Sunday, January 1, 2023

Books I Loved In 2022

Reading is one of my favorite things to do. If I have downtime, I usually will pick up a book. I have a list of books that I read this year and enjoyed. Not all of them necessarily came out in 2022, but if really liked the novel, I will share it and if you click on the title it'll take you to where you can purchase your own copy. They aren't in any special order either! If the book made some sort of impact on me, I took a photo so I knew to include it in this post. 


First up is We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza. It's about Jen and Riley, who have been best friends since they were tiny. Riley is black and Jen is white. Riley is a journalist and Jen married young and after years of trying, finally gets pregnant. But then Jen's police officer husband shoots an unarmed Black teenager and Riley has to write about it. Will Jen and Riley remain friends after it all? This book kept with me for several months and it opened my eyes to some things. I recommended it to many people and the ones who did end up reading the book agreed that it was pretty special. 




In Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding, Sonya drinks too much. She used to be a performer so she's used to a life in the spotlight. But her drinking has gotten worse to the point where she experiences blackouts--and to make matters even more horrendous, she has a small child to take care of. If she doesn't stop drinking, she could lose him forever. But will she? As a mother, this book squeezed my heart. I was rooting for Sonya! And I felt for her son, who had to watch his mother in some troubling times.




Okay, so The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan was a bit odd. It was about Frida, who is struggling. She's recently divorced and shares a daughter with her ex-husband. She gets in trouble with her daughter and has to go to a school that will teach her how to be a better mother. And that school is bizarre with robot children who records Frida's every move. Will Frida pass the class or lose her daughter forever? As I mentioned, this book was odd, but I loved it. It kept me hooked and made me glad there aren't robot children out there. Or maybe there is. I don't know. But you'll probably enjoy this one! 





I had no clue that in the 30s and 40s, people would actually steal children from poor families and put them in orphanages for wealthy people to adopt. This happens to Rill Foss and her siblings. To make matters worse, the director at the orphanage is terrible. The book switches to present day where privileged Avery Stafford realizes her family isn't what she thinks. She starts to do some digging and finds out some things...I read Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate in a matter of days. It tugged at my heart strings. I feel for the families this happened to. 





The title I'm Glad My Mom Died is rough. I was like !!!! But after you read the book, you understand. And it's not like Jennette flat out HATES her mother. Oh, by the way, the book is about Jennette McCurdy's life--you might recognize her from iCarly. It's well-written and after I finished I felt for her. Read it. I promise, it's not completely harsh. 




Out Of The Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins was hilarious. It's about Lillie who knows life is about to get tough since her only child is heading off to college. Still, she looks forward to having more time with her husband---who proceeds to dump her for a younger woman. Lillie plays all sorts of tricks on them which yes, might seem juvenile, but they cracked me up. (Showing up at their wedding dressed like the angel of death made me giggle.) I was rooting for Lillie the whole time!





Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was one of my favorite reads of 2022. It's set in the 1960s and Elizabeth Zott is outspoken when women were meant to stay quiet and stay at home. But she's incredibly smart and works--she gets her own cooking show and teaches women how to cook--with science. Some people think Elizabeth should be in the kitchen and shut up--but she won't! I absolutely LOVED Elizabeth. This book was incredible to the point where I bought a copy for my mom. She ended up loving at as well and passed it on!





Eighteen-year-old Kerry saves Joel's life when he collapses--and she's had a crush on Joel for years. After she saves him, they start a relationship but years in, Joel dumps her. However, they keep thinking and running into each other. Will it eventually work out? This was a nice read and I hoped it would work out for Joel and Kerry. I won't spoil and say if they end up together. But go read How To Save A Life by Eva Carter!




It's 1965 and racism is all over. Ellie, raised by a proper Southern family, decides to volunteer to help register black voters, who are afraid to turn up thanks to the racism. Her family and friends are scandalized by what she's decided to do. Ellie also ends up falling in love with a fellow volunteer, who happens to be black. But then tragedy happens. The book flips to 2010 and Kayla moves into an area that is said to be haunted. It was the same area Ellie grew up at in the 60s--in fact, Ellie is Kayla's neighbor and she has horrible stories to what it was like in the 60s. Reading this was tough at times--it's hard to imagine people being so cruel. Pick up The Last House On The Street by Diane Chamberlain and I promise, you'll be riveted. 




I always look forward to new Lisa Scottoline books. They tend to keep me wanting to read. What Happened To The Bennetts was no different. It's about Jason, who is driving with his family. Then two men jump in front of the vehicle and violence occurs to the point where Jason and his family have to go into a witness protection program. Apparently the people who attacked them are part of a drug-trafficking ring and they are dangerous. But things start to unravel...will Jason be able to protect his family? 




The Push is about Blythe, who is convinced her daughter is evil. Her husband Fox says Blythe is imagining things. But Blythe is so sure something is off with her daughter. I mean yes, Blythe didn't come from the best family but she is so sure she's right about this. Years pass and Blythe has a son. She's smitten with her son. But then tragedy happens is Blythe is sure her daughter is involved. Again, her husband says she's insane. But is she? Or is her daughter truly evil? I admit, I went back and forth while reading this. I thought Blythe was a bit nuts. But then the next chapter I'd be like, wait, maybe her daughter IS evil. The ending will make you gasp. 




I actually wrote a whole post about Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham here. I truly enjoyed this book full of essays. They made me laugh, they made me tear up--and I loved that one chapter is called Boobs of the 90s. Lauren Graham played Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls and she seems like a down to earth person. Even if you have no clue who she is, her essays about her life are still relatable and amusing. 



Do you believe in past lives? I do. It's why I was eager to read What Jonah Knew by Barbara Graham. It's about Helen, who wants to know what happened to her musician son. He disappears and she worries that something awful happened. Around the same time, Lucie and Matt Pressman have a son who they name Jonah. Jonah seems different. He has nightmares. As he grows, he talks about his other mother and having a dog. Is he troubled or could he be Helen's reincarnated son? Could he tell her what happened? Even if you don't believe in past lives, you'll still enjoy this book. It gave me goosebumps at times because as I mentioned, I do believe in past lives. 




I'll be honest about Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan: I haven't finished it yet. But I am liking it so much that I'm assuming that it will be a book that I'd recommend. I tend to be a fan of all of Jodi Picoult's work. This one is about Olivia, who is in the beekeeping business. She's mom to Asher, a senior in high school. Asher has a girlfriend named Lily. But one day Olivia gets a phone call from Asher saying that Lily is dead. Who did it? The police suspect Asher but Olivia swears that he wasn't involved...but then she realizes there is so much she doesn't know about her son. I am eager to find out how this one ends! I'm told by several people that I won't be disappointed. 



These aren't all the books I read in 2022. There were others that I enjoyed, but not enough to include it here. Or I'll be honest, I might have loved it but forgot to include the book in the post. Sorry. My memory stinks. Others I might have started and not been able to finish due to lack of interest (Where The Crawdads Sing did not do it for me although I know many loved it..)

People ask how I find time to read. Put down your phone and pick up a book instead. Anyone can find time if they truly want to. 

Did you read any of these books? (And if you want even MORE books, I did a post for books I loved in 2021 here.)


19 comments:

  1. Mad Honey was great, as was The Last House on the Street!

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  2. So many of these books sound amazing. I had to stop and add several to my reading list.

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  3. I'm always looking for good books to read. I read a few of those and added some to my Kindle list.

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  4. I haven’t done a lot of book shopping the past year because the best book store is in another town and book shopping online is too impersonal. But now that I know some good ones that you’ve mentioned; I’ll be able to pick out some right quick next time I’m there! Thank you so much for sharing!

    -Whitney Stewart

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  5. I love reading, and I'm looking forward to another year with some great books. I see some on your list here that I need to read. I've already read I'm Glad My Mom Died, and that was a really good one.

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  6. I read "I'm Glad My Mom Died" too! It was one of my favorite reads for the year!

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  7. Each of these books sound just as good the second time around! I’m not all that picky when it comes to genre; if it’s interesting enough I’ll probably read it. So you better believe I’ll be checking these out the next time I’m at Barnes & Noble!

    -Whitney Stewart

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  8. This is such a good list, and I'll be adding several of these to my TBR!

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  9. I loved the book " how to save a life". It's really that great.

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  10. What a really nice selection of books you have here! Can’t wait to check and see some of this!

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  11. I'll have to check out "Have I Told You This Already?", it's been mentioned here and there since you got it and that's a glowing enough recommendation for me! Plus, loved the Gilmore Girls!

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  12. I love books so much. And here I found so many amazing books that I would like to read!

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  13. I will have to add the ones that I didn't read to my list ASAP! I loved Lessons in Chemistry, can't wait for its theatrical release.

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  14. I haven't read any of these, as my year was so busy and did not lend a lot of extra time. I do like a lot of these authors though, and they all sound like great choices.

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  15. So many great books! I'm always looking for some new reads. I love to read as well!

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  16. I need to grab me a copy of that Lauren Graham book. I liked her and I really enjoyed watching Gilmore Girls. -LYNNDEE

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  17. So many great books to check out here for sure and I a always looking for new ones to add to my collection so thank you!

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  18. I polished off Jennette McCurdy’s book in less than 24 hours. I really really enjoyed her story, and it’s unbelievable to me that no one ever picked up and intervened with regards to her mothers treatment. Since reading the book, I watched a whole bunch of interviews. She really is an amazing person… I thoroughly enjoyed that. There’s a couple of books on your recommendation list that look really good… It’s so nice to have the time to sit and read again!

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  19. An incredible selection of books. I want to read them all, but don't have time for that yet. I am preparing for admission and have already found personal statement writers to write my statement for me. This is the first time I am writing such a statement, so I would rather leave it to the experts.

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