2022 book report
I got more into novels this year! Last year I read 10 books. This year my goal was 20, and I actually read 34!
I prefer audiobooks because I can “read” while I shower, fold laundry, drive, etc. One downside about audiobooks is that the narrator can make or break it (and several books have the same narrator which can get confusing). I suggest getting a library card and then downloading Libby or Hoopla (whichever your library uses) to listen to audiobooks completely free! Goodreads is also a fun app/website to track the books you are reading!
NOTABLE
Books read: 34
Pages read: 12,444
Best book: “Know My Name” by Chanel Miller (everyone should read this book)
Most-read author: Taylor Jenkins Reid (7 books)
Longest book: “Fifty Shades Freed” by E L James
Shortest book: “It’s Not Summer Without You” by Jenny Han (#2 in the series)
Book that surprised me the most by how much I liked it: “One True Loves” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Favorite authors: Emily Henry and Jodi Picoult
Worst book: “After I Do” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Top recommendationS
“Know My Name” by Chanel Miller
“One True Loves” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Book Lovers” by Emily Henry
“A Spark of Light” by Jodi Picoult
“The Idea of You” by Robinne Lee
“Reminders of Him” by Colleen Hoover
“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A fun novel I kept hearing about that lived up to the hype. I guessed a couple of the twists, but there were plenty that I did not. My first one by this author, but you’ll see her name mentioned several other times in this post. I actually finished this one in 2021 (after I published my 2021 book report), so it didn’t officially count toward my 2022 books.
“People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry
If you liked “Beach Read” by the same author, you’ll like this one, too. There’s even an Easter egg in there from her other book — see if you can find it ;) Something light and fun and funny to listen to when the real world gets too dark. One of the easiest audiobooks to follow along with. It’s very well written. I really, really enjoyed this one.
“Know My Name” by Chanel Miller
A young woman’s firsthand account of sexual assault and how it changed her life. The court process. The trauma. The aftermath. The expense. It broke my heart. I may not have the same experience as her, but I could relate to not feeling completely safe as a woman. Very well-written and eye-opening! Everyone should read this book. Hands down the best book I read this year. 10/10
“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover
It took me a while to get into this one, and I probably would have given up had I not been aware of the love people have for this book and author. It took me half the book to be hooked, but I did end up liking it, although I found it predictable. The characters are deep and it gave me a new perspective on domestic violence and why people stay in harmful relationships. I am excited to read more from this author!
“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Another one by Reid. There are definitely Easter egg characters from her other books. The main story takes place over 24 hours but also jumps back and forth between generations. Engaging story with a lot of interesting characters.
“One Day in December” by Josie Silver
A love story based in London that bounces back and forth between the female and male characters’ viewpoints over the course of 10 years. It took me a while to get used to the narrator’s accent.
“The Last Mrs. Parrish” by Liv Constantine
This book is actually written by two sisters. Definitely a different genre for me with a protagonist I didn’t root for. Warning: I found Part II (~10% of the book) quite disturbing and considered stopping, but I was already 70% of the way through and wanted to see how it ended. I personally will stick to lighter topics going forward.
“The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne
Coworkers who hate each other … or do they? Predictable, easy, fun. There is also a movie, which I enjoyed watching after I finished reading.
“One True Loves” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I flew through this one in just a few days. I found the premise of the book was very interesting. The main character is out to dinner with her fiancé when she receives a call from her husband, who went missing two years earlier and was presumed dead. What does it mean to love truly? What is true love? How many true loves can you have? Taylor Jenkins Reid has become one of my favorite authors.
“Book Lovers” by Emily Henry
I have loved all of her books, but this one’s my favorite so far. This one is a twist on the predictable Hallmark movie storyline. Very witty.
“Golden Girl” by Elin Hilderbrand
My first book by this author. Vivi, a mother of three adult children, goes out for a run and is hit by a car, dying instantly. After her death she ascends to “the Beyond” and is granted three nudges to use however she sees fit. There is also a mystery side to the book as her murder is investigated.
“100 Days of Sunlight” by Abbie Emmons
This is a Young Adult read that I think Rooney would like. It’s sweet and has a good moral, I just don’t think it’s the genre for me.
“A Spark of Light” by Jodi Picoult
My first by this author. It starts at the end and works backward. The abortion topic was very timely even though this book is five years old. Very thoughtful, thoroughly researched and complex. One of those books where I felt entertained but also learned something.
“Verity” by Colleen Hoover
Wow. This one definitely lives up to the hype. Quick, but hard to read at times. There are a lot of trigger warnings to consider before reading this book. My heart literally raced at times. This one stayed with me. I’m honestly still thinking about it, trying to figure out all the pieces. A couple months later I read the new 40-page chapter. Overall a haunting book for me.
“Forever, Interrupted” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A story about love, loss and grief. This book jumps from flashbacks to the present. Not what I thought, and definitely not my favorite by her. Also, not my favorite narrator, so the physical book is probably better than audiobook.
“Run Rose Run” by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
Quick, short chapters. Country music lovers would definitely enjoy this one. Dolly Parton is part of the narration cast. I finished it in just a few days.
“Fifty Shades of Grey” by E L James
I’m 10 years late to the hype. These books are long! I originally thought it would cover three months, but it’s more like three weeks, and then I realized that’s why there’s two more books. I like when books have a movie you can watch after!
“Fifty Shades Darker” by E L James
A little repetitive, but deeper than I thought. I started this immediately after finishing the first one. (One perk to being 10 years late on a book where lots of copies were produced is that now they are readily available.) It was just as good or better than the first, but I feel like I need a little break from these.
“Nothing to See Here” by Kevin Wilson
The audiobook has a great narrator who totally nailed the tone of the book. It’s an interesting story. Ultimately, it’s a book about motherhood. I did not get super into it, but stayed with it because it was short. The audiobook is less than seven hours long. I did not see the ending coming.
“Fifty Shades Freed” by E L James
I wanted to finish the series, even though I was a tad burnt out on it. This author uses a lot of the same words over and over. It would have been more interesting if the second book didn’t give away so much in the epilogue. I started to tire of the characters. If I were to remove all the intimate scenes, there wouldn’t be much left. It finally got better halfway through. I would still recommend this trilogy to anyone who likes spicy books.
“The Idea of You” by Robinne Lee
One of my favorites this year. I loved the writing. I had heard such good things, and it lived up to the hype. The audiobook narration takes a minute to get used to, but ultimately I loved that it was read by the author so I knew the tone was interpreted correctly. This one hit hard as a 39-year-old woman myself who feels like she’s just now entering her best years of womanhood. This is also one of the spiciest books I’ve read, if you like that sort of thing. it’s rumored to be about Harry Styles. There is a movie coming out on Amazon Prime next year based on this book.
“Maybe in Another Life” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A 29-year-old woman explores the parallel universes between two choices: going home from the bar with her friend, or going home with a boy. Taylor Jenkins Reid is her same witty self. This one was a really light, quick read — probably the fastest I have ever read a book.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han
This book flashes back and forth between present time and past summers. The second half is better than the first. It reminded me of summers in Okoboji. The series on Amazon Prime is really cute, too! This is YA, so not my favorite genre, but I really got into them!
“Reminders of Him” by Colleen Hoover
This was one of my favorites this year. It jumps back and forth between two people’s perspectives. While you could potentially predict the ending 50 pages in, it’s all woven together so beautifully. A good story and good writing. 4.5/5
“It’s Not Summer Without You” by Jenny Han
The second in a series. If you have a beach or lake house that you return to each year, this book hits different. It takes place over one week of the summer and is written from two different perspectives. I’m excited for season two of the Prime Video series!
“We’ll Always Have Summer” by Jenny Han
The third and final book in the series. Written from two perspectives, although not the same two as the previous book.
“After I Do” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Not the best book I read this year, but it was an easy listen. It’s about a couple who’s been married for six years and has hit a hard point in their marriage and decides to separate for a year. Is marriage about commitment or happiness?
“Carrie Soto Is Back” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Retired tennis star Carrie Soto (who makes an appearance in “Malibu Rising”) comes out of retirement to defend her record. If you like tennis, you’ll like this book. The funnest part about reading several TJR books is that many of the characters intersect. I did not enjoy this book until past the halfway point; I just didn’t have that can’t-put-it-down feeling until I was almost done. I love watching women’s tennis so I enjoyed the play-by-play. And it was unpredictable, at least for me.
“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
I’m trying to figure out how to describe this book. I had heard it was a love story, but it’s way more than that. Original. Delightful. Fresh. Surprising. Intelligent. Don’t be fooled by the cover art, this is an intellectual read. Well written, great character development. I really enjoyed the tone. It’s funny in an odd way and includes musings about science, love, religion, parenthood, women’s rights (set in 1960s).
“Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers
This is a unique love story that is loosely based on a book of the Bible, Hosea. I’m glad I read it, although I think it’s longer than it needs to be. Also a movie on Amazon Prime.
“It Starts With Us” by Colleen Hoover
These are not my favorite books by Colleen Hoover, but this one and “It Ends With Us” are important books for anyone in an abusive relationship or anyone trying to understand someone in an abusive relationship.
“How to Walk Away” by Katherine Center
My first by this author. Kind of a sad beginning. Ultimately a story about family, healing, recovery and love.
“Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is a master of words and double meanings. I would love to hear an interview with her on how many years she researches topics before writing. She’s my new favorite author. Lucky for me, I’m late to the game, so the library almost always has multiple copies of her books and they’re available whenever I am ready for a new one. They are typically longer and deeper (heavier) than the short romance novels I also like, so I space them out.
“Things You Save in a Fire” by Katherine Center
The main character in this book is the female firefighter from “How to Walk Away.” There is a short story you can read that connects the two (found online or at the end of the “How to Walk Away” audiobook). It’s a heartwarming book about forgiveness, family and love.
“Every Summer After” by Carley Fortune
This book was shockingly (almost too) similar to “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” There are so many similiarities, and I enjoyed the other more. But if you grew up going to the lake, this is perfect nostalgia.