General Books / Yearly Wrap Up

2022 End of Year Survey – Parts II & III

Dini @ dinipandareads31 Comments

Alright, it’s time for the last parts of the End of Year Survey originally created by Jamie @The Perpetual Page Turner! If you haven’t yet, check out Part I, which is all about the books I read and where I happily gushed about all my new favourites. This next part is more about my blogging journey in 2022 and looking ahead to 2023.

Check out my previous survey wrap-ups:
2019 – Part I / Part II / Part III | 2020 – Part I / Part II & III | 2021 – Part I / Part II & III

New favourite book blog/bookstagram/youtube channel you discovered in 2022?

Despite not being as active on the blogosphere this year, I did discover a few new bloggers who I’ve really enjoyed engaging with!

Favourite post you wrote in 2022?

Hmm, maybe a couple of my LTB posts?

Favourite bookish-related photo you took in 2022?

This has to be my newest tattoo: it’s very bookish!

Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, etc.)?

Just like in previous years, I attended zero bookish events this year. 🥺

Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2022?

I want to say this was when I reached 800 followers or when I made my 1,500th post but I never get notifications for these things so I miss the big milestones! 😂 I think the best moment for me was when I developed a stronger friendship with my fellow bloggers, especially Leslie and Julie. These two are such wonderful and kind humans and I’m so thankful for their presence in my life! I’m so glad 2022 gave me the chance to become better friends with them through buddy reads and all the chats! 💜

Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

The most challenging thing for me was dealing with disruptions and finding a balance between my new normal and blogging/ reading. Compared to previous years, my reading/blogging in 2022 felt quite erratic! I read and blogged a whole lot at the start of the year but there were more frequent periods of not-reading and low engagement in the blogosphere. Plus, with a new full-time job that actually kept me busy and required me to be at the office, it was challenging to find the energy to blog and read at the end of every day! I think I’ve developed a decent routine now though so hopefully, this won’t be so challenging in 2023! 🤞🏽

Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

I’m having a little trouble navigating this new WP layout stuff so I’m not really seeing where I can find these stats by views. Going by comments and likes, my most popular post was: #TopTenTuesday: My Most Anticipated Releases: June-December 2022.

Post you wished got a little more love?

This answer doesn’t change much every year and this year it’s still the same: my book reviews! There isn’t one in particular that I’m really thinking of but generally, the least liked/commented-on posts on my blog are my reviews. This often makes me question my reviews but I’ve heard a few other bloggers mention that it’s the same for them, so I try not to let it get to me (too much)! If I had to promote a couple of reviews that I really enjoyed writing they’d be…

Best bookish discovery (book-related sites, bookstores, etc.)?

I’ve been trying to think if I made any bookish discoveries and sadly, I don’t think I have! 🥺

Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I did! I talked about it in more detail in my last LTB post of 2022 where I reflected on my reading and blogging over the past year. I went beyond my reading goal, I reached my target of new followers, I dove into my backlist and overall, I think I did pretty alright when it came to achieving goals last year. 😊

One book you didn’t get to in 2022 but will be your number 1 priority in 2023?

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

This has been on so many 2022 favourite lists! I’m really looking forward to reading it because I’ve heard so many great things. This is also the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award Memoir Winner!

📖 SYNOPSIS

A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair

Book you are most anticipating for 2023 (non-debut)?

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

I was stunned when my ARC request was granted because that literally NEVER HAPPENS! I’m a little nervous knowing this is a novella but I’m also ridiculously excited for more stories from Fonda Lee. 💜

📖 SYNOPSIS

From World Fantasy Award-winning author Fonda Lee comes Untethered Sky, an epic fantasy fable about the pursuit of obsession at all costs.

Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single, overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family.

Ester’s path leads her to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance.

2023 debut you are most anticipating?

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

First, can we take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this cover? Cos it’s all kinds of gorgeous! I’m so excited about this debut YA contemporary and queer romance. 😍

📖 SYNOPSIS

Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians in this heartfelt, joyful paperback original rom-com that follows an aspiring chef who discovers the recipe for love is more complicated than it seems when he starts fake-dating a handsome new customer.

Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.

Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend… but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems.

Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?

Series ending/a sequel you are most anticipating in 2023?

Grim and Bear It by Juliette Cross

If you didn’t know, I binged all five books and a novella in this series throughout November/December and it quickly shot up my list of favourites! I don’t have words for how excited I am for this final book in the series. I’m so ready for this!

📖 SYNOPSIS

Not even Death can take her from him.

Clara Savoie is so confused. She is absolutely positive that Henry Blackwater is practically in love with her. But for some strange reason, he won’t even ask her on a single date. Time to take matters into her own hands.

When Clara shows up on his doorstep with an unusual invitation, tempting cupcakes, and naughty innuendo, Henry has no choice but to say yes. Now he’s the newest member of the High Tea Romance Book Club. While Clara learns the haunting secrets of her broody grim, Henry shows her what commitment from a necromancer truly means.

But when his father is arrested for murder, Henry is dragged back into the nightmare he’s been avoiding all his life. When he steps back into his father’s world, he isn’t just endangering himself but also the bright, beautiful woman he can no longer live without. But he just might have to.

One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2023?

Something that I hope to accomplish in 2023 is cataloguing my owned books, physical and digital. I started filling in a library tracker last year but I wasn’t too chuffed with the template, so I thought I’d make a really simple one for myself just so that I know what books I own. Once I have the basic list I think it’ll be easier to modify it with more details in the future. I think cataloguing my physical books won’t be too time-consuming but the digital books is a different story!

A 2023 release you’ve already read and recommend to everyone (if applicable)

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

This book encapsulates everything I love about Talia Hibbert’s books. The cheeky humour, the banter, the feelings and romance, the rep! This was such a good time and if I didn’t have obligations like work, I would’ve read this in one sitting for sure. Highly recommended!

📖 SYNOPSIS

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoors—and each other.

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes… except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption–yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed… or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

And that’s it for the 2022 End of Year Survey! How was your year of blogging? Did you discover new favourite bloggers/ booktubers/bookstagrammers? What book did you not get to in 2022? Any exciting 2023 releases you’re anticipating? I’d love to populate my new releases list!

31 thoughts on “2022 End of Year Survey – Parts II & III”

  1. Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute was such a great start to the year! I’m glad you enjoyed it, as well 😊 I also need to catalogue my owned books, specifically my unread ones so I can get a better handle on my TBR 😅 Wishing you a wonderful reading year in 2023, Dini!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Right? I never expected to find a 5-star read so quickly but HERE WE ARE! I hope that signals great things for 2023’s reads. I really hope this is gonna be the miracle year that I finish cataloguing my books, haha. It always ends up taking so much longer than I thought it would. Wishing you a wonderful 2023 reading year as well, Kerri! 💜

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  2. More people should read your book reviews. They are so energetic, and even if it’s not a book I would read, you get me excited about it and you offer thoughtful comments for the books that maybe weren’t your faves.

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  4. Thank you so much for the mention! It was a lot of fun being able to interact with you, especially since I was (and still am) quite new to the blogosphere! Fake Dates and Mooncakes is also one of my most anticipated debuts for the year. I probably also need to catalog my books, but whether I do that is a different case entirely 😅

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    • You’re welcome! I always really enjoy reading your posts so it was great to see you come back and start posting again (although I totally get life getting in the way, lol)! 😊 I hope we all love FDAM! And haha, yeah, totally a mood about cataloguing books. It always ends up taking so much longer than I anticipate and then it just ends up staying half-done—welp! 🫣

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  5. Awwww, thank you so much, my friend! I feel the same way about you and Leslie. And your tattoo is amazing!!! Every time I see it, it makes me eager to go and get another. lol

    I’m excited for Fake Dates and Mooncakes too. That cover is everything!!!! And Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute is one of my most anticipated reads, especially after reading your review!! It sounds fantastic.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks, Julie! 💜 I’m so chuffed with this ink especially since it’s my first bookish one. I can’t wait to get more already and I’ve got two in the works, haha. I can’t wait to read FDAM with you and Leslie, I hope we all love it! And YES! I need Talia Hibbert to write more YA because it was amazing and I hope you love it, too! 😍 Happy reading!

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  7. Thank you for the mention! I’m honored to be a new favorite and have enjoyed getting to know you and your blog better in 2022. I love your new tattoo. It’s so beautiful! Also… your reviews are awesome. Don’t ever doubt that. You’ve made me pick up several books this past year I wouldn’t have read otherwise. I completely understand wanting more people to read reviews, though. So many of mine don’t get much love either.

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    • Aah, thank you, Chris! That means a lot and I’m so glad that you’ve tried new books you wouldn’t have otherwise based on my recs. I’ve come to accept the fact that reviews just don’t get as much love in comparison to other posts, so it’s nice when my reviews receive any kind of love! 😂 I’m looking forward to our first buddy read coming up. Here’s to more awesome reads in 2023!

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  17. I’m just now reading this post (gods, I am so behind on blog hopping sometimes) but I am rooting for you so hard, Dini! I love all of the reflections and goals, still absolutely adore your tattoo and I am so glad I found your blog in 2022, as it’s one of my absolute favorites. ❤

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