Somehow this accidentally became a tradition. As traditions go, it's a fabulous one.

I read less than any year since at least 2017, and I'm gonna be the last person to diss myself about that. I spent much of 2022 working even longer hours than 2021 (50 hour weeks all summer and upwards of 55 during the fall). Also went through a publisher crisis midsummer and ended up severing all my ties with them by the beginning of November, so there was that not-at-all-mentally-draining-thing. Also dealt with a remarkable amount of family stress and internal turmoil over the course of the year. In my free time I tended to gravitate towards visual media rather than books, something that took less energy and actually turned out to be remarkably helpful for re-orienting the storytelling part of my brain and getting me out of the "zoomed-in" mode that I'd been stuck in for years.

Should I do a lil recap/analysis of my movies/shows of the year as a part 2 to my 2022 story absorption?

I think it's an 11/10 idea so I'll probably do it anyway but you know, let's see what the people say.

Onward, then:

*not ranked by any special order, as usual, least of all chronological*

1. The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien

I finished my reread of LOTR a few months into the year. It was a peculiar sort of reread, given that I started it in December 2020, dropped it until December 2021, read through the Two Towers specifically with my buddy-read friend over video call, and then in mid-February began to read the entire thing to my youngest sister. It's such a beautiful book. I bore away from this reread an even deeper and more mature appreciation for it than I think I had before. Some highlights:

"He saw no colour but those he knew, gold and white and blue and green, but they were fresh and poignant, as if he had at that moment first perceived them and made for them names new and wonderful."
- The Fellowship of the Ring, 341

2. Strange New World
Carl Trueman

A satisfying read that engaged both the intellectual and theological sides of my brain. Those who lean politically or doctrinally liberal will likely find themselves at odds with Trueman's conclusions, but it's a really insightful look into the historical roots of what makes the cultural search for identity what it is.

3. The Ickabog
J.K. Rowling

I had to read this one because pretty sure nightwraith17 would have done an arson or something if I refused. hehe. No it was really good though. Whimsical and fairytale-esque with villains as villainous as any children's story ought to have.

4. Adorning the Dark
Andrew Peterson

A joint reread with a friend. It's so unspeakably good.

5. Johnny Tremain
Elizabeth Forbes

Honestly my mind is blown every time I read this book by how vivid and hard-hitting it is. Memorably sketched personalities, impeccably timed emotional beats. Johnny's journey of character is one of the most magnetic, genuine, realistically grounded in time-and-place arcs I've ever had the pleasure to read.

6. In the Glorious Fields
Emily Hayse

Okay, this was the third of the Knights of Tin and Lead trilogy, it came out this May, and WHAT A WORTHY FINIS. I tend to fear climax books because they can under-deliver both dramatically and emotionally. But no. I got everything I needed out of this one.

7. A Time of Mourning and Dancing
Abigail Falanga

Got to this one after meaning to read it for the last, like, two years? A fun and well-written retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, maybe a little rushed at the end but I liked it enough for five stars. Still waiting for Falanga's fantastic Sleeping Beauty retelling that I beta-read in 2019 to come out >.>

8. Gentle and Lowly
Dane Ortlund

This was among my most formative reads this year, maybe ever...?? Framed like a devotional, very rich with comfort and truths. I need to reread to decide what my final recommendation sits at, but wow. It was a book I needed.

9. Rose in Bloom
Louisa May Alcott

I'd read Eight Cousins, the first book in this duology, years ago, but not realized there was a sequel. It turned up on my Wattpad radar, being one of the free classics somebody had uploaded, and I ended up skimming it over an hour or two. Cute romance, albeit one that would be considered incestuous in this era (hello cousins). Might like the first book better.

10. Providence
Richard Sezov

Impressively constructed plotline. Wasn't sure what to expect out of this one based on the description but the writing was actually quite compelling. A good, touching ending that felt earned.

11. The Goose Girl
Shannon Hale

Read this one to my youngest sister after LOTR. More gory and intense than I remembered -- nothing I'm sure 10+ couldn't handle, but I ended up outright skipping lines once or twice for the eight-year-old in question.

12. The Aegean Vault
Cate M. Turner aka bibliolumbricus

What an awesome conclusion to the Stolen Artifacts series!!! 10/10, excellent pacing and satisfying wrapup. Beta-ed this one during the summer and just finished my reread last month.

13. No Flesh Shall Glory
C. Herbert Oliver

This was something that caught my eye in an issue of our denominational magazine. Written in the late 1950's, it's a brief but thorough booklet denouncing racism in all forms and advocating a proper response to it, written by a black minister who preached for a while in Maine before spending the rest of his career taking action against Birmingham police brutality. I was deeply impressed, not only by the Biblical soundness which I concurred with, but by the current relevance of his thoughts to both sides of the polarized racial dialogue today. Not tailored to all of today's needs, perhaps, but the underlying mindset and message is invaluable. Highly recommend.

14. Three Act Tragedy
Agatha Christie

I decided I wanted to read some Christie this year in honor of The Claw's release. I tried to predict the murderer and failed so badly I was mentally in denial during the "reveal" speech. Never again, Ver. Never again.

15. Death on the Nile
Agatha Christie

Well, when I heard that Christie had written a FREAKIN HISTORICAL FICTION WHODUNIT SET IN ANCIENT EGYPT... how was I supposed to pass that up??

16. Hannah Coulter
Wendell Berry

I heard good stuff about Wendell Berry from a few sources. Turns out he's a little more environmentalist than I am but this was a fun read, albeit almost overwhelmingly immersive. I just wasn't in the right mindset at the time to deal with being thrust so wholly into a fictional person's memoir. It was excellent writing though.

17. Tall Trees, Tall People
Rex Southwell

This was non-fictional memoir stuff documenting family history in the same county where I've spent the last 15 years of my life. Enthusiastically loyal to my home territory, if not a multi-generational inhabitant, I enjoyed this look into the familiar lakes and trees and hills amidst the unfamiliar cast of a century ago.

18. I am N
Voice of the Martyrs

Perhaps a little repetitive, but poignant and inspiring. We cannot too often remember those of the church who labor under persecution.

19. The Windward King
K.T. Ivanrest

Wasn't as into this as I expected to be, though the pacing really did pick up towards the end. Fun character cast, and a relatable read for anyone struggling through chronic low self-esteem.

20. Dilseachd - a Stolen Crown
Cheyenne van Langevelde aka CelticWarriorQueen17

Chey blew this one out of the park. Looking for authentic Scottish vibes and memorable characters? Bookmark Dilseachd.

21. Betsy Was a Junior
Maud Hart Lovelace

We own, like, three books in this series, and while Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown is my favorite of the three, they're all full of delightfully quirky, genuine humanity and heart. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib always felt like a remarkable echo of the relationships between myself and my next two sisters down. I picked Betsy Was a Junior and breezed through it the other afternoon, fondly cherishing the highs and lows of sixteen-year-old Betsy. Feeling impossibly mature one evening and doing something stupidly goofy 12 hours later? Heck, that still happens sometimes.

22. Staff of Nightfall
Selina R. Gonzalez

Official reread of a manuscript I beta-read in 2019. A good duology if you're looking for a healthy depiction of romance with non-teen characters, mental health rep, and tons of magical explosions.

23. The Journey
mweh

Another read to the lil sister. Cemented my desire to publish the second edition. Hurrah for being actually free to do it now *cackles*

*flourishes* So that was Ver's year in books. Give a few more unfinished reads (I'm squeezing my way sporadically through a 700-page tome on covenant theology, for one) and some rereads that probably didn't make it onto the charts.

In 2022 I vocalized the desire to expand my range of genres a little, and as far as ratio goes, I guess I did that... to an extent. On the other hand, I still had/have a large TBR to work through, and most of it is indie-published scifi and fantasty. So. There's that.

I've imposed on myself a vaguely indefinite book-buying ban, so the main idea for 2023 is to read through the books I already have. We'll see if I get around to purchasing any by the end of the year or not.