Books I Read In 2022

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Running a business can be very stressful at times. From making sure orders are done and out the door in time to keeping up to date with new listings and patterns, content, admin, accounts, etc, it can be a lot. One of my favourite ways to relax after a busy day, or even at the beginning of the day, is to dive into a good book. 

I am a huge book nerd. I love to read. My dad was a huge reader and I think I got my love of books from him.

But I definitely didn't devote enough time to reading last year. In 2023 that is changing. I am now reading most days, and I am loving getting a lot more serious about having a routine for my book reading. I am taking part in the Goodreads Reading Challenge this year, giving myself a goal of 52 books. 

I want to keep track of the books I'm reading here on my blog, and my reviews of them. With that in mind, I'm starting with my reviews of the books I read last year. 

So, here we go. In 2022 I read the following books:

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke: 8/10

I love this series of books. Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder is the 27th book in the Hannah Swensen Murder Mystery Series. They are very lighthearted, simple to follow and fun novels that surround a baker named Hannah Swensen who solves local murders in her hometown of Lake Eden, Minnesota. She's like a young Miss Marple. She is helped with her investigations by her two sisters, her mother, and the local dentist who has the hots for her, as does the local police detective who's cases she gets involved with, especially when she knows the murder victim. Each book also comes with a different set of recipes, so they are perfect books for lovers of murder mysteries as well as bakers who love trying new recipes. 

They are very easy reads that I tend to go through pretty quickly. They aren't complicated with lots of plot twists, which makes them ideal for chilling out at the end of a busy day. Sometimes I can work out who the murderer is, and sometimes I don't know until the end. Either way, they are a fun read. 

I also read Christmas Caramel Murder, Chocolate Cream Pie Murder, Coconut Layer Cake Murder, and Christmas Cupcake Murder in the series. 

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman: 10/10

This is the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series, and it's an amazing read. Both of the books I have read so far in the series (there are currently three total, with a fourth coming in September 2023) have been riveting reads, and totally unputdownable. 

The series of books revolves around a group of retired residents of a nursing home, who become amateur sleuths when a local man is murdered. Think a group of Miss Marple's. Many folks believe that since they are older people they are easily overlooked. They are able to use this to their advantage by interviewing witnesses and often solving the crime themselves, sometimes with the unintentional help of a couple of local police officers.

I love reading these books first thing in the morning. They are a great way to start the day. 

 

Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon: 9/10

Anyone else a huge fan of the Outlander books? I also love the television show, which doesn't always stick to the storyline in the books. This makes the books a more exciting read, as there is always more to the story than they will show in the television show, if and when they cover this book.

The author, Diana Gabaldon has a fantastic way of bringing you into the story, so much so you truly see the events happening in front of your eyes, almost as if you were there. She explains everything down to the smallest detail, which can occasionally drag out a scene, especially action scenes, but I usually love the intense detail of her scenes. 

So much happens in this book, and I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't read it yet, but it's an awesome adventure from the first page to the last. 

This book was a long time coming. Seven years was quite a wait, but it was worth it. It's a huge book, with almost a thousand pages. I have the hardback cover, and it's so big I could use it as a weight. Depending on how much you read, or how quickly this may well be a long endeavour, but it's worth it. 

Now that the television series is coming to an end, as well as the book series I'm looking forward to seeing how this epic story will end. I can't wait to get an explanation for Jamie's ghost. 

The Girl In The Spiders Web by David Lagercrantz: 10/10

This is the fourth book in the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series of books started by Stieg Larsson. I loved the first Millennium trilogy of books (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) which were written by the author Stieg Larsson who created this world and these sensational characters. It's so sad that he didn't live to see the fantastic success of his books, and the subsequent movie adaptions. 

Since I loved the first three books in the series I didn't think I would enjoy the fourth book since it has been written by someone else. I didn't think anyone else could portray the rawness of the characters, especially Lisbeth Salander, who is such a complex character. 

But this new author, David Lagercrantz does a fabulous job of getting under the skin of these characters and the world of Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist. 

This book is a real page turner. I read it really quickly, and I couldn't put it down. There are so many twists and turns I couldn't figure out where it was going to head next. 

 

A Promised Land by Barack Obama: 10/10

I love Barack Obama. I think he is one of the best presidents America has ever had. I continue to follow him on social media as I love to read his posts. He's such an inspiring person, even now when he is no longer in office. I knew part one of his memoir would be amazing, and I was right. It's also humongous - the hardback edition is 700 pages. 

In this volume he goes into detail about his family, his childhood, teen and college years and adulthood, although the majority of the book is about his political life, and ends with the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. His journey from student to president, in particular, is quite the rollercoaster. 

The book also made me love Michelle Obama even more. He's very honest about her enormous reluctance about his going into politics, but they managed to work as a powerful unit and made it work. 

It's fascinating to read his insight on other politicians from around the world, as well as his views on what was, and is happening in America. The stories about he and his family moving into the White House and life there are very endearing.  

I love reading memoirs and autobiographies, and this is one of the best. I can't wait for the second volume, whenever this will be. 

So, that's my list of books I read in 2022. Not as long a list as I would have liked, but there was a couple of huge books in there.

Lots of high ranking books in 2022. Think I got lucky last year with the quality of the books I was picking to read. There are usually a few I have to stop reading because I just can't get into them. Hopefully I have similar luck in 2023 (so far so good.)

Until next time.....