Each year I round up the various forms of media that I’ve engaged with. Here’s what I’ve watched and read this year.
I use a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 star rating system – you could think of it as a “recommendation” rating system:
⭐️
⭐️⭐️
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t recommend this.
It’s good. I might recommend it to some people.
It’s great! You should definitely see this.
Books
I had a goal to read 52 books this year – one for every week. I reached it with a couple of weeks to go! I’m very proud of this achievement.
Early in the year I finished reading the Foundation and Robots series by Asimov, and after that started reading Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series. With over 20 titles in this series, I expect it will take a few years to get through them all, but so far I’m really enjoying the character development.
I also read through the “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” series by Liu Cixin. I didn’t rate this a full three stars, as it could be a little dry at some points – but it’s really lasted in my memory. I would recommend it as required reading for anyone who particularly enjoys science-fiction.
Another title that I can’t forget is Earthlings. I’ve found that most Japanese fiction I’ve read is straight-up strange… and this is no exception. Not a title for the faint of heart, but if you don’t mind a disturbed mind… give this one a go.
Another highlight was the Interactive Fiction title “Violet“. I had a great time reading and uncovering all the endings and easter eggs. It’s free to read, and short – took me about three hours to get through.
| Title | Author | Rating | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Foundation | Isaac Asimov | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| The Midnight Library | Matt Haig | ⭐️⭐️ | Ebook |
| Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians | Brandon Sanderson | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Foundation’s Edge | Isaac Asimov | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| To Sleep in a Sea of Stars | Christopher Paolini | ⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Sapiens | Yuval Noah Harari | ⭐️ | Paperback |
| Recursion | Blake Crouch | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Ebook |
| The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Robots and Empire | Isaac Asimov | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Foundation and Earth | Isaac Asimov | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Dark One | Brandon Sanderson | ⭐️⭐️ | Graphic Novel |
| Earthlings | Sayaka Murata | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Death’s End | Liu Cixin | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Elon Musk | Ashlee Vance | ⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Sharpe’s Tiger | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Ebook |
| Sharpe’s Triumph | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| The Alchemist | Paul Coelho | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| The History of the Future | Blake J. Harris | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| The Untethered Soul | Michael A. Singer | ⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Sharpe’s Fortress | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Snow Crash | Neal Stephenson | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Ebook |
| Sharpe’s Trafalgar | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Sharpe’s Prey | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Violet | Jeremy Freese | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | IF |
| Sharpe’s Rifles | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| The Silmarillion | J.R.R. Tolkien | ⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Sharpe’s Havoc | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Forget Me Not | Ellie Terry | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Sharpe’s Eagle | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Red at the Bone | Jacqueline Woodson | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Song of Solomon | Toni Morrison | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| The Scrivener’s Bones | Brandon Sanderson | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| The Knights of Crystallia | Brandon Sanderson | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Sharpe’s Gold | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Sharpe’s Escape | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Free to Learn | Peter O. Gray | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Red | John Logan | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Other Houses | Paddy O’Reilly | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Lemon | Kwon Yeo-Sun | ⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Scattered Minds | Gabor Matè | ⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Severance – The Lexington Letter | Ben Stiller, et. al. | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Ebook |
| The Lost Metal | Brandon Sanderson | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Meditation & Kabbalah | Aryeh Kaplan | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Tefillin | Aryeh Kaplan | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Nomadland | Jessica Bruder | ⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Tzitzith: A Thread of Light | Aryeh Kaplan | ⭐️⭐️ | Paperback |
| Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower | Tamsyn Muir | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Final Spin | Jocko Willink | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| The Stranger in the Lifeboat | Mitch Albom | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Legion | Brandon Sanderson | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Skin Deep | Brandon Sanderson | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
| Sharpe’s Fury | Bernard Cornwell | ⭐️⭐️ | Audiobook |
Trends
- 52 Books
- Formats Read
- 11 audiobooks (62%)
- 14 paperbacks (27%)
- 6 other digital formats (11%)
- Authors Read
- 11 by Bernard Cornwell (21%)
- 7 by Brandon Sanderson (13%)
- Average Rating
- 26 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (50%)
- 22 ⭐️⭐️ (42%)
- 4 ⭐️(8%)
- Average rating of 2.42 stars
- Fiction vs Non-Fiction
- 42 Fiction (81%)
- 10 Non-Fiction (19%)
- Compared to last year…
- 216% more books read! (52 this year, 24 last year)
- Many more paperbacks (I don’t think I read any hard copies last year)
Book of the Year
Unlike film and television, I don’t tend to read books the year they were released. In fact, the only book I’ve read this year that was also released this year is The Lost Metal. Because of this, I give the book of the year award to whichever book I recommend the most.
This year’s Book of the Year is Recursion by Black Crouch.
Film
This year I intentionally took a step away from the cinema. Although I really enjoyed diving into the world of film last year, I didn’t think I’d be able to maintain my film diet while also pursuing my audacious one-per-week reading goal.
Like last year, Talia and I decided on a date-night movie director theme. I’ve done Noah Baumbach, Ridley Scott, Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, as well as series like the MCU and Bond. This year we watched the filmography of Guy Ritchie.
| Title | Year | Rating | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| House of Gucci | 2021 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| The Comeback | 2021 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Phone |
| Moonfall | 2022 | ⭐️ | Cinema |
| The Sky is Everywhere | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Last Night in Soho | 2021 | ⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | 1998 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Snatch | 2000 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| The Batman | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| Swept Away | 2002 | ⭐️ | TV |
| Turning Red | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Encanto | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Uncharted | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| Revolver | 2005 | ⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| RocknRolla | 2008 | ⭐️ | TV |
| Sherlock Holmes | 2009 | ⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | 2011 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | 2005 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Avatar | 2009 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| King Arthur: Legend of the Sword | 2017 | ⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| The Gentlemen | 2019 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Operation Mincemeat | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| Wrath of Man | 2021 | ⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Top Gun | 1986 | ⭐️⭐️ | iPad |
| Spiderhead | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Laptop |
| The French Dispatch | 2021 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| Everything Everywhere All at Once | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Lightyear | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Men | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Bullet Train | 2022 | ⭐️ | Cinema |
| Luck | 2022 | ⭐️ | TV |
| C’mon C’mon | 2021 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Plane |
| Belfast | 2021 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Plane |
| Werewolf by Night | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️ | Phone |
| Black Adam | 2021 | ⭐️ | TV |
| Wakanda Forever | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| The Menu | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| Cha Cha Real Smooth | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Avatar: The Way of Water | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Cinema |
| Cool Runnings | 1993 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| The Fabelmans | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
| Emancipation | 2022 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | TV |
Trends
- 44 Films
- Formats Watched
- 11 in the Cinema (25%)
- 27 at home on the TV (61%)
- 6 others (14%)
- Average Rating
- 26 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (59%)
- 12 ⭐️⭐️ (27%)
- 6 ⭐️ (14%)
- Average rating of 2.45 stars
- Release Years
- 25 released in 2022 (57%)
- 7 released in 2021 (16%)
- 12 released in other years (27%)
- Compared to last year…
- Total films only 58% of last year, down from 76 to 44
Film of the Year
My favourite film that was released in 2022 was The Fabelmans. I think this film will go down in history as an all time classic. It reminded a lot of Cinema Paradiso, which is another favourite classic of mine.
I have to mention a close runner-up, though: The Menu. Loved the tension, humour, and social commentary here.
Television
My goal at the start of the year was to limit my TV to only Marvel series, Lord of the Rings series, and Star Trek series. This might seem limiting, but actually I knew there would be a lot of Marvel and Star Trek shows.
In the end, I didn’t achieve this goal. I couldn’t help myself – I just had to see the final season of the Peaky Blinders (and I’m glad I did), plus it was nice to share a few evenings watching the new Only Murders in the Building season with Talia. Once I failed that, I decided to take up a couple of other recommendations from friends.
| Title | Season | Episodes | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning Wars | Season 2 | 10 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| Star Trek: Prodigy | Season 1 | 10 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| Hawkeye | Season 1 | 6 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| Star Trek: Discovery | Season 4 | 13 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| Moon Knight | Season 1 | 6 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| Picard | Season 2 | 8 Episodes | ⭐️ |
| Peaky Blinders | Season 6 | 6 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
| Ms Marvel | Season 1 | 6 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| I Am Groot | Season 1 | 5 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| Only Murders in the Building | Season 2 | 10 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power | Season 1 | 8 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
| Severance | Season 1 | 9 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
| She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Season 1 | 9 Episodes | ⭐️ |
| The Peripheral | Season 1 | 8 Episodes | ⭐️⭐️ |
Trends
- 14 Seasons
- 114 Episodes
- If you allow for an average 40 minute episode, that’s 76 hours of television.
- Average Rating
- 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (14%)
- 10 ⭐️⭐️ (72%)
- 2 ⭐️ (14%)
- Average rating of exactly 2 stars
- Compared to last year…
- Much less TV this year
- Down from 33 seasons to 14
- Down from 387 episodes to 114
- Down from ~258 hours to ~76 hours
Television Season of the Year
This one is no contest – Severance is by far the most engaging and excited series I’ve seen this year. I had it recommended to me from a few different folks who also liked Lost and Mr. Robot – and Severance is very much in the same vein. This is my kind of television.
That’s my year of input! The short version is a lot more books, and a lot less screen time. I’m not sure I’ll target such an aggressive reading goal in the year to come… and I think I’ll try to enjoy a few more movies. As for TV, I’m actually pretty pleased with how little I saw in 2022. I might try to cut it back a fraction in 2023 – maybe one per month? Something like that.