My 2022 Reads: July – December

At the start of this year, I set a goal to read 75 books. I’m proud to say I have not only met but exceeded that goal—I’ve clocked in at 77 books in 2022!

After successfully documenting my reads on the blog for the first six months of the year, I totally fell off the wagon when summer got into full swing. Since then, every time I told myself I should sit down and catch up on my reviews, the task felt more and more daunting as the titles piled up. (And, each time, I chose to use the energy to start a new book, instead. Oops!)

Recently, I asked my Instagram followers if I should go back and write my usual individual, in-depth reviews for each book or if I should save time by simply sharing the titles and my ratings. The majority of you voted for the latter, which I am not-so-secretly very grateful for.

On another note, it was recently pointed out to me that most of my ratings are in the 2.5-3.5 range. Very few received a 4 or above, and only one book the entire year got a 5-star rating from me. Am I a jerk? Am I being way too harsh? The crazy thing is that when I rate something a 3, I consider that “recommending” it. Do I need to address my rankings in therapy? Gah.

Anyway, if you don’t want to wait for my blog roundups in the future, you can always follow me on Goodreads where I am much more organized!

Here’s hoping I’ll be more on top of things in 2023…

Colorfully yours,

Haley

Psst: go back and catch up on my reviews from the first six months of 2022 with these buttons!

Want even more book reviews? Search the blog or click the “Color Me Fun –> Hit the Books” tabs for my reads from prior years, too.

July:

1. Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris—4.5/5
2. How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan—2.5/5
3. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner—4/5
4. Roomies by Christina Lauren—3.5/5
5. Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran—4/5
6. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica—4/5

August:

1. The Silent Patient by Alex Micheledes—3.5/5
2. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles—4/5
3. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave—4/5
4. The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos—4/5

September:

1. Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City by Albert Samaha—3.5/5
2. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey—3.5/5
3. Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs by Rachel Jeffs—4/5
4. The Rules of Inheritance by Claire Bidwell Smith—4/5

October:

1. Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney—4/5
2. Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion—3.5/5
3. Unfuck Your Brain: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-outs, and Triggers by Faith G. Harper—3.5/5
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas—4/5

November:

1. I Thought It Was Just Me: Women Reclaiming Power and Courage in a Culture of Shame by Brené Brown—3/5
2. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl—4/5
3. The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin—4.5/5
4. Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon by Iris Apfel—4/5
5. Miss You by Kate Eberlen—3/5

December:

1. Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta by Richard Grant—3.5/5
2. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus—3/5
3. When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri—3/5
4. His Favorites by Kate Walbert—2.5/5
5. Young, Sick, and Invisible: A Skeptic’s Journey with Chronic Illness by Ania Bula—3/5
6. The Girl Who Lied by Sue Fortin—3.5/5
7. Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan—2.5/5
8. A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers—3/5