2022 was the year I got my reading mojo back! I finished 35 books, up from 31 in 2021, 27 in 2020, 25 in 2019 and 27 in 2018. My goal for 2023? Simply to read more than 35. How will I do it?
- Continue my habit of getting to bed early enough most nights to fit in 20-30 minutes of reading.
- Continue my newly developed habit of choosing reading as my cool down activity after exercising, instead of scrolling on my phone or iPad.
- Search out more books by favorite authors that I have a good chance of enjoying. (I know this sounds obvious, but in the past, I felt beholden to the books on my shelf, even if I didn't really want to read some of them.)
- GIVE UP ON A BOOK if I find myself struggling through it! Why do I still do this to myself at times? When I'm not looking forward to picking up my book, I know it's time to dump it, but I still get caught up in the feeling that I "should" finish it. Here's to dumping more books that aren't the right fit for me because there are too many great books in this world, and too little time.
Without further ado, here were my top five books of 2022!
1. Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty. The newest book by one of my favorite authors did not disappoint. It had me guessing until the end. Amazon's summary: "From Liane Moriarty, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, comes Apples Never Fall, a novel that looks at marriage, siblings, and how the people we love the most can hurt us the deepest."
2. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. 2022 was the year I discovered Kristin Hannah, and this book of hers in particular really took me for a ride. She weaves a tale like no one else can. Amazon's summary: "In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature."
3. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Need I say more? I know you've read this book or at least heard of it, since it also came out in movie form this year. A story that spans decades and is impossible to put down. Amazon's summary: The #1 New York Times bestselling worldwide sensation with more than 15 million copies sold, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature.”
4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Reid is another author I am thankful to have "met" last year. This is my favorite of hers. Amazon's summary: "From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six—an entrancing and “wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet” (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine."
5. Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand. I had seen Hilderbrand's books everywhere for years but thought (mistakenly) that her books were just romantic fluff. I was wrong! Is there romance? Of course. But there's also SO much more going on, with wonderful characters and plot turns. I am glad I finally took a chance on her, because now I plan on reading some of her books every summer (the one good thing about discovering an author several years in is you have a lot of books to catch up on!) Amazon's summary: "Four siblings experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of the '60s summer when everything changed in Elin Hilderbrand's #1 New York Times bestselling historical novel."
Because it was such a great year of reading, it was hard to nail it down to five favorites. Honorable mentions include City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, and Verity by Colleen Hoover.
Happy Reading! What were your favorite books in 2022?
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