i used to do this post in scrapbook form on my blog, but who has the time or energy for that, certainly not me. so here it is, delivered straight to your inbox.
i didn’t read much in 2022 (a paltry 25 books, when my average is usually 70-120), but from the small amount i did read a few stood out, and i wanted to share them, in no particular order:
juniper and thorn by ava reid: a dark and bloody gothic fairytale retold in exquisite, decadent prose. disturbing, compulsively readable, and atmospheric, with a deeply likable heroine and a sweet love interest.
warbreaker by brandon sanderson: sanderson needs no introduction. this is one of his older works, one that i had somehow managed to avoid reading, but i genuinely think it’s one of his best. a chunky standalone fantasy about two sisters, gods on earth, ancient secrets, political intrigue, great twists, and amazing character growth.
if an egyptian cannot speak english by noor naga: a very weird and experimental novel that i probably only loved so much because of how very egyptian it is in its intricacies; naga captures some very specific egyptian idiosyncrasies in a way that made me feel like i was reading my own diary.
iron widow by xiran jay zhao: a chinese-inspired dystopian sci-fi featuring feral feminine rage, giant mechas, and polyamory.
the justice of kings by richard swan: this fantasy felt very witcher-like to me in many ways, but particularly in atmosphere, and ultimately i think that was my favorite thing about it. whilst i did have issues with the female character’s narrative, in the end i kept coming back to this, and i am dying to read the sequel.
love on the brain by ali hazelwood: listen. are the plot and characters eerily similar to those of the love hypothesis. yes. do i care? absolutely not. i will read ali hazelwood’s multiple iterations of the exact same dynamic a hundred times.
also watched far fewer shows than usual, and mainly comfort shows.
new shows:
house of the dragon: i will pretty much inject any asoiaf media into my veins, and hotd was no exception. i am in love with this show. i do think it was a heavily flawed first season—the awkward time jumps in particular did it no favors. however, it’s got a superb cast and fascinating characters (i.e. i would die for alicent hightower).
first kill: i didn’t even mean to watch this, but i found myself bingeing the entire thing in one sitting. this was just wonderful mindless fun.
abbot elementary: took me some time to warm up to this workplace comedy about a group of teachers in a philadelphia school, but there is so much heart here. there’s more charm than comedy.
dalgliesh: a british crime drama that takes place in the 1970s and stars the very charismatic bertie carvel in the titular role of dalgliesh, a no-nonsense detective (and poet) who is, actually, very by the book, which is a nice surprise (i hate the troubled detective trope). the show’s one major flaw is it plays hard into the fridged woman trope, as there are a lot of flashbacks to dalgliesh’s dead wife.
archive 81: binged this show set between the 80s and present day and really enjoyed the cosmic horror vibes as well as the way the two timelines converged.
continuations:
bridgerton s2: i had a lot of Issues with this season that i won’t be ranting about here because it would turn into an essay, but i loved kate sharma and this show is pure serotonin as always. and that’s what’s most important here.
unforgotten s4: a british crime drama that focuses on cold cases. i think the fourth season was one of its weakest and sent off a major character off in a really silly way but i still binged it in six hours. "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ "
hidden s2: what makes this british crime drama (are you picking up on a theme yet) interesting — or, some might say boring — is that there is no whodunit; we know our killers by the first episode, and the tension resides solely in watching the detectives put together the evidence to track them down, as well as in trying to understand just why the killers did what they did. it’s very intense and slow-burn, but still manages to be riveting. not my fave kind of crime drama but still enjoyable.
i watched more films than usual this year, weirdly enough, and emerged with four standouts (though only 1 can be called a lasting favorite).
fresh: you’ll enjoy this more if you go into it knowing nothing, like i did, because the 30-min twist is fantastic. the rest of the film plays wonderfully with tension.
the lost city: joy. jOY. i don’t even like sandra bullock or channing tatum but this film changed my mind. channing tatum played the ideal himbo and sandra bullock an author. she’s kidnapped, he tries to save her, ridiculous hijinks ensue. daniel radcliffe is an unhinged villain and a pure delight. this is the true favorite. pls just feast your eyes and enjoy.
bodies bodies bodies: hilarious. unhinged. ridiculous. a truly wild ride.
don’t worry darling: mainly, florence pugh is a godsend, but i also thought the plot brought up some interesting ideas. a little slow to start but once it hit its stride i got really into the vibe.
and that’s all! thanks for reading, and happy new year!
i also binged First Kill, it was so fun! definitely going to check out some of these favs and hopefully start House of the Dragon soon.