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I cannot believe that we are already over half way through 2022! My reading goal for this year was 50 books, but I have already read 36 books, so I am well on my way to surpassing my goal this year.

There are just too many books to read and not enough time to enjoy them all, so it’s a bit hard to not freak out a little bit by the time July hits!

Here are some of the books, characters, and authors I loved and some that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. 

1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far In 2022?

Okay, to be honest, this year I have been trying to shift my attitude towards reading.

Normally I tend to force myself to read specific genres/books that make me feel like an ~intellectual~, but this year I’ve decided to read whatever I want, just because I love reading!

I have read everything from middle grades to classics, and have truly just been enjoying myself and the books that I end up choosing. In that spirit, I would say that the best book I’ve read this year is Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

This was my first 5-star read, and it’s absolutely a classic for a reason. It’s so fun and actually pretty easy to read!

I love how it feels like a found-footage thriller as you read from different characters’ journals and notes and see each of the cast working together to slay Dracula.

I also truly love a vampire novel, and if you do as well I would highly recommend reading this one!

2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far In 2022?

This one’s a bit of a tricky choice. I will say that the best sequel I’ve read (not necessarily the best written sequel but definitely the most fun to read) would be House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas.

I am an absolute sucker for SJM books, and to finally have a new one after a year was very exciting for me.

I will say that I preferred the first novel in this series, but the set up for the next book/series is very exciting for any SJM fan girl.

3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To?

I purchased The Night and Its Moon by Piper C.J. for my birthday this year and have yet to get around to reading it.

My ever growing TBR keeps getting in the way, but this is one that I will definitely get to by the end of the year!

4. Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of 2022?

My goal for the rest of this year is to try to read all the books I own instead of just buying new ones (I just love buying new books!).

Because of that goal, I don’t currently have my eye on any upcoming releases.

5. Biggest Disappointment?

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo was a 1-star read for me, and I really wanted to love this series!

I ended up finding the plot to be super repetitive in the first book as well as the leads to be incredibly dislikable. Not a great combination IMO, and it was enough to keep me from finishing the series.

I did, however, find the worldbuilding fun and exciting, and I am planning on trying some of the other Grishaverse series, but this one was SUCH a disappointment. 

6. Biggest Surprise?

My biggest surprise this year was how much I loved The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. I typically struggle with literary fiction as a genre, but I read this book in 2 days and could not put it down!

I found the characters super diverse and well-written, and each of their struggles were very educational and thought provoking. 

7. New Favorite Author?

My new favorite author this year (at least new to me!) would be Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre is easily one of my new favorite books. Each sentence of that novel is so beautifully written and reads like utter poetry.!

Jane Eyre also has so many twists and turns, but it’s also just as romantic considering all the chaos that ensues.

8. Newest Fictional Crush?

I don’t necessarily feel super strongly about this one, but if I had to pick a new fictional crush, I think I’d go with Nikolai Lantsov from Siege and Storm.

Nikolai is truly the only thing I liked about the book, so it’s enough for me to qualify this character as a crush. 

9. A Book That Made You Cry?

I unashamedly cried while re-reading House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas in preparation for the sequel.

I don’t want to spoil anything for those who have not read it yet, but a certain death gets me choked up each time I re-read this book! 

10. A Book That Made You Happy?

On my journey of reading for the love of reading, I have fully embraced re-reading books this year instead of just focusing on new material.

In that spirit, I went back and re-read the entire Percy Jackson series. It has brought me so much joy to be back in the Camp Half-Blood world again!

Rick Riordan’s books are some of my all-time favorites, and I had forgotten so many of the plot points that it was almost as good as reading them for the first time. 

11. Favorite Book-To-Movie Adaptation You’ve Seen So Far This Year?

This one isn’t a book-to-movie adaptation, per se, but instead a book-to-mini-series adaptation. It’s The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han!

I LOVED this mini-series; it’s possibly my favorite adaptation of all time, AND I would even go so far as to say that the TV series is better than the book.

If you have not watched it yet, I would highly recommend! It encapsulates all the best parts of being a teenager and it is just so sweet.

12. Favorite Post You’ve Written This Year?

This is actually my first post! One of my goals for this year was to start a blog and I am very  excited to finally be getting around to it. 

13. What Books Do You Really Need To Read By The End Of This Year?

One of my reading goals that I set for myself this year was to read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and it’s quite a big book so I need to start that soon! 

Thanks so much for reading and I can’t wait to post more about what I am reading and loving! I hope you’re all having a great reading year.If you haven’t been able to hit your reading goals quite yet, don’t worry!

We still have the whole second half of the year to reach our reading goals, find new favorite books, and re-read already beloved books.

For more bookish content, you can check out my Instagram here, and please make sure to leave a comment on what books you are loving this year!

 Much love,

 Paisley