Category: What I Read

January 2023 Wrap Up

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I’ve said it before, but January was one of those months that felt long and fast at the same time? I definitely appreciate its length in a weird way because I read so much this month! 

My favorite books of the month are from a wide range of genres. I found myself going on a YA mini sprint this month between reading some books I picked myself and some student picks, but my two fave YAs were The Summer Broken Rules by K.L. Walther (I definitely get the hype) and Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O’Clover ( a new release so worth picking up!). One that surprised me was Cece Bell’s semi autobiographical memoir, El Deafo -loved it so much!

I found myself getting back into non-fiction this month as well, with one of my new all-time favorites being Dr.Edith Eva Eger’s The Choice, following her experiences during the Holocaust and how trauma impacted her life and then work as a psychologist. I also really enjoyed Katherine Center’s What You Wish For (a 2020 release that’s been on my TBR ever since) and my reread of Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead, confirming that Finlay Donovan is one of my all time favorite series! 

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December 2022 Wrap Up

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Kicking off the new year on the blog by looking back once more at 2022 with my December Wrap Up. I read 15 books in December (thank you holiday break!) and finished the year with 182 books read (and yes, this includes some rereads and novellas but I haven’t had the opportunity yet (and honestly feeling to) look more into my reading stats). This intro is slowly turning into a year reflection, but I didn’t feel the need to really analyze my reading at the end of the year and just really want to focus on reading (good!!) books.

My favorite books of the month: 

Anon. Pls by Deux Moi – This was such a fun binge-read and reminded me of the YA gossipy-like books I loved in my early YA days (and honestly still love). My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk – Many books over the past 2 years especially have taken on the time loop trope and The Christmas Wish is one of the best books with this plot point. It’s also one of my new favorite Christmas books and has the best sense of humor & witty dialogue. My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell – This short story collection was a Christmas gift that I devoured over the two days after the holiday. This book reminded me why I love Rainbow Rowell’s writing so much and made me once again crave another contemporary release from her. My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

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Favorite YA Books of 2022

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Today is all about sharing my favorite Young Adult books of 2022! I’ve somewhat lessened my YA reading over the past few years, but most of the YA I am picking up these days are such quality reads! I shared my favorite books of 2022, including a wide range of contemporary romance & adult fiction, earlier this week.

My Top 5 YA Books of 2022: All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston, Rivals (American Royals #3) by Katharine McGee, The Life & Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum, & See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon

What are your favorite YA books of 2022? Have you read any of the books above? Share in the comments!

My Favorite Books of 2022

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It’s time for me to wrap-up & reflect on my favorite books of 2022! This year, I’ve read the most books I’ve ever had. I’m currently at 178 books (there are some novellas thrown in there) for 2022! While I will be sharing my favorite YA books of 2022 tomorrow, today I’m sharing my favorite books from a variety of the genres I read. While it’s mostly contemporary romance, there’s a mix of adult fiction, romance, mystery/thriller, and fantasy as well. I also admittedly tried to do a top 22 of ’22, but I didn’t want to push aside any of these titles.

My Top 5: Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2), The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston, and One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Here’s a look back at my favorite books from previous years:

 Favorite Books of 2021: Contemporary Romance Edition 

Favorite Books of 2021: Adult Fiction &; Nonfiction

Favorite Books of 2020: Contemporary Romance Edition

Favorite Books of 2020: Adult & Nonfiction Edition

What are some of your favorite books of 2022? Have you read any of the books I shared? Share in the comments!

November 2022 Wrap Up

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And just like that, we’re at the end of November! This month was a great blend of cozying up with some good books and celebrating the holidays & also having good weekend plans. I went into the city twice to see Beetlejuice on Broadway (so worth going to see before it closes on Broadway!) & for a hockey game.

It also brought one of my favorite times of the year, Goodreads Choice Awards season. I know that there’s a lot of relevant conversations bout how exactly Goodreads chooses the finalists & how books are categorized by which genere., but I can’t help but look forward to voting each round!

I started holiday reading with Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle (love!), Jenny Bayliss’s Meet Me Under the Mistletoe -perfect for readers who love books with a big cast of characters, as a friend group reunites in a English castle/estate for two of the friends’ wedding, set during the holiday season-, and Once Upon a December by Amy E.Reichert – very unique, set at the Milwaukee Christmas market and features a romance between a woman and a man whose family *magically* travels from Christmas market to market around the world. 

My favorite books of November where Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (I voted for Book Lovers, but so sad it didn’t make the final round for the Goodreads Choice Awards!), Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle, When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, and Mr.Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer. 

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October 2022 Wrap Up

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Happy Halloween (coming from the reader who read 1 ‘spooky’ read this month)!! October was the beginning of cozy season. While I hung out with friends on weekends and did some fall things (my sister and I went apple picking on the most gorgeous fall day last weekend), there were plenty of quiet moments on the weekends spent reading. 

I almost always have a sprinkle of YA in my reading, but YA books made up at least half of my total reading AND were my favorite reads. My absolute favorite book of the month was Isaac Blum’s The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen, & I really enjoyed reading The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson, Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka , and the Birthright trilogy by Gabrielle Zevin. 

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson | 3.5/5 Stars

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka / 5/5

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead | 4/5

When We Were Bright & Beautiful by Jillian Medoff 

Luck and Last Resorts by Sarah Grunder Ruiz | 3.5/5 

The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum | 5/5

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson | 4.5/5 

Birthright series by Gabrielle Zevin: All These Things I’ve Done, Because It is My Blood, & In the Age of Love and Chocolate | Overall Rating: 4.5/5 

Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds | 4/5

Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean | 4/5

From Scratch (Netflix) – From Scratch is based on Tembi Locke’s memoir of the same name (there were some changes, but I feel like it captured the spirit of the book well), following her life after meeting her husband in Italy. I watched an episode here and there … and then binged the last five. There were some moments when I think the acting could’ve been better, but I still sobbed during the seventh episode and was teary during the last few.

Not a TV show but I watched Jessica of Peace Love Books and Lacey of LaceyBooklovers’s romance predictions for the Goodreads Choice Awards and agreed with most of their predictions. I personally would LOVE to see Book Lovers by Emily Henry take the title,  but I think Colleen Hoover has it in the bag with It Starts With Us.

Recent TBR Additions: October 2022 Edition

What I’ve Been Reading Lately: October 2022 Edition

WORTH THE READ? Things We Never Got Over Review

What did you read and watch in October? Anything I read? Share in the comments! 

September 2022 Reading Wrap Up

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Starting this October with looking back on September! This month was back to school season and farewell to beach and pool season, but I keep trying to read outside as much as possible (writing this as I’m experiencing our first dreary fall weekend of the season). 

Disclaimer that I usually include what I watched on TV and movies wise in my wrap-ups, but I in all honestly haven’t really been gravitating towards TV at all. I’ve been trying to watch newer shows – I’ve heard such good things about Tell Me Lies on Hulu (based on the book by Carola Lovering) – but I’m struggling to get into new shows. I’m hoping this will turn around this month, especially since Derry Girls Season 3 FINALLY comes to Netflix this Friday and the Netflix mini series of Tembi Locke’s From Scratch premieres on October 21st. 

I read 13 books in September – I’m hoping to keep up this momentum throughout the rest of the year. My FAVORITE books of the month were Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan, Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn, and Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I also really enjoyed Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score, An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn, and Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Morgan.

Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy | 5/5 

A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia | 3.5/5 

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan | 4/5 

Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory | 4/5 

Ghost by Jason Reynolds | 4/5 

An Offer from a Gentleman (Bridgerton #3) by Julia Quinn | 4/5 

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid | 5/5 

Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Novel Adaptation by Anne Frank, Ari Folman, & David Polonsky | 5/5 

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn | 5/5

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan | 5/5 

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld | 3.5/5 

The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes | 4/5

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score | 4/5 

Book Reviews

The Final Gambit Review

2022 MUST READ: Thank You for Listening Review

FIVE STAR READ: Killers of a Certain Age Review

Drunk on Love Review

FAVORITE TJR BOOK: Carrie Soto is Back Review

Bookish Posts

My Favorite Summer Reads 2022

Fall 2022 Anticipated Releases

Current Library Holds: September 2022 Edition 

What did you read in September? Have you read any of the books that I mentioned? Share in the comments!

My Favorite Summer Reads 2022

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I am that person who, although I do really enjoy the fall, counts September as part of summer. I am still relishing as many pool days as possible and then being able to at least sit outside and read until it gets way too cold outside (I’ve been known to sit outside in December on sunny days).

However, today I’m going to be sharing my favorite books that I read this June, July, & August. And because this list is just as long as expected, I’ll be share my absolute FAVORITES at the end. 

June 2022

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

Rivals (American Royals #3)by Katharine McGee 

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Fake by Erica Katz

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle & narrated by Lauren Graham (reread) 

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand 

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune 

July 2022

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin 

Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore

The Counselors by Jessica Goodman

Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand 

The Beach Trap by Ali Brady

August 2022

See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy 

The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall

Just Another Love Song by Kerry Winfrey 

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand 

My Top Favorites 

What were your favorite books of the summer? Have you read any of the books that I mentioned? Share in the comments! 

IT’S SUMMER: June 2022 Wrap Up 

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It’s officially summer and I am reading absolutely everything! I’m going to keep this intro short for the sake of getting into what I read, but just know after completing my first full year of teaching (!!), I am so looking forward to this season of reading and summer days! 

I read a total of 13 books this month and 2 novellas. 2 books were rereads, my audiobook of One Italian Summer (please read this month ASAP in general, but better yet, listen to the audiobook with Lauren Graham as the narrator!!) and Majesty before reading Rivals, the latest American Royals books. 

My FAVORITES of the month – it was hard to determine because the majority of the books I read in June were so good – include Every Summer After (not a total 5 star read for me, but I ate this one up on a beach day and def see the hype), I Kissed Shara Wheeler, The Hotel Nantucket, Rivals, and The Dead Romantics. 

I also really enjoyed Fake, By the Book, & Counterfeit, and after some reflection, felt medium on The No Show (it took almost three weeks to fully read this one, but the ending did surprise me – I’m finding that Beth O’Leary’s later books take a twist on the premise), Stuck with You (I’m going to read the third novella when it comes out as an ebook, but unfortunately haven’t really been loving this novella series), and True Biz (I still enjoyed and loved the ASL representation, but it didn’t wow me as much as expected from the hype).

By the Book (Meant to Be Mine #2) by Jasmine Guillory  | 4/5 Stars

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Recent Reads I’ve Loved: May/June 2022

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I love being in a reading groove in which I seriously LOVE everything that I’ve been picking up. I know that may seem obvious, but as someone who reads quite a bit, it gets a bit tricker to find that book that makes me say LOVEEE like some of these do.I read the following books in the last week of May or so, but I loved most of them so much that I knew I wanted to capture my thoughts on the blog & hopefully convince you to pick them up! 

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub – If there’s one Emma Straub book that everyone should pick up, it’s her latest, This Time Tomorrow. This is the type of book where don’t get me wrong, I loved it in the moment & while reading, but didn’t realize how much I LOVED it until I finished it and had time to think about for the next few days. This Time Tomorrow follows Alice, whose life as a forty year old living in NYC is ‘okay’ – she likes her job and her boyfriend enough (even if she doesn’t want to marry him), she gets to see her best friend fairly often, and her father is still alive despite the mysterious illness he’s combatting. On her fortieth birthday, Alice is transported back to her sixteenth birthday to 1996 NYC, a time especially when her famous writer of a dad is still healthy and alive. This Time Tomorrow was so, so perfect. I loved the time-traveling storyline as it wasn’t too sci-fy or intricate to understand, I loved the NYC setting, and the focus on relationships, especially between Alice and her best friend, and most of all, Alice and her father. P.S. that Bad on Paper Podcast did an episode with Emma Straub about her book & her career path as an author and owner (!!) of Books Are Magic. My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Cover Story by Susan Rigetti – Cover Story is a perfect example of a book that I read from cover to cover in 1 night. This books has been everywhere, thanks to its comparisons to an Anna Delvey like story. The book’s writing style almost reminded me of a 2000s/early 2010s version of a YA contemporary, as the book is mostly told from Lora’s diary entries re-capping her days at Elle & working with Cat. Lora is extremely naive and hopeful, which definitely helps Cat’s agenda. What makes this book so, SO worth reading, however, is its ending. I’m still thinking about two weeks after finishing the book. I’m so glad it was chosen as the Bad on Paper book club pick of the month because I can’t wait to listen to Becca and Olivia’s thoughts on the ending (P.S. can you tell BOP is my favorite podcast?).  My Rating: 4/5 Stars

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