Annual End of the Year Survey – 2022

I’m using the questions that were created for the 2020 survey and you can find the original post at Perpetual Page Turner.

I can’t believe it’s already the last day of the year !!!!! I feel like 2022 has gone by a bit slowly at times for me but the past 6 months have flown by, and despite the ups and downs, it has overall been an okay year overall. So, I guess it’s time to talk about the books and authors who are responsible for bringing joy and happiness to me this year. I’ve written multiple favorites posts this year but I always love doing this survey so that I can talk more about these wonderful books. Also, I’m gonna try my best not to repeat books in the answers, so let’s see how that goes.

Without much further ado, let me get on with it….

Number Of Books You Read: 172
Number of Re-Reads: 1
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy

1. Best Book You Read In 2022?

I wrote multiple favorites posts this year – Non SFF, Nonfiction, SFF – but if I had to choose one book, I’ll pick RISE because it meant a lot to me personally.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I had lot of expectations from The Empress of Time because the The Keeper of Night was a favorite of last year, but this finale turned out to be just okay, a bit repetitive and not too emotionally engaging.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?

I think I went into Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove without too many expectations but hoping to have fun. But this turned out to be a surprisingly delightful read and I just loved the world the author created and how much I felt close to the culture.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

This is hilarious because I actually haven’t managed to finish reading Babel and will be restarting it again in January for a buddy read, but I definitely convinced a few people to buy it who otherwise might not have read it. I was most delighted when my best friend bought it even though she hardly gets time to read one book a year these days.

 5. Best series you started in 2022? Best Sequel of 2022? Best Series Ender of 2022?

Best Series Starter : A Magic Steeped in Poison

Best Sequel : Ten Thousand Stitches

Best Series Ender: The One Impossible Labyrinth

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2022?

My favorite discovery of the year has definitely been T. Kingfisher or Ursula Vernon. I read three of her books this year – Paladin’s Grave, Paladin’s Strength and Nettle & Bone – and I’m utterly charmed by her writing style and can’t wait to read more of her books.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Lessons in Chemistry is not exactly out of my comfort zone but it’s also something that I wouldn’t gravitate towards normally. It seems to be such a popular book of this year and I hadn’t even heard of it until a few weeks after it released. And when I got a couple of recommendations from my friends, I gave it a try on a whim and absolutely adored it.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Strike the Zither is not exactly action packed but I found it very thrilling and unputdownable. I had so many plans to annotate it, I was also enjoying the audiobook – but ultimately I was too impatient and I didn’t wanna slow down at all, so I abandoned all plans and rushed through my hardcover.

 9. Book You Read In 2022 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

It was such a joy to read Legends and Lattes because it’s just adorable and sweet, and I have a feeling I will reread it next year. Maybe I should buy the audiobook so that it’ll come handy.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2022?

Kuri Huang has had multiple beautiful covers this year but I have to say that I was stunned when I first saw this cover of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and then I was so glad that the book was equally beautiful.

11. Most memorable character of 2022?

The Justice of Kings is definitely one of the most impressive debuts of 2022 and one of the reasons for it is the main character Sir Konrad Vonvalt. He is like this mix of Geralt from Witcher and Sherlock and also someone who truly believes in the law and embodies it and it’s just wonderful how the author has created this character.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2022?

I was stunned by the beautiful prose in What Souls Are Made Of, and this is just another book which cements the feeling of why Tasha is one of my most favorite authors. I had to actually take time to write a review for this book because I wanted it to be worthy of the book.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2022?

I really had no idea what living with a chronic illness can feel like and how hard it is to even get listened to by a doctor, but The Invisible Kingdom was a lesson on every page and very hard but informative to read.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2022 to finally read? 

Mrityunjay is a very popular Marathi classic, a retelling of the Mahabharata from Karna’s POV and I can’t believe that I didn’t read this book till now. I’m just glad I got to listen to an audiobook in Hindi because it was a very unique and emotional experience.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2022?

The whole of Road of the Lost is just beautiful lines after beautiful lines and this is just one of those quotes. I highlighted so many while reading.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2022?

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most?

Essa absolutely stunned and shocked me with her imagination in Nophek Gloss and then totally blew my expectations in Azura Ghost. I still can’t believe how an author’s brain can work like this.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Undoubtedly, Velasin and Caethari from A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. I knew I would enjoy the book before I started reading, but I helplessly fell in love with this adorable couple. And I’m so full of joy that we are getting another book with them.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year?

I have to say I wasn’t expecting it, so it was a lovely surprise the way the author wrote the relationship between Kaikeyi and her husband’s other wives. They start out uncertain with each other but work towards building a bond and become like sisters who rely on each other, and it’s a beautiful relationship to wath unfold.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2022 From An Author You’ve Read Previously?

Iron Widow was a revelation last year but Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor was totally my kind of book. I was completely invested in it right from page one and every adventure/heist/action sequence was a delight.

21. Best Book You Read In 2022 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.?

The Rage of Dragons and The Fires of Vengeance are probably a bit dark for my taste, so even if I’ve read them later than everyone else, the only reason I binge read them is because every one loved these books and kept praising them across booktube and booktwt.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2022?

Who Rules the World was a fun drama to watch and I loved the book Qie Shi Tian Xia even more. So, my crush is definitely Hei Fengxi or tbh Yang Yang – because just look at the man…. how can you not crush on him. He brings the character to life beautifully in the drama and looks just wow.

23. Best 2022 debut you read?

The Stardust Thief, hands down. It’s a stunning debut with gorgeous writing and setting and some very memorable characters.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

I’m just wowed at the world the author has created. There are multiple species and cultures and magics and so much more here that even without the plot, I would just be thrilled to get to know the world more. I haven’t read another fantasy book after Empire of Exiles this year because I just didn’t think anything after that would give me the same wow feeling.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

The way magic is described, the children, the found family, the swoony romance – every element in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches brought a smile on my face. Sangu just writes so beautifully.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2022?

The Long Game was one of my most anticipated sequels of the year and I absolutely adored it. But also reading about Ilya’s struggles with depression and how he and Shane hanled it all made me sob and sob uncontrollably.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Mahabharata meets Game of Thrones is a killer combination and debut author Gourav Mohanty gives us an amazing new world and story with familiar beats in Sons of Darkness. It has some very thrilling action, great characters and a very unputdownable quality, but it also has less than 100 reviews on Goodreads. I know it’s currently hard to find the book because of the author’s issues with his contract but I hope it gets widely available soon so that everyone can read it and appreciate it.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Portrait of a Thief didn’t exactly crush my soul but it did feel like it peered deeply into my heart and brought all my hopes and fears to life. I found it a profoundly moving experience and while it may have some very divisive reviews and a bad GR rating, if you are a diaspora person, I have a feeling you will find something of value in it.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2022?

How to Take Over the World is the last book I read this year and only finished this 2 days ago. But it’s surely the most unique but it’s not everyday that you get to read a book full of ideas about how to become a supervillain and what are some of the practical ways to achieve that goal. It’s absolutely hilarious while also being surprisingly informative at times.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

It’s just not possible to not be mad when you read either Empire of Pain or Bad Blood but these books show you the ugly side of capitalism and greed and those who will do anything to make a profit.

1. New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2022?

It’s unfortunate that I haven’t kept track of the new blogs I’ve followed this year much but I did make a new friend Shazzie who blogs at Fantasy Book Critic and Reader at Work and it’s been such a joy talking books everyday with her.

2. Favorite post you wrote in 2022?

It definitely has to be my r/Fantasy bingo recommendation and TBR post because it’s my first year participating in it and it took me a while to come up with all huge list of books for it.

3. Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2022?

I rarely have a stack of books related to a theme to take a picture of because I don’t own too many physical books. But I was so happy when I realized I have enough books for a mythology/retelling stack and immediately took this picture.

4. Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events,  etc.)?

I attended exactly one signing this year and it was with R.R. Virdi for his debut The First Binding and it was such a fun afternoon full of very informative conversation about mythologies and writing.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2022?

I’ve had some good interactions with my favorite authors on social media but other than that, it has been a pretty dull blogging life.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

My blog stats took a nosedive after the first couple of months even though I didn’t change my posting schedule much, so it took some self motivation to keep going, even when I felt like I was just posting into the void.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Apparently my SFF favorites post is the most viewed this year but it should not come as a surprise because most people seem to follow me for my SFF reading.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I only posted my Non Bookish favorites post 2 days ago but it almost feels invisible because no one seems to have seen it at all. But I did spend a lot of time coming up with the post and enjoyed writing it too, so I hope someone will notice it.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Nothing much this year unfortunately.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I have a little bit to talk about my reading goals, so I will post all of that tomorrow on the blog along with my stats for the year and goals for 2023.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2022 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2023?

I can’t believe I haven’t finished it yet but I have made buddy read plans for January and I hope I will annotate it to my heart’s content.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2023 (non-debut)?

I’ve been waiting for this book for almost 2 years now and I can’t believe we finally have a release date. And such a cool cover.

3. 2023 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

I have quite a few interesting debuts on my TBR but it’s definitely this one on the top because look at that stunner of a cover and the premise of a floating city, a couple having problems, and a very Hindu philosophy inspired storytelling sounds like my exact kind of book.

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2023?

How can I not be eagerly waiting for Ethera Grave when the first two books were so impressive and I can only guess how much more imaginative the author is going to get in the finale.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2023?

I don’t even know if I wanna have any concrete goals. But I do have some tentatively in my mind and you can read them all in tomorrow’s post.

6. A 2023 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone (if applicable):

I unfortunately haven’t read any 2023 release yet despite having many many arcs, but I just haven’t been in the right headspace. Hopefully I will finally get to them now.

I think this has gone on long enough… Anyone who has persevered till the end, THANK YOU and hope you enjoyed reading in depth about my reading year. Here’s wishing a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you and may it bring you all the joy and happiness.

Advertisement