A new year is a good time for change, right? Sometimes I feel like tweaking things just because sometimes something new is exciting. Which is strange because I really like routine and usually not changing things. BUT, here we are, being crazy and changing my monthly reading recaps from around the 15th of the month to the beginning of the month. I know, I really need to be careful with how much I am changing (there is a WHOLE LOT of sarcasm there).
My 2022 reading year hasn't been off to a great start, more mediocre which is FINE. Not ideal but doable. I've read a handful of books that just haven't worked for me but then also a few I've really enjoyed and some middle of the road, good but not amazing. Such is life, hopefully my picker gets better soon!
I will eventually be linking this up with Modern Mrs. Darcy. I'm on Goodreads here which I keep more updated than is probably necessary. And Instagram here where sometimes I post about books but also lately it's been a lot about the weather (snow is noteworthy). New friends/followers welcomed at both!
A few other book posts in the past month:
And everything else I've been reading!
The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu
New adult-ish about a freshly out of college woman who is back to working at her parents' donut shop after seemingly flubbing some life choices. It, obviously, really made me want to eat a donut. The story was cute enough, romance included, nice friend group, and some immigrant stories in there too. 3 Stars
Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson
Following two women who were in the first Black women army unit during World War II. It was very interesting reading about the challenges these women faced, dealing with being in the army during a war plus how being Black when most soliders/enlisted were white added extra complications to their time serving. The two women had very different backgrounds but, surprisingly, ended up friends in the end (that is not a spoiler, it was very obvious where that part of the story was headed). 3 Stars
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo Piazza
This was co-written but a black author and a white author, and told the story of two best friends, one black and one white, who get thrown into a police shooting story, much closer than either of them would like. It gets COMPLICATED and it felt like both sides were handled pretty fairly. It was a bit of a tough read but very compelling. 3.5 Stars
No Cure for Being Human and Other Truths I Need to Hear by Kate Bowler
This was a quick read about the author's journey through what seemed to be a terminal cancer diagnosis and how she coped with that, especially with a young son. BUT then, the odds were in her favor and she now how to learn how to cope with NOT being about to die. Of course, we all could be dying at any point but it certainly is a different perspective to go from what you are told is a terminal diagnosis to...not that. 3.75 Stars
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
I appreciate a good time management book, especially at the start of the year but this was VERY different from any other one I've read. Much more philosophical and a bit grim. I was already feeling some feelings about the calendar turning and my boys growing so fast and the fact that we turn 40 NEXT YEAR (it's not even this year and I still have big feelings about it) so this was maybe a weird time to read this book but I appreciated it in the end. 3.5 Stars
Elizabeth II: A Queen for Our Time by Chris Jackson
Chris Jackson is a pool photographer for the royals who also gets tapped to take solo, more personal shots of them from time to time (he's also married to Kate's stylist soo...connections). I follow him on Instagram and his photos are incredible. He's also had a front seat to royal life, as much as an outsider can, for the last 20 years. A few behind the scenes stories that were nice but also a few editing problems that I had to correct in my library copy (sorry not sorry). George H.W. Bush is not the same person has George W. Bush. But I still enjoyed it. The Queen has LIVED a LIFE. 3.75 Stars
My Name is Eva by Suzanna Goldring
I appreciate a somewhat sassy old lady who is determined to set things right. This case it is Evelyn who is acting like she has memory problems and is living in a nursing home but really is fully in a right mind. Her niece is cleaning out Evelyn's old manor and finding some interesting things from Evelyn past. The story unfolds across a few time lines and a few of Evelyn's secrets (murders) come across in the end. Man, if this lady was real, she also LIVED a LIFE. 3.5 Stars
House Story: Insider Secrets to the Perfect Home Renovation by Jasmine Roth
I also appreciate a good house design book from time to time. I am always interested in rethinking how our house functions and looks. I couldn't quite vibe with many of her design choices and classifications, they just aren't how I thought things were categorized. I also kept thinking of when Michael Scott is speaking to Ryan's business school class and how he groups like tourism and mining or something ridiculous. Maybe not the comparison she was going for. 2.75 Stars
Royal Trivia: Your Guide to the Modern British Royal Family by Rachel Bowie & Roberta Fiorito
A bit heavy on the royals at the end of the month. A quicker read, broken down into 5 sections - the Cambridges (Wills & Kate), the Sussexs (Harry & Meghan), Diana, Charles, and The Queen. There wasn't much in here I didn't already know and the format, posing "trivia" questions and then giving the answers...it didn't quite work for me. Felt like a lot of leading questions when really they just wanted to share the answers. But still fun. 3 Stars
Read with Luke
Betsy's Play School by Carolyn Haywood
We have finished the Betsy series! Twelve books, the first of which we finished right about when we learned of COVID, in March 2020. I own two of them that I read many times in my childhood and it was fun to fill in the rest of the series and share them with Luke. The stories are quite a bit different from life now, but still charming. Luke liked them all much more than I expected! 3.5 Stars
A better reading month than I remembered it being! Always good! What have YOU been reading lately?
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