I hand-embroidered fifty hoops in 2022.
Typing that out doesn’t make it feel any more real to me. It feels insane that I’ve managed this amount of work on my own, the entire act of maintaining a business with my own hands. That I did it through joint issues, health scares, and an irregular sleep schedule baffles me.
I like working fast. I’m a completionist. So I suppose that's why I also made the time to read 183 books.
It’s obviously not a normal or recommend amount by any means. I don’t operate under the delusion that the amount of books someone crams into a single year has some sort of morality attached to it. I do, however, feel grateful that I did. I’ve gotten to discover so many new authors this year and it's been so fulfilling to delve further into new genres, especially horror. It's done wonders for my inspiration, both in private projects and within my art.
(I was very lucky to receive #thighgap from My Dark Library curator Sadie Hartmann and Consort and its sequel from author Regina Watts.)
I will confess that I haven’t used the "Book Talk" section of my website to its full potential, I have many plans for many reviews and lists and essays that I’ve just not had the opportunity to elaborate on. Admittedly, I’d like to go into why these books are on this list and for what reasons but until then I’d like to share at least my highest-rated books from the last year.
Romance and Erotica
(Potentially triggering or taboo content tagged with * a mixed bag of light and dark)
Devil in Winter Lisa Kleypas
Stranger in My Arms Lisa Kleypas *
Sugar Daddy Lisa Kleypas
Act Your Age Eve Dangerfield *
Locked Box Eve Dangerfield
Annie's Song Catherine Anderson *
The Friend Zone Kristen Callihan
Lemonade Nina Pennacchi *
Last Light Claire Kent
Moonshine Kat Bostick
Still Beating Jennifer Hartmann *
You Can Have Manhattan P. Dangelico
Raw Lizzie Bequin *
Tormentor Mine Series Anna Zaires *
Anti-Heroes in Love Duo Giana Darling
Cruel Idols Giana Darling *
Medicine Man Saffron A Kent *
Scarred Regrets Adelaide Forrest *
I Know What Love Is Whitney Bianca *
Mansions Whitney Bianca *
Shades Of Twilight Linda Howard
Consort Ada Dart *
Birds of Paradise Anne Malcolm *
Story of the Eye Georges Bataille *
Horror and Assorted Transgressive and Literary Fiction
(Assume content warnings apply to the majority of these, please read at your discretion)
And In Her Smile, The World Rebecca J. Allred, Gordon B. White
Man, Fuck This House Brian Asman
Sour Candy Kealan Patrick Burke
The Slob Aron Beauregard
Sew Sorry Aron Beauregard, Daniel J. Volpe
Yellow Aron Beauregard
Fluids May Leitz
Pornography for the End of the World Brendan Vidito
Transmuted Eve Harms
Dear Laura Gemma Amor
Woom Duncan Ralston
Talia Daniel J. Volpe
Gone To See The Riverman Kristopher Triana
Exquisite Corpse Poppy Z Brite
Lost Souls Poppy Z Brite
Wormwood Poppy Z Brite
Welcome to the Splatter Club Jones, K. Trap
Manhunt Gretchen Felker-Martin
You've Lost a Lot of Blood Eric LaRocca
Books of Blood, Volume One Clive Barker
Hellbound Heart Clive Barker
Imperial Bedrooms Bret Easton Ellis
Lunar Park Bret Easton Ellis
Gag Reflex Elle Nash
Animals Eat Eachother Elle Nash
Just to See Hell Chandler Morrison
Hate to Feel Chandler Morrison
Dead Inside Chandler Morrison
#thighgap Chandler Morrison
Until The Sun Chandler Morrison
Along the Path of Torment Chandler Morrison
Girl Like a Bomb Autumn Christian
Play It as It Lays Joan Didion
The Delivery Man Joe McGinniss Jr.
Junky William S. Burroughs
The Sluts Dennis Cooper
Frisk Dennis Cooper
God Jr. Dennis Cooper
Darryl Jackie Ess
Zombie Joyce Carol Oates
Babyfucker Urs Allemann
Eileen Ottessa Moshfegh
Death in Her Hands Ottessa Moshfegh
Lapvona Ottessa Moshfegh
Endless Love Scott Spencer
