Since I didn’t get to this in December 2022, I wanted to catch you all up on what my total book reading count was for the year. My goal was to read 75 books. I have never made a reading goal before and I did it just for fun. Because of COVID and being on lock down for awhile, reading became even more a part of my life than it had been. I just thought it would be fun to shoot for a goal. 75 was an arbitrary number that sounded good!
Here are the books I finished for 2022:
The Bullet That Missed
This is the 3rd book in the series and I loved it as much as the first two. I enjoy stories about older adults living their lives, getting in and out of trouble and having fun doing it. That’s exactly what happens here with a little romance thrown in as well. I love reading series but I’m always concerned that I won’t like the others as much as the first. This trilogy does not disappoint. The author manages to keep the mysteries intriguing while also keeping the reader interested in each character. It’s a light but smart read and I highly recommend it.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
This is the book chosen by my book club after reading American Dirt which was good but tense and heavy from the first page to the end. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches can be described as a palette cleanser as well as a hug. It is cozy, fun, light and sweet. It was the perfect anecdote after a super heavy read. The premise and the characters are interesting and there is some intrigue without it being too much.
Under the Whispering Door
I read this for another book club and it too was great for the end of the year. Even though the book deals with heavy issues including death, suicide and grief, it is a delightful read. It is a interesting way to talk about these issues without it feeling heavy or scary.
The Old Place
Another nice read about family, love and loss. Lives are so complicated at times as are relationships. Add in people keeping secrets and things are bound to explode at some point. I enjoyed this book and recommend it but it didn’t knock my socks off!
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
This is the complicated emotional journey of women in a family. It involves the genetic link of mental illness as well as the idea that what we experience in present times can be linked to our ancestors. It’s an interesting concept and I enjoyed about 90% of the book. The author lost me at the end. I won’t go into the details because that would ruin it. I will also say that while I enjoy books that tie things up at the end, this one took it too far and made it too unbelievable. In spite of that, I do recommend the book.
2022 Reading Journey: Goal=75 books
Jan: 8 Feb: 4 Mar: 6 Apr: 6 May: 6 Jun: 6 Jul: 7 Aug: 5 Sept: 9
Oct/Nov/Dec: 5 Total: 62!!!! While I didn’t meet my goal of 75 books, I am very proud to have read 62 books in 2022.
2023 Reading Goal: 70
If 62 is my baseline, then I think that 70 is a decent stretch goal. Challenging but not too out of range.
Wish me luck!! Share any book recommendations in the comments!!
