ok! so! i read (drumroll, please...) 52 books in 2022, one for every week! (although, i didn’t exactly pace it so that i finished one every week, lol) and that’s NOT including the copious amounts of fanfiction i read, which probably would make it average out to a lot more. anyways. i wanted to share my top 5 :))) (even though i’m a couple days late shh)

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy/The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937-1955) 🦅✨🏹🏔️🧙🏻‍♂️

is this technically four books? yes! shh! i had been putting off reading these for ages because i never had the time to sit down and really give them justice. luckily, i found these phenomenal audiobooks which are on spotify! as someone who chiefly writes fantasy, it was definitely overdue for me to read lotr, since tolkien is THE master worldbuilder, lol. classics, and must-reads for sure.

2. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (2020) 🧚🌅🏝️🐈👹

speaking of fantasy! this book, in a word: whimsical. the tone & cadence of the writing is reminiscent of a lot of the stories i read as a kid, though certainly not lacking in complexity or emotional depth. the cast of characters is colorful and bright. you can’t help but grow fond of the well-meaning but stuffy caseworker linus baker as he gets to know the magical children of marsyas orphanage--including a wyvern, sprite, gnome, and the literal antichrist--and their mysterious, eccentric caretaker arthur parnassus, for whom he starts to develop feelings. this was such an enjoyable, refreshing read, and definitely one of the highlights of my year.

3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021) 👽🔭👨🏻‍🚀🪐🚀

i don’t often cry because of fiction. really, i don’t. even E.T. didn’t make me cry. this book made me cry. and that’s saying something, given the subject matter. *clenches fist* it’s the enduring and selfless nature of humanity!! and our inherent goodness and curiosity!! even when we’re stranded in the middle of space with no idea why we’re there or what we’re supposed to be doing. ugh (/pos). i adore this book.

4. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (1929)

another classic! i read this ahead of the netflix movie adaptation which came out this year. this is one of the most powerful and impactful pieces of literature i’ve ever read. this book displays the horrors suffered by german soldiers in the first world war, and serves as an apt condemnation of warfare in general. the first-person perspective is poignant and intense, and it’s hard not to emerge from reading this book a pacifist.

5. If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho translated by Anne Carson (2002) 💖📝🌸💫💋