humorous diaries from his time dedicated to the healthcare system is infinitely moving, be that your belly shaking with laughter, or your eyes wincing in empathy. It is a proof that doctors care for every kind of patient, while also demonstrating the foibles of a tendency-towards-broken system that has a tendency to break down doctors, too.
It was one of my most surprising favorites of the year, for sure, and one prompted by a Book Bingo square, too. After the past few years we've experienced, I feel like it should be semi-standard reading... even if some of the pages therein are dedicated to the myriad of things people are willing to shove up their rectum.
Talk about a pop culture moment. I feel like I've seen this book on almost every "Must Read" list of published works from 2022, and I absolutely add myself to that number: it is a smart, well-written, vivid and evocative reflection on what pains come from not only growing up in the spotlight, but loving someone whose love to you brings its own kinds of grief.
McCurdy - best known for playing Sam in Nickelodeon's late-'00s iCarly series - is a damn good writer, and if the past year has brought her anything, I hope it is the knowledge that she is incredibly talented, and very clearly loved by a whole lot of people. For fans of Hollywood tell-alls, or anyone who's ever watched a "Where are They Now" special on child stars, it's an incredible peek behind the curtain at a very easily corrupted system; for those who enjoy earnest and authentic memoirs, written by those willing to speak with candor about difficult situations, it is a heartbreakingly honest work.
McCurdy describes her past without judgement or censure towards those involved in her pain, but allows the observer the room to engage emotionally without direction. It might not seem like it from the frank title, but to be clear: she loved her mom. It's just that sometimes, the love people show us ends up cutting deeper than hate ever could.
Speaking of loving your mom, this book is a thick brick of a love letter to the women in Bragg's mother's side of the family. Chock full of mouth-watering descriptions and enough butter and lard to put a warehouse full of Crisco to shame, this book invoked in me a deep appreciation for modern grocery convenience... as well as an understanding that sometimes, you've just got to steal the pigs feet hanging up in your rich uncle's smokehouse.
Drawing from an oral history that spans a century, Bragg spins his grandmother's endless yarns about food and family, into a thick, comfy blanket of Southern culinary history. Biscuits, bacon, and beans abound, with garden tomatoes and chitlins and corn worked in there, too, and the whole thing makes you hungry enough to chase down a rural, wild pig, even when reading a chapter about how that's an abominably stupid idea.
I told my brother sometime in middle of the year, that I was on the hunt for some more slice-of-life speculative fiction. Fantasy quests and magical swords are cool and all - and who doesn't love a remote space station or difficult-to-understand made-up mechanics? - but honestly... I was looking for something that felt a little more comfy. After all, if you suddenly got the chance to be transported to a fantasy world, are you looking for a monster to slay, or are you heading straight to the nearest tavern?
I've also been super burnt out on apocalyptic Science Fiction for a few years now - an eternal screw you to Bacigalupi's Water Knife, I hate you forever - and only recently discovered the concept of Solarpunk, so I figured when I saw the Monk and Robot series on several friends' recommended lists, that I would give it a go.
And that's as much as I'll say about it; I want you to go in with zero-to-nil expectations or assumptions. I just want you to take a quiet afternoon, to read, sip some tea, and reflect. You'll enjoy it, I promise, and hopefully leave feeling a little lighter than when you came.
There are certain things in this world I enjoy as some of Life's small pleasures, and within its ranks, "Dungeons and Dragons" and "Swearing" among the tops. I can guarantee that if you, like me, have these as some of your personal favorite extracurriculars, you will also enjoy this hilarious, violent, deeply weird Fantasy.
Taking place in a richly-detailed and engrossing High Fantasy world, the standout aspects of this work are truly the level of care put into the universe's construction, as well as the voice of Kinch na Shannack, the main character, both of which are - bar none - some of the best I've read in Fantasy in recent years. As a result, you will have to take your time reading, truly... it's like having Deadpool narrate a comprehensive history of Western Europe. And I mean that with the highest amount of praise, and no small amount of fictional obscenities.
There was a bit of a movement, a couple of years back, where the aesthetic-obsessed netizens of Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram got really into sharing screenshots of the '90s Matt Damon / Jude Law / Gwenyth Paltrow movie as a part of their "Summer Inspo" collections. I think they were angling more towards the "sun-soaked Italian vacation" part, and a little less towards the "homoromantic murder" part, but who am I to judge?
In truth, this book is so much more than what is possible to portray through a screen, and quickly became a favorite read of the Summer, one that I've only been reflecting on more fondly the more months I travel away from August. Ripley is one hell of a character, and while I'm not surprised that Highsmith managed to carry on his exploits in many more printed adventures, I'm shocked that more of them are not popularly read.
While I strongly advocate for you adding all of these Top Ten to your own personal TBR, here are the ones in particular I think you should pick up first, as a Top Four:
Sounds Like Titanic, Jessica Chiccetto Hindman
This is Going to Hurt, Adam McKay
I'm Glad My Mom Died, Jeanette McCurdy
A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers
Well, that's a wrap on 2022. At least, for now... after all, there's a lot more bookish thoughts to wrap up than just what I actually managed to read. Just wait until you hear what I DIDN'T manage to read... but more on that later.
Let's just say, there are two pretty distinct ways that 2023 is going to look a lot like 2015, 2017, and 2021. Tune in next time!
What were some of your fave reads of the past year? If you could add one book to everyone's 2023 TBRs, what would you choose, and why? Let me know, in the comments below!
No comments:
Post a Comment