Books! Books! Books! 2022 Reading Challenge

I am one of those people who cannot remember what a book (or movie) was about three minutes after I finish it, unless it was very special, in which case I might remember something about it — or only that I thought it was very special. Since I read a lot, and I don’t like to read the same book twice, especially if it is unintentional, I keep track of what I read on the Goodreads website. 

In the Goodreads 2022 Reading Challenge, I challenged myself to read 50 books. I read about 64. Most of them were fiction, but there were a few nonfiction — and a few that I started and didn’t finish. Life is too short and all that…

Many of the books I read are tailored more to women, but not all of them. I do like romance, but not the hardcore Harlequin type of romance.  Here are the novels that I gave five out of five stars to in 2022:

• The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander – I love most books that are about libraries and bookstores!
• The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel – Don’t remember anything about it, but it was recommended to me by a friend who was reading it in a book club.
• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – I think this was voted the best novel of the year by Goodreads readers.
• The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene – Yes, this is a Nancy Drew book. I read it again for old time’s sake. I loved them then, and I love them now. This is the second book in the series of many books. I remember my cousin bought me the first and second books in the series. The first is The Hidden Staircase. 
• The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick –  I love reading any books about book people!
• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – I don’t remember anything about it, but I also am drawn to books about Paris. And if a book is about a Paris bookstore, well….
• Maus  by Spiegelman – Politics as it is, Maus was sold out on Amazon for a while this past year. I had never read it.  I read the graphic novel. Does it come as a regular novel???? I couldn’t find one on Amazon.
• The Arc by Hoen – I loved this book, and I actually remember something about it.  It is about a matchmaking service gone awry.
• The Newcomer by Andrews – I loved this one too, but I don’t remember it. I read it at the beginning of 2022. 
• The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella – Definitely a girl’s book. I love everything Kinsella writes. Her most famous book is Confessions of a Shopaholic.

I would also recommend the novels I gave four stars to:

• Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
• When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Gillian Medoff
• Last Night at the Telegraph Club by  Malinda Lo
• Miss Benson’s Beetle – Recommended to me. Don’t remember it, but I liked it. 
• The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka  I saw her interviewed another book (later in this list) that I think I had already read, and I was intrigued.
• The Huntress by Kate Quinn
• The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka – Very interesting book. Recommend to either gender. 
• Election by Tom Perrotta – This is a pretty easy read about a high school election. Good book about popularity and teen stereotypes. 
• The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand – I like everything by Hildebrand.
• The Book Woman’s Daughter by Richardson – I also read The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek. and I enjoyed them both. 
• Lessons in Chemistry by Garmus – Another entry for best novel of the year in Goodreads.
• Love Marriage by Ali
• Donut Fall in Love by Lau – “Donut” remember it, but it sounds like a romance.
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry – I like Emily Henry
• By the Book by Jasmine Guillory – She is a romance writer.
• Groundskeeping by Lee Cole – I really liked this one. Great characters and story.
• Shadows of Berlin by Gillham
• One Italian Summer by Serle
• The Lincoln Highway by Towles – A very popular book. Highly recommended for everyone. This book has no quotation marks at all for dialogue. Check it out!
• Vox by Baker – Recommended to me by a friend. I think it is about phone sex if I recall.
• The Unsinkable Greta James by Smith – I liked it. 
• The Night She Disappeared by Jewell
• The Cat Who Saved Books by Natsukawa
• Before She Disappeared by Gardner – Not to be confused with the book above! Liked then both.
• Somebody’s Daughter by Ford
• Dial A for Aunties  by Sutanto – Fun read.
• State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny – Good collaboration. Penny is a great suspense author.
• Little Black Book by Carlisle – Cozy mystery

Three stars, but I did get through them. They were good enough to read, but after I was done, I guess I said Meh! Or maybe just not as good as the book I read before it!

• Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney – Did I even finish it? I expected more of Feeney. I believe it was a popular book in 2022.
• Fairy Tale by Stephen King – Not a real King fan, but the few I have read I have liked. This one had too much fantasy world in it for me. 
• On the Rooftop by Sexton – Also a finalist in the best book of the year. Maybe I should have given it four stars. It was a good book. 
• Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne
• The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland
• The Mutual Friend by Carter Bays
• Tracy Flick Can’t Win by Tom Perrotta – Related to Election about high school popularity
• The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill – I liked this one. Mystery/thriller, I think.
• The Change by Kirsten Muller
• The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
• Counterfeit by Kristin Chen
• Forever by Judy Blume – She writes teen books mostly. I think I read this because I heard it ws groundbreaking. 
• Girl, Woman, Other by Evaristo

If I got through the book, I generally liked it well enough, and gave it a 3, 4, or 5. There are a few books that I didn’t get through. I don’t like to waste time reading books I don’t like, although I still feel a little guilty when I give up!

P.S. I apologize for not using the first names of some of the authors. It got tedious listing all of these books and authors!!!

Next Week: Some nonfiction books