I finished this reading year on 48/40 books for the number committed on the Goodreads reading challenge and am super thrilled by that. I re-read a lot of books this year as I was in a reading lull and didn’t feel like picking up new books for quite a few months of this year.
Albeit, I am quite surprised and impressed with myself for having completed more than my committed number. I am going to just run through my 2022 reads, and let’s see how many of these you have read too.
According to Goodreads, I have read 23,554 pages in 48 books, which is just super impressive. The longest book I read this year is The Lord of Chaos | Robert Jordan | which has 1011 pages, while the shortest book has 160 pages. On average, I have read books of just under 500 pages.
One genre that featured a lot in my book selections this year is magical realism but most were a miss. This is one genre that hasn’t worked very well for me. If you can, please do recommend a book in this category that has worked for you.
Have you checked out this exciting giveaway on my blog for the year 2023?
5 Star fiction reads of 2022
“Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.”
― All the Light We Cannot See
Out of 48 reads this year, only five books crossed the 5/5 star rating for me, and each one is a spectacular read for the writing, character sketches, and storylines. I will be doing detailed reviews of each one of these as they richly deserve all the praise they can get.
- The Island of Missing Trees | Elif Shafak | Contemporary Fiction |
- All the Light We Cannot See | Anthony Doerr | Historical Fiction |
- A Torch Against the Night | Sabaa Tahir | Fantasy Fiction |
- A Reaper at the Gates | Sabaa Tahir | Fantasy Fiction |
- Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz | YA/ LGBTQ |
I am a huge fan of Elif Shafak’s writings and this year one of her books in a 5 star read for me while the other one is a 3 star read. You can check out my review of Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
4 Star fiction reads of 2022
This year I rated about 13 books as 4/5 stars and that’s an incredible stat for me. My 4 star rating is given for books that just missed the mark by half an inch from being perfect reads. I was delighted to read another one of Beth O’Leary this year, The No-Show which was almost as good as The Flat Share
- The Undomestic Goddess | Sophie Kinsella | Contemporary Fiction |
- Rock Paper Scissors | Alice Feeney | Crime Thriller |
- Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens | Contemporary Fiction |
- A Gentleman in Moscow | Amor Towles | Historical Fiction |
- The No-Show | Beth O’Leary | Humor |
- The House on the Cerulean Sea | TJ Klune | YA
- The Guest List | Lucy Foley | Crime Thriller |
- Home Fire | Kamila Shamsie | Contemporary Fiction |
- Of Love and Shadows | Isabel Allende | Historical Fiction |
- Beach Read | Emily Henry | Contemporary Fiction |
- A Sky Beyond the Storm | Sabaa Tahir | Fantasy Fiction |
- Heart Bones | Colleen Hoover | Contemporary Fiction |
- The Book woman of Troublesome Creek | Kim Michele Richardson |
Fiction that failed to impress but should have
About 25% of the books that I picked up this year were due to the hype around them and these failed miserably for me. As a matter of fact, I am in the minority with my opinion as there is an overwhelming love for these books on the bookstagram.
- Layla | Colleen Hoover | Magical Realism |
- The Song of Achilles | Madeline Miller | Historical Fiction |
- Thursday Murder Club | Richard Osman | Crime Thriller |
- Whereabouts | Jhumpa Lahiri | Contemporary Fiction |
- Layla | Colleen Hoover | Magical Realism |
- Under the Whispering Door | TJ Klune | Fantasy Fiction |
- The Lost Girls of Rome | Donato Carrisi | Crime Thriller |
- She Who Became the Sun | Shelley Parker-Chan | Historical Fiction |
- Three Daughters of Eve | Elif Shafak | Contemporary Fiction |
- The Beekeeper Of Aleppo | Christy Lefteri | Historical Fiction |
- The Carpet Weaver | Nemat Sadat | LGBTQ |
- The Ladies of the Secret Circus | Constance Sayers | Magical Realism |
Do you like to see your favorite books made into screen adaptations or do you think books are ruined by it?
I sit on the fence with this one as some of the books have been done so so well while others have let me down. As of now I am excited about watching the screen series/movies made on:
- Where the Crawdad Sings | Delia Owens |
- Anxious People | Fredrik Bachman |
- All the Light We Cannot See | Anthony Doerr |
If you know of any exciting ones that i might have missed on, please do share with me. Signing off for now but do look out for some exciting book reviews in January 2023.
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I am an avid book hoarder and reader who loves to write about her opinions on books she reads. If you would like to have an honest review of your book by me; please drop me a mail on shalzmojo@gmail.com with :
- A sample section of the book (about 25 pages)
- Your social media handles
Please note that I would require a physical copy of the book for the review and will take 100% advance of the fee.
That’s a great list of books, Shalz! I will see if I can find any on Kindle Unlimited. Last year I took the membership and have since read around 28 books. That’s quite a record for me! 🙂
28 books sounds really good Shilpa.I am hooked on to audiobooks via audible at present and havent been able to really get into Kindle as yet. Look forward to seeing your reads this year.
I have a couple of these in my Kindle but haven’t got down to reading them yet. Thanks for the heads up on the books that can be avoided!
Have a wonderfully creative 2023, Shalini!
Thanks so much Corinne and wish you a warm and busy 2023! Appreciate the troubles you took for the commenting bit 🙂
So good to see you back in this space! Congrats on such a good year on the reading front. I read very few but yes, I also loved All the light we cannot see. Out of some of your collection, there are a few favorites of mine too. In the thriller fiction genre, check out Verity. It was fast paced and I enjoyed it. I am currently listening to Lucy by the sea and that would sure deserve a trigger warning.
But hey, here is wishing you a year that lets you read to your heart’s content. love and hugs!
Oh yes Verity is very much there on my list though I keep hearing mixed reviews about it and find myself sitting on the fence about it as yet. Your reading choice sounds exciting and I look forward to reading its review. Hope to catch up more with you this year as I have really missed out on that. Love and hugs right back at you Parul!!!
That’s quite a comprehensive list you’ve got there, Shalini!
2022 for me was mainly about reading non-fiction but a few from the ones you’ve listed that I read earlier and really enjoyed include—All the Light, Where the Crawdad Sings, Whereabouts, Home Fire and Anxious People. I’ve got Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees on my Kindle now and happy to note it’s also on your 5-star review list. Seems like a great read—so looking forward to getting started on it.
And, please keep the book review posts coming, Shalini! So lovely to see you back to writing more in 2023!
Wishing you a fantastic year ahead!!
Thanks Esha. Good to see you back in the blogosphere too. I am hoping 2023 is a good year for blogging!! Please do tell me how you found The Island of Missing Trees. Its my absolute favorite for a long time to come. I am keeping my fingers crossed for posting more reviews this year too.
I am so impressed by your number. That is an amazing feat. I love that you created sections based on the rating. Easier for me to look for recommendations along with rating. I am trying to get back to reading this read. 1 book a month. Will look forward to your reviews.
All the best with that reading goal Raj and I am happy to hear my reccos and ratings are of a help. Look forward to seeing your reads this year.
I feel like I’ve lived this journey with you, thanks to our catch up! 🙂
The Song Of Achilles was one of my favorites for the year, I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
Here’s hoping to read some great books this year. You and me both.
Much love!
Cheers to an awesome reading spree in 2023 Soumya. I am currently reading The People on Platform 5 and it reminds me of Beth O’Leary’s writings and plots.
I can only be amazed at the number of books you read in 2022. I could barely make it double-digit number. Adding some of the names from here to my TBR list for sure, and hoping to read more this year!
Wish you a great 2023 ahead!
My number is nothing compared to how other people in my bookish circle read 😉 But I was really not reading to accomplish a number in the year. I was also thrilled to note that I could find time to read so much, given that this year was full of a lot of ups and down and I had gone off reading for months together. I hope you do enjoy the ones you added from my reads. Look forward to reading all about them. Wish you an awesome year ahead too Nibha!!
WOW! That’s an impressive list, and more importantly, an impressive IDEA, of summing up your annual reads like that! It’s been so long since I picked up fiction… I guess I’ve just transitioned more into movies for my quota of fiction! Am I going towards the dark side? :O
Thanks so much Kay. Not sure if movies are the dark side but I have been through those phases too when screen was more pleasing than books. What are hte good ones you watched? I would love to have some reccos pls? With so many OTT platforms, it becomes so difficult to gauge what to watch or even relaize whats new.
Wow! That’s an impressive number, Shalz. I have read four books in this list. Loved Where the crawdads sing. It’s one of those stories that made me cry from the word go. Little girl abandoned by mother and the rest of the family had my heart. I also watched the movie. It was nice but not as nice as the book. I might be biased in that opinion because I always end up loving the book more than the screen adaptation.
I making a note of your book list. So much to read, so little time. 🙂
Totally agree on the book being better than the movie as he latter felt rushed in the tale telling. I loved the prosaic feel of the book and hugely enjoyed reading it. I hope you do end up reading the books you have saved for this year.
Too little time to read is my grouse too 😉