First off, can we talk about how unbelievable it is that it’s December again? Every year I’m blindsided by the reality of another year coming to a close and the uncrossed-off-ness of my to do list (Insert here my annual longing for an extra month – I call it Septober – in which nothing happens except I get to do all the random crap that I’ve been putting off. Please, someone, can this be a thing?).

I spent a lot of time not reading this year. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, or that the books that crossed my path this year were unreadable. If anything, it was the opposite. This year was filled to the brim with absolutely marvelous books, so much so that I became unable to read a book because to choose one meant that I wasn’t choosing another.  

So as I sit here trying to organize my thoughts (and failing, see paragraphs 1&2) about my favorite reads of 2022, my focus keeps shifting to all the ways I consumed books this year beyond reading them.

And thus, I give you, my favorite book-ish experiences of 2022 (Note: I also give you TLDR gists, because it’s been a long year and maybe you are like me and just can’t with all the words):

1)      Book club - I would have read muuuuuuch less this year if it were not for The MHLS Book Club (thank you Mahala, Consuelo, & Angela!!!). We challenged each other to read books out of our comfort zone - poetry, novels-in-verse, classics, translations, autobiographies. In fact, my top read of 2022 came from our November selection, Betty Smith’s classic A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. If you, like me, avoided reading this because of its age (published in 1943) and its length (a whopping 493 pages), RUN, do not walk, to pick up a copy. I loved this book and would never have known it if not for book club.

TLDR: If you are in a reading rut, try attending a book club. Online, in-person, or even “independent study”-style. Most libraries and bookstores have their reading recs online (not to mention the multitude of celebrity book clubs available). Don’t be shy, check book club out!

2)      Book events – I was lucky enough to attend book events this year online and in-person. Listening to an author speak about a book forever changes the way I read it. Now when I experience DOUBLE EXPOSURE by Jeannée Sacken or THE GIRL WHO FEARED TRAINS by Padgett Gerler I will do so differently because I heard first-hand the stories and processes that went into writing them.

TLDR: Look for author talks at your local library or bookstore. These events are often free, and the discussions are first-rate and lively (storytellers, after all, make for wonderful entertainment).

3)      Bookish podcasts – I consumed nearly 100 books this summer without reading a page. That’s because I found the delightful podcast Double Love, in which two friends recap in hilarious (and often profanity-laced) detail the plot of each and every SWEET VALLEY HIGH book. If your reading history includes the (in retrospect, completely bonkers) exploits of twin sisters Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, then this is the podcast for you. “Herman, my pills,” indeed. 

TLDR: Looking for a way to multi-task? Book-centric podcasts are a great hands-free reading alternative whether you’re working, working out, or working on your tan.

4)      Book-inspired entertainment - Some of my favorite live theatre and home theater entertainment in 2022 originated from novels. My kids’ high school theatre program produced top-notch musicals based on Jane Austen’s EMMA and L.M. Montgomery’s ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. On the small screen, I fell in love with Nick and Charlie, the romantic leads of Alice Oseman’s swoony Webtoon HEARTSTOPPER. I also gleefully binged THE MIDNIGHT CLUB, based on Christopher Pike’s 1994 book of the same name (Sidenote: I am LOVING all the 80s/90s nostalgia on Netflix right now. It’s glorious).

TLDR: If reading doesn’t hold your attention, try an adaptation instead. Contrary to popular t-shirt wisdom, the book is not always better (looking at you, John Grisham’s THE FIRM).

5)      Micro- and fan-fiction - One of my favorite indie authors, Jennifer Brasington-Crowley, introduced me to Wattpad through her Gerard Way/Darth Vader fanfic A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE which captured my heart in ways that most hyped-up NYT bestsellers fail to do. I also love reading micro-fiction on Instagram, such as OTHER BIRDS author Sarah Addison Allen’s #SAAAdventcalendar stories, or the always creative Topsy Turvy challenges, hosted by a rotating group of fabulous authors.

TLDR: Can’t focus on a full-length book? Slide on over to Wattpad and check out the loads of fan fic and serialized stories there. Or follow the hashtag #12DaysofTurvy on Instagram for holiday-themed story snippets (including some from me) starting Dec 1!

I may not have read as many books as I planned to back in January, but when I look around at the entertainment I consumed in 2022, I see book-ish fingerprints all over the place.

Pretty sneaky, sis.

 Happy Holidays y’all! Xoxo