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2022 Book Review

This past year I kept track of the books I read on my phone's notebook. (I recommend doing this!)  I am not sure about you, but unless a book is absolutely amazing, and even then, I usually can't remember what I read.  I love the book while I am reading them, but quickly after finishing, I forget the title and the story line.  I am not proud of this fact, but it's the truth.  By keeping track on my phone, I am able to remember what I read and remember the authors I really enjoyed.  I also rank the books out of 5, just for fun.  A 5 has to be just amazing with wonderful characters and a story that I just can't put down.  While I have read alot that are close, I haven't ranked a single one a 5.  Maybe I am too tough.  Below are the books I read and how I ranked them.


If you are looking for a great book, series or author -- check out my list below!  Last year I read 41 books! 


2022 Books - 41 books


January

The Summer of No Attachments by Lori Foster 4/5

The Fifth Avenue Story Society 4.8/5

The Enemy by Sarah Adams 4/5

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer 4/5


Feb

When Stars Collide 3.5/5

The best bride by Susan Mallery 3/5

The House Swap.   Jesse Kelly. 3/5

One day in December by Josie Silver 4/5


March

Golden Girl by Elin Hildenbrand 4.5/5

Malibu Rising. 2/5

Sanibel Dreams Hope Holloway  4/5

Summer getaway by Susan Mallery 4/5


April

Nine Lives by Danielle steel  4/5

Invisible by Danille Steel 2/5.  Boring

The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis 4/5

Sanibel Treasures by Hope Holloway 4/5


May

Instant Attraction. 4/5

The Roughest draft. 3/5

Sanibel Mornings 4/5


June

Instant Temptation. 4/5 (R rated)

Homewrecker By Mary Kay Andrews.  3/5

Meant to be by Emily Griffin. 4/5


July

The Boardwalk Bookshop  Susan Mallery  4/5 (characters hard to keep track in beginning of book)

Beautiful by Danielle Steel.  2/5.  Boring, repeated

Sanibel Sister. 4/5

Summer on the island by Brenda Novak. 4/5


August

The Wedding Veil By Kristy Woodson Harvey. 4.5/5

Breakfast at the Beach House Hotel by Judith Kleim 4/5

Lunch at the Beach House Hotel by Judith Kleim 4/5


Sept

Sanibel Tides 4/5

Dinner at the Beach House Hotel 4/5

Sanibel Sunset 4/5


October

Christmas at the Beach House Hotel 4/5

Margarita s at the beach house hotel 4/5

Dessert at the Beach House Hotel 4/5

Summer love Nancy Thayer 4/5


November

Out of the Clear Blue Sky Kristan Huggins 2/5. Funny in parts but boring and long

Smells like Tween Spirit 2/5

Sanibel Moonlight 4/5


December

Every Summer After By Carley Fortune 4/5.  R rated

Key Lime Garden Inn  By Annie Cabot  3/5


My top books for 2022 are:


The Fifth Avenue Story Society 4.8/5 - My highest ranking book in 2022!


About the book:

When five New Yorkers receive an anonymous, mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society, they suspect they’re victims of a practical joke. No one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one has heard of the literary society. And no one is prepared to reveal their deepest secrets to a roomful of strangers.

Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed.

Literature professor Jett is dealing with a broken heart, as well as a nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phipps Roth, might be a fraud.

Uber driver Chuck just wants a second chance with his kids.

Aging widower Ed is eager to write the true story of his incredible marriage.

Coral, queen of the cosmetics industry, has broken her engagement and is on the verge of losing her great grandmother’s multimillion-dollar empire.

Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls.


Golden Girl by Elin Hildenbrand 4.5/5 - You can't go wrong with an Elin book! She is one of my favorites and never disappoints. I will tell you, I almost didn't read this because I had a few people tell me it wasn't their favorite, and she didn't write it in her normal style. I must have put it on and taken it off of hold 3 times before I finally read it. I am so glad I did. Yes, it's not her normal beach read but it is a wonderful story. Don't miss this one.


About the book:

On a perfect June day, Vivian Howe, author of thirteen beach novels and mother of three nearly grown children, is killed in a hit-and-run car accident while jogging near her home on Nantucket. She ascends to the Beyond where she's assigned to a Person named Martha, who allows Vivi to watch what happens below for one last summer. Vivi also is granted three “nudges” to change the outcome of events on earth, and with her daughter Willa on her third miscarriage, Carson partying until all hours, and Leo currently “off again” with his high-maintenance girlfriend, she’ll have to think carefully where to use them.

From the Beyond, Vivi watches “The Chief” Ed Kapenash investigate her death, but her greatest worry is her final book, which contains a secret from her own youth that could be disastrous for her reputation. But when hidden truths come to light, Vivi’s family will have to sort out their past and present mistakes—with or without a nudge of help from above—while Vivi finally lets them grow without her.


The Wedding Veil By Kristy Woodson Harvey. 4.5/5 - I typically only read books set in our current time period. This one came highly recommended by my Mom and I always listen to Mom! I love this book and couldn't put it down.



About the book:

Four women. One family heirloom. A secret connection that will change their lives—and history as they know it.

Present Day: Julia Baxter’s wedding veil, bequeathed to her great-grandmother by a mysterious woman on a train in the 1930s, has passed through generations of her family as a symbol of a happy marriage. But on the morning of her wedding day, something tells her that even the veil’s good luck isn’t enough to make her marriage last forever. Overwhelmed and panicked, she escapes to the Virgin Islands to clear her head. Meanwhile, her grandmother Babs is also feeling shaken. Still grieving the death of her beloved husband, she decides to move out of the house they once shared and into a retirement community. Though she hopes it’s a new beginning, she does not expect to run into an old flame, dredging up the same complicated emotions she felt a lifetime ago.

1914: Socialite Edith Vanderbilt is struggling to manage the luxurious Biltmore Estate after the untimely death of her cherished husband. With 250 rooms to oversee and an entire village dependent on her family to stay afloat, Edith is determined to uphold the Vanderbilt legacy—and prepare her free-spirited daughter Cornelia to inherit it—in spite of her family’s deteriorating financial situation. But Cornelia has dreams of her own. Asheville, North Carolina has always been her safe haven away from the prying eyes of the press, but as she explores more of the rapidly changing world around her, she’s torn between upholding tradition and pursuing the exciting future that lies beyond Biltmore’s gilded gates.


I hope you enjoyed this listed and found a few to add to your list to read this year. What was your favorite book this year? I am always looking to add books to my list!

PS - In case you missed it, here are the books I read the second half of 2021

Book from 2021

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Diary of a Business Mom
I am a working mother of 2 little ones, a wife, career woman, novice gardener, and a lover of all crafts! Grab a glass of wine and enjoy a happy place on the internet.