And that’s a wrap on 2022!

I’m not sorry to see that year go, but there were some high points to it. Spending time with my family and friends, meeting some really incredible people through social media, and becoming really close with a few of the people that I’ve gotten to know through social media were some of my favorite parts of the year. There were also some low points, namely struggling with my own health and having my dog diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but we’re working through it and I’m focusing on taking care of both of us to the best of my ability. 

Last year, I set some goals for myself as far as reading and blogging, and did a rather good job with it. I’d like to continue on with those goals, namely of growing my blog, and working on expanding my reading horizons. My subscribers went from 483 to 704 in 2022, so that looks like a successful year to me. I’m hoping to get it up to 1,000 in 2023. I’ve also been focusing on reading diverse books, such as OwnVoices experiences, both fiction and nonfiction, and plan to continue to do so. It’s been so enlightening and interesting to learn more about other cultures and histories, especially those that aren’t taught in the educational system, and seeing how the folklore, history, and storytelling styles influence fiction stories.

Here’s some of my December highlights:

• As usual, I’ve been working on physical ARCs, but now have to juggle in some more NetGalley ARCs. Hopefully the Harper Collins Union strike will be resolved soon, since I’m holding reviews from that publisher and their imprints, and they publish a lot of my favorite authors.
• I read 5 nonfiction books, including a New Age book, a memoir, two books about historical events, and one about the history of abortion.
• My ongoing efforts to incorporate diverse voices led me to read books written by and about Black, Indigenous, Jewish, LGBTQIA+, Asian, and SWANA (southwest Asian and North African) people. 
• I only read 11 of my 12 in 12 challenge books, but I’m going to be participating in this challenge again in 2023.

Here’s my breakdown of monthly/cumulative totals for December:

December Totals:

• Books read: 46
• Books DNF’d: 0
• Pages read: 7,975
• Hours listened: 7 days, 12 hours, 56 minutes
• Average pages: 295.4
• Average hours listened: 9 hours, 31 minutes

Cumulative Averages:

• Days per book: 2.64
• Pages read per day: 135.90
• Books read per month: 42
• DNF’d books per month: 0.58

Genres Read in December:

• Biography/Memoir: 1
• Fantasy: 16
• General Fiction: 4
• Graphic Novel: 1
• Historical Fiction: 2
• History/War: 2
• Horror: 2
• Mystery/Suspense: 11
• Paranormal/New Age: 1
• Romance/Erotica: 3
• Sci-Fi: 2
• Social Science/Current Affairs/Politics: 1

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 18
• 2022 releases: 15
• 2023 releases: 13

Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 41
• Nonfiction: 5

Format Read:

• Print: 7
• Digital: 20
• Audio: 19

Age Range:

• Adult: 36
• YA: 10

My favorite books of the month were Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano and The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish.

Here’s what I read in December:

• Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
• The Ivory Tomb by Melissa Caruso (Publisher ARC)
• We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds (ALC)
• On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel (NG ARC)
• The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter (The Burning #2)
• Speechless by Lindsey Lanza (NG ARC)
• Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan #1)
• Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan #2)
• Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson (Sorcery of Thorns #1.5) (NG ARC)
• Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan #3) (NG ARC)
• When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973 by Leslie J. Reagan
• The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish (The Vagrant Gods #1) (Publisher ARC)

• All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Williamson (ALC)
• Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler (Burningblade and Silvereye #1) (Publisher ARC)
• Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds (YABC ARC)
• Blood of the Chosen by Django Wexler (Burningblade and Silvereye #2) (Publisher ARC)
• The Secret, Book, and Scone Society by Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society #1)
• The Institution by Helen S. Fields (NG ARC) — review held in support of Harper Collins Union strike.

• Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
• Candle Magic: An Enchanting Spell Book of Candles and Rituals by Minerva Radcliffe (NG ARC)
• Rivers of London: Deadly Ever After by Ben Aaronovitch (NG ARC)
• The Bird Tattoo by Dunya Mikhail (ALC)
• The Luminaries by Susan Dennard (The Luminaries #1) (YABC ARC)
• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng 
• Educated by Tara Westover
• Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian (Ash Princess #2)
• Maame by Jessica George (ALC)
• Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian (Ash Princess #3)
• Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel by Matti Friedman
• My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron (Remixed Classics #6) (NG ARC)
• The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society #2)
• A Toy Story by Hannah Murray
• The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society #3)
• The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow (Into Shadow #3)

• Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson 
• The Fervor by Alma Katsu
• What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo (Into Shadow #4)

• Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong (ALC)
• Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson (ALC) — review held in support of Harper Collins Union strike.
• Against the Currant: A Spice Isle Bakery Mystery by Olivia Matthews (NG ARC)
• Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton
• The Assassin, The Rebel, and The Prince by Kester Grant
• Persephone by Lev Grossman (Into Shadow #2)

• Nocturne by Alyssa Wees (NG ARC)
• The Garden by Tomi Champion-Adeyemi (Into Shadow #1)

• Scorched by Cassie Swindon (The Linked Trilogy #1) (ARC)

Yearly Totals:

• Books read: 504
• Books DNF’d: 7
• Pages read: 99,207
• Hours listened: 2,304 hours, 15 minutes, 14 seconds

Format Read:

• Print: 126
• Digital: 149
• Audio: 229

Fiction vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 455
• Nonfiction: 49

Age Range:

• Adult: 363
• YA: 139
• MG: 2
• Children: 0

Genres Read: 

• Biography/Memoir: 15
• Fantasy: 155
• Folklore/Fairytales: 6
• General Fiction: 53
• General Nonfiction: 3
• Graphic Novel: 1
• Historical Fiction: 56
• History/War: 12
• Horror: 15
• Humor: 1
• Mystery/Suspense: 91
• Paranormal/New Age: 3
• Poetry: 1
• Romance/Erotica: 66
• Science/Nature: 3
• Science Fiction: 12
• Self-Help/Inspiration: 1
• Social Science/Current Affairs/Politics: 3
• Travel/Food: 3
• True Crime: 3

Rating Breakdown:

• Half Star: 1
• 1 Star: 6
• 1.5 stars: 0
• 2 stars: 21
• 2.5 stars: 6
• 3 stars: 48
• 3.5 stars: 33
• 4 stars: 150
• 4.5 stars: 56
• 5 stars: 139

Page Breakdown:

• Less than 100 pages: 14
• 101-200 pages: 7
• 200-300 pages: 36
• 300-400 pages: 123
• 400-500 pages: 68
• 500-600 pages: 23
• 600-700 pages: 2
• More than 700 pages: 3

How did your 2022 reading go? Do you have any goals set for 2023?