Books I Plan on Reading in 2022

[acequeenking]

(This is part of a series I'm gonna do this week, detailing Things I Want to Experience this year: books to read, plays/shows/movies to watch, games to play, music to listen to, etc. These lists are by no means exclusive and being a flighty creature it is likely I either won't get to all of these items or may wind up reading other things instead of/in addition to the ones listed below, but I'm gonna try to get to these and want to look back at the end of the year and see how successful I was at getting through these things.

Base rules on this project: No more than 10 things can be listed. Series can be listed as Series in order to not tie up the entire list with multiple entries.Experiencing at least one thing in a series will count as fulfilling the item. If it's something I started in 2021 but did not finish, it will be put on the list as Continuing: [Name]; otherwise, the item is new to me.) 

The Grishaverse series – Leigh Bardugo: It took me by surprise how much I enjoyed the TV show for this. I had the first books in this series (and the first two books in Six of Crows) that I bought when they were on sale, prior to the final books release. I’ve noticed a lot of the fanfic for the TV fandom mixes and matches canon with the books, so to really write in this fandom (and I’d like to), I think I gotta read the book. So let’s read the book(s)!

Working on a Song – Anais Mitchell: I am probably the only Hadestown obsessive on Earth who has not yet read this, and I really should. I’ve been avoiding it because I’ve been Saving It For a Bad Day, but honestly, I really need to stop that mindset. I can always re-read it. Might get some good ideas for fic out of it.

The Book of Life – Deborah Harkness: I read the first two books in this series and dropped off before the third. I didn’t particular like the books, but I really like the TV show (which, for the most part, cut the chaff, and boy howdy did these books have a lot of chaff mixed in with truly fun worldbuilding). Before the third series comes out, I’d like to read the third book, especially because I think the third season will deviate quite a bit from the original book.

A Touch of Darkness series – Scarlett St. Clair: Is this a Hades/Persephone modern AU romance novel? Yes. But look, I need some simple, easy books, and this is fun.  I enjoy that it’s got some nifty, fun world-building (gods having secret horns! Arcane magic! Secrets!). I finished the first novel but there’s a second and third now so I’d like to finish it.

Host of Many: Hades and His Retinue – (ed.) Bibliotheca Alexandrina: This is an anthology of Hades-related material from Bibliotheca Alexandrina , and it’s a mix of poems, essays, prayers, plays, illustrations, etc. written by Hades-devotees and primarily for Hades devotees. I’ve got their previous volumes on Persephone, Charon, and Ereshkigal and I always find them interesting. This collection for Hades I expect to be no different.

The Locked Tomb series – Tamsyn Muir: I’ve heard so much about this series! At this point I figure even if I am not a super fan it will be useful to read to at least be able to take pinch hints because its such a popular exchange fandom. I figure that the classical references alone will amuse me.

Neon Gods – Katee Roberts: Really? Two Hades/Persephone romance novels? Yes. I am trash for these two and I find these so relaxing to read at night. The idea of an enemies to lovers fake dating Hades/Persephone novel seems like it would be a lot of fun. Also considering this comes from an author who has written a lot of erotica focused on folklore characters, I feel like this Might Get Weird, and I like weird.

Agrippina: Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore: A Biography of the Most Extraordinary Woman in the Roman World – Emma Southon: I feel like the title (that was truncated + censored in the American release, boo) says it all. Agrippina is a really badass wheeler and dealer in Ancient Roman politics and I’ve heard very good things about this biography. Agrippina is one of my fav Roman Empresses and even though I don't expect a lot of this will be new to me, I do think it's gonna be a fun read.

The Ballad of Black Tom –Victor LaValle: I’ve been meaning to check out LaValle, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this novella. Not familiar with the "The Horror at Red Hook" (which this story is based on) so it will be a surprise all around, but the cover looks very cool and very noir-but-also-eldrich-fantasy-horror which is an itch I’ve wanted scratched for a while.

The True Queen – Zen Cho: I read the first Sorcerer to the Crown novel and quite enjoyed it, but I have to admit I wasn’t really sure where it could go as a series. Excited to see where it goes, especially when this one doesn’t feature Prunella and Zachariah as the maincharacters (at least, based on the cover). The world-building in this was really charming from what I remember in the first one and it seems like it would be a good book to curl up with.I hope Rollo comes back, who was my fav in Sorcerer to the Crown.