2022 was not my year.

To be fair to it, I haven’t really had a “good” year since 2016 so it’s probably more my own fault.

@moonlitbooks_

I hope at least one of these will convince you to read these 2022 book recs, and no I won’t apologise for the lighting ❤️ #booktok #booktoker #booktokuk #books #book #bookish #bookrecs #bookrec #bookrecommendations #bookstan #bookworm #5starreads #reader #reading

♬ original sound – moonlitbooks_

2022 was the year I lost my dog, Scout, aged 15 and a half; it was the second (and very stressful) year of my History degree; it was a year full of work at my customer service job; the year where family members fell ill; and the year I abandoned this blog again; oh and I failed to do what I wanted to do in being more social, active and determined in my aspirations.

Like I said, not my year.

However, good things did happen. I started a booktok and there’s now 1500 people following, which is I know small for tiktok but big for me. I’m finding the outlet really fun and creative, and I think I may be okay at making short videos, but I could be wrong. We also now have a not so small puppy, Rex, filling our lives with laughter and walks.

Anyway, it’s time to stop talking about myself and talk about books instead. I’m going to give you a very quick December Wrap-Up and then a full breakdown of my reading throughout the year of 2022. My Wrap-Up for December is small with only two books, but my reading year was far more successful and I’m hoping interesting for you all.

December Wrap-Up

So I only managed to read two books in December, which is unsurprising as that is a very busy month for me. The first book I managed to finish was a graphic novel, Punderworld Volume 1, by Linda Sejic. Punderworld is a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, and follows the two gods as they meet properly for the first time and adventure ensues. It sets up a compelling conflict between Persephone and her mother, Demeter, as well as gives us a glimpse into the different settings of this world. The art style is beautiful and the characters are great, I would highly recommend it to any looking for a new retelling to read.

Hall of Smoke by H. M. Long was my second read, a high fantasy set in a world of gods warring and their powerful and magic gifted followers. The story follows Hessa, a priestess of the Goddess of War, the sole survivor of a raid that razed her village and priesthood, as she attempts to win back the favour of their God and avenge the deaths of their family. But as she is soon to discover on her trail of redemption and revenge, not every God is one you can trust and there’s a greater war than hers brewing in the God’s High Halls. This was a library ebook that I loaned out on a whim and I’m really glad I did! Whilst the world building was difficult at times it was an interesting read, and very compelling, I rated it four stars and will be picking up the sequel.

2022 Reading Breakdown

Outside of my personal life I managed to read 57 books, which is not too shabby even if I say so myself, and here is the breakdown from all of that:

So, some of this I’m really proud of such as the rating which is consistently high, and I like the fact I have a diverse range of genres and years published in my 2022 reading. However, the data for author’s race is not good, as you can clearly see. I failed to read books from authors of colour throughout the year and I’m aiming to change that this year. I’m also hoping to increase my library usage over the next year.

And here is every single book I read in 2022…

My only one star read of the year was House of Earth and Blood, and I don’t think I have a favourite read from the year of 2022 so I’ve included some of my favourites so you can pick and choose some recs.

I hope you all had great years, both personally and reading wise! And here’s to a brand new year!