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2022 was a weird reading year for me. My regular rhythm was interrupted by a couple of reading slumps. Life was busy last year with my son graduating from high school and heading off to college. But it wasn’t so much that I had trouble finding the time to read but more that I struggled to find books that held my interest. I gave a lot of three-star ratings which is one of the main reasons I haven’t shared a “what I’ve read lately” post in some time. However, looking back over the year, reflecting on the 47 titles I read, there are 5 standout books that I read voraciously, as in within days, and could barely put them down until I reached the end! These five books are the ones I enjoyed reading the most.
A Flicker In The Dark
I’m pretty sure I read it in 3 days. I just could not put this book down from the moment I finished the first chapter. If you’re into psychological thrillers, you’re welcome! A Flicker In The Dark gets 5 stars from me. This debut from Stacy Willingham blew me out of the water. But fair warning, be ready to clear your schedule when you start this book!
The quick gist of it is, Chloe Davis was 12 years old when six girls went missing in her hometown, and her father was arrested as their killer and sent to prison. Years later, a 20-year-old Chloe finds herself revisiting old memories when teenage girls start going missing again. As her past resurfaces she begins to question everything and everyone she thought she knew.
All of the twists and turns will keep you guessing the whole time.
Carrie Soto Is Back
Taylor Jenkins Reid is a must-read author for me. If she publishes her grocery list, I’m going to read it. I just love her writing style and the characters she brings to life. And Carries Soto Is Back was a 5-star knockout for me. I absolutely LOVED it.
It’s a tennis comeback story. But I don’t know anything about tennis and happily devoured every word and every page in days. And while there’s a LOT of tennis talk in this book, it’s really about so much more. It was the father-daughter relationship in this story that pulled at my heartstrings. The way TJR writes characters they feel like real people. I felt like I was Carrie Soto’s biggest fan sitting on the side of the court cheering her on the whole time.
Wish You Were Here
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this one when I started. A book about the pandemic we all just endured? I didn’t think I was ready to read fictionalized stories about something so brutally real. But the plot twist in Wish You Were Here surprised me! This story made me reflect on so many things and almost a year after reading I still think about it from time to time.
This book is hard to summarize because if I share too much it’ll ruin the reading adventure. It’s a thought-provoking, emotional rollercoaster and just when you brace yourself for a big dip it unexpectedly flips you upside down. Enjoy! ?
The Push
The Push is not for sensitive readers. It’s one of the darkest books I’ve read in a while. So it feels a little odd to say that I enjoyed reading it, but I just couldn’t tear myself away from this one until I reached the chilling end! And while it’s very dark, it does make for a great book club discussion (ask me how I know). It brings up so many topics from the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships and post-partum depression to how much of who we become is nature versus nurture.
In this psychological drama, Blythe Connor wants to be a better mother to her daughter than her mother was to her. But new motherhood absolutely overwhelms her. And she’s convinced something is wrong with her daughter, but her dismissive 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.
The Reading List
The Reading List surprised me. It was a slow start, but I ended up falling in love with this bittersweet story and its quirky cast of characters. And the main character, a widowed grandfather named Mukesh, absolutely stole my heart.
In short, it’s about a widow who finds a library book in his late wife’s belongings and upon returning the book strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young library employee.
But what it’s really about is the magical way books can connect us to others and to ourselves. It’s both brutal and beautiful. And if you love to read, I think you should add this one to your list.
Honorable Mentions
Those five titles are the standouts for me, but I have a handful of honorable mentions.
Memoirs
I read quite a few memoirs last year, and Crying In H Mart and Hello, Molly! were my favorites. They are wildly different, but both are beautifully honest with great storytelling. I highly recommend listening to Hello, Molly! to get the full Molly Shannon experience.
Beach Reads
I tried to be a beach read girl last summer, but it’s just not me. However, I did really enjoy People We Meet On Vacation. And if you’re looking for a quick, fun read, it’s a good pick!
Nonfiction
I think I heard about The Love Prescription on a podcast. I can’t really remember exactly how it landed on my radar, but I found it so insightful. I listened to it while I was tiling the powder room, and I plan to listen to it again sometime soon. I feel like this is a book everyone should read whether they’re in a committed relationship or not.
My 2022 Reading List
I use the Notes app on my phone to keep track of what I’ve read. Can you believe I’d only ever read the Cliff’s Notes on To Kill A Mockingbird until this past November? It’s mentioned in The Reading List, so I felt like I needed to finally read the whole book.
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What books did you enjoy reading the most last year?
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