ASAP Book Reviews of 2022

2022 ASAP Book Reviews

If you’ve read my book reviews before, you’ll know I try to make them As Short As Possible!

Unfortunately I let this slip on my to do list until almost the end of 2023. These will be even shorter than usual, because I'm about a month away from writing my 2023 book reviews. 

• GOAL = 28
• READ = 19 

It feels great to accomplish a goal you set for yourself, or a challenge among your friends. However, it is also liberating to excuse yourself from not hitting a number on a list. 2022 was the year I finished grad school! I read bits & pieces of at least 7 other books for school, not for fun, but I enjoyed a lot of the content and I learned a ton last year.

Other things I did to strengthen my mind in 2022: 

• Went to therapy sessions
• Took classes in effective communication, leadership, and user research
• Wrote a 31-page Capstone research paper on the user experience of Airbnb for travel nurses
• Facilitated community building activities for my coworkers
• Planned trips with friends & family to Boston, Milwaukee, Tampa, Bozeman, Newport Beach, & Maryland
• Explored Ireland and Puerto Rico while learning about history & battles that took place there
• Kept up with my book clubs to connect with friends & discuss some of these books together 
  

2022 books:

purple = read paperback or kindle

pink = audiobook

1. Necessary Lies, Diane Chamberlin
2. The Guest List, Lucy Foley
3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins-Reid
4. Unbound, Tarana Burke
5. The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave
6. Three Wishes, Liane Moriarty
7. Walking on Pins & Needles, Arlene Faulk
8. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han
9. It’s Not Summer Without You, Jenny Han
10. We’ll Always Have Summer, Jenny Han
11. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong
12. Arsenic & Adobo, Mia P. Manansala
13. The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley
14. Difficult Conversations, multiple authors
15. Good Talk, Mira Jacobs
16. Layla, Colleen Hoover
17. Starry Night, Debbie Macomber
18. I’m Glad My Mom Died, audio
19. Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, Caroline Criado Perez
20. The Lover's Dictionary, David Levithan

The Reviews...

1. Necessary Lies, Diane Chamberlin: lots of surprising twists; perspective changes kept me interested; I enjoyed her writing style

2. The Guest List, Lucy Foley: I did not guess the mystery until the end, but way too much happened in the last quarter of the book. There were too many points of view to easily follow.

3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins-Reid: phenomenal story! Jenkins-Reid is a genius. I loved how the storytelling switched from present to past, and I loved the reveal at the end.

4. Unbound, Tarana Burke: I'm so glad I listened to this one instead of reading it. There were a lot of traumatic parts that I might have glossed over if I was reading on paper. Tarana is extremely inspiring and I'd love for anyone to read part of her story or watch one one of her interviews.

5. The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave: It took me awhile to get into her writing style, but I ended up loving the main character's determination and decision making. Also, the Apple TV series was very well done and Jennifer Garner and Angourie Rice were the perfect choices!

6. Three Wishes, Liane Moriarty: I loved the relationship between the sisters and their character growth. Enjoyable, but not super memorable.

7. Walking on Pins & Needles, Arlene Faulk: It was super interesting to read a memoir written by one of my sorority sisters here in Chicago! She was very honest and vulnerable in her storytelling of her social life, professional career, and health struggles.

8. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han: If you've seen the show, you know this is a classic beach read. Jenny Han is an unbelievable writer. The Cousins Beach setting is so fun and relatable.

9. It’s Not Summer Without You, Jenny Han: Definitely more emotional and adult than the first one, but still has that silly tween lens. Super easy and fun to read this one quickly!

10. We’ll Always Have Summer, Jenny Han: A really nice wrap to the series, and more complex than I expected. After reading all 3, I still can't choose if I'm Team Jeremiah or Team Conrad...

11. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong: The poetry style was hard to get used to, but once I let myself escape into the author's retelling of his life, I really appreciated the story. He did a great job of incorporating his culture and family history.

12. Arsenic & Adobo, Mia P. Manansala: A fun mystery! If you need an easy but unique read, you'll enjoy this one! The auntie characters were super memorable and entertaining, and the main character was smart and relatable.

13. The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley: I thought I'd give Lucy another try, and I was not a big fan. I thought the Paris setting would be exciting, but really most of the story took place in the apartment building (I should've known). It's nice for a fall mystery or beach read, but I'm not interested in reading more from this author.

14. Difficult Conversations, Douglas Stone + Bruce Patton + Sheila Heen: Real practical strategies for having, as the title says, difficult conversations. A lot is common sense, but at least half of the examples were very thought-provoking. While I was reading, I was out loud saying "yes! This has happened to me too" wishing I had read more of these examples before.

15. Good Talk, Mira Jacob (graphic novel memoir): I'm not super accustomed to graphic novels but this was an easy one to read. Another great chance to learn about someone's personal perspective from another ethnicity and cultural background.

16. Layla, Colleen Hoover: y'all know I love this author, and this book was no exception. I was a little surprised by the supernatural aspect of it, but I really enjoyed the connection between the characters and the way they supported each other.

17. Starry Night, Debbie Macomber: Sometimes you need a cheesy holiday romance novel, and this was the one I chose in 2022. I gravitated toward the wild nature setting of Alaska, and I thought the main guy character was really sweet and unpredictable.

18. I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy: You know I love a good memoir, and this was one of the best I've ever read. I started reading the first few chapters, and then switched to the audiobook. We know Jennette is a great actress, and she is no less talented with her voice acting. I'm so impressed by how she was able to use therapy and self-reflection to write all the way back to her childhood. She really wrote/spoke from every stage of her life as if she was at that age in the moment.

19. Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, Caroline Criado Perez: I'd recommend reading this one with a group, and not in one sitting. I would not have appreciated it as much if I didn't have people to discuss it. The data is very dense! ...Give it a chance though... you'll be amazed (and shocked) at how many products and processes are designed only with men in mind. There are some incredible suggestions of how to make places safer and more accessible.

20. The Lover's Dictionary, David Levithan: such a sweet way to tell the story of one couple's life together, all their ups and downs, by using letters of the alphabet to "define" one word in relation to a specific moment in their lives.