2022 Reading Round-Up

 I completed 104 books in 2022.  By quarter, my reading broke down as follows:

Q1: 31

Q2: 23

Q3: 22

Q4: 28

My lightest reading month was April, where I read 5 books.  My highest reading month was December, where I read 14 books.  Fiction comprised 84% of my books, and 70% of my books came from the library.

Below are a few of my favorites from the year:

Fiction: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - Gabrielle Zevin

Romance: The Arc - Tory Henwood Hoen

Sci-Fi: Red Rising - Pierce Brown

Mystery: The Thursday Murder Club Series - Richard Osman

Non-Fiction: How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith

Middle-Grade Book: Ellen Outside the Lines - A.J. Sass

YA Fiction: Slay - Brittney Morris

YA Mystery: The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

In 2023, I really want to clear some of the books from my shelves at home, particularly ones that have been sitting there for more than a decade at this point!  My kids have started recommending more and more to me that I am genuinely interested in, and keeping up with a few things here and there that allow us to connect is very important to me.  I admit that I do like the feeling of finishing a book - and for that reason I don't always read the longest books available to me.  That being said, I have some very long books on my shelves that need to be read!  I also find that I end up borrowing so many books from the library - and I am so grateful for that privilege - but I know I can allow it to get out of hand!  I probably need to dial that back a bit, but it does allow me to check-out books for my book clubs and to keep up-to-date on recent releases that are on the Hot Picks Shelf.  I always waiver between wanting to lay out a reading plan for myself and wanting to just choose what appeals to me in the moment.  I think I can probably strike a balance there to ensure that I get through more in my to-read piles, but also do not feel constrained - remembering always that reading is supposed to be fun!

Looking forward to another great reading year!

Happy Reading,

Anne

December Review and Looking to 2023!

 

This may have been the first month of the year where I read all my goal books!  I enjoyed many of the books I read this month, and I think that may be a function of just having some time off and being able to relax.  I read my first audiobook - and while I didn't like the actual book - I think I am starting to get into the experience and I can see myself listening to more audiobooks while I cook and commute and do other things where I can't be reading a physical book.  We'll see what 2023 has in store for my reading habits!

Goal Books for December:

1. When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed (Graphic Novel/Library)
2. Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory (Romance/Shelves)
3. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (YA Mystery/Library)
4. Free Food for Millionaires  by Min Jin Lee (Fiction/Shelves)
5. Better Than We Found It  by Frederick & Porsche Joseph ed. (Essays/Shelves)

Books Read in December:

1. When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed (Graphic Novel/Library)
2. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (YA Mystery/Library)
3. Free Food for Millionaires  by Min Jin Lee (Fiction/Shelves)
4. Better Than We Found It  by Frederick & Porsche Joseph ed. (Essays/Shelves)
5. Death by Bubble Tea  by Jennifer J. Chow (Mystery/Library)
6. Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon (Non-Fiction/Library)
7. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (Fiction/Library)
8. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (Fiction/Library)
9. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (Romance/Library)
10. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (Fiction/Library)
11. 2 A.M. in Little America by Ken Kalfus (Fiction/Audio Library)
12. Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach (Fiction/Library)
13. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (Romance/Library)
14. The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb (Mystery/Library)

Goals for 2023: Work on clearing my shelves of books that have been there for 15+ years!  I have several books that are quite long, and I think I have shied away from taking the time to read them.  But, even if it means I only read 12 books in 2023, I am going to get through a few of them - or make the decision to DNF and move on to clear the way for more books!

Happy Reading,

Anne

Books Read in November and Goals for December!

 

Goal Books for November:

1. Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chen (Mystery/Library)
2. Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez (Fiction/Library)
3. Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory (Romance/Shelves)
4. Nonfiction Book

Books Read in November:

1. Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez (Fiction/Library)
2. The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka (Fiction/Library)
3. Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (Children's Fiction/Library)
4. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Fiction/Library)
5. Ellen Outside the Lines by AJ Sass (Children's Fiction/Library)
6. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA Fiction/Shelves)
7. The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson (Children's Fiction/Library)
8. All the White Friends I Couldn't Keep by Andre Henry (Non-Fiction/Library)

Goal Books for December:

1. When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed (Graphic Novel/Library)
2. Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory (Romance/Shelves)
3. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (YA Mystery/Library)
4. Free Food for Millionaires  by Min Jin Lee (Fiction/Shelves)
5. Better Than We Found It  by Frederick & Porsche Joseph ed. (Essays/Shelves)