End of Year Survey 2022

Welcome to the End of Year Survey, created by Perpetual Page-Turner!

I’m going to include my 2022 reading stats at the beginning, then do the book-only portion of the survey.

You can read last year’s survey here.

2022 READING STATS

Number Of Books Read: 200

Number of Pages Read: 50,407

Number of Re-Reads: 58

Fiction vs Nonfiction Percentages: 77% vs. 23%

Least Read Genre: Nonfiction – Politics

Least Read Format: E-book (18%)

Average Rating: 3.95

1. Best Book You Read In 2022?

If I had to choose a SINGLE book, it would probably be The Councillor by E. J. Beaton.

I read it last January and it had everything I want in a fantasy novel.

“It can’t be that good.” It IS that good.

I’m going to reread it. Try and stop me.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going to Love More but Didn’t?

I was ecstatic when The World We Make was finally released. I checked out a copy pretty soon after the release date and started reading right away.

This book was not ready to be a book.

From the sounds of it, N. K. Jemisin didn’t WANT it to be a book.

I would have been sad if The City We Became had stayed sequel-less. I’m a little bit sadder that the sequel was so mediocre.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?

I picked up Katee Robert’s The Dragon’s Bride as a joke.

Monster romance isn’t really my thing, but I trust Katee and figured this would be a fun romp.

Also, as a bonus, the dragon had two dongs.

The Dragon’s Bride turned out to be one of the most moving and honest romances I read all year.

I would like to share a euphemism I created for one of the book’s signature scenes: so you know when you’re filling your tank at the gas station? And you accidentally overfill it and make a big mess? That happens in this book!

Also, characters healing from abuse and unpacking consent? Nice!

I didn’t think the sequels could be anywhere near as good.

SURPRISE. The Demon’s Bargain might be even better!

Hear me out: sexy decapitation. It’s a thing.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People to Read (And They Did)?

I went to Barnes & Noble recently and tried to bully a stranger into buying Hell Followed with Us.

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

I PROMISE IT IS AN EXCELLENT USE OF YOUR TIME AND MONEY.

BUY IT. READ IT. SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

5. Best series you started in 2022? Best Sequel? Best Series Ender of 2022?

Best series: Definitely The Lighthouse Family. These books were really sweet.

Best sequel: All the Feels is more of a companion novel to Spoiler Alert, but it’s still the best sequel I read all year. Alex and Lauren destroyed me. NEVER BEFORE HAS INSOMNIA BEEN SO ROMANTIC.

Best series ender: Act Your Age, Eve Brown is the superior Brown Sister book. The entire series is fantastic; this one is something special. It made me laugh and cry the hardest of the three.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2022?

Jen Winston is my new favorite nonfiction author.

More memoirs, please, since Alex Marzano-Lesnevich is taking their sweet time with theirs!!

I loved everything Jen had to say about gender, fluidity, hope, and romance.

I want better for myself because of her.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I typically avoid classics.

I needed a banned book for Book Bingo, though, and The Bluest Eye came up the list of recommendations.

It was WAY funnier than I knew classics could be and also desperately heartbreaking.

Zadie Smith pointed out that Toni Morrison’s stories work because there are no monsters; every character is perfectly human and that’s what makes their choices so tragic.

I’ve now read two Toni Morrison novels and one short story and I’m ready for more.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

I’m still not sure how to describe Such a Fun Age, as it’s not a traditional thriller.

I’m going to call it a social thriller.

Genuinely one of the most stressful books I have ever read.

It gripped me.

9. Book You Read In 2022 That You Would Be MOST Likely to Re-Read Next Year?

I have literally already picked The Bone Orchard back up.

I really loved what it had to say.

I also reread Good Omens a few more times than I’d originally planned, so a 2023 reread is in the cards.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Can I get a wahoo?

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2022?

Toss-up between The House of Air and Breath and The King in Yellow.

I bought The King in Yellow purely FOR the cover and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

HOSAB’s cover reveal left me panting for months before the book’s release. IT’S SO PRETTY.

11. Most memorable character of 2022?

I loved Ramanu and their shenanigans in The Dragon’s Bride.

I had no idea they’d get their OWN BOOK.

Ramanu is a genderfluid chaos demon with horns for eyes who makes deals.

TRY to forget them. Just TRY.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2022?

Saeed Jones’s Alive at the End of the World is a series of gut punches.

Alive at the End of the World by Saeed Jones

“Saeed, or The Other One” forms the perfect backbone for a collection of poems about pain, survival, and truth.

It’s gorgeous work.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2022?

Trick Mirror changed how I look at the internet.

Because of it, I took even bigger steps away from Twitter and BookTok.

(I did make an Instagram, so…I’m not completely free.)

Jia Tolentino’s essays made me reassess a lot of the coping behaviors and justifications I’ve developed since the beginning of the pandemic.

Though it wasn’t a FUN read, it certainly affected me.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2022 to finally read?

I can’t believe I slept on Neil Gaiman this long.

Neverwhere was my least favorite of his books that I picked up; I still wish I’d read it earlier.

I feel like a younger me would have enjoyed it more.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2022?

YES, YES, THIS IS MY SECOND NEIL GAIMAN ANSWER IN A ROW.

I HAVE POSTED THIS PASSAGE FROM AMERICAN GODS PREVIOUSLY AND I WILL BE POSTING IT AGAIN.

“We are on our way to the Hall of the Dead. I requested that I be the one to come for you..”

“Why?”

“You were a hard worker. Why not?”

“Because…” Shadow marshaled his thoughts. “Because I never believed in you. Because I don’t know much about Egyptian mythology. Because I didn’t expect this. What happened to Saint Peter and the Pearly Gates?”

The long-beaked white head shook from side to side, gravely. “It doesn’t matter that you didn’t believe in us,” said Mr. Ibis. “We believed in you.”
American Gods, pg. 481

We Believed in You Tattoo coming in 2023 (probably.)

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2022?

Eat the Rich by Sarah Gailey, Pius Bak, and Roman Titov

Shortest book: Volume 4 of Sarah Gailey, Pius Bak, and Roman Titov’s Eat the Rich. This series was pretty fun and sUuUuPer gory.

Longest book: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. Question for doorstopper fantasy fans: HOW are you reading these so quickly? I have watched WoT fans mainline the entire series in a matter of weeks. Reading THIS book took me multiple months.

17. Book That Shocked You the Most

The authors of Bad Gays weren’t kidding: the people profiled were VERY Bad Gays!

My jaw was on the floor for some of these chapters.

The government takeover that ended with a public seppuku really did me in.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

I WAS going to say Lysande/Luca from The Councillor…

…but my real OTP is Jale/Dante from the same book.

I love them with all of my heart.

I decided that even if Lysande and Luca never figured things out, I would be satisfied as long as my boys got a happy ending.

The ending of this book is SOMETHING ELSE and that’s ALL I will say on the matter.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year

I would appreciate it if Crescent City would stop making me cry with its portrayal of sibling relationships.

Ruhn would do anything to keep Bryce safe.

He loves her so much. I can’t take it.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2022 From an Author You’ve Read Previously

I went LOOKING for more Jude Doyle books after reading Trainwreck.

I liked Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers okay. I ADORED Trainwreck.

In fact, I kind of want to reread it. I bet the audiobook is currently available.

(Update: it was and I did.)

21. Best Book You Read In 2022 That You Read Based SOLELY On a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.

My friend Kait casually (and calculatedly) recommended Pema Chödrön.

Actually, xie said to choose the title that most appealed to me and start there.

So I picked up The Places that Scare You and had a whole spiritual journey while commuting to various doctor’s appointments.

The Places that Scare You by Pema Chodron

I’m LIVID that xyr recommendation was so spot-on! This book was INCREDIBLE!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2022?

It has to be Luca Fontaine from The Councillor.

He actually pulls off the mysterious, morally grey bad boy persona that so many characters try for.

I love him.

23. Best 2022 debut you read?

I am FLABBERGASTED that Hell Followed with Us is a debut novel.

The writing is SO strong.

The characters feel real and the story feels complete.

I think queer kids deserve more than survival.

I want them to have the world.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

The Ocean at the End of the Lane‘s creepy otherworld left an impression.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman made the real world seem both terrifying and magical.

After reading this, I bought the illustrated version because I wanted to keep living in the story.

25. Book That Put a Smile on Your Face/Was the Most FUN To Read?

Her Pastry Shifters was one of my more absurd reads this year.

It got me out of a reading slump and gave me so much joy.

I took screenshots of almost every page and sent them to everyone I know.

This book made me croissant onto the floor.

26. Book That Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2022?

To readers who say they don’t cry while reading: CAN’T RELATE.

MANY books made me cry in 2022.

I picked Love, Hate, & Clickbait for this prompt because I never expected THIS book to get me there.

This book best exemplifies that shitty people have feelings, too.

Liz Bowery made me care for some truly appalling people.

27. Hidden Gem of the Year?

Ella Berman’s The Comeback was incredible and not a book I would have picked up on my own.

Booksellers at The Novel Neighbor gushed about it, however, so I had to try it for myself.

It’s really, really good.

It matters hugely that Grace is an imperfect victim.

She sees herself spiraling and doesn’t know how to stop it.

She’s trying any way she can to get back to herself.

I would recommend The Bone Orchard if you like fantasy and The Comeback if you prefer contemporary. They have similar themes and I adore them both.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Juniper & Thorn‘s ending put me out of a commission for a bit.

It seems entirely unfair that we can be undone by things in our life that we didn’t choose.

The book’s very realistic depiction of trauma flashbacks hurt my goddamn feelings.

In this book, hope and pain exist side by side.

Sevas and Marlinchen get to be happy. Even during difficult nights, they find their way back to each other.

I am tearing up just thinking about them.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2022?

I really liked the way How to Be Eaten chose to tell its story.

Sending fairy tale characters to a trauma support group is a really clever idea.

Each character tells a modified version of a Grimms Fairy Tale that tackles a different myth about trauma, e.g., “You were asking for it,” “You’re the real villain,” “What happened to you wasn’t that bad,” etc.

The women’s stories overlap until they’re finally able to see the similarities between their experiences.

This book also goes in some DIRECTIONS.

I WAS not expecting that take on Rumplestiltsken, or the focus on reality TV of all things.

The Bachelor is a cult, tell your friends.

30. Book That Made You the Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Thinking about On Rotation never fails to make me incadescent with rage.

I’m so mad because the rest of the book is so strong – the ROMANCE is the weak part.

YOUR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP SHOULDN’T BE MORE DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE THAN MED SCHOOL.

At the end, Angie’s mother advises Angie to give Ricky a chance, as though Angie has cut off Ricky after one mistake.

Ricky repeatedly showed how unable he was to respect Angie’s feelings.

He continued to hurt her after Angie groveled at his doorstep.

This book made me want to stay single.

That was 2022!

I am currently rereading more than one of the books on this list!

I may have found some forever favorites!

2023 is starting off with…classic literature? WHO AM I?

Happy new year, all. May your reading be as exciting as the climax of The Councillor.