And with that, 2022 comes to a close – I’m rather impressed with my lack of procrastination when it comes to the blog (although there was plenty in other areas of my life). This monthly recap will also serve as the year end challenge wrap-up, since after my big mid-year catch up post I managed to stay on top of the monthly posts.
Shall we start with the reading? In the month of December I finished 4 books, ending the year with a total of 53 – which definitely exceeded my annual goal of 48. I didn’t manage to complete the entire challenge – yet again – but I finished the first 3 levels, came mighty close to finishing the 4th, and took a big bite out of Level 5, so I’d consider it a pretty big win, all told.
First up in December, I read the second in Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, Jade War. This Asian-inspired fantasy series is heavy on the politics and family drama, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. The premise of the magic system is that the mineral jade unlocks certain physical, mental and mystical powers in most humans – although only those with the right genetic makeup and intensive training can use it safely long term. Real jade is only available on the island of Kekon, whose natives have developed the right combination of genetic tolerance and sensitivity to make use of it, and have developed their culture around it.
The culture is so interesting – it’s a refreshing change to find a fantasy world that isn’t a variation of medieval Europe – and the writing is engaging. And since the main setting is the capital city of Kekon, this book was the perfect choice for challenge prompt #32, Read a book that takes place on an island. I plan to finish the trilogy this coming year – however I have to squeeze it into the challenge. [5 stars]
My second read was The Wisdom of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton. The Father Brown stories were recommended by my sister-in-law a good while back, and I’ve read one collection already. They are fun little mystery short stories, solved by an observant priest with a healthy dose of common sense. A couple of the individual stories are a bit problematic to modern sensibilities, but overall I had a great time with this collection, and it was a perfect choice for challenge #41, Read a book with the word Wisdom in the title. [3.5 stars]
Next, I burned through this touching romance in two evenings – Five Winters by Kitty Johnson is the story of a woman with an unrequited crush on her best friend’s older brother, and her journey over the course of five consecutive Christmas seasons to find the life she wants. There were scenes that brought me to tears, and scenes that made me laugh, and throughout it all was a strong thread of friendships so close that they are family. Definitely a heartwarming choice for prompt #39, Read a book that takes place around your favorite holiday. [3.75 stars]
I finished 2022 with Daniel O’Malley’s The Rook, which at 512 pages made a great option for prompt #37, Read a book over 500 pages. I don’t remember how I came across this book – I had to have seen a recommendation in a YouTube video or a book blog or something, but I didn’t make a note of it when I added it to my TBR. I had such a great time reading this book – I recommended it to my sister-in-law, since it definitely has vibes of Charles Stross’ The Laundry Files that she’d recommended to me, with a dash of Dollhouse for good measure. And it’s funny.
The opening page hooked me – it begins with a letter addressed to “Dear You,” which continues with “The body you’re wearing used to be mine.” What follows is a wild and quirky ride of spy fiction, conspiracy, supernatural powers, crazy paranormal happenings, and the main character with amnesia learning about who they are – or were – and developing an identity of their own. [4.5 stars]
Other than reading, I watched a few movies – mostly during my 11-day Christmas Staycation. My trip to visit my mom for the holiday had to be cancelled on account of snowpocalypse, seeing as how the impending high winds and dangerous wind chill would have made travel iffy if not outright impossible. Since Mom and I usually marathon Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies, I unironically enjoyed some sappy holiday offerings on Netflix starring 2000’s icons (Lindsay Lohan’s Falling For Christmas and Freddie Prinze, Jr.’s Christmas With You), as well as The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special which was hilarious and heartwarming in equal measure. My favorite film offering of the month, however, was Glass Onion (Knives Out 2), which was a highly entertaining, well crafted mystery, and Janelle Monae just slayed her every scene. I also started watching Fringe, but haven’t gotten very far into it yet. I was a huge X-Files fan in the 90’s so this show has nostalgic vibes for me.
After a couple of months off, I returned to doing nail art again for the holidays…
Otherwise, I was amused by my eclectic Spotify Wrapped playlist, made a delicious batch of Pumpkin Oatmeal cookies, picked up a second MoviePalette representation of another of my favorite Buffy episodes (currently contemplating which episode I want to finish the set of 3), and visited the Desert Botanical Gardens Las Luminarias again with my friend Judy, per our yearly tradition. Best photos of December below.
So that was my December, and with that we are wrapped up with the 2022 reading challenge – full State of the Challenge report is below. Come talk to me in the comments! Did you play along with me this year? What was your favorite prompt on this year’s challenge list? How about the most unexpected book you read this year? Any tasty holiday treats? What are you looking forward to most in 2023? I’m looking forward to hearing from you! (Yes, you. You know who you are. Stop pretending I’m talking to someone else.)
The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2022 Reading Challenge
Level 1: Book of the Month Club [12/12 complete]
1. Read a book that cost less than $5 – The Paid Bridesmaid – Sariah Wilson
2. Read a book that is under 350 pages – Sign of the Unicorn – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book that was recommended to you – On the Fence – Kasie West
4. Read a newly published book (within the past year) – Cytonic – Brandon Sanderson
5. Read a book that has a type of plant or flower in the title – These Tangled Vines – Julianne Maclean
6. Read a book because of the cover – Shatter Me – Tahereh Mafi
7. Read a book about a mythical creature – Blood Trade – Faith Hunter
8. Read a book that takes place in the future – Leviathan Falls – James S.A. Corey
9. Read a book by an author that’s new to you – Every Heart a Doorway – Seanan McGuire
10. Read a book from NPR’s top 50 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the past decade – The Martian – Andy Weir
11. A book by an author whose first or last name has 5 letters – Mystic Dragon – Jason Denzel
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Hating Game – Sally Thorne
Level 2: Casual Reader Club [12/12 complete]
13. Read a book published 5 years ago – Turtles All the Way Down – John Green
14. Read a Speculative Fiction – Scythe – Neal Shusterman
15. Read the first book in a duology – King of Scars – Leigh Bardugo
16. Read the second book in a duology – Rule of Wolves – Leigh Bardugo
17. A book that was published when you were 5 years old – The Hand of Oberon – Roger Zelazny
18. Read a book by an author named Alex, Alexander, Alexandra (or variant) – The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
19. Read a book about Zombies – The Year of Eating Dangerously – K. Bennett
20. Read a book with a black cover – I’ve Got Your Number – Sophie Kinsella
21. Read a book from AbeBooks.com’s list of 100 (fiction) books to read in a lifetime – The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
22. Read a book with the word City in the title – City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert
23. Read a book about a musician (non-fiction or fiction) – Perfect Harmony – Nora Roberts
24. Free Space – Pick any book! – Tricky Twenty-Two – Janet Evanovich
Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [12/12 complete]
25. A book with a title that has 5 letters – Haven – A.R. Ivanovich
26. Read a book published by Macmillan (or subsidiary) – The Ruin of Kings – Jenn Lyons
27. Read a book with a title that doesn’t start with an article (A, An, The) – Raven Cursed – Faith Hunter
28. Read a book you recently acquired – Black Arts – Faith Hunter
29. Read a book that’s been on your TBR for over a year– The Dragon’s Path – Daniel Abraham
30. Read a Revenge Story – The Rage of Dragons – Evan Winter
31. Read a book by Philippa Gregory – The Lady of the Rivers – Philippa Gregory
32. Read a book that takes place on an island – Jade War – Fonda Lee
33. Read a book that does not have a person (or people) on the cover – Dark Matter – Blake Crouch
34. A book that you intended to read on last year’s challenge – A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
35. Read a Psychological Thriller – The Shadow Box – Luanne Rice
36. Free Space – Pick any book! – Turbo Twenty-Three – Janet Evanovich
Level 4: Speed Reader Club [10/12 complete]
37. Read a book over 500 pages – The Rook – Daniel O’Malley
38. Read a book that starts with the letter Z (or has Z in the title) – Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating – Christina Lauren
39. Read a book that takes place around your favorite holiday – Five Winters – Kitty Johnson
40. A book with 5 objects on the cover – Pawn’s Gambit – Rob J. Hayes
41. Read a book with the word Wisdom in the title – The Wisdom of Father Brown – G.K. Chesterton
42. Read a Dystopian Fiction – The Circle – Dave Eggers
43. Read a book by an author with the same name as one of your parents (Biological, Step, Adopted) – The Light of Eidon – Karen Hancock
44. Read a book that a movie/show you’ve watched is based on but have yet to read (example: Watched The Hobbit, but never read the Hobbit) – Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
45. Read a book about a Saint (non-Fiction or Fiction)
46. Read any book from the Men’s Health most popular book list – The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
47. Read a book published in a year that was important to you
48. Free Space – Pick any book! – Hardcore Twenty-Four – Janet Evanovich
Level 5: Overachiever Club [7/12 complete]
49. Read the 5th book in a series or an author’s 5th novel – Death’s Rival – Faith Hunter
50. Read a True Crime book – If You Tell – Gregg Olsen
51. Read a book by Georges Simenon (or one of his Pen Names)
52. A book with the number 5 in the title – Look Alive Twenty-Five – Janet Evanovich
53. Read a book that takes place in Russia – A Train to Moscow – Elena Gorokhova
54. Read a book by an author using initials as part of their name – A Dream So Dark – L.L. McKinney
55. Read a book that has a title in the form of a question
56. Read a banned book from this banned book list – Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
57. A book with at least 5 prominent characters
58. Read a book that Linz read previously (see book review archive here) – Deadheading – Paul Cristo
59. Read a book that Tress read previously (see reading category archive here)
60. Free Space – Pick any book!
The Logophile 