Books of 2022

32 books read in 2022

Favorite reads of 2022:

  1. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, finished on February 14th

  2. Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller, finished on June 17th

  3. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, finished on May 23rd

  4. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, finished on November 11th

  5. Educated by Tara Westover, finished on September 15th

Books read in December:

Books read in November:

Books read in October:

Books read in September:

  • Educated by Tara Westover, finished on the 15th

    • 5/5

Books read in August:

Books read in July:

Books read in June:

Books read in May:

Books read in April:

Books read in March:

Books read in February:

  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, finished on the 28th

    • 3/5

  • I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, finished on the 22nd

    • 5/5

  • The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, finished on the 14th

    • Read this very quickly, it draws you in but in the end, it didn’t “wow” me. 3/5

  • The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, finished on the 13th

    • I was 50 pages in before it really hit me that this was a memoir. Someone lived this life. And I was reading about it, in her words. This book is an unromanticized look at her early childhood through young adulthood, growing up with a mother, father, two sisters, and a brother. The details are where her story unfolds — hiding money in socks so her father couldn’t waste it all on booze, collecting bottles with her brother to buy food, rummaging through the trash so she could have something for lunch while her mother eats chocolate bars in secret, but not clearly in shame. So much of this book is upsetting and unsettling. It’s also really impressive and a testament to the power that determination and humility can have on reshaping our lives. 5/5

Books read in January:

  • What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver, finished on the 29th

    • Short stories written in simple, sometimes stoic, prose that carry a fair amount of weight. Not romantic! 4/5

  • Snowflake by Louise Nealon, finished on the 28th

    • Debbie, the main character, is just starting her first year at Trinity College in Dublin, after spending her life on a dairy farm with her mother and uncle. Both adults have their problems that impact Debbie, and she's got a few of her own. She's a young woman who deals with insecurity, jealousy, infatuation, a bit of existentialism, and overall questions who she is (as we all do!). Through some very human moments and other ones filled with magical realism, we get to know her. She opens herself up to us, to others, and most importantly, to herself.

      I feel like this book should have been longer. There was so much character development in the works and then the book just... ends? I get how it was all very poetic, but as a reader I was frustrated! I wanted to see more about how these somehow lovable characters change. Well-written novel overall. Magical realism meets self-destructive qualities - what a combination. 3.5/5

  • The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, finished on the 26th

    • 4.5/5

  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, finished on the 20th

    • 4/5

  • Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living by Elizabeth Willard Thames, finished on the 18th

    • While the Introduction is much appreciated, it felt almost formulaic, like her editor saw how a lot of the book was insensitive and needed to try to adjust for that. Basically, she admits that almost every step of her life, even before birth, set her on a path for success. Her parents are happily married, homeowners, who paid for her to go to college, offer her career advice, and give her unconditional, unproblematic love. Same goes for her husband. Oh, and her husband is a software engineer who makes over $200k and has the ability to work from home. This is crucial framework while reading, and helps you to not get (as) upset.

      Similar to above point, but she didn't give much room for introspection, except to put herself down at her most human moments and to prop herself up at her least-relatable ones.

      We've all caught up with friends over a latte, but according to Thames, that's throwing money away.

      Not everyone can buy a Subaru Outback and Toyota Prius in cash after paying in cash for a Vermont homestead, although according to Thames, you should. And if you can't, you shouldn't buy it. You're irresponsible if so.

      Frugality in action means something different to everyone, and very much depends on your situation and *income* -- Thames came from a very privileged place for both.

      The amount of times she used the phrase "full stop" was more than zero... more than 1... more than 2... Yes, Elizabeth Willard Thames used the phrase "full stop" at least four times. It got annoying. Beyond that though, she's a pretty good writer and this was an easy read with good narration and flow. 2/5

  • My Body by Emily Ratajkowski, finished on the 12th

    • Really well written and deeply personal. A worthwhile read. Since the title is "My Body" it makes sense she doesn't dive into warped beauty standards ("A Lot of Our Bodies" perhaps?). This book is a compilation of essays giving an intimate look at the author's life, dating back to her childhood up to her childbirth. 4.5/5

  • The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, finished on the 3rd

Finished 43 books in 2021. See all here:

Finished 33 books in 2020. See all here.

FAVORITE READS OF 2020:

  1. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

  2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

  3. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

  4. On Fire by Naomi Klein

  5. Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

  6. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

  7. The Big Short by Michael Lewis

  8. Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho

  9. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate by Naomi Klein

  10. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera