2022 has been a strange year for me to read. My usual rhythm was interrupted by some slumps in reading. Life was full last year as my son graduated from high school and headed off to college. But I didn’t struggle to find time to read but rather struggled to find books that interested me. I’ve given a lot of three star reviews which is one of the main reasons I don’t share a file What I’ve read recently Posted in some time. However, looking back over the course of the year, and reflecting on the 47 titles I’ve read, there are 5 distinct books that I read voraciously, as in a matter of days, and could barely put it down until I made it to the end! These five books are the ones I have most enjoyed reading.
twinkle in the dark
I’m sure I read it in 3 days. I couldn’t put this book down from the moment I finished the first chapter. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, you are welcome! twinkle in the dark It gets 5 stars from me. This debut from Stacy Willingham blew me out of the water. But fair warning, be prepared to clear your schedule when you start this book!
The quick recap is that Chloe Davis was 12 years old when six girls went missing in her hometown, and her father was caught as their killer and sent to prison. Years later, 20-year-old Chloe finds herself revisiting old memories when teenage girls start disappearing again. As her past comes to light, she begins to question everything and everyone she thought she knew.
All the twists and turns will keep you guessing the whole time.
The return of Cary Soto
Taylor Jenkins Reid is a must-read writer for me. If she posts her grocery list, I will read it. I just love her writing style and the characters she brings to life. And Back carries Soto It was a 5 star knockout for me. I absolutely loved it.
It is the story of the comeback of tennis. But I don’t know anything about tennis, and I happily devoured every word and every page in days. And while there is a lot of tennis talk in this book, it’s really about much more than that. It was the father-daughter relationship in this story that stirred my heart. The way TJR writes the characters make them feel like real people. I felt like I was a huge fan of Cary Soto sitting courtside cheering for her the whole time.
I wish you were here
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this when I started. A book about the pandemic we’ve all endured? I didn’t think I was ready to read fictional stories about something so brutally real. But the plot develops I wish you were here He surprised me! This story made me think of a lot of things and almost a year after reading it I still think about it from time to time.
This book is hard to summarize because if I share too much of it it will spoil the adventure of reading. It’s a thought-provoking, emotional rollercoaster and when you prepare for a big dive it unexpectedly turns you upside down. Enjoy! 🙂
to push
to push Not for sensitive readers. It’s one of the darkest books I’ve read in a while. So it seems a little strange to say that I enjoyed reading it, but I just couldn’t tear myself away from this until it came to a bone-chilling end! And even though the place is very dark, it makes for a great book club discussion (ask me how I know). It brings up many themes from the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships and postpartum depression to how much we have become from nature versus nurture.
In this psychological drama, Blythe Connor wants to be a better mother to her daughter than she is to her. But new motherhood completely overwhelms her. She is convinced there is something wrong with her daughter, but her disapproving husband makes her question herself. When her second child is born, she finally settles into motherhood the way she always hoped she would. Until an accident changes everything.
reading list
reading list He surprised me. It was a slow start, but I ended up falling in love with this bittersweet story and quirky cast of characters. And the main character, a widowed grandfather named Mukesh, absolutely stole my heart.
Briefly, it concerns a widow who finds a book in a library in his late wife’s belongings, and upon returning the book develops an unlikely friendship with a young bookstore employee.
But what it’s really about is the magical way books can connect us to others and to ourselves. It’s brutal and beautiful. And if you love to read, I think you should add this to your list.
honorific
These five titles are the most prominent to me, but I have a few more honorable mentions.
Diary
I read a few of his memoirs last year, and Crying at H-Mart And Hi Molly! She was my favourite. Both are very different, but both are beautifully honest with great storytelling. I highly recommend listening to Hello, Molly! For the full Molly Shannon experience.
beach reads
I tried to be a beach reading girl last summer, but that’s just not me. However, I really enjoyed it People we meet on vacation. And if you’re looking for a quick and fun read, this is a good choice!
non-fiction
I think I heard about Love recipe in podcast. I can’t remember exactly how it landed on my radar, but I found it very insightful. I listened to it while tiling my powder room, and plan to listen to it again sometime soon. I feel like this is a book everyone should read whether or not they are in a committed relationship.
My Reading List 2022
I use the Notes app on my phone to keep track of what I’ve read. Can you believe I only read Cliff’s notes on To Kill a Mockingbird until last November? It was mentioned on the reading list, so I felt I needed to read the whole book at the end.
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What did the books You Did you enjoy reading over the past year?
