2022 was my first full year of reading. I began this journey in October of 2021. It had been years since I had read for fun. Most of the books I had been reading were parenting, pregnancy, or child-related with a few (and I mean FEW) novels thrown in there from time to time but if I had to guess, I had probably read maybe 5 novels since high school — and I graduated in 2008, y’all!
In October 2021, I realized I needed something for myself. As a mom of four who is frequently solo-parenting due to Mr. Bookendsandtwins being a busy coach, I don’t get many things that are just mine or just for me. Some moms from my local MOPS group started a book club and I decided why not. Books are something that can be mine and mine alone. I started reading and never looked back. From the beginning of October to the end of 2021, I read 14 books! I also thought it might be cool to set my reading goal at 33 books from October 2021 to October 2022 since I had just turned 33. That meant I only needed to read 19 books in 2022. That was cute.
I’ll end up reading __ books in 2022 and here’s my recap. Keep in mind I count a book read by the finish date so some of these overlap months, some even a few months.
January
Books:
The Lies She Told (Carly Moore #5) by Denise Grover Swank (5 stars)
Shades of Truth (Carly Moore #6) by Denise Grover Swank (5 stars)
Voices in the Snow by Darcy Coates (3 stars)
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover (5 stars)
Layla by Colleen Hoover (4 stars)
Verity by Colleen Hoover (4 stars)
Pages read: 1,960
Physical Book Count: 0
eBook Count: 6
Favorite of the month: Reminders of Him
Kenna returns to her hometown after serving five years in prison hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter, Diem. She meets Ledger, a local bar owner who may just be the last connection she has to her daughter that isn't shutting her out. Told in dual point of view, you go through the heartbreak, pain, and growth as Kenna and Ledger form a relationship and mend others while vying for what's best for Diem.
Hear all about it from Bookish Like That podcast here.
February
Books:
The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent (5 stars)
Neon Gods by Katee Robert (3 stars)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (4 stars)
Pages read: 1.575
Physical Book Count: 0
eBook Count: 4
Favorite of the month: The Stillwater Girls
A psychological suspense about two sisters raised off-grid and in fear of society who are left by their mother and younger sister to seek help. After months of no return, the sisters are visited by a stranger who claims to be looking for their mother and will not leave without the girls. They go beyond the forest and run away only to come upon a house on the other side. The inhabitants of the house prove to be more than just random strangers.
March
Books:
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (4 stars)
The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenadore (5 stars)
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (5 stars)
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (3 stars)
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (3 stars)
Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover (4 stars)
Pages read: 2,031
Physical Book Count: 1
eBook Count: 5
Favorite of the month: It Ends with Us
When Lily feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in her life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. Ryle is assertive and stubborn but he’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing and Lily can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. When her first love, Atlas, suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
April
Books:
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Vampire Slaying by Grady Hendrix (3 stars)
The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson (3 stars)
Too Late by Colleen Hoover (5 stars)
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (3 stars)
Pages read: 1,463
Physical Book Count: 0
eBook Count: 4
Favorite of the month: Too Late
Sloan is the best thing to ever happen to Asa. And if you ask Asa, he'd say he's the best thing to ever happen to Sloan. Despite Sloan's disapproval of Asa's sinister lifestyle, he does exactly what he needs to do in order to stay a step ahead in his business. He also does exactly what he needs to do in order to stay a step ahead of Sloan. The only thing standing in their way is Carter.
May
Books:
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (5 stars)
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (3 stars)
The Reunion by Meghan Quinn (4 stars)
The One Night by Meghan Quinn (4 stars)
Book Lovers by Emily Henry (4 stars)
Good Husbands by Cate Ray (3 stars)
Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
Pages read: 2,386
Physical Book Count: 0
eBook Count: 7
Favorite of the month: Daisy Jones and the Six
Daisy Jones is a wayward teen in the sixties who loves rock n roll more than she loves sneaking into clubs and sleeping with rockstars. She starts getting noticed for her voice by the time she is twenty. At the same time, a band called The Six is rising in fame with the wild lead man, Billy Dunne. A producer puts the two together and they become Daisy Jones and the Six. This is told in an interview style that is truly captivating.
June
Books:
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (5 stars)
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (5 stars)
Something Wilder by Christina Lauren (3 stars)
The Locked Door by Frieda McFadden (3 stars)
The Deal by Elle Kennedy (5 stars)
Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score (4 stars)
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau (3 stars)
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker (4 stars)
My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey (4 stars)
Pages read: 3,332
Physical Book Count: 0
eBook Count: 9
Favorite of the month: Part of Your World
Sophisticated city girl Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down by Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come. Being pursuaded to carry on the family legacy of being a world-renowned surgeon, ER doctor Alexis knows that letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
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