I’m a sucker for any occasion to reflect and mid-year is an excellent time to check-in on progress and reassess goals. July 2 was the official midpoint of the year, which means that it is the perfect time for the 2022 Mid-Year Reading Check in and tag!
Reading Statistics for January – June 2022
It wouldn’t be a reflection post on Reader Voracious without some charts and data! Lucky for us all I am here to deliver the goods compliments of my 2022 Reader / Book Blogger Spreadsheet Template.
Compared to roughly the same time last year, I’ve read about ten less books in 2022 — which kind of makes sense. I returned to work last fall and it’s been an exercise in learning my new spoon levels taking returning to the world into consideration. I’m not overly upset about it, which is progress!
One of the biggest surprises — an exciting one, at that — is the balance between ARC and backlist reads. I’ve truly been leaning into mood reading since 2020 and I’ve made an effort not beat myself up about missing ARC publication dates. Reading a book when I am in the right mood for it is the best way to ensure the best reading experience for me, anyways!
If only Kal from 2018 could see this pie chart, she’d lose her mind! Yes, sci-fi and fantasy combined still make up more than 50% of my reading, but look at the romance slice. For the rest of the year I want to balance my reading more as I find that too much sff in a row leads to my slumps.
2022 Mid-Year Reading Check In Tag
The original tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books.
2021 Mid-Year Check In 2019 Mid Year Check In 2018 Mid Year Check In
1. The best book you’ve read so far this year?
I narrowed it down to my top 3 reads so far, which is Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood, Dead End Girls by Wendy Heard, and The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid.
2. The best sequel you’ve read this year?
Words cannot express how much I love the Goddess in the Machine duology. It’s got it all: intricate and complete world-building, gripping storytelling, and complex characters you can’t help but adore. The sequel Devil in the Device (review to come) brought the whole story full circle and had me on the edge of my seat.
I know the linguistics of the book with the future English isn’t for everyone, but I loved it and appreciated the author thought through how the language would change slightly over centuries. This series is ripe for a movie adaptation. I need it.
3. New releases you haven’t read yet but want to.
Since I have a book buying problem, I’m limiting the scope of this question to books released January – June that I purchased but haven’t yet read. For the Throne by Hannah Whitten (currently reading as of publication), Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li, and Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado.
4. Most anticipated releases for the second half of the year.
So many books and not enough time! I am most excited for Kate Alice Marshall’s next book, These Fleeting Shadows (Reviews: Rules for Vanishing, Our Last Echoes, I Am Still Alive), House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, and The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas (Reviews: Cemetery Boys, Lost in the Never Woods).
5. Biggest disappointment.
Have you ever read a book that feels like a personal attack? That the author wrote it with all your pet peeves in mind? Because that was how I felt reading A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson. I really wish I loved this one more than I did, but sadly the writing style and narrative flow just weren’t for me. Everything felt too obvious and “on the nose”, the first-person narrative exacerbated that with the main character talking in circles about the obvious Red Flags, and then deciding to do it anyways. The sibling relationship, though, is a treat.
6. Biggest Surprise.
I don’t know how I came to own a paperback copy of Beach Read by Emily Henry, but I am forever thankful that it showed up.
I’ve since read People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers, solidifying my love of romantic comedies and making me hungry for more. Please recommend more romcoms to me, especially if they feature LGBTQIAP+ romance and/or characters of color.
7. Favorite new to you, or debut, author.
An interesting thing about my reading habits this year: I’m reading a lot of the same authors and have largely prioritized reading sequels. That said, I’ve definitely encountered new favorites when picking up backlist books: Caitlin Starling (The Luminous Dead – review to come), Lauren Blackwood (Within These Wicked Walls), and Emily Henry (People We Meet on Vacation).
8. Newest fictional crush.
I don’t really have fictional crushes as I primarily read young adult these days.
9. Newest favorite character.
Gáspar from The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid lives rent-free in my brain.
10. Book that made you cry?
11. Book that made you happy?
Happiness? What’s that? Haha just kidding. Other than the Emily Henry Trifecta, I also need to mention Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean!
12. Favorite book to film adaption?
I haven’t watched any (that I’m aware of).
13. Favorite post you have done this year?
- Winners of the 2021 Bookish Jazz Awards 2021 awards season closes with the announcement of the reader nominated & voted best books of the year!
- Top 20 Edgar Allan Poe Poems is my personal definitive list of the best Poe Poetry and my love letter to Poe on our shared birthday: January 19.
- How to Use Post Tags Correctly is the latest in my SEO Basics series and one that I’m especially proud of since it dives into something not many others do.
Okay listen: I know the prompt says favorite post. Singular. But I have a lot of posts that I’m extremely proud of from this year that I haven’t properly promoted due to bouts of dropping off the face of the internet for weeks.
14. Most beautiful book you have bought this year?
You know what? I haven’t bought that many books this year! Combination of inflation eating up my disposable income and all my preorders being for books in the latter half of year.
15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Um, a lot. Right now I have 8 ARCs for books being published in the second half of the year (& 7 past due from 2022) that I hope to get to, and also hope to work on my owned TBR/backlist.
✨ Well, that’s it for my 2022 mid-year reading check-in!
Have you read any of the books that I highlighted?
What are some of your favorites?
Do you have happy book recommendations for me?
I still need Portrait of a Thief too!
I keep meaning to pick it up but my reading moods haven’t been kind to me. Hopefully we can get to it soon!
Excellent reads! Many of your recent reads either I’m reading or about to read.
Thank you and happy reading!
aww it’s so fun to see that you’ve been reading a lot more romance lately!! i’m glad that you’ve found a new genre to love (and i agree that too much sff consecutively can make me slumpy lol). i hope you get to read all of those releases you didn’t get to (i’m so curious to see what you think of portrait of a thief) and have a wonderful rest of your reading year & general 2022!! <3
It’s been so fun to try and unpack my actual disdain for the genre and unlearn the internalized misogyny, but honestly I love it so much and it’s great to read something now and again that doesn’t hurt. Knowing there will be a HEA or HFN? So nice! I really hope to read A Portrait of a Thief soon — my library hold lapsed because I wasn’t in the right mood, but hopefully next time will be better! ILYY
I’m so excited for House of Hunger too! And very curious about Portrait of a Thief. It’s not my usual genre but I keep hearing about it😁
I should probably read Henderson’s first book to stave off my NEED to read House of Hunger yesterday. iirc you enjoyed it, right?
Love to see the balance of backlist and ARC books that you’re reading! For me, I think most of my books are backlists just because I’m unable to acquire new releases at affordable prices soon so I eventually end up reading the older books. Forever catching up, haha. And this reminds me, I still need to get to Tokyo Dreaming!! Oof.
Anyway, hope you have a great second half of 2022!
Backlist love is honestly… so freeing?!?! Like I still feel guilt for not tending to ym ARCs prior to publication, but my brain really likes the reading without any expectations. Plus… my unread TBR pile is unseemly! I think backlist reading in general is great though because most books tend to drop off the face of the earth after pub. I hope you enjoy Tokyo Dreaming when you read it!
You have so many books here that I am excited about! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Beach Read. It’s the only one of Emily Henry’s books that I haven’t gotten to reading yet. Happy second half of the year! 🙂
Beach Read was SO MUCH FUN, and honestly is my second fave (after People We Meet on Vacation) of the three. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Reading a book when I am in the right mood for it is the best way to ensure the best reading experience for me HIGH-KEY AGREE
also YESSSS I just knew you’d love The Luminous Dead!! I can’t wait to read your review!
I hope we both get arcs of House of Hunger because I’d loooove to buddy read!
KATE OH MY GOD IT WAS SO GOOD and I couldn’t stop thinking about it! I finally wrote a review for it yesterday and it’s up now… my god. I need more books like it.
AHHH me too! Actually, I don’t even know if I requested an arc, so lemme do that and put together a summoning circle for us both!
I really need to read Beach Read! Also, I just got For The Wolf for my birthday, and I’m really excited to read that! I’m also particularly looking forward to A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Becky Chamber’s sequel to A Psalm for the Wild-Built. I’m so curious to see where she takes that series!
Ahhh, I hope you enjoy Beach Read and For the Wolf! Both of those books hold such a special place in my heart. I’m also SO EXCITED for A Prayer for the Crown-Shy; my soul could use more monk & robot
I will forever recommend How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams. One of my absolute favorite romcoms, but also check triggers before reading🥳
Thank you for the recommendation, checking it out right now!!!
Great wrap-up! I’m so envious of your backlist reading and rereading. Someday I’ll do better about saying no to ARCs. 😃 Happy to see you discovered and enjoyed Emily Henry. Beach Read still holds the place of my favorite romance ever. Happy reading in the second half of 2022!
I think a reason I’ve been good at ignoring ARCs lately is that I’ve ignored my blog email (and thus not seen review requests) and discontinued writing my Anticipated Reads series, so I am not as attached to the books coming up. I still have a lot of FOMO but I have been happier mood reading without feeling obligation. Beach Read is SO GOOD! I think I liked People We Meet on Vacation a tad bit more, but honestly those two are tied in my heart.
I just love your mid-year check-in!! I think it’s great that you have been able to grab up so many great books there and I love your stats. Emily Henry is an author that many people love to read and I am so thrilled it was such a surprise for you! I hope your next six months deliver some great reads for you!
Thank you so much!!! I definitely have been blessed by good books, even if my reading hasn’t been as consistent as I’d like. Emily Henry was like a BALM for me? I don’t read much romance and am only just delving into the genre as I unpack & unlearn the internalized misogyny. So if you have any recommendations for me PLEASE I AM ALL EARS AND VERY HUNGRY lmao
Yay more The Wolf and the Woodsman love! I need everyone to read that one.
I’ve been diving into backlist a lot too and it’s been making me a happy reader!
The Wolf and the Woodsman is SO GOOD. I literally think about it at least once a week.
Backlist reading is so… freeing, isn’t it?! Glad you’ve been a happy reader and thanks for stopping by!
I loved reading your Mid-Year Checkin, I love looking at my progress and goals as well 🥰 I really need to read Within These Wicked Walls this spooky season, it sounds perfect for it 😄 I already read These Fleeting Shadows and it’s SO good, I hope you enjoy it as well 💕 I also finally checked out Emily Henry this July and I had such a good time with Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, the audiobooks are fantastic 😊
Aww, I’m happy to see you enjoyed the post! And YES, Within These Wicked Walls is perfect for spooky season, I can’t wait for you to read it!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH so jealous you read These Fleeting Shadows already, my arc request is still in limbo and I need it. Glad you enjoyed it AND Emily Henry’s books! Those audiobooks are incredible.
Okay thank you for the reminder to add Goddess in the Machine to my wishlist!! This duology sounds really, really good and all of your praise makes me all the more excited for it!
Kal, I am loving all the books you’ve read so far! Ngl, seeing House of Hunger made me REALLY want to read it, so I put in a request for an ARC. Fingers crossed!
If you enjoyed Book Lovers and want to read more romcoms with characters of color, I recommend The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang! It’s really sweet and funny, and the main character, Stella, has autism spectrum disorder. And if you don’t mind a little time travel, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a fun, magical romantic comedy about the intricacies of human connection, and it’s very, very gay. I love it so much.
AHHH good luck with the House of Hunger arc request! You just reminded me that I forgot to request it myself on Netgalley, oops!
THANK YOU FOR THE RECS! I definitely want to not only read more romance but also with characters of color and from BIPOC authors! I didn’t realize One Last Stop had time travel and feel like if someone had told me this sooner I would have read it already. haha.