So Long, 2022~ In Which A Sponge Attempts To Put The Stories Of 2022 Into A Nutshell

Hello, everyone!

Time keeps moving forward. We all know this. It just creeps steadily along, or perhaps flies along at breakneck speed, depending on how you look at it.

And somehow, 2022 is spent. 2023 is upon us.

…

Did I accomplish anything this year? Who knows?

What I do know is that I read books. And watched movies and TV shows. And listened to musical theatre soundtracks. This has been my custom and I don’t think I’ll be changing it any time soon.

As is also my custom, I’ve compiled the highlights of my story related travels of this year in a blog post. And that is what you see before you today.

Books

Pure whimsy with magical illustrations. The plots are a tad underwhelming, but I love these books regardless.

The humor here, guys. The absurdity. But also, the depth?? Eh, that’s Chesterton, for you.

Cousins and sailboats, what could go wrong?

THIS BOOK. I love it. I love Swede. I love Reuben. I just…love it.

The whimsy is strong, even if the plot isn’t. And I adore these characters, even if they are a tad on the simplistic side.

Thought-provoking sci-fi. And isn’t that kind of the point of sci-fi?

Solid historical fiction with wholesome, engaging characters.

Was it super weird? Yes. Did I kind of love it anyway? Also yes.

Unique art style and beautiful storytelling. If I didn’t dislike the way this was formatted as a webcomic I would have read more by now, I swear.

…I just really, really like Kamet, okay?

The most lovable of lovable curmudgeons. And there’s a cat.

Do you know how much I love characters that laugh when they are in pain?

PHERIS, MY BOY.

Such impressive world-building, let me tell you. And such fascinating characters. Scrumptious combination.

The artwork here is so soft and beautiful. And Pig has angst. And Van exists. *smiles happily*

Can I be Van Helsing when I grow up?

So much wit and hilarity. Gabriel Syme is a blessing. Still not a fan of the ending.

Such wholesomeness. Ken is such a sweetheart.

 Dym is such a wholesome soul. And WWII fiction written DURING WWII? Yes, please.

Charley. I love him so much. And the amount of literary appreciation here. It’s gold.

We all want the Youngest Gentleman to get a happy ending, am I right? (No? Just me?)

This series is weird, but I kind of like that about it. Also Bowman. I do like Bowman. (And there’s a cat.)

Horror and death are sometimes just plain hilarious. (Did I just say that out loud?)

Did I understand what was going on most of the time? Well, no. But I liked it anyway. There is just something about this kid.

The Guardians of Childhood series by William Joyce, The Ball and the Cross by G.K. Chesterton, The Wanderer by Sharon Creech, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine, Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, Space Boy vol. 1 by Stephen McCranie, Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini, Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, Dune by Frank Herbert, The Dam Keeper vol. 1-3 by Robert Kondo and Daisuke Tsutsumi, Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton, My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara, Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry, Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens, The Slaves of the Mastery (#2 in the Wind on Fire trilogy) by William Nicholson, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Movies

Overrated? Sure. Still a beautiful movie. (Not to mention the best Disney movie in years.)

Lifestyles might not be at their finest, but storytelling definitely is.

The aesthetic of this movie is just *chef’s kiss*

Definitely weaker than the first one, but I still adore this family.

My brother-in-law introduced us to this one. it’s a lot of fun.

This movie was not as creepy as I thought it would be. Very bizarre, though…

This movie has such a stupid premise. And some stupid characters. Has a surprising amount of wholesomeness to make up for it.

So much spectacular dancing. I wish I could dance like that.

This movie is…pretty. And the characters are endearing. Especially Yuzuru.

Encanto, Tick Tick Boom!, Dune (part 1), A Quiet Place (part II), Silverado, Edward Scissorhands, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Royal Wedding, A Silent Voice

TV Shows

Despite some minor annoyances, this show is just so wholesome. Not to mention hilarious.

Despite some major annoyances, this show is quite entertaining. There is some great character development happening, and the fact that they are all based on authors is just so pleasing?

Annoyances here as well. But also, feelings. Lots of them. And they are not all good feelings.( Do I love this show or hate it, who can say.)

I only included this one because of Mr. Segundus and Childermass. This show had a lot of problems, but those two characters were perfect.

This was too long. And there were Things I did Not Like. But there were also things I really, really did like. A lot more than I thought I was going to.

I’ve only watched two episodes thus far, but I’m just excited that this is happening.

Spy x Family, Bungo Stray Dogs, Aldnoah.Zero, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Andor, The Wingfeather Saga

Theatre

Well, we pulled off a fully staged production of A Tale of Two Cities, the musical, which was a major accomplishment (if I do say so myself).  I love that show so much and I think we were able to do the story justice. Audiences really enjoyed it, so I guess that’s a win.

On a less impressive note, I discovered a few musical theatre soundtracks this year that I’ve quite enjoyed listening to:

I basically listened to this on a loop when I first discovered it. It’s definitely not as amazing as I think it is.

It’s hipster POTO, guys. And there’s some splendid stuff to be found here.

Worlds better than Jack and Rose, my friends. Trust me.

Frankenstein, Phantom, Titanic

Honorable mention: the musical Honeymoon in Vegas is a tad too inappropriate for my taste, but there are several songs from it that I thoroughly enjoy. (“I Love Betsy”, “Never Get Married”, “Anywhere But Here”, “Ev’ryday is Happy in Hawaii”, “The Garden of Disappointed Mothers”, “Isn’t That Enough?”, and “Airport Song”.)

Epilogue

There you have it. In a nutshell.

What stories did you discover in 2022? Any standouts? Do you have exciting plans for 2023? (Weren’t we still getting used to the fact that it was 2022, though?)