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My year in books and links, 2022

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My year in books and links, 2022

No. 22: Pointing your way... 15 books I loved reading this year, my favourite links I shared, a fun little game in the footer and more

Dec 31, 2022
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My year in books and links, 2022

jwstammers.substack.com

Hey! Thanks for reading issue 22 of my newsletter.

Hope you all had a good Christmas. It’s been a while since I wrote one of these, so let me catch you up on a few things…

The First Thing

Writing this newsletter and blogging is fun for me, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of long-term rewards. As I’ve mentioned before, I keep finding myself misdirecting my creative energy and have yet to figure out how to remedy it. So I took a long break from blogging and newslettering after my last issue to spend time working out what I most want to write.

During the break, I filled hundreds of diary pages, started and scrapped personal essays, drafted a very messy short story that needs several rewrites, outlined a rough fictional history for an epic fantasy world, brainstormed multiple novels, wrote a poem for a friend, published the blog posts I’ve linked below, and I discovered what I’m most interested in writing next year.

Since starting this newsletter, I’ve positioned myself as more of a content writer than an author. At my best, I’ve published poetry I could share with you. Going forward, however, I intend to focus on the passion I’ve always wanted to follow: writing fiction.

In 2023, I’d like to try serialising fiction. The specific narrative I intend to serialise, where I will publish the chapters and when you can expect to start reading are all to be decided. I’m hesitant to commit to anything concrete right now, but I’m very excited about the ideas I’m working on.

The Second Thing

For now, the newsletter in its current form will continue. But now that I’m making fiction writing my priority, I will not be returning to a fortnightly schedule.

When I have something to share, I’ll be in your inbox. It might very well be two weeks from now. Or it could be a month. Or it could be longer.

January is lined up to be a busy month for me. If all goes to plan, the rest of 2023 will keep me equally as busy. The past few years have felt like one especially long year with very little happening for me. My hope is for next year to be so chaotic it feels like I lived three years in one. The calm has bored me now. I’m ready for a storm.

A Third Thing, Before All That Other Stuff I Have To Share

Thank you for persevering with me. Whether you’ve read every issue or dipped in and out. Whether you’ve only ever clicked one link or several. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to lend me your eyeballs.

Soon, you will have more stories to read.

Until then, please enjoy a couple of end-of-year lists I wrote, and I hope you all have a Very Happy New Year!


📚 My year in books, 2022

Collage of 15 book covers

I compiled my annual list of favourite reads on my blog. This year, I highlighted 15 books I loved reading in 2022 — including my top three reads.

Read List


🔗 Favourite links I shared in 2022

Collage of six screenshots taken from videos I shared this year.

As you’re all keenly aware, I was far too preoccupied with linking to other people’s content and neglected to produce much of my own. As we’re seeing out 2022 and I’m changing my focus for next year, I thought I’d list my favourite links from the year.

Read List


▶️ Video Recommendation

In issue 20, I mentioned attending a teeny short film festival in my hometown. I intended to track down all the films and link to them all, but most are not easily accessible.

However, The Boy and The Mountain is on YouTube and was my personal favourite of the international films showcased, so I thought I’d share it here.


📁 From the Archive

Road sign directing drivers towards Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

From Zhōngguó and Sierra Leone to the village of Assington: How do places get their name?


🐦 Twitter Thoughts

Twitter avatar for @sasmilledge
Sas Milledge @sasmilledge
some thoughts about twitter, and being an artist on it 1/3
Image
Image
Image
Image
10:07 AM ∙ Dec 19, 2022
34,994Likes6,635Retweets

🔗 Stray Links

  • Socialists, in 2023 Read More Fiction: Reading literature is a remedy to capitalist realism

  • Why We Need Book Reviews

  • ‘Luddite’ Teens Don’t Want Your Likes

  • Loneliness Is a Political Problem

  • How I Deradicalised My Terf Mum

  • The 22 worst columns of 2022

  • Newsletters; or, an enormous rant about writing on the web that doesn’t really go anywhere and that’s okay with me

  • Amazing medieval words you should definitely add to your vocabulary

  • Why Does Taylor Swift Hold Her Pen Like That?


👋 Thanks For Reading!

Subscribe | Read my blog | Trap The Cat | Click for a surprise

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P.S. Aamon Hawk of Aamon Animations has made yet another nightmarish animation.

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My year in books and links, 2022

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