Final Book List for 2023

My final number for books read in 2023 came in at 58 books. I always set a goal to read 50 books in a year, so accomplishing 58 felt great! Here is my list of books read. Please note that not all of these books will be appropriate for everyone. Please do your research on whether a book is right for you or not. Please also feel free to comment to ask about any particular book, I’d love to chat about it and give insight.

Key: 

πŸ‘‚πŸΌ Audiobook
πŸ“• Physical book
πŸ“˜ eReader

TitleAuthor
1The Summer I Turned PrettyJenny HanπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
2Crying in H MartMichelle ZaunerπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
3The Case of the Missing MarquessNancy SpringerπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
4The Hotel NantucketElin HilderbrandπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
5The Last Chance LibraryFreya SampsonπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
6House of GoldNatasha SolomonsπŸ“•
7A Court of Thorns and RosesSarah J. MaasπŸ“•πŸ‘‚πŸΌ
8Hiroshima DiaryMichihiko HachiyaπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
9It Ends With UsColleen HooverπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
10Thank You For ListeningJulia WhelanπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
11Mad HoneyJodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney BoylanπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
12HitchhikersBernard PoduskaπŸ“•
13Beach ReadEmily HenryπŸ“•
14A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and MayhemManda CollinsπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
15EdenbrookeJulianne DonaldsonπŸ“•
16The Beach ClubElin HilderbrandπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
17Maybe SomedayColleen HooverπŸ“•
18Maybe NotColleen HooverπŸ“•
19A Corner of the UniverseAnn M. MartinπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
20Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s StoneJ. K. RowlingπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
21The Tattooist of AuschwitzHeather MorrisπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
22It Starts With UsColleen HooverπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
23Maybe NowColleen HooverπŸ“•
24Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsJ.K. RowlingπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
25We Were DreamersSimu LiuπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
26Tomorrow and Tomorrow and TomorrowGabrielle ZevinπŸ“•
27Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanJ. K. RowlingπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
28Enders ShadowOrson Scott CardπŸ“•πŸ‘‚πŸΌ
29We Were LiarsE. LockhartπŸ“•
30The Bookish Life of Nina HillAbbi WaxmanπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
31The Revised Fundamentals of CaregivingJohnathan EvisonπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
32Turtles All The Way DownJohn GreenπŸ“˜
33Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireJ. K. RowlingπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
34The UnhoneymoonersChristina LaurenπŸ“•
35Britt Marie Was HereFredrick BackmanπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
36Hello BeautifulAnn NapolitanoπŸ“•πŸ‘‚πŸΌ
37Beneath a Scarlet SkyMark SullivanπŸ“•
38A Place to Hang the MoonKate AlbusπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
39The Rent CollectorCameron WrightπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
40This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!Johnathan EvisonπŸ“•
41The Last Thing He Told MeLaura DaveπŸ“•
42The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesSuzanne CollinsπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
43Good Man, DaltonKaren McQuestionπŸ“•
44The MeasureNikki ErlickπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
45The Pumpkin Spice CafeLaurie GilmoreπŸ“•
46Demon CopperheadBarbara KingsolverπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
47One For the Murphy’sLynda Mullaly HuntπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
48Tokyo Ever AfterEmiko JeanπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
49Forever, InterruptedTaylor Jenkins ReidπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
50Tokyo DreamingEmiko JeanπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
51The Mostly Invisible BoyA. J. VanderhorstπŸ“•
52Counting the CostJill DuggarπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
53The Cheat SheetSarah AdamsπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
54The Statistical Probability of Love at First SightJennifer E. SmithπŸ‘‚πŸΌ
55Resting Scrooge FaceMeghan QuinnπŸ“˜
56Little Fires EverywhereCeleste NgπŸ“˜
57A Return to ChristmasChris HeimerringerπŸ“˜
58Found in a BookshopStephanie ButlandπŸ“˜

I cannot wait to see what 2024 has in store for my reading journey! What books would you recommend I add to my reading list for the year?

Back To School Picture Books

Back to school is approaching (or has approached?) for many! We are about a month away from starting school and I know several schools have either started or will be starting soon as well. We’ve been pulling out back-to-school picture books in our house to get us prepped for the big day. These books are not only great for reading at home before school starts, or to read to your class on the first day of school.

How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan

We love the “How To” series, the humor of this book gives the first day of school a fun, exciting vibe.

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

This book comes from one of my favorite authors. I love the inclusivity and perspective of this book.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Also a favorite author in our house. This book has a soft spot in my heart because it was the book my first-grade teacher read to the class on the first day of school (back in 1999!)

School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex

This perspective shift the book is written in makes it captivating and fun.

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!Β If you want to learn more about how I was able to accomplish reading so many books, check out my last post.

Key:Β 
πŸ“˜ eReader books
πŸ‘‚πŸΌ Audiobook
πŸ“• Physical book

1. πŸ“˜Curvy Girls Can’t Date Quarterbacks by Kelsie Stelting

2. πŸ“˜Luna’s Rescue by Erica Richardson

3. πŸ‘‚πŸΌEducated: a Memoir by Tara Westover

4. πŸ“˜πŸ‘‚πŸΌSeven Perfect Things by Catherine Ryan Hyde

5. πŸ“˜He’s Just a Friend by Karly Stratford 

6. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThe Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

7. πŸ‘‚πŸΌNight Road by Kristin Hannah

8. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThat Summer by Sarah Dessen 

9.πŸ“˜The Orphan Keeper by Cameron Wright

10. πŸ‘‚πŸΌA Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

11. πŸ‘‚πŸΌGo Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

12. πŸ‘‚πŸΌ Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren

13. πŸ‘‚πŸΌ The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff 

14. πŸ“˜πŸ‘‚πŸΌ Anxious People Fredrik Backman 

16. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThings My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman

16. πŸ‘‚πŸΌAmerican Royals book #1 by Katharine McGee

17. πŸ‘‚πŸΌMy Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

18. πŸ‘‚πŸΌForever Boy by Kate Swenson 

19. πŸ‘‚πŸΌMajesty: American Royals book #2 by Katharine McGee 

20. πŸ‘‚πŸΌ Inheritance: American Royals by Katharine McGee 

21. πŸ‘‚πŸΌ The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab 

22. πŸ“˜πŸ‘‚πŸΌ The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka 

23. πŸ‘‚πŸΌFish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 

24. πŸ‘‚πŸΌ Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman 

25. πŸ‘‚πŸΌ Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult 

26. πŸ“•The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen 

27. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThe Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida 

28. πŸ‘‚πŸΌReady Player One by Ernest Cline 

29. πŸ“•Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 

30. πŸ‘‚πŸΌReady Player Two by Ernest Cline 

31. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThe One Hundred Years of Leni and Margot by Marianne Cronin 

32. πŸ‘‚πŸΌBook Lovers by Emily HenryΒ 

33. πŸ“˜He’s Just My Ex by Karly Stratford

34. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThe Help by Kathryn Stockett

35. πŸ‘‚πŸΌTo All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han 

36. πŸ“•P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

37. πŸ“•Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Jan

38. πŸ‘‚πŸΌTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

39. πŸ“•The Bodyguard by Katherine Center 

40. πŸ“• Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover 

41. πŸ“•28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

42. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThe Book Haters Book Club by Gretchen Anthony

43. πŸ‘‚πŸΌI’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy 

44. πŸ‘‚πŸΌTuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt 

45. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThirst by Scott Harrison 

46. πŸ“•In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It by Lauren Graham 

47. πŸ‘‚πŸΌThe Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand 

48. πŸ‘‚πŸΌPeople We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry 

49. πŸ‘‚πŸΌNine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty 

50. πŸ‘‚πŸΌHave I Told You This Already? By Lauren Graham 

51. πŸ‘‚πŸΌMaybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

52. πŸ‘‚πŸΌMy Oxford Year by Julia Whelan 

53. πŸ‘‚πŸΌ Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltΒ 

Photo by Caio

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, β€œan 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 β€˜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?

Nourishing the Seed

Here is a brief list of book recommendations for middle grade readers (3rd-6th Grade).Β Stay tuned for more recommendations and more age groups!

Hooky by Miriam Bonastre Tur

One scoop of graphic novel, one dash of fantastical adventure, and two heaping tablespoons of witch makes this book the perfect recipe (or spell!) for the hesitant reader in your life. With beautiful illustrations and an engaging storyline, this is the perfect way to introduce middle-grade readers to novels without making them feel like they are reading a novel.

“When Dani and Dorian missed the bus to magic school, they never thought they’d wind up declared traitors to their own kind! Now, thanks to a series of mishaps, they are being chased by powerful magic families seeking the prophesied King of Witches and royals searching for missing princes.” -HaperCollins Publishers

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

“Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona… she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined.” -GoodReads

This book is the perfect reminder of the importance of friendship, courage, and acceptance (of yourself and others).

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel

Nothing captivates a reader like the suspenseful twists and turns of a good mystery, and this book is no exception! Read aloud or read alone, you’ll find your readers on the edge of their seat.

With a dad who disappeared years ago and a mother who’s a bit too busy to parent, Emmy is shipped off to Wellsworth, a prestigious boarding school in England, where she’s sure she won’t fit in. But then she finds a box of mysterious medallions in the attic of her home with a note reading: These belonged to your father. When she arrives at school, she finds the strange symbols from the medallions etched into walls and books, which leads Emmy and her new friends, Jack and Lola, to Wellsworth’s secret society: The Order of Black Hollow Lane. Emmy can’t help but think that the society had something to do with her dad’s disappearance, and that there may be more than just dark secrets in the halls of Wellsworth…” -Sourcebooks

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Alright, this recommendation might come from a place of self-indulgence as this was a series that I absolutely LOVED as a kid. But I’ve also reread them as an adult, and they still hold up.

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary is one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite . . . Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, powerful forces of evil are unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives, to save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world.” -Shadow Mountain

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Boys don’t keep diariesβ€”or do they? It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you’re ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary.” -ABRAMS Publishing

Anyone who has been a kid, is a kid, has kids, or has even looked at a kid has heard of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This series is another resource to encourage disinterested readers. I mean, Jeff Kinney wouldn’t be able to write a 17-book series because kids aren’t reading his books, so he clearly knows a thing or two about getting kids excited about reading.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Accidentally built sideways and standing thirty stories high (the builder said he was very sorry for the mistake), Wayside School has some of the wackiest classes in town, especially on the thirtieth floor. That’s where you’ll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; Myron, the best class president ever; and Sammy, the new kidβ€”he’s a real rat.” -HarperCollins Publishing

Comedic, clever, and kooky; this book has it all! With chapters that read like short stories, it is ideal for reading out loud. These far-fetched stories will fetch a laugh or two (or 89).

Christmas Book List for 2021

Announcing our 2021 Christmas book list! This is one of my favorite posts each year to write. It’s so fun to look over our holiday books and choose a handful to share with you each year. Here’s what I’ve gathered for this season- 

The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert: This is a longer picture book, but worth the read! Such a cute Christmas story. 

Merry Christmas, Curious George by Margret Rey 

The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear: This is one I know I’ve put on a winter or Christmas list before, but it’s too good to not include again! 

A Simple Christmas on the Farm by Phyllis Alsdurf

What Christmas and holiday books are you reading this year? 

Books Celebrating The Women of the Revolution

Happy 4th of July weekend! What a great weekend to talk with students about the Revolutionary War and our Founding Fathers. While it’s important to learn about these, there is also a lack of educational information about our Founding Mothers and the women of the revolution. Here are some of the kids’ books that bring out the stories of these women.

Founding Mother’s: Remembering the Ladies

They Called Her Molly Pitcher

Who Was Betsy Ross?

Who Was Abigail Adams?Β 

From A Small Seed- The Story of Eliza HamiltonΒ 

Anna Strong: A Spy During the American RevolutionΒ 

This Land Is Your Land– Not a book about the women of the revolution, but still a moving book worth the read!Β 

How do you teach about the founding mothers and fathers of our country in your classroom?