In 2022 I read 19 out of 20 books on my reading list challenge. I read 4 more books than in 2021 and also subtracted 4 books from my 2022 list compared to 2021. I read 10 out of the 20 books from the original reading list. I’ll caveat that my goal was closely achieved because I reread a series that I absolutely LOVE: Lockwood & Co by Jonathan Stroud. The series is an easy read for me and gave me a lot of comfort during September and October before my wedding. Below is the list I announced back in January 2022.
| Title | Author | Genre |
| Solitude: A Return to the Self | Anthony Storr | Psychology Non-Fiction |
| Float Plan | Trish Doller | Romance |
| Beach Read | Emily Henry | Romance |
| Soulswift | Megan Bannen | Young Adult |
| Set Fire to the Gods | Sara Raasch | Young Adult |
| The Frost Eater | Carol Beth Anderson | Young Adult |
| Bridge to Terabithia | Katherine Paterson | Children’s |
| Crazy Rich Asians | Kevin Kwan | Adult Fiction |
| Good Poems | Garrison Keillor | Poetry |
| Skellig | David Almond | Children’s |
| Jitterbug Perfume | Tom Robbins | Adult Fiction Comedy |
And here are the books that I read that were not on the original list.
| Title | Author | Genre |
| A Gentleman in Moscow | Amor Towles | Adult Fiction |
| Magic Lessons | Alice Hoffman | Young Adult |
| The Rules of Magic | Alice Hoffman | Young Adult |
| Practical Magic | Alice Hoffman | Young Adult |
| The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud | Children’s |
| The Whispering Skull | Jonathan Stroud | Children’s |
| The Hollow Boy | Jonathan Stroud | Children’s |
| The Creeping Shadow | Jonathan Stroud | Children’s |
| The Empty Grave | Jonathan Stroud | Children’s |
Last year, my favorite book from the reading challenge was The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I said that Rothfuss’ writing style reminded me of author, Alice Hoffman. Well this year, I returned to Alice Hoffman to read one of her most famous series, Practical Magic. I read three quarters of the series and all of them were phenomenal. But I’m choosing just one favorite book of the year and that would be, Practical Magic itself. Reading Practical Magic was like breathing a sigh of relief. The exhalation of breath as I turned each page was wonderful. I loved all of the characters and reading through the series, I loved how everything fit together so well in the story, even little details that didn’t seem to matter so much turned up in the prequel books. What I especially loved about Practical Magic, and its series sisters, is how powerful the women are. Alice Hoffman really presents a wonderful tribute to women, how we navigate the world, uplift one another, feel emotion, and cast magic through our love in all its forms. I’m simply blown away as to why I haven’t read the series sooner, but I will certainly be reading it again. I have not yet touched the final book in the series. Part of me feels trepidation for the forthcoming closure of the series. It’s easier to know that the character are living on, however I want in my own imagination. It’s hard trusting an author to write the ending. J.K. Rowling springs to mind with her awful epilogue in Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter so much, but the pairings of the characters and the names of their children were disappointing. I understand honoring a dead family member in your life with their name, but Harry has so many so the solution was to combine them all? Albus Severus?? UGH. Anyways, I digress. It’s hard to read the ending of a series that’s within your heart. So hopefully Alice Hoffman will delight rather than disappoint.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao was a very close second favorite. I can’t wait to read the next book!
My least favorite book was the Once & Future by A.R. Capetta. It’s the only book that I didn’t even finish reading. I reached about 70 or 80 pages in and couldn’t go on. The story was a mess, as in I couldn’t follow what was happening. And the author(s) jumped between perspectives of the main characters, making it even worse. I was highly disappointed with this because the premise of it was so interesting (young, female King Arthur, set in the future) and that it has a decent rating on Goodreads. But it wasn’t for me.
Lastly here is the link to the Goodreads version of my reading challenge review. Thank you for reading! On to the next list!
Lily K Borak 