A look back: Series reading in 2022

At the start of each new year, I write a post about my intended series reading — which series I want to start, which I want to finish, and maybe even some that I want to devour all in one big reading binge.

Now that we’re at the end of December, it’s time to check back in and see if I actually accomplished any of my series reading goals for 2022.

So how did I do?

In 2022, my priority series to read were:

The Kingston Cycle trilogy by C. L. Polk:

Status: DONE! I read the trilogy straight through, and had mixed feelings about it as a whole. I liked a lot of the concepts and characters, but the continuity and worldbuilding didn’t especially work for me.

Children of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky:

Status: Nope. At the time when I wrote my post back in January, I thought this was a completed duology, but it turns out there’s a 3rd book coming out in early 2023. I really have no reason for not reading these books yet, other than juggling all the other books I wanted to read! These will go back on my series reading list for 2023.

The Expanse by James S. A. Corey:

Status: DONE! Wow. Just wow. I’d read books 1 – 5 prior to 2022, so this past year I read books 6 – 9 plus the collected stories. Fantastic series, start to finish, and I’m just sad that it’s done. Excellent storytelling with a powerful ending. A must-read series!

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir:

Status: A little progress… I had just the first two books on my list at the start of 2022, but since then, a 3rd has been released. I finally read Gideon the Ninth about a month or so ago, didn’t love it… but remain interested enough to see what happens next. I intend to keep going in 2023.

Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers:

Status: Making progress! I’m currently on the 2nd book, and really enjoying it! I intend to keep going with the series, probably via audiobook.

Patternist series by Octavia Butler:

Status: Nope. As much as I’d love to read more Octavia Butler, I just never found myself motivated to start this series. I’d say that these books will remain on my maybe/someday shelf, but I don’t think I’m going to put them on my 2023 series list.

The Lady Janies series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows:

Status: Baby steps. I read the first book in the series, and loved it! Just haven’t had time to continue yet, but I absolutely intend to.

The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski:

Status: One and done (for now). My goal had been to make lots of progress in this series — maybe even finish it? I read one more book, The Time of Contempt, and even though I still have four more left to read (and actually own copies of them all), I feel pretty done at this point. Maybe after the next season drops on Netflix, I’ll feel inspired to continue with the books… but as of now, I doubt it.

That’s it for my 2022 series reading. How about you?

Did you read any series in 2022? Any particular favorites?

Check back in January, when I’ll set a new batch of series reading goals for the new year.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top ten books on my TBR list for spring 2022

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is about our spring 2022 reading plans. So many exciting new books to choose from!

Here are 10 books I’m especially looking forward to this spring:

  1. Leviathan Falls (Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey
  2. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
  3. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
  4. The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
  5. The Emma Project by Sonali Dev
  6. Reputation by Lex Croucher
  7. To Marry and To Meddle by Martha Waters
  8. The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
  9. Spear by Nicola Griffith
  10. Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

What books will you be reading this spring? Share your links, and I’ll come check out your top 10!

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 I want to reread in 2022

Yes, you read that right! This post is a Top 5 Tuesday post — I’m participating in the meme originally created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, now hosted by Meeghan Reads.

My usually Tuesday lists are linked back to the Top Ten Tuesday meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, but I just wasn’t feeling this week’s prompt, so I thought I’d do something different.

Books to re-read!! This topic is definitely in my sweet spot, since I’m a big fan of re-reading my favorite books. I’ll usually let at least a few years go by, although sometimes, when the next book in a series is on the horizon, I’ll do a quick re-read (or audiobook listen) to get a refresher on all the details.

Here are five I plan to re-read in 2022:

  • The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: I’m actually planning to start a LOTR re-read this year, and I’m leaning toward starting with the audiobook of The Hobbit (narrated by Andy Serkis) — but I also have this illustrated edition on my shelf that I may choose to spend time with instead.
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling: I’m looking forward to enjoying the gorgeous MinaLima edition of HP#2.
  • When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire: The newest October Daye book (#16, Be the Serpent) comes out in the fall, so before then, I’ll be doing an audio re-read of #15.
  • Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon: I read the 9th book in the Outlander series as soon as it was released this past November, but starting next week, my book group will be doing a group read, sharing and discussing two chapters per week.
  • Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: This is another one for a book group discussion, and I absolutely do not mind the idea of reading it again!

Do you plan to re-read any books in 2022?

As always, if you have a TTT or T5T post this week, please share your link!

Reading goals: Series to read in 2022

Happy New Year! Here’s hoping 2022 brings joy and health for all of us!

As is my annual tradition, rather than setting a bunch of reading goals that I probably won’t actually try to achieve, I prefer to limit my bookish goals to series reading. There are so many series out there that I want to get to! My priorities change from year to year, but as of now, I have a pretty good idea of the series I want to tackle in 2022.

Most of the series I’m including here are completed, rather than ongoing series. I end up enjoying series most when I can read them either straight through or within a relatively short span of time, so everything stays fresh in my mind and I can feel like what I’m reading really connects.

I absolutely recognize that I may end up changing my mind on some or all of these, but as of now…

My priority series to read in 2022 will be:

The Kingston Cycle trilogy by C. L. Polk – I own copies of all three books, and have been wanting to start for a while now.

Children of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky: I’ve heard such great things, and what’s not to love about a duology?

The Expanse by James S. A. Corey: This has been on my list for a couple of years in a row, but I seem to manage to read only one book per year. So far, I’ve read books 1 – 5. With the TV series ending this month, I want to move forward and get through most (or all) of the remaining books in the series. There are 9 in all, and next up for me will be #6, Babylon’s Ashes.

Gideon & Harrow by Tamsyn Muir – This isn’t a completed series (#3 will be out in the fall), but I’m disappointed in myself for not reading these yet!

Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers – Another series that I should have read by now!

Patternist series by Octavia Butler: I’ve been wanting to read more Octavia Butler, and this series has been on my shelf for a few years.

The Lady Janies series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows: These look like so much fun!

Finally, I do want to go back to The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. I’ve read a few, but the last two were audiobooks that just didn’t stick with me (I couldn’t keep my attention from wandering), so basically, I’d need to re-read two of these before getting to the rest:

Are you planning to start any new series this year? If you’ve read any of the series on my list for 2022, please let me know what you thought and if you have any recommendations!