Reading Round Ups

The Books of 2022

What a year! I like to think that I fell in love with reading again this year. After 2021 felt like such a chore with my goal of 100 books, it was nice to be able to read for the fun of it. As for the books of 2022, there were some I really loved, but it wasn’t a particularly incredible year for my books. Let me break it down for you.

The Books of 2022

Keep in mind that this list is in no particular order. I’m just going through my Goodreads account from the beginning of the year and adding the books into their star categories.

One Stars

No one star reads! I’m pretty sure that, if I felt a book would be one star, it would be a DNF. One star books are not worth my time.

Two Stars

I would not recommend buying any of these. If you have to read any of them, see if your library has them or find them and just skim.

  • The Club by Ellery Lloyd
  • A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler
  • The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Three Stars

Some solid choices to pick up from the library if you see them on the shelves. If you’re not a browser, go ahead and put a hold on them. I don’t think I would actively recommend purchasing any of these (unless they’re part of a series).

  • Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Raphael, Painter in Rome by Stephanie Storey
  • Last One Alive by Amber Cowie
  • The Last Flight by Julie Clark
  • My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry
  • Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
  • Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
  • The Chain by Adrian McKinty
  • The Favor by Nora Murphy
  • What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
  • The Missing of Clairedelune by Christelle Dabos
  • The Words of the Wandering by DE Night
  • The War of the Woods by DE Night
  • The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
  • Generation One by Pittacus Lore
  • The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
  • The Dry by Jane Harper
  • The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
  • The It Girl by Ruth Ware
  • Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  • His & Hers by Alice Feeney
  • The Guest List by Lucy Foley
  • The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
  • Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
  • The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
  • Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
  • Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
  • The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
  • All That is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay
  • Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth

Four Stars

I own most of these and am happy about it. Some are just on my Kindle, and some I’ve actually gone out and purchased so that I do have a physical copy. If you see any of these out and about, definitely Add to Cart.

  • Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
  • Children of Virtue & Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
  • The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
  • Badass Habits by Jen Sincero
  • The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty
  • Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
  • Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
  • Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
  • Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
  • A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos
  • Under Her Care by Lucinda Berry
  • A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
  • Upgrade by Blake Crouch
  • Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
  • The Island by Adrian McKinty
  • Fugitive Six by Pittacus Lore
  • Return to Zero by Pittacus Lore
  • The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
  • Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
  • Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
  • The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
  • An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
  • Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
  • The Prisoner by BA Paris
  • Watching You by Lisa Jewell
  • The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
  • The Martian by Andy Weir
  • The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
  • Five Survive by Holly Jackson
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
  • The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas
  • The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
  • The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas

Five Stars

Drop everything you’re doing and go buy these books now. Two are from separate series, so be prepared for that. However, these books are all worth a purchase. These are books I wish I could go back and read for the first time again.

You can also shop all of these books on my Amazon Storefront (as well as some of my favorite books of all time, gift ideas for book lovers, and just some of my favorite things).

Lessons Learned from the Books of 2022

These aren’t actual lessons from the books themselves. This is mostly things that I have learned about my reading. Some opportunities for improvement, I guess.

  1. It looks like I use four stars a little too liberally. I should probably write down what my star counts mean. They feel like they change every year.
  2. I need to DNF books more, or at least take a break and maybe come back to them. I could have read a few more books if I had just moved on from a book that wasn’t capturing my attention at the moment.
  3. Some (AKA most) of my favorite books are outside of my go-to thriller/suspenseful genre, so I should probably read more books beyond that genre.
  4. I have really loved reading on my Kindle before bed! I have found that I read longer on my Kindle than when I read a physical book. I guess it’s something with the lighting? So, NetGalley better get ready because I’m going to need a lot of eBooks in 2023.
@downthebookjar The #booktokholidaychallenge continues (through the end of the year)! Today, I’m sharing all the books I’ve read this year. I’m up to 77, and I’m hoping to finish at least one more before the end of the year. I’ll do a year in review on the blog and break down my favorites and everything, so stay tuned. 😉 #booktok #yearinreview #booksof2022 #readmorebooks #readersoftiktok #readersofbooktok #bookish #bookjar #tbr ♬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89

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