My favorite reads of 2022

 Hello friends, 2022 is at an end, and I am here to wrap up my reading year. I ended up consuming 117 things this year (115 books physically, 2 on audio). These numbers were a bit low for me, compared to other years. (174 books back in 2020, 172 in 2021). The main reason being I read 99.9% of The Wheel of Time series (haven't read New Spring yet). This was a great year for me quality wise. None of my reads were below 3 stars on Goodreads. Before I give you my favorites, here are some superlatives from this year

Favorite graphic novel: Since rereads don't count, I can't include the first omnibus of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. For a few months, The Last Ronin would have been my selection, but yesterday, I finished this:

I wish I had a physical copy of this book because the artwork is so unique. The story takes place in 1968 and centers around Karen, a ten year old girl who lives in an apartment complex with her mother and her much older brother Diego. One day, her upstairs neighbor Anka dies under unusual circumstances and Karen takes it upon herself to find out what really happened. Karen is a horror aficionado and loves the old movies. She envisions herself as a Wolfman like creature, and that's the ways she's depicted through most of the story, with the exception of one panel. This book is mostly a coming of age story for Karen as she tries to come to grips with her sexual identity and some heavy stuff occurring at home with her mother and brother. It also explores part of Anka's traumatic life. This kind of reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and a certain graphic novel, which I will not mention because spoilers. I think part two is supposed to come out the second half of 2023, which I really hope it does, because of course this ended on a cliffhanger

Favorite author: This year's pick goes to Brandon Sanderson. This was the year Sanderson finally clicked with me. I first read Mistborn back in 2015 and really enjoyed it. Three years ago, I made an attempt at Warbreaker, but I gave up a quarter of the way through. Then in 2020, I read the entire trilogy of Mistborn Era 1. I wasn't totally crazy about the sequels. I thought they were just okay. With reading The Wheel of Time though, I really enjoyed his contributions to the last three books of the series (I would say The Gathering Storm is maybe my 5th favorite book of the series), and then, two days ago, I decided to give Warbreaker another try and really enjoyed it. I pre-ordered his first secret book and can't wait to read it in a few weeks.

Most disappointing book: This pick goes to my favorite author of last year: Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Guns of the Dawn was my 2nd favorite book last year. I also quite enjoyed Elder Race and Spiderlight. I was so excited for Souls. It wasn't bad. I gave it 3 stars, but it felt like it dragged a lot for me. The good news is, he redeemed himself with both Ogres and Dogs of War. I look forward to at least reading one thing by him next year    

Favorite protagonists: I really enjoy stories revolving around King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, so it's really no surprise that I would encounter The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell eventually. I enjoyed our narrator Derfel immensely. Conversely, my favorite antagonist would be Lancelot from the same series. On the female side, my pick goes to Siri from Warbreaker  

Now, on to my favorite books this year. For the sake of length, I'm just going to present my top 5

5. The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston was my second 5 star book of the year all the way back in January and for the first half of the year, it was my favorite book; unfortunately, I read it so long ago, I don't recall a whole lot about this book, but it was a really cool take on The Magnificent Seven dealing with a necromancer, a vampire, a pirate queen, an ogre, and some other nasty creatures. I wouldn't necessarily call it grimdark, but it was dark in nature, considering the creatures involved. I just had a really fun time with it.

Dates read: January 26 - January 28 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57189884-he-who-fights-with-monsters?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=omJOahmWBb&rank=1

4. He Who Fights with Monsters: Book One by Shirtaloon - 2022 goes down as the year I discovered serialized works (I'm currently still working through the first volume of The Wandering Inn and hoping to start Mother of Learning in January). I really enjoy the portal subgenre of fantasy (Narnia, The Magicians, Alice, etc.). I enjoyed the concept of this guy Jason thinking he's stuck in a video game and the leveling up he goes through; although with all the dark type of magic he's been taking up, you almost wonder if he's eventually going to be the bad guy?

Dates read: September 22 - October 13

3. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - Hooray for second chances. I don't know why on Earth I DNF'd this the first time around. Maybe I wasn't in the mood at the time? Anyway, I'm glad I decided to give this another try because this was great. It deserves the hype it gets. I fell in love with nearly all the main, and most of the supporting characters. I did struggle with Vivenna at times. I enjoyed this magic system of using Breaths more than the alomancy of Mistborn. I also quite enjoyed how Sanderson kept changing your perceptions. You think you know where the story is going, but not so fast!

Dates read: December 20 - December 29

   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29868612-a-life-in-parts?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=E2wrfKEFEy&rank=1

2. A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston - Back in November, I was browsing around Scribd looking for an audio book, just to give it a try. Lately, the new releases Scribd has come out have been in audio format, and I am much more of a reader than a listener, but I decided since this was the way of the future, I decided to might as well join them. I'm not a fan of Breaking Bad or of Malcolm in the Middle, but I think Cranston is an interesting guy, so I thought why not? This book is filled with such amazing anecdotes, from a disastrous school play performance, how the time he and his brother temporarily had to live on their grandparents farm and had to kill a chicken, the extended road trip he ended up going with his brother and the moment he decided to become a professional actor, how he landed a Mars bars commercial, and of course behind the scenes stories of Malcolm and BB, plus a whole lot more. One of the best celebrity memoirs I've ever experienced

Dates listened to: November 19 - November 20

1. The Story of Marvel Studios by Tara Bennett - For the first time since 2019, my two favorite books of the year are both nonfiction. This is a glorious history of the Marvel movies from its beginnings with Blade through Endgame. You learn how Kevin Fiege figuratively went from rags to riches at Marvel. Some of the drama that went on between Marvel and Disney when it came to female characters (did you know Marvel wanted to bring Hela in for Thor 2, but Disney nixed that because they thought female action toys wouldn't sell). There are tons of pictures. Even if you don't read the BTS stuff, every page is a feast for the eyes. If you are a fan of the MCU, I strongly urge you get this book. It's a hefty price, but well worth it!

Dates read: June 5 - August 25