I have set a yearly goal of reading a book a month for the year of 2022. Since we’re already into July, let’s review the first six books of the year!
People We Meet On Vacation By Emily Henry
Book #6 is People We Meet on Vacation By Emily Henry. I picked this up in an airport sitting on a “Best Seller” shelf. I read this book at the beginning of the Summer. It’s a story about two unlikely best friends who take a summer trip every year. They end up having a little spat & find their way back to each other. It’s a predictable story, but it’s adorable. I love how they jump from summer trip to summer trip, it gives a lot of back story to their relationship and friendship and keeps the story vibrant!
Not A Happy Family By Shari Lapena
Murder Mystery Vibes. This book grabbed my attention immediately. It was captivating and an excellent “who did it” story behind a murder. It’s fun diving into all of the character’s dirty laundry. I’m ranking this as number 5 only because I felt the ending was very abrupt. There’s a fun little suspenseful twist at the end that I wanted more details to, but it doesn’t cloud the fact that this book was captivating.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break The Silence
Ranked at #4, this is a book composed of short stories of exactly what it states, things these writers do not talk to their mothers about. They’re all very vulnerable but beautiful. Each essay has a separate title and topic from sexual orientation to abuse to estranged relationships, this book was emotional and powerful. 10/10 recommend this book. It’s a relatively quick read, but I did take the time to sit with each essay separately and digest them individually.
My Stroke Of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey By Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph. D.
I try to read this book every year. I rank it at #3. It is fascinating to me. It’s a true story regarding Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor who is a neuroscientist who has a stroke. She talks about how she woke up feeling that day, what she did when she realized what was going on, talks about the hospital, talks about the rehabilitation process. What I find most interesting and my biggest takeaway from this book was how she rewired her brain to become more creative, more caring, and more attentive. It’s amazing to hear how it worked for her. I’ve attached the Ted Talk she did on this as well because, again, I just find her incredibly fascinating.
The Silent Patient By Alex Michaelides
These last two are my absolute favorite reads of the year, thus far. The Silent Patient is a psychological thriller that I DOWNED in a day. I could not put this down. I mean that. I was reading it while grocery shopping. I can’t say much without giving too much away because I just want to spoil it. So, all I’m going to say is if you’re even kind of interested in psychological thrillers, read this.
Verity By Colleen Hoover
This book is number one for similar reasons to The Silent Patient. It’s another psychological thriller between two women main characters. Verity is a writer who had been in an accident and paralyzed as a result. Lowen is a young writer who is tasked with finishing Verity’s very successful series. There are so many twists and turns and so many feelings from rage to sadness to disgust when you read this book. Its incredibly done and unpreditable. RUN don’t walk to your local library and reserve this book now!
