2022 in Literature
In Reading
In summary…
Reading goal: 15
Books read: 14
Fire on the Mountain — Edward Abbey
I have such a love-hate relationship with Edward Abbey and his writing. It’s good, it’s so well-written. I can’t stand some of his characters. And I don’t think it’s all satire. He’s racist and sexist and “set in his ways” and it shows. But I enjoy reading about characters of all kinds, even if I hate them. He’s also an early voice of environmentalism.
But anyway, this one might be my favorite of his works. Defend what you love. It’s real, it’s gritty, it’s effective.
4/5
A Season of Fire: Four Months on the Firelines of America's Forests — Douglas Gantenbein
More research and rabbit-holing for Lookout. Gimme all the wildfire books!
3.6/5
A Field Companion for Wandering — Conner Bouchard-Roberts
“A book for being lost on real and imagined borders.” I picked up this little book at a bookstore in Bellingham—oh it’s made me cry several times. It’s like a collection of poetic vignettes with characters never fully described. You can get lost in it. It lands somewhere among my favorites.
5/5
The Left Hand of Darkness — Ursula K. Le Guin
Fascinating worldbuilding and storytelling, and beautifully written. It lingers.
4.3/5
Cloud Atlas — David Mitchell
An instant fave. I love a story that can successfully weave multiple threads together—this one does it seamlessly.
5/5
Eat, Pray, Love — Elizabeth Gilbert
Honestly feels like kind of a wildcard against my usual, but oh well, I loved it. Elizabeth Gilbert’s writing feels like a guilty pleasure for me. I like her whole vibe.
4/5
The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything — Neil Pasricha
It’s in the title—it’s a simple equation. The material here is great, though I think this is a book you could read the sparknotes or summarized version of and get the gist. But it’s a very good gist.
3.5/5
The Untethered Soul — The Journey Beyond Yourself
A re-read for me—I don’t know if I’ve read every single word of this book, but every time I pick it up I feel like I have the keys to unlock all of it. Whether I actually open the door, who’s to say. But it’s nice knowing.
4.2/5
East of Eden — John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck. Gosh, this book is so good. It’s beautiful, gritty, sad, and so so real. This should be required reading to be a human.
5/5
The Cold Millions — Jess Walter
I’m such a sucker for gritty human stories like this.
4.5/5
Black Sun: A Novel — Edward Abbey
I like Abbey’s writing. I generally like his stories. This one… well, I gave it one star and I’m writing this as my end-of-year recap and I can barely remember why this one didn’t stick with me. Maybe the sexism. Yeah, probably the sexism. Abbey why can’t you just be cool???
1/5
Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma, and Consensual Nonmonogamy — Jessica Fern
Speaking of being cool—this is a well-written and highly informative book on the world of nonmonogamy. How to navigate relationships that fall outside the “norm.” Highly recommend if you’re curious about nonmonogamy or need help finding or setting your own boundaries in this world.
3.5/5
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft — Stephen King
From one of the greats, an excellent treatise. Writers, read this book, if you haven’t already.
4.5/5
The Stranger — Albert Camus
A weird, introspective, surreal tale. And a classic. Gosh, a Nobel Prize—that’s huge. I think it’s worth a re-read too, I feel like there’s a lot to glean and dissect.
4.4/5
In Writing
I didn’t write too much in 2022. I was focused mostly on my main work with Wilderpines, as I was just getting situated in Washington—that, or I was swapping love poems with the man I’d soon propose to and marry. I wrote tons of those.
One very cool thing: A friend from college, Walker Williams, composed an art song set to my poem “it’s slower here”, and invited me to hop on a Zoom call as they workshopped and rehearsed in front of a small audience. I got to talk a bit about my poetry, and they asked me questions on certain words, phrases, how to best honor what I wrote. A really neat experience!
I also finally published my chapbook From the Ashes on transformation. You can snag a copy here—it’s free, or you can name a small price if you wish.
“it’s slower here” is among them.
I worked a bit on Lookout, when I had the time. I didn’t get terribly far—stuck on how to end it.
I started a short story about a man who falls in love with (literal) clouds, but I didn’t get very far.
I wrote a bunch of elopement ceremony scripts, too—I started to bring my writing into that realm in a way that I find so immensely fulfilling.
Okay maybe I did write a fair bit in 2022! A solid year of lit!
