What I Read In 2022

Hey, there! I’m so glad you’re here!

As I write today’s post, I am listening to the 7th book in the Outlander series – An Echo In The Bone – on my phone. The Outlander series is most definitely one of my favorite book series, but we’ll get to that later.

One of my resolutions for 2022 was to read more and I’m happy to say that I accomplished just that! I was aiming to read a minimum of 1 book per month, but I ended up averaging more than 2 books per month! Wohoo!

Reading for me looks one of two ways. Because I’m in the car quite a bit either driving to work or toting kids around, I listen to a lot of books via audible or audio books from the library. I used to only listen to music in the car, but I’ve found that listening to a book is a better use of my time.

I also still love reading a physical book. I love the feel of a book in my hands and the smell of the pages. I also think some books are better read than listened to. And if it’s a book I know I’ll want to refer back to, I will absolutely get a physical copy.

2022 Book List:

1. Dragonfly in Amber (Book 2 Outlander) – as mentioned above, the Outlander series is one of my favorite book series. It mixes the most beautiful love story with historical fiction. The stories are intriguing, romantic, historical, and page-turners. Diana Gabaldon is a beautiful writer. The books are incredibly long though, so I’ve found that if I listen to them on 1.5 I can get through them a little quicker. I will say, of all of the Outlander books, 2 was my least favorite so far.
2. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – this book is beautifully written and the story is captivating. I highly recommend it.
3. Local Woman Missing – I liked that this murder mystery was told from the perspective of multiple characters. It was neat to get the perspective of multiple people and understand how one event changed multiple lives.
4. Quit Like A Woman – this book is a woman’s perspective on quitting drinking. Although I didn’t align 100% on every point, it was very informative and intresesting.
5. Yearbook by Seth Rogan – this autobiography is great if you need a light-hearted book that will make you laugh!
6. One By One by Ruth Ware – this book was a favorite of 2022. It was gripping and I read in a couple days! I love Ruth Ware and highly recommend this one!
7. Watching You by Lisa Jewell – I normally love Lisa’s books, but I thought this one was meh. It was okay, but a bit convoluted and not super thrilling.
8. The Choice by Dr. Edith Eger – this book was incredibly powerful. It was written by a concentration camp survivor. It will take your breath away at every turn and you’ll leave the book feeling inspired and encouraged.
9. A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost – another autobiography if you need a good laugh!
10. The 5 AM Club – this book lays out a 20/20/20 method for waking up at 5AM and setting up your day to be productive. I liked the concept of the 20/20/20 method, but did not like that it was written as a business parable.
11. The Power of Showing Up – this parenting book is a great read. It talks about how a parent’s presence affects a child’s brain development and who they will grow up to be.
12. Going There by Katie Couric – I really enjoyed this work. I didn’t know a lot about what was written and definitely recommend this one!
13. Crying In H Mart – this memoir was beautifully written – a story of a young woman growing up and experiencing love, grief, and life through the lens of a Korean American.
14. 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – I highly recommend this book. It’s a beautifully written story about a woman rising as a socialite in New York; a great beach read!
15. Malibu Rising – this is another great beach read!
16. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover – If you need a good summer read, this is it! The story is very spicy and very good! It also has a really sweet ending.
17. Every Summer After -this is such a good summer read. A sweet love story (with a little spice) with a sweet ending.
18. The People We Keep – meh. This was recommended by several friends and while it was okay, I didn’t love it. I’m not sure I’d recommend it actually only because there are so many other great books on this list that I would read first.
19. I Found You by Lisa Jewell – a great thriller that switches plot lines between someone who’s missing and someone who’s list. Then you get to see how the two stories weave together. It’s a good one!
20. Voyager (Outlander book 3) – my favorite series. I will decline to give a summary or hint about the plot so as not to give anything away if you’re not this far into the series!
21. It Ends With Us – this is such a sweet story and has a great ending! If you like Colleen Hoover novels, you’ll love this one!
22. The Nantucket Hotel by Elin Hilderbrand – a great beach-read thriller meets love story; beautiful story of multiple characters growing into the best version of themselves.
23. Midnight Library – this book was very well written and very interesting!
24. The Island by Elin Hilderbrand – after reading The Nantucket Hotel, I read this one. It was good, but not as good as the Nantucket Hotel.
25. Meant To Be by Emily Giffin – this was so dang good! Such a good love story!!
26. Know My Name by Chanel Miller – this book, written by a rape victim, was extremely powerful. I highly recommend reading it.
27. Before We Were Yours – I truly enjoyed this book. It’s a great story of an adoption gone wrong. There are parallel story lines throughout the book and it’s a captivating read.
28. The Turn Of The Key by Ruth Ware – this is such a good thriller! I was guessing up until the end! I definitely recommend this one if you like murder mysteries.
29. The House Across The Lake – an easy read and great murder mystery!
30. Lessons In Chemistry – this book is a bit different than what I normally read, but I really enjoyed it. It’s a great story about a woman finding herself again.
31. The It Girl by Ruth Ware – another great Ruth Ware novel! Another easy, great thriller.
32. The Perfect Marriage – I loved this one! It was so good and I wasn’t able to guess the killer. I highly recommend it!
33. Take My Hand – this story was truly beautiful. A Story of compassion, courage, and fighting for what’s right. A young woman learns to stand up for what’s right; as she attempts to love a family well she finds herself.
34. Drums of Autumn (Outlander book 4)
35. Fiery Cross (Outlander book 5)
36. A Breath Of Snow And Ashes (Outlander book 6)