Happy Sunday!
2022 was . . . certainly a year XD. It was a year of healing, a year of reconsidering life choices, a year of rebuilding all the things I let unravel. It was ultimately a good year, though — much better than 2021!
TOP FIVE MOST IMPACTFUL BOOKS
*Please note: unless explicitly stated, these are not recommendations. If you’d like to be aware of any content warnings, just let me know!
Septimus Heap by Angie Sage [series]
I reread these childhood favorites of mine towards the start of 2022, and they didn't just meet my expectations — they blew them out of the water. I think I love these books more now than when I did when I was younger XD. I've talked about its plot before here, but it took on a new depth during this read. The story of Septimus coming into his own, of Jenna coming into her own, of Simon Heap's redemption . . . it's all expertly woven together, and I cannot recommend it enough. These transcend middle-grade.
Passerine by Thcseus
Yes, this is DSMP fanfiction (more on that later). Yes, this is absolutely out of my comfort zone when it comes to reading.
Yes, I sobbed like a baby for about two hours during and after reading this book.
This story has some of the most beautiful prose I've ever seen, not to mention an equally powerful story. Everything ties together in a circular fashion, and it's phenomenal to watch unfold. The characters are so well-done, the pacing is spectacular, and the themes of this book turn it into one of the most memorable heartbreaking, yet hopeful books I've ever read.
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Again along the lines of heartbreaking, yet hopeful books, I cried over this book too XD. Written by the author of The Book Thief (which should have warned me), it's the story of four brothers dealing with the death of their mother and the reappearance of their father. It's a story of growing up and love and grief. And the prose? It's almost like poetry. So gorgeous.
The Raconteur’s Commonplace Book by Kate Milford
So because I was tired of sobbing over all these books, I picked up a middle-grade novel. I've never heard of the Greenglass House series before, but this book — a standalone set in the same world — piqued my interest, so I gave it a shot.
WOW, am I glad I did. This is a book told through a series of stories. They all may or may not tie together by the end. Yes, there's a large cast of characters, but by the time the book ends, you feel as though you know each one personally. Highly, highly recommended.
For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams [series]
It wouldn't be a 2022 year in review without mentioning this manga series, which — I will admit — I haven't finished yet. However, volumes one through eight are incredible. This story follows a boy whose parents were murdered and whose twin brother disappeared, all in the span of one night. When he begins having dreams — gristly dreams — from someone else's perspective, he realizes that his brother is alive and sets out to find him. It's a tale of sibling love, revenge, and forgiveness, with a good amount of mystery sprinkled within.
TOP FIVE MOST IMPACTFUL SHOWS
*Please note: unless explicitly stated, these are not recommendations. If you’d like to be aware of any content warnings, just let me know!
Banana Fish
I began 2022 with this show. Was that a bad idea? Probably.
Even now, twelve months after finishing it, I genuinely have no idea if I love or hate it. The only word I can conjure up is devastating, in every sense.
I wouldn't recommend this anime to any sensitive viewer. I could barely stomach it. It is intense, violent, and emotionally wrenching, and it deals with very heavy topics, such as rape, trafficking, drugs, and abuse. There's also other content/implications that I Did Not Like. But it also powerfully demonstrates the idea that it's better to love and have lost than to never have loved at all. So that made it worth it??? I think???? XD
DSMP
For those of you who don't know, this is a Minecraft YouTube roleplay series whose plot can be summed up in the word angst. That's really all you need to know.
I got really invested in this story for about five months. Like, really into it. Like, I have a thirteen-hour playlist of DSMP songs. And an hours-long YouTube playlist of my favorite moments and animatics. It was a problem and detrimental to my mental health, too, I think.
Fortunately, I have moved past this part of my life and have found more wholesome types of media XD. No regrets on leaving.
Violet Evergarden
Now THIS is what I’m talking about. I already wrote an entire post on this beautiful anime, so I won't wax eloquent about it here, but this show is exactly what anime was made for. Its beautiful visuals and soundtrack are icing on the top of a beautiful, emotional story that will give you hope in humanity.
Kingdom: Legendary War
Um . . .
How do I describe, exactly, why I like this reality-TV-esque competition show between six K-pop groups?
Put quite simply: despite the competitive nature of this show, it's downright wholesome. It's basically about six groups of musicians (all quite skilled at their craft, I might add), who are competing without hating each other. After seeing so much toxicity in American competitive shows, Kingdom was a breath of fresh air.
If you like K-pop and haven't watched this, you absolutely should. :D
Shadow and Bone
I walked into this show after only reading the first Shadow and Bone book. I fully expected to be completely "meh" about it, since that was my impression from the book.
Instead, I walked out completely obsessed with the Crows. Whoops. XD
This show isn't a terrible book-to-screen adaptation, at least as far as book-to-screen adaptations go. Sure, there are imperfections and questionable scriptwriting choices (not to mention, again, some content I Did Not Like). But the chemistry of the Crows? The casting of Ben Barnes as the Darkling? The development of Mal's character? Heck, even the soundtrack? Everything in this show somehow works together to create a compelling story that hooked me from episode one.
It also convinced me to read the Six of Crows duology. Still not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but here we are. XD
A RANDOM SCATTERING OF MEMORIES
- meeting an online friend for the first time over the summer!
- spring break in Arizona, featuring many cacti <3
- working at the library over the summer
- many life deliberations
- an insane choir schedule for the fall semester, which made me realize that I love singing maybe more than I do writing XD
- reading five Septimus Heap books in a week in an attempt to finish the series before school started
- leaving Instagram for 11 months of the year because I was #done with social media
- getting really into Stray Kids
- listening to 53,000 minutes on Spotify yeah, that needs to change this year
- somehow playing countless hours of Genshin Impact without really getting anywhere??
I wish I'd prayed more. I wish I'd spent more time developing my relationship with God instead of consuming empty noise.
But He still worked in my life. And my biggest takeaway from this year is that I can finally look back and see that those moments of darkness were all leading somewhere.
I'm not out of the woods yet — who knows when that'll be. But He's here, walking with me.
And He's walking with you too. He's already been by your side, and He will continue to be there through 2023 and beyond.
I hope you have a blessed 2023, friend. <3
Hopefully talk to you soon,
-Nicole <3
