I’m not a New Years resolution person, but rather I make achievable goals that I want to reach throughout the year. They’re pretty much the same thing but it’s all about a mindset difference – New Years resolutions are almost always abandoned, but goals always feel more sustainable and reachable. Maybe that’s just me.
Anyway; my goal this year was to read one book a month. In the past 4-6 years or so I’ve pretty much stopped reading because I didn’t enjoy it anymore. After so much forced reading throughout school I wasn’t interested in reading as a hobby anymore, it always felt like homework. Throughout COVID I’ve noticed people around me picking up books instead of tv remotes. As I’ve been watching the stories of my dear friends Garrett Wyatt and Shelly Swope, seeing all the amazing books they’ve been reading, and looking at my bookshelf full of 100+ books I’ve never opened most of, I decided that this year was when I was going to change my bad tv habits and pick up a book instead. I’ve had to be graceful with myself with this though because I’ve found myself wanting to force myself to read because “I’ve watched tv for too many days in a row”, but I’ve had to talk myself out of it and just give myself some grace to ease into this hobby I’m trying to re-acquire. It’s so hard to want to make myself do something other than tv, but it’s not good or healthy to force myself into doing something I won’t enjoy in that moment. I don’t want to be trying to get back into reading just to start to hate it all over again. Grace is so important and it’s especially important to give it to ourselves, normally and when starting new things. Be patient with yourself.
I am so excited that not only did I read a year’s worth of books, but that I am closing out this year at 18 books! Now, I didn’t always complete one book a month, as some months got busier than others and my reading dipped. Though I made up for that in other months where I read multiple books. This has been such a fun goal and I am so excited now that I’m really starting to love reading again. The passion has been rekindled!
So with that being said, I wanted to give an overview of everything I read this year and my thoughts on them. Let’s dig in!
January
Finding Rest by Jon Seidel
Read Time: Jan 7 – Jan 25; 18 days
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
The book I read in January was Jon Seidl’s Finding Rest. The intent in purchasing this book was to support a family friend who had just published this book, although when I set this goal, this one seemed fitting to start with because not only do I battle anxiety on a regular basis but I knew I would be battling it with trying to pick up something that’s not part of my normal routine right now. This book brought me to tears, it made me laugh, and it validated me. It reminded me that my struggles aren’t isolated but so many people in this world battle some form of them too, and gave me measurable recommendations to help combat anxiety.
February
Waggish by Grace Chon and Melanie Monteiro
Read Time: Feb 13 – Feb 13; Less Than A Day
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Waggish is a short book that Michael and I picked up from a local bookstore one day. It’s a cute book, mostly images of dogs with short captions about why that particular dog was smiling. It was a feel good read, and while not really a “reading” book but rather one for enjoyment, it was highly enjoyable.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Read Time: Feb 6 – Feb 16; 10 days
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Fredrik Backman was an author that I have heard tons about, and I had read bits and pieces of his works but never yet a full book. This read was thrilling and exciting. It tells the story from many different perspectives, which is a little confusing at first, but once the rhythm is found it’s such an excellent read. Even though it started a little confusing with following the pattern, I loved this book, and I couldn’t put it down.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Read Time: Feb 17 – Feb 24; 7 days
Rating: 5/5 Stars
The Hunger Games is a book that has been on my bookshelf since freshman year of high school. It was the book that was all the rave in middle and high school, so naturally I bought a copy of my own. Though, at that time, I wasn’t much of a reader. So flash forward to this year, I decided to pick it up and give it a go. Oh how I regretted waiting all those years to read it. Collins tells such a riveting story of adventure and heartache. It’s so exciting, and this was another one I couldn’t quite put down.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Read Time: Feb 25 – Feb 28; 3 days
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
It didn’t take me long to start and finish this one after coming off the coat tails of the first book. Again, Collins surpassed my expectations with this book. It’s clever and beautifully written. The reason I didn’t give this one five stars is because some of it just felt like too close of a repeat to the first book. In the movies there is a clear distinction between the two, but in these books it felt too similar. Regardless, it was still a fantastic read.
March
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Read Time: Mar 1 – Mar 6; 5 days
Rating: 5/5 Stars
This was an excellent end to the series, and gave wonderful insight into the complexities of the districts and capitol that we didn’t necessarily see in the previous two books. It brought tears and heartache and gave a new dimension to the story as a whole.
June
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Read Time: Mar 11 – Jun 2; 83 days
Rating: 5/5 Stars
The only reason this book took me so long to read fully was because I suddenly felt weighed down after having read so much so quickly. So in an effort to give myself some grace, I allowed myself plenty of time to get through this. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon!
Although, even with that said, Ove is a character that I fell in love with by the first chapter. He is multi-dimensional and allows you to feel all of the human emotions through the things he endures. This book is filled with love and longing and human emotion, and is a beautiful story of humanity.
July
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Read Time: Jun 4 – Jul 27; 53 days
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Palacio writes an excellent story about kindness and uniqueness. I was decently lost throughout, with the changing between narratives, until it goes back and forth between Auggie and then another and then Auggie etc. In the beginning when there’s a bunch of people between Auggie before it comes back to him it’s a little confusing to follow. The confusing nature of the structure was why I took my time with this read. I wasn’t super inspired or eager to keep reading, but I knew the movie was so good that I wanted to read through the whole book. Although, even with all that said, the writing is beautiful, and this was a wonderful story that I enjoyed.
August
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Read Time: Jul 28 – Aug 27; 30 days
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Water for elephants was enjoyable, and gave a good depiction into what the circus was like in the 30s. It was easy to fall in love with some characters. Although, the sexual parts of the book felt unnecessary, and the beginning was quite confusing until you figured out what was going on with the flashbacks. While I understood the desire to convey the crude nature of the circus life, I thought it was unnecessary to have to depict it in so much detail. Even still, the last few chapters of the book make the read worth it.
Things I Should Have Said by Jamie Lynn Spears
Read Time: Aug 27 – Aug 28; 1 day
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
I grew up watching Jamie Lynn Spears in so many movies and TV shows, and I always loved her as an actress. When I found out she was releasing a book, I had to read it. I did so much as pre-order it so I could get my hands on a copy quickly. And then, I read it in about 24 hours.
This was a really great read and an excellent insight into the truth of Jamie Lynn Spears’ life. It was less exposé heavy than I thought it was going to be, but it shed a lot of light onto a lot of distorted news events we all heard from over the years. It also dug deeper into JLS’s personal life and some of the things she’s struggled with and persevered with over the years. I found it super interesting to learn more about her since she was an actress I’ve loved for so many years.
September
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
Read Time: Sep 2 – Sep 9; 7 days
Rating: 4/5 Stars
A Very Punchable Face is a book that a few different people at work recommended to me for something slap happy and lighthearted after reading a couple heavier books. This was really good and had some really good punchy one liners. It was a fun read, although it wasn’t super captivating on the sections that weren’t driven by comedy. The funny parts and the comedy voice in it does make it worth it, but I think the slower sections needed a bit more oomph to them.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
Read Time: Sep 18 – Sep 25; 7 days
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
I loved this book. This is one that’s been on my bookshelf for so long but the thought of reading over 4,000 pages between all the books overwhelmed me. A co-worker of mine loves this series and was reading it with her kids and hearing her talk about it often inspired me to pick it up. The imagery and descriptions in this book were perfect. This introduction into the wizarding world touched on a little bit of everything and gave us a very well rounded picture of so many aspects involved. The only downside I found is I wish there was more connectivity to the timelines, and not skipping from Halloween to Christmas for example. Some better flow and consistency between the stories would have made this a five star book for me.
October
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
Read Time: Sep 26 – Oct 2; 6 days
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Dobby is my favorite character in Harry Potter, and his introduction in this book was near perfect. The sudden and abrupt nature of his characters emergence gave a new depth to the story arch of Dobby’s character. His desire to do good for Harry is unmatched and shown in such a devious way.
This is not to mention the playfulness of the stories and characters at large. Lockhart’s clueless nature paired with the wit of the students is such a laugh, and Moaning Myrtle’s sensitivity adds a new dynamic. This was a great continuation of the Harry Potter story.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
Read Time: Oct 4 – Oct 12; 8 days
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
When I started reading this book, I had bias because I had thought I disliked the movie. However, I was wrong. This book kept you on your toes as you journeyed with Harry as he ran from Sirius, only to have it end immensely heartwarming with learning that Sirius was actually a good guy and not a bad one.
While I loved this book, I wish they would’ve been more clear that the shapes Harry was seeing weren’t dementors. While I wouldn’t have wanted it spoiled that it was Sirius, I think it was too played up that dementors were everywhere Harry was going, and should’ve been saved for more specific moments.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Read Time: Oct 12 – Oct 30; 18 days
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Year four at Hogwarts was much more playful than previous years. The book started with about 200 pages at the Quiddich World Cup, which if you ask me took a little too long to get to the meat and potatoes of the story. Although at the end of the World Cup is where the return of Voldemort is foreshadowed which is necessary information. This takes us into a cacophony of playfulness in the Triwizard Tournament, where we get to meet new characters and discover a new side of the wizarding world. I felt like this book could have gotten to the point sooner, but I still highly enjoyed it.
December
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
Read Time: Nov 1 – Dec 11; 40 days
Rating: 3/5 Stars
This book was my least favorite of the series. It felt very unnecessarily drawn out and I couldn’t really get into it. The beginning of it was important to set up who The Order was and why they were important. However, after that, it didn’t really feel like anything worthwhile happened, but rather that we were just coasting for the sake of the fifth year at Hogwarts. I think I would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more if there was something that we were leading to, but it felt like the important information in the book was given in the first 200 or so pages.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Read Time: Dec 12 – Dec 22; 10 days
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I enjoyed this piece of the story quite a bit as we learned a deeper history of Voldemort and of how Harry can beat him. It also started to pave the way to learning how Snape isn’t the bad guy, however I wish there would have been more leaning into him being the good guy than the book revealed. This missing piece that I was longing for is what made me give it four of five stars. I do feel as though all of this book was essential in setting up the last book. The last few chapters also made the book worth it for me. The beauty of the conclusion of Harry and Dumbledore’s relationship, and the courage in Dumbledore’s death was just the ending we needed to head into the final piece of this story.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Read Time: Dec 22 – Dec 29; 7 days
Rating: 5/5 Stars
I am obsessed with this book as a conclusion to a long coming series. It’s laced completely with bravery and loyalty to Harry and to the larger cause. Every character decision is dynamic and unexpected and one after another you are surprised by what happens. It felt like there was never a dull moment in this book and I found myself rereading sections of it in pure disbelief of what had happened. This book kept tugging at my heart a little more and a little more with every chapter and every passing moment. The sacrifices people make in this book are unmatched to those made in any other. All those 4,000 some odd pages later were well worth it for this conclusion.
Lindsey Nordby 
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