Category: #BookLove

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My Complete List of Books I Read in 2022

My complete list of books read in 2022. If you’ve read any, let’s chat about it! I wanted to write up my thoughts about every single book on this list, but then it would get too lengthy and no one would have time to read this post in its entirety. If you want to know more about a certain book, I am always open to talk about it and discuss. Reading books is my favorite hobby! If you want to learn more about how I was able to accomplish reading so many books, check out my last post.

Key: 
📘 eReader books
👂🏼 Audiobook
📕 Physical book

1. 📘Curvy Girls Can’t Date Quarterbacks by Kelsie Stelting

2. 📘Luna’s Rescue by Erica Richardson

3. 👂🏼Educated: a Memoir by Tara Westover

4. 📘👂🏼Seven Perfect Things by Catherine Ryan Hyde

5. 📘He’s Just a Friend by Karly Stratford 

6. 👂🏼The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

7. 👂🏼Night Road by Kristin Hannah

8. 👂🏼That Summer by Sarah Dessen 

9.📘The Orphan Keeper by Cameron Wright

10. 👂🏼A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

11. 👂🏼Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

12. 👂🏼 Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren

13. 👂🏼 The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff 

14. 📘👂🏼 Anxious People Fredrik Backman 

16. 👂🏼Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman

16. 👂🏼American Royals book #1 by Katharine McGee

17. 👂🏼My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

18. 👂🏼Forever Boy by Kate Swenson 

19. 👂🏼Majesty: American Royals book #2 by Katharine McGee 

20. 👂🏼 Inheritance: American Royals by Katharine McGee 

21. 👂🏼 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab 

22. 📘👂🏼 The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka 

23. 👂🏼Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 

24. 👂🏼 Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman 

25. 👂🏼 Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult 

26. 📕The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen 

27. 👂🏼The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida 

28. 👂🏼Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

29. 📕Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 

30. 👂🏼Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline 

31. 👂🏼The One Hundred Years of Leni and Margot by Marianne Cronin 

32. 👂🏼Book Lovers by Emily Henry 

33. 📘He’s Just My Ex by Karly Stratford

34. 👂🏼The Help by Kathryn Stockett

35. 👂🏼To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han 

36. 📕P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

37. 📕Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Jan

38. 👂🏼To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

39. 📕The Bodyguard by Katherine Center 

40. 📕 Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover 

41. 📕28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

42. 👂🏼The Book Haters Book Club by Gretchen Anthony

43. 👂🏼I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy 

44. 👂🏼Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt 

45. 👂🏼Thirst by Scott Harrison 

46. 📕In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It by Lauren Graham 

47. 👂🏼The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand 

48. 👂🏼People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry 

49. 👂🏼Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty 

50. 👂🏼Have I Told You This Already? By Lauren Graham 

51. 👂🏼Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

52. 👂🏼My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan 

53. 👂🏼 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 

Photo by Caio

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So You Want To Read More? Here’s Some Tips.

In 2022 my goal was to read 12 books, which is roughly the national average of books read a year. This is also one book a month, which felt doable for me. I was very into reading when I was younger, but then life became busy and finding a good routine was hard to get into, especially after having kids. 

But 2022 was my year to change that. I made reading a priority, which was the biggest factor in finding success. I also trained my brain to listen to audiobooks. I had a hard time focusing on listening to anything from podcasts to audiobooks, so I took the time to slowly acclimate myself to listen when being read to. Once I felt like I had audiobooks down, I had to train myself to pick up physical books to read them. All of it took work and time, but I was making reading a priority!

Possibly one of the hardest things for me to do was retrain my brain to pick up a book instead of picking up my phone to scroll through social media. Whether we like it or not, social media has us trained to feel like we are missing out if we’re not on it constantly, so it’s easy and natural to open Twitter and Instagram multiple times a day without really thinking about it. It’s mindless. But once I replaced my social media time with reading, it gave me ample time in my day to finish more books. 

By the end of March, I had accomplished my goal of 12 books. So I set a new goal to finish 50 books by the end of the year, and I ended with 53. How did I make such a huge jump from rarely reading to finishing 53 books in a year? 

Because reading begets reading. This is true for adults and kids. Once you’ve gotten into and finished a book, it’s so much easier to pick up the next one and continue reading. And if the next book you picked up happens to be the first book in a series, well then once you’re finished, you HAVE to find the second book ASAP! And while you’re reading that book, a friend hears that you’ve been really into this series and suggests another similar book that he knows you’re just going to LOVE. So then you have to read that book when you’re finished. And once you’ve finished the book your friend suggested, you may stop reading for a time because you just blazed through so many books so fast. But once you give yourself some time, it’s not as hard to pick up the next book your librarian set aside for you because she heard it’s the type of book you really like and she thought of you when it was returned by the last person. 

Reading begets reading, and once you start it’s much easier to keep going. A few tips I want to share if you or your child is trying to make reading more of a priority: 

Reading can and should be fun. Do not read historical WWII novels or Jane Austen if that’s not what you’re into. Just because it seems “educational” or “better literature” doesn’t mean it’s something you have to be into. If reading cheesy romance novels or fantasy books is what you’re into, then read those. If you’re reading words on a page that work together to create sentences and paragraphs and chapters, then you’re reading. 

Join a book club. This can be a great thing or it can backfire, that’s up to you and the book club you choose. Oftentimes book clubs rotate which book they’re reading and let members pick the book, which can leave a lot of variety and can sometimes make it hard to finish a book you’re not into. But it can be a great thing to have people who also read the book and loved it come together, sit down, and enjoy discussing what everyone did and didn’t like. 

If you’re finding it hard to pay attention to an audiobook, find a mindless activity to do while listening. Simple games to play on your phone, knitting or crocheting if you’re into that. Or even go for a walk! Something to keep your hands busy while you listen. 

Pick a book that’s also a movie. The book will always (ALWAYS) be better, but sometimes it can be great motivation to finish a book so you can watch the movie.

Find the right platform. We are lucky to have reading available in so many different formats! But it can be overwhelming. Try out physical books, audiobooks, a physical eReader, or an eReader app on your phone, tablet, or computer. Whatever works for you, stick with it. You don’t have to be reading physical books every time (or ever) to have it count as reading.

Dedicate reading time. For me, it was in the evenings before bed, that was the easiest time for me to pick up a book or listen to my audiobook. Maybe for you, it’s right after school? Maybe it’s first thing in the morning. Once you’ve dedicated reading time and made it a habit, it’s easier to do more and more often throughout the day. 

What things do you do to help you make reading more of a priority? 

Photo by Rahul Shah

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Our Newest Home Library Additions

One thing that always makes the top of our gift-receiving lists is BOOKS. We were gifted quite a few great kid’s books this holiday season, and I wanted to share what we’ve recently added to our bookshelf. Add these to your Amazon wishlist! 

Hi-Five Animals! By Ross Burach: A fun, interactive book for toddlers. 

The Christmas Princess by Mariah Carey: A cute story about Mariah Carey as a young girl and her quest for the perfect new pup. 

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

Goodbye, Old House by Margaret Wild: We bought this for our kids since we made a big move from one state to another this year. Highly recommend this book for those new house transitions!

Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten by Toni Buzzeo: Such a good read for a new kindergartener. 

A very good new book selection, if I do say so myself! We have some great reading ahead of us! 

Did you receive or gift any new books this year? Tell us in the comments! 

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Christmas Picture Books for 2022

For the past three years, I’ve written a new Christmas book list of favorite Christmas books to read during this season. It’s been such a fun blog post for me every single year, so this year I am excited to announce that this will be my fourth Christmas book list! Picture books are near and dear to my heart, but Christmas books just hit different. You can read past book lists here:

2019

2020

2021

And without further adieu: Christmas Picture Books 2022

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry

The rhythm of this book is really what makes it fun! You won’t be disappointed by this one. 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! By Dr. Seuss

I’m not typically a Dr. Suess fan, the books seem excessively long and almost a little too far-fetched for me. However, this is one that I do love. 

Madeline’s Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans 

I grew up on Madeline books, “an old house in Paris that was covered with vines” brings comfort to my soul. But adding Christmas to the setting just makes it a notch better! 

5 More Sleeps ‘til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon 

Such a fun book that encompasses the anticipation leading up to Christmas through the eyes of a child. 

What Christmas picture book is on your list this year?

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Stop Pushing The Books And Let Them Take it at Their Own Pace!

You guys, I love reading. I love reading so much that I have consumed (and completely finished) 47 books this year. If I were to include the books I’ve skimmed or started but didn’t finish, I’d be somewhere near 60+ on the number of books I’ve read this year. 

From the time my oldest was born, I have tried so hard to instill a love of reading in her. I’ve done everything the professionals tell you to do for kids to enjoy reading. I don’t ever push books on her, I let her take the lead on what to read, how to read it, and when to read them. I never turn down an opportunity to read a book if she’s bringing one to me. Yet still, she’s seemed very disinterested in reading and learning to read. 

It’s been hard for me to have such a love for reading and watch her not care as much. She’s now five years old and started kindergarten this last fall. It seems like an opportune time to introduce chapter books with a little more depth and story to them, but those turn her off even more! I always dreamed of the day I would sit down in a big recliner with my child and read Charlotte’s Web for the first time, but that day feels so distant to me right now, which is disappointing. 

However, I’m doing my best to create a safe, fun environment around books for her, so I’m working every day on not pushing the literature! Instead, we spend plenty of time surrounded by books, all throughout our home at the school library, and the public library. I model reading for her by reading my own books. We also spend a lot of time looking through picture books but not reading them, which is always a win, too. 

Do you have a kiddo that doesn’t love reading whether your own child or in your classroom? How do you help foster a love of reading and an environment of support for them? 

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Scholastic Book Orders and the Value They Hold

A few weeks ago after school was out and my daughter was running up to the front door, backpack bouncing on her back, she was yelling in excitement, “Mom! Mom! We get to buy some books from the magazine!” 

After 5 years of trying my best to naturally facilitate a love for reading and books in her, and failing, this moment felt amazing. It felt like I was winning the battle for a short time. 

If you’re familiar at all with ordering books from a magazine, then you know exactly what she was referring to- the Scholastic Book Order, a magazine that goes home with students once a month full of books, educational kits, and sometimes toys, all for purchase. These magazines for book orders started in schools in the 1940s and are incredibly popular among many. It brought me back to my childhood days to see my daughter open it up and start looking through the book options! 

But the reason I felt such pride and accomplishment was because she said the phrase, “we get to buy books.” 

From the time she was born, I did everything the blogs and articles and parenting books tell you to do to facilitate a love of reading in kids. We constantly had books out and available for her. We had books that were black and white with high contrasting colors, as well as books with plenty of bright colors. We had books that were interactive, books that were just for reading, and everything inbetween. They were on her level to see, easily accessible, and fun to read. I never forced her to pick up books, never forced her to finish books (as much as it drove me crazy to skip around pages and not completely finish it!), and overall did my best to make it a happy, fun, and inviting environment. 

And still, she just never loved books. 

So when she came running up to the front door yelling in excitement that we get to order books, I was over the moon! This was the first time I had seen her so enthralled with literature. We sat on the couch and flipped through the pages together, noticing all of the fun books as well as the books with beloved tv characters. We see you, Paw Patrol! Which was just another fun way to see her light up about books, she was so excited that she could choose a book with Chase and Skye. 

In the end, she picked a Grumpycorn book with a unicorn plushie that was included, and I’m fairly certain she chose it for only the plushie, but it was progress. We also ordered some sight word books and the classic, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. 

It made me reazlie what an incredible resource the Scholastic book order is for kids. There’s those that love reading and can look through the book order to pick out all of the books they’ve already read as well as the ones they still want to read. And then there’s children like mine, that may not be as excited about books. But bringing home a magazine to order from and seeing books with familiar characters is just what they need to spark an excitement and love for reading. 

So thank you, Scholastic books, for being another great resource for me in instilling a love and appreciation for books in my child. 

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New Logo, Who Dis?

The time has come to unveil the new branding for our scholarship! As I stepped into the role of scholarship chair and content writer, I began noticing some variations in the way that those who came before me referred to the scholarship. The original name for our scholarship was the Design A Better Future scholarship (which I’m assuming came from the fact that the projects needs to be based on the design thinking cycle). But as the years went on, it also started being referred to as the Build A Better future scholarship and both titles started being used interchangeably.

In order to *hopefully* limit future confusion, I decided to update the scholarship logo and declare one title to be the official title from now on. The HGU scholarship will henceforth be known as the Build A Better Future scholarship. I felt as though using the verb “design” was too passive and wasn’t giving our applicants enough credit. Yes, they are using the design thinking cycle but they are also going above and beyond to bring their designs to life.

design a better future scholarship high school seniors

In addition to updating the logo and title, the website has been updated with all the information needed for our 2023 scholarship! I look forward to seeing how the next group of applicants works on building a better future for their communities. If you or anyone you know is a high school senior that will be graduating in 2023, you can find more information regarding the scholarship here and here. Please email scholarship@honorsgraduation.com with any questions. Good luck!