Last year, I made my a list of books to read each month. It was the first time I’d set a list of books in advance for the entire year, and I really enjoyed it. My reading slump kicked in around October, so I didn’t finish all the books I planned to read. My goal was to read 24 books in 2022, and I read 19! Here are all the books read in 2022.
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
I made a goal to read one book in the Harry Potter series each month until July. This was in preparation for our Orlando trip in the fall. We went to Universal Studios for the first time and I wanted to know the entire Harry Potter story before we experienced the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I am 100% sure no one needs my review of the Harry Potter series. It’s been around for so long and loved by many people. We all know what it’s about. Personally, I loved and I would love to read through the entire series again. It was very enjoyable.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
This book felt like a rom-com within a rom-com. Liz and Wes have been next door neighbors and frenemies for their entire childhoods. Liz’s crush Michael has moved back to town, and she really wants to go to prom with her. Wes decides to help her get a date with Michael. Instead (you guessed it), Liz and Wes fall for each other. It’s super cute and a fun, light read.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Ahhh… Liane Moriarty. Need I say more? I love her writing style and the pace of her stories. This is about a seemingly perfect family that’s super dysfunctional. The mother disappears one day, after texting a cryptic message. Chaos ensues and a ton of family secrets are revealed. It’s really good & I did not see the twist coming.
The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella
It has been a hot minute since I’ve read a Sophie Kinsella book. When the Shopaholic series came out back in the day, I loved them. The Party Crasher was not only light and fun, it was hilarious. Effie’s parents have been divorced for a couple years, and her father’s new wife is throwing a ‘house cooling’ party. Effie is not invited and then later given an ‘anti-invitation.’ She decides to sneak back into her family’s house during the party to look for a childhood treasure. While hiding during the party, she sees and hears things about her family and also runs into an ex. Effie is forced to make a decision to face her past or stay in hiding. This had me actually laughing out loud.
The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han
This is a three book series about a girl named Belly (Isabel) who spends her summers at Cousins Beach with her mom, brother, mom’s best friend, and her children Jeremiah and Conrad. I’ll be honest, I enjoyed the first book so much more than the second and third. Belly and the moms and all the kids spend three months at the beach place. Belly is the youngest, and the summer that she grows up changed everything. She always had a crush on Conrad, but at one point has to choose between Jeremiah and Conrad. I will say, it’s predictable yet enjoyable. I could have stopped at the first book and been fine, but I also wanted to know how they ended. To me, there was a lot of back and forth drama in books 2 and 3 that didn’t serve a purpose. But, I thoroughly enjoyed the first book!
The Maid by Nita Prose
I need to preface this by saying this is so good. Molly Gray is a maid at an expensive hotel. She struggles with social skills and had her Gran to help her navigate life. When her Gran dies, she has to manage on her own. She is a really good maid and throws herself into being the best maid possible at the hotel. Everything changes when she walks into the suite of Charles Black and finds him dead. With the help of friends she didn’t realize she had, Molly tries to find the killer. I was completely enthralled by this book!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
And now I need to preface this review by saying, don’t waste your time. This whole story felt pointless. It was a little too pretentious and simplistic. This book follows the family Riva family, but specifically the oldest daughter Nina. The entire family is successful and famous and everything comes crashing down the night of their yearly, infamous house party. That’s about it. The character development just wasn’t great, so I didn’t feel invested in the story.
How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims
This was an interesting read, but I found myself nodding and skimming. It basically confirmed all my thoughts and feelings on raising kids to be adults.
Upstairs at the White House: My Life With the First Ladies by J.B. West
This is a behind the scenes look at the management that runs the household at the White House. Spanning a from 1941 to 1969, J.B West had an impressive career as the head usher. I enjoyed the journey through history, from FDR to Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and the first six weeks of Nixon’s term. It was incredibly interesting and one of my favorite non-fiction books I’ve ever read.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Comer
This was slightly enjoyable. It’s a look at how you can live a slower, simply life in a modern world that loves being busy. After reading it, I felt like I already live a slower life and didn’t really take anything away from it. It was another ‘nodding and skimming’ read for me.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
Now, this was an interesting read! This takes a look at how modern medicine does not prepare people to die but, instead, live as long as possible no matter the means. It also shares some facilities across the US that gave older, ailing people more freedom within the living facilities (i.e., nursing homes) and how that affected their health. It was eye opening and thought provoking. I would definitely read this again.
Time to Parent: A Blueprint for Organizing Your Life While Raising Kids by Julie Morgenstern
Ahh.. another ‘nodding and skimming’ book. I definitely did not choose my non-fiction books wisely. As far as parenting is concerned, I think after nearly 16 years our systems are working for us. I don’t really need to overhaul anything we’re doing, so this wasn’t really applicable to me.
That’s my round up for what I read in 2022! I’ll be sharing my 2023 list next week, hopefully with better non-fiction choices this time. Fingers crossed!
Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
