I hope you’ve had a lovely Christmas! I’ll be honest, my ongoing eye issues are making book blogging a bit tricky – so I’ll pop in with my Best Books of 2022 on New Year’s Eve, and otherwise I’ll probably have a little hiatus. The treatment isn’t working yet, but I’ve also had flu, so that hasn’t helped. Hurrah for audiobooks but, gosh, I miss reading.
So I wasn’t really in the mood for buying my 24th book for Project 24, if I’m honest – but then realised a perfect choice could be some Mary Oliver. It’s much easier to read a poem than a page of text, and I’ve been wanting to try Oliver for a while. I was a bit worried she’d be too self-helpy for me, but asked Twitter for recommendations – and Heather suggested A Thousand Mornings. And so that is my final book purchase of the 24 books I bought in 2022 (and, no, I shan’t be doing the project next year.)
And, so I have them in one place, here are the 24 books I bought this year… I’ll do more of an overview at some point, but this will do for now.
1.) The Flowering Thorn by Margery Sharp
2.) House Happy by Muriel Resnik
3.) Murder on the Second Flood by Frank Vosper
4.) Why I’m Not A Millionaire by Nancy Spain
5.) The Patience of a Saint by G.B. Stern
6.) In Pious Memory by Margery Sharp
7.) The Chase by Mollie Panter-Downes
8.) The Deepening Stream by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
9.) The Home by Penelope Mortimer
10.) In No Strange Land by Jane Oliver
11.) The Fiery Gate by Ronald Fraser
12.) The Old Moat House by Eleonora H. Stooke
13.) The Comfort Tree by Stella Martin Currey
14.) War Isn’t Wonderful by Ursula Bloom
15.) Jim Comes Home by Frank Tilsey
16.) More Joy in Heaven by Sylvia Townsend Warner
17.) Fifty Forgotten Books by R.B. Russell
18.) Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
19.) Spring Always Comes by Elizabeth Cambridge
20.) The Crime of Sheila McGough by Janet Malcolm
21.) The First To Die At The End by Adam Silvera
22.) Ducks by Kate Beaton
23.) Sea State by Tabitha Lasley
24.) A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
Embarrassingly, I thought I was doing quite a good job of reading them this year – but, it turns out, I’ve only actually read seven of these books. But they’re all books that I’m pleased have ended up my shelves – and, eyes permitting, I’d be keen to get to any and all of them in 2023.
No matter. There’s always tomorrow!
I love your project and will borrow it for 2023 (buying 23 books I guess). I hope your health gets better soon!
Wishing you a speedy recovery from the flu Simon, and I hope the eye treatment makes a difference soon.
I’m trying to decide on a book-buying ban for 2023 (the impact of the one I had in 2018 has frankly disappeared under the piles I’ve bought since :-D ) but maybe I should try your more measured approach.
Gosh, so sorry to hear about the eyes and the flu, Simon – that’s just rotten and I do hope that the treatment improves things very soon. x
As for your 24 books, I do admire you doing this. I should ban myself from buying any more books but it’s not working. Maybe if I put a limit of a certain number on my buying like you it would help…
So sorry to hear the eyes are still a problem – and flu as well – poor you, it sounds absolutely rotten.
As well as it being horrible for you, I expect there are others like me who are missing your inspiring blogging.
I think I should try to do a Project 24 for 2023. I need to reduce my pile of ‘to be reads’. Really hoping you can get back to reading soon. Wishing you a Happy New Year!
We are all pleased to see you have made a post & not pleased that you have the flu which as you say slows things …
Looking at your 24 list I find I have only read four of them … but some of the others sound tempting.
It is new year on Sunday & we all wish you a 2023 with restored health and vision.
Bravo for managing Project 24 yet again!
Take care, rest up, and I hope things improve health-wise in 2023.
I bet 7/24 is a better proportion than mine for reading books acquired this year by my own means! I really hope your eye issues are resolved by the treatment soon, and am devastated for you. I’m glad you can enjoy audio books, and hope you can get back to print ones soon. Happy New Year and my 2023 be good to you in all ways, but esp the booky ones.
Thank you, I really appreciate that, Liz