Best of 2022!

Overachieved my usual goal of reading 100 books with a total of 123 (assuming I don't finish the two books I'm currently in the middle of tonight because that's how I roll on NYE!)

Unlike 2021's Project Hail Mary, there's no clear-cut standout as my favorite read this year. I read a lot of romance . . . and I mean A LOT. According to Storygraph statistics 105 of the 123 books I read fall under the romance category.

It's only fair to start with my favorite non-romance titles of the year. . .

The first pair are probably counted as romance by Storygraph, but for sake of diversity, I'm calling them literary fiction. It should be no surprise that following last year's Circe read, I would dive right into Song of Achilles and absolutely love it. It along with Charlotte Higgins's Greek Myths definitely top my list.

I apparently only read four mysteries, something I've already resolved to read more of next year, if only because I know I have several series that I'm behind on. Picking my favorite of the four was a no-brainer here. Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series is amazing. Four people in an old aged home in a small English village solving murders, what more can you ask for? I'll definitely be picking up the third book in the series early 2023.

Now onto the romance. There's one definite favorite for the year. I read it early on (February, I believe) and, while some came close, nothing seemed to surpass it. To begin with, the runner's up . . .

Christina Lauren was my second most-read author of the year, and I quickly came to one conclusion - I prefer their older works compared to their more recent releases. Love and Other Words quickly skyrocketed to the top of my favorites of theirs (unexpectedly surpassing The Unhoneymooners).

I know I'm late joining the Red, White & Royal Blue party. It was great. Enough said.

Josie Silver is a firm favorite. Her books are just, lovely. A recent discovery, B.K. Borison, is the same. I read plenty of smu--- err, books with heat. These two authors are a welcome relief when I want character-driven stories that make my heart pitter-patter. Nora Goes Off Script is the same. Just well-written and sweet.

Before unveiling my favorite of the year, let's go over some honorable mentions.

The most read author of the year was Vi Keeland, and it's safe to say she's my favorite new author discovery. Talk about heat . . . I've only made a small dent in her catalog of titles, but so far, my favorite is All Grown Up. I'm a sucker for May-December romances, especially reverse ones.

Other highly read authors include :

Jenn McKinlay - always a favorite.

Chloe Liese - does a great job writing handi-capable characters.

Ali Hazlewood - didn't like Love on the Brain as much as Love Hypothesis, but her novellas published this year were entertaining

Now, onto my choice for the best romance of the year :

Okay, I've seen this one short-listed on a few other top 2022 lists. Otherwise, I think it's the least talked about book of the year.

As mentioned above, I read this in February. February! As each month passed and I contemplated what my favorite of the year would be, this one kept rising to the top. I only recently realized why I liked it so much. The Roughest Draft is an Emily Henry-esque book in a year where Emily Henry disappointed. Now, I'm not saying Book Lovers was bad. It just didn't live up to her previous works.

Now, Emily Wibberly & Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Henry both have new books coming out in early 2023. Dare I say the battle lines have been drawn???