After a few years of not reading as much as I used to — combined with some not-so-great record-keeping for the books I DID read — I think it’s safe to say that I’m back, baby. Growing up, I was very happy being known as The Weird Girl Who Reads All The Time, and 2022 was apparently the year I reclaimed that part of my identity.

My goal was to read sixty books over the course of the year; I kept the number low on purpose because like I said, I haven’t had great luck with reading goals lately, and sixty books felt really achievable. I had a stack, both physical and electronic, of books to read, and I dove in with a lot of hope!

2022 ended with me having read 103 books (granted, I read the same book three times!), so I really am back on my game! I did start the year with two books that I hadn’t finished in 2021 (White as Snow by Tanith Lee and Yuwu by Meatbun), which gave me a nice boost, but it was great to see that I can easily make reading a ton work with my schedule.

As for the books I read, here’s my list of my top ten reads from 2022!

The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch: I saw Kameron Hurley tweeting about how much she loved this book, and how she went back to reread it almost immediately, and had to jump on it. Little did I know I was going to read this book three times over the course of the year, and recommend it to basically everyone I talked to. A murder mystery time travel apocalyptic thriller might seem like a total mess from the outside, and in less sure hands it would have been, but this story hums along, fascinating, terrifying, and propulsive, to an ending that feels both totally surprising and inevitable. I have only one issue with it overall (the epilogue falls flat), but what an incredible ride. Bonus points for a disabled protagonist who never falls into the ~Inspirationally Disabled~ trap.

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner: MY LONGEST YEAH BOY EVER!! Look, if you haven’t read The Queen’s Thief series…please go give it a try! I was terrified of this book before diving in — I managed to stay unspoiled, thank goodness — because the stakes were so high, both in-universe and for my expectations, but MWT knocked it out of the park. I reread the entire series before starting Return of the Thief, to make sure everything was fresh in my mind, and that was an excellent decision. There are no gimmicks, no flashy twists, just a powerhouse drive to the end of Eugenides’s story. Everything felt earned, gracious, even divine. A glorious ending to one of my favorite series of all time.

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo: My first Nghi Vo novel, and definitely not my last. Every word is meticulous, polished, and somehow still delicate, and the story of an eldritch, hungry Hollywood and the aspiring actress fighting for her place in the stars is totally irresistible. It shows the beauty in monstrosity, as well as the cost of stardom — that seductive lure that all too often leads to ruin. And there’s an extended Tam Lin-inspired sequence! Perfection!

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki: I didn’t expect to feel so much from this novel, and yet I did. Two very different women, on opposite sides of the ocean, are brought into brief, elusive connection, leading to an almost obsessive search by one woman to find the other. Quantum mechanics, questions of identity, Zen Buddhism, and cats all interwine in a hilarious, often heartbreaking story. This story has a special place in my heart because my cat, Orpheus, spent most of the time I was reading it curled up into the curve of my shoulder, purring constantly. Obviously he was a fan, too.

Wise Children by Angela Carter: What can I say about Angela Carter that hasn’t already been said? The woman was incapable of writing a boring sentence, and this joyous, madcap rush through the London theater scene, to Hollywood, and everywhere in between, demonstrates that magnificently. I smiled the entire time I read this book. Just beware: like Kate Bush, once Angela Carter gets into your head, she will never leave.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon: Oof. Big oof all around. Rivers Solomon did not hold back in their exploration of a generation ship built along the lines of the antebellum South. Society is built on the backs of thousands of Black slaves, while the rich, white characters exist in comfort and luxury. It’s a brutal read, with a taut mystery at its center, and incredibly alive — the details of the worldbuilding, like how each deck has its own dialect, and the glimpses of the technology powering the generations ship, are real, almost tangible, without ever taking away from the weight of the narrative.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao: I’ve followed Zhao’s Youtube videos for a while, and they are a delight, but I was a latecomer to Iron Widow. I regret that now, because I want this book in my brain at all times. It is brutal, uncompromising, even ugly — but there’s a sense of wonder embedded in it as well. There’s hope. Wu Zetian is a furious whirlwind of a girl, hellbent on revenge for her sister, but also possibly the only hope the world has left. I love ANYTHING to do with kaiju, so this was right up my alley — and the last two pages left me absolutely screaming for the sequel.

All the Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns by Angela Slatter: What’s better than an author writing a lot of dark, heady stories set in the same universe? Very little, honestly! Angela Slatter is an incredible writer, and each one of her fairy-tale inspired stories is another monstrous miracle. All the Murmuring Bones tells the story of the last heir of a decaying family, tied to the sea by an old, bloody bargain, and The Path of Thorns takes inspiration not just from fairy tales but from gothic horror. Each book is deliciously written, full of unexpected flourishes and a lot of horror. Not for the faint of heart, but so, so rewarding.

Dark Wizard by Jeffe Kennedy: I am weak for fantasy romance, especially when I get the feeling the main couple actually likes each other, aside from their Grand Sweeping Passion. Forced together because of a truly awful set of social rules, upstart wizard Gabe and familiar Nic (who is brimming over with power, but can’t use it) manage to not only fall in love but maybe set off a small social revolution? All while bantering, arguing about how to run an estate, and discussing the different kinds of wetlands. A sweet, very sexy trilogy — I really hope there’s more!

And there we have it! My top ten books of 2022.