Reading has always been a part of me, a hobby, and it intensified when my father gifted me a Kindle in 2019. The onset of the pandemic in 2020 helped me resort to reading more as a comfort to the anxiety-induced situation during the health crisis. The last two years have been good still–reading wise and this year has led me to good practices and disciplines in terms of reading because I am twice as involved and dedicated to reading; and it does not feel like a chore, because it really isn’t. It is a comfort and an adventure.
My only goal this year was to read 25 books, 60% higher than my goal in 2021 because I don’t want the pressure. Keeping count is not even a must in terms of reading; it just feels good to note everything, jot it down, and see how we improve. Numbers do not equate anything to readings, actually; it is just a measure of discipline for me. I’m sure I’ve read more than the ones I put on the list –academic articles, research, and other academic materials for my post-graduate studies, magazines even, and other blog posts; but I will only include here those books/novels I’ve read and able to take an adventure with.
Here’s the list of the books I’ve read in 2022 and some notes:
1 and 2: Priest and Midnight Mass by Sierra Simone
Okay, you don’t get to judge me, okay? These books are steamy and sinful. Hehe the writing is good and the books are unputdownable.
3. The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry
I’d be honest. I didn’t like the book and I should have dnf-ed it, but I powered through and I still didn’t like it after that. Maybe you’ll find it amusing or interesting, maybe it wasn’t just my cup of tea.
4. Before the Coffee Gets Cold (#1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
5. Too Late by Colleen Hoover
6. The Unhoneymooner by Christina Lauren
7. Verity by Colleen Hoover
Oh the twist of this book! One of my best reads this year.
8. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
9. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
10. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
11. A Kingdom of Dreams (Westmoreland, #1) by Judith McNaught
12. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Now I know why this book is a bit controversial. This may be where every plot like this stemmed.
13. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
14. A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King
This is what I bought from my Amazon credits and get me through difficulties during my travel to Bacolod this year. Haha! I remember not sleeping for two nights because of a rambunctious and inconsiderate roommate. So, there, it was a kind of memorable book because it soothed me and comforted me.
15. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
16. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia
17. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
18. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
Kind of Verity and Rebecca vibe.
19. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Worth the hype.
20. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Not worth the hype. At least for me.
21. Dekada ’70 by Lualhati Bautista
22. What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 by Tina Seelig
23. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
24. Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
25. Normal People by Sally Rooney
26. All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover
27. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
28. Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid
29. Rock Paper Scissor by Alice Feeney
You’d love the twist!
30. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
31. My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood
32. Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Don’t read this at night, please.
33. The Viscount Without Virtue by Katherine Grant
34. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
35. The Grown Up by Gillian Flynn
36. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
37. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
I grew up watching Judie Abbott, the Japanese animated series. That was usually 9 or 10 in the morning on weekdays, which I look forward to seeing whenever classes are suspended. That series was based on this book. But reflecting on it, it was kind of creepy, right?
38. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
39. The Wedding Date by Jasmin Guillory
40. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Brilliant!
41. Dusk by F. Sionil José
42. Daisy Jones & The Six
43. November 9 by Colleen Hoover
44. Maybe Someday (Maybe #1) by Colleen Hoover
45. Bata, Bata, Pa’no Ka Ginawa? by Lualhati Bautista
46. Maybe Now (Maybe #2) by Colleen Hoover
47. Maybe Not (Maybe #3) by Colleen Hoover
48. The HatingGame by Sally Thorne
49. Class Mom by Laurie Gelman
Downright hilarious!
50. Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher
51. Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
52. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
53. Ain’t That a Mother: Postpartum, Palsy and Everything in Between by Adiba Nelson
54. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
55. The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
56. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
57. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
58. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
59. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
60. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
61. Dear Girls by Ali Wong
From the target of 25 books for the year, I raised it to 40 books and was able to finish the goal last July 28, 2022; and I kept going. It was a win for me to keep the discipline of reading at bay. This 2023, I wish to read more, but no pressure!
Shainne Hostalero 