I finished out 2022 with 62 books read, surpassing a goal of 50. I only read/listened to two books in December.
Finding good books that truly keep my attention has been hard the past few months, and I didn’t really have time for reading or listening in December. I didn’t finish one of the two until January 3, but I’m still counting it as the bulk of it was read in December.
The Books I Read in December
I listened to both of these on audio via Scribd.
Love Drunk Cowboy by Carolyn Brown
High powered career woman Austin Lanier inherits her grandmother’s watermelon farm. Little does she know that the “old man” she’s been talking to on the phone who was her grandmother’s neighbor and overseer is really a hot young cowboy. Rye O’Donnell things he is going to get a good deal on the property, but his motives change when Austin shows up. The story kept to Brown’s true fashion of quirkly, funny and witty characters. This is book one in a six book series.
The Secrets We Keep: Waterford #1 by Mia Hayes
Sometimes I seek out books by narrator when I’m looking for an audiobook. I’ve enjoyed this narrator in another series so I stumbled across this one searching by narrator.
Sometimes the people who seem to have it all also have all the secrets. Secrets they don’t want anyone else to know- who is cheating on who, who doesn’t have the money they appear to have and who has a mental illness. This book could have been a good push for mental health awareness, but I was turned off by the shallow characters.
Elizabethe has chosen to start over with her husband in Waterford after her husband cheated in their last city of residence, so she is trying to keep up appearances and deal with a mental illness. Her husband is all “too” supportive. Someone starts an anonymous blog and spills everyones secrets.
The only reason I kept on with this to the end was because I was expecting a twist to it, and there was, although it was a pretty predictable twist. This one will pass the time just fine but I wouldn’t recommend it as a must read.
My Top 22 Picks of the Books I Read in 2022
I’ve already reviewed these over the past twelve months so I’m going to link you to the review. Some of these I only rated 3 stars which is average for me. It means I liked the book but it wasn’t exceptional or there was something about it I didn’t like but it was still a good book. 4 or 5 stars are really good books to me, but some of the 3s made the top list as they stirred some emotion or good memory of the book as I looked back over what I read.
#1- If I had to pick a favorite for the year it would be Night Road by Kristin Hannah. It’s an underdog overcomes, tear jerker.
#2 The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
#3 The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews
#4 The Sweet Magnolia series- I finished the series in 2022. Find two of them here.
#5 The Faith in Flowers by Rachael Bloome
#6 The Whisper in Wind by Rachael Bloome
#8 Finding Claire Fletcher by Lisa Regan
#9 Losing Leah Hollaway by Lisa Regan
#15 Reminders of Him
#18 Sweet Bliss
#19 Dead Against Her
#20 Nine Lives
#22 Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
A lot of these are by the same authors, but I did try to branch out and explore a new author here and there.
I’ve decided to stop doing the monthly book reviews going forward. I know that many of you like the book reviews and these are usually in the top ten for a month, but then these posts die on the vine. This is a fashion blog after all and not a book blog.
I also haven’t set any real reading goals for the year so my reading is likely to slow down.
I’m likely to mention a good book or two in the weekly newsletter. I do a newsletter once per month dedicated to things I’m loving lately- sort of like a Friday Favorites post ( I cut those out in 2022) and I think a mention of a book or two will fit there. So if you are interested in keeping up with what I’m reading, subscribe to the weekly newsletter.