Hello hello, welcome to Episode 79 of Life On the Brink, and Happy New Year!
It’s time again for one of my favorite episodes: the annual book recap! Today I’m sharing all of the best books I read in 2022, as well as some of your top-rated reads.
Last year I had a goal to read 30 books, and ended up reading 35! I don’t make a lot of goals or resolutions when it comes to the New Year (episode 78 expounds greatly on that), but I really enjoy making this reading goal each year because it’s a hobby that I’m quick to forget I love. I’ve slowly made reading a part of my life again over the past couple of years, and it’s just so enjoyable, so this goal simply serves to challenge me to do more of what I love.
And if you, like me, want to read even more in 2023, I have a lovely list of books to get you started!
What’s in my teacup? “Merry Mistletoe” from David’s Tea
All the books on this list either gained 4 or 5 stars from me, and I highly recommend them all. In the podcast audio (and transcript) I speak a bit about the plots of each book and detail why they made my list of favorites.
YOUR TOPS 2022 BOOKS: here are a few books shared by some of you listeners!
-Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
-Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
-The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
-All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
-Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
-Words from the Window Seat: The Everyday Magic of Kindness, Courage, and Being Your True Self by Taylor Tippett
-Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards
-Getting Closer by Steven Millhauser (short story)
-The Bible
MY TOP READS FROM 2022: 5 STAR READS!
*again, check out the audio or transcript to hear why these ranked so high!*
-A Castle In the Clouds by Kerstin Gier (translated by Romy Fursland)
-People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
-The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
-The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
-The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork
HONORABLE MENTIONS: I wanted to share a few books that received between 4 and 5 stars from me, but that I really enjoyed.
-Taste: My Life through Food by Stanley Tucci
-Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
-Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated by Geoffrey Trousselot)
There you go! These books were my absolute favorites from the past year, and I’m so excited to start another year of reading.
This year I’ve moved my reading goal to 40 books, and I hope to incorporate some more classics, as well as a few audiobooks, into my repertoire this year.
Here’s a link to my Goodreads account, where I keep track of all my reading things!
I would love to know what books you enjoyed in 2022 and what your reading goals are for this year, so feel free to either leave a comment below or reach out on Goodreads or Instagram. There are so many great books out there just waiting to be found!
This Week’s Little Joy: There was so much joy for me this past weekend, as Josh and I took a train for a quick trip to see the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway before the show closes. It was completely magical, I also had a really great moment of reflection in the Harry Potter New York store. I'm just really stoked that this is a series and fandom that I entered in adulthood, and that there's so much more to enjoy!
Pic explanation: the picture on the left was me at 15 in one of my Phantom costumes! The one on the right I took right after we saw the show on Broadway. So so magical.
What I’m Listening To: In that same spirit, I feel like Harry Potter is the perfect way to escape and cozy up in the winter. To that end, this is a playlist of all the soundtracks from the whole Harry Potter series. Obviously some tracks are more suspenseful than others, but I hope that this playlist can bring a little bit of bookish magic to your week.
Thank you so much for listening!
I'll be posting regularly now that I'm back from the holidays, so if you haven't already, do make sure you're subscribed to LOTB wherever you're listening. And check out the free monthly newsletter too! Just follow the form in the bottom left corner of this page.
Thank you, friend, have a lovely week!