Everything I Read in 2022

 I managed to read 16 books this year, they were:

1. Exciting Times, Noise Dolan (2020)

Ended 2021 on this so naturally started 2022 with this one. Read it at lunchtimes & evenings on the grey sofa with a Baggins on my lap. Very character-driven, not a lot of plot. Enjoyable, frustrating. 

4 stars

2. The Mad Women’s Ball, Victoria Mas (2019)

Bought this one in Manchester. Read it in a day, barely made any notes. A delightful return to the Gothic realm for this one. 

5 stars

3. Saltwater, Jessica Andrews (2019) 

Devoured this. Took me a while to read it, but it was so lyrical, enticing, & I wanted to relish every page. Read it at the perfect time too. Underlined like the whole thing. 

5 stars

4. The Couple at No. 9, Claire Douglas (2021)

Read this for the work book club. Hated it. 

2 stars

5. Hotel World, Ali Smith (2001)

Had to pause this one to manage it because it caused a mini slump. It was good though. The difficulty with the use of multiple characters, each with their own writing style, is that they don’t always hit. Sometimes you struggle through one to see the fuller picture. Overall, the slotting together of fragmented narratives was magic. 

4 stars

6. Radio Silence, Alice Oseman (2016)

Bought this in Southwold, after years of hearing good things. I wish I’d read it when I was 16, it would have mended some things in my heart. A wholesome tonic for the internet-fandom-teenager I was. Wonderful. 

3 stars

7. Three Women, Lisa Taddeo (2019) - 5 stars

Essential reading for everyone. Becca bought it for me, I read it in St Andrews Park while the sun burnt the skin on my back. It’s a wonderfully written non-fiction deep dive into the way pleasure, love, hate, tragedy affect the lives of women. A definite reread needed. I treat it the way some treat the Bible. I will never stop recommending it to people. 

5 stars

8. Animal, Lisa Taddeo (2021) 

Joan’s characterisation was an interesting one, the story was somewhat compelling, but it was overall underwhelming off the back of Three Women. 

3 stars

9. Normal People, Sally Rooney (2018)

Resisted reading this because of Becca’s reaction, but Rafi bought it for me as a thank you for buying him dinner. I actually really enjoyed it. The uneventful plot, the lack of effective communication, the flawed characters were interesting & I really didn’t hate it. 

4 stars

10. Small Pleasures, Clare Chambers (2020)

Read it on the train to London during the heatwave, & finished it on the living room sofa. Was agog, aghast at the ending, which just pissed me off that the rest of it was just so dull. This book is nothing to get excited about. 

3 stars

11. The Midnight Library, Matt Haig (2020)

Read it on the bus back from London. Also nothing to get too excited about. An important topic explored in a way that tried to do too much in too little space. Maybe I’m not the audience, but I felt spoken down to, & I got frustrated with the writing. 

3 stars

12. Ghosts, Dolly Alderton (2020)

A welcome break from the 3 star rut. This book came at the perfect time. I cried so hard, Frodo was so confused. It gave me hope for the future, ironically, & renewed my love for my best friends, & the excitement of getting to spend the rest of my life by their sides. Alderton creates characters so well rounded, they’re almost dripping in personality. 

5 stars 

13. Insatiable, Daisy Buchanan (2021)

Started this one in Edinburgh, in the park, during the Fringe. A welcome retreat into desire, perversion, & some raunch. Violet’s a yucky main character with some icky internal monologue, but mostly, it was a treat to explore the world through her eyes. It took me barely any time to read because I was so invested. The descriptions fizz with electricity, & the resolution was wonderful yet organic.

5 stars

14. Beastings, Benjamin Myers (2014)

I underlined a lot, because the descriptions in this novel are sooooo good. Dark trauma is set against a beautiful, hopeful backdrop. Finished it in the dim, blue light of a national express. Thanks to surfer dude for sending it to me. 

4 stars 

15. Burntcoat, Sarah Hall (2021)

This novel floored me. A beautifully written exploration of grief, desire, fear, selfhood, womanhood, art, all set against the mystifying experience of a pandemic. It was brilliant. I bought it on my 24th birthday book crawl & enjoyed every page. 

4 stars

16. The Princess Bride, William Goldman (1973)

Ended the year with this magical masterpiece. The film’s been my favourite for years, I didn’t even realise it was also a novel. The plot device is interesting, but the central story is delicious. As you wish! 

5 stars