Whatcha Readin'?

Whatcha Readin’?

Reading resolutions

Every year my husband and I set our reading goals and then track them using apps like StoryGraph or Goodreads. And thanks to apps like Libby where I can read library books for free from anywhere, I’ve been able to keep to or even exceed my goals. For 2023 I’m aiming to read 150 books, but then I count everything: poetry, young adult, self-help… everything.

Of the 17books I read in December, seven were four stars or better. Here they are in no particular order:

My favorite book this month is an older book by Elizabeth Gilbert called Big Magic. It’s non-fiction and is inspiring, informative, and lighthearted. It goes at a fast-to-medium-pace and is wonderful for anyone dealing with any feelings of being stuck or afraid.

Lucy by the Sea is Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel and while I’m not overly fond of Lucy as a character, I adore Strout’s ability to draw us into people, who they really are and why they do the things they do. This may actually be my least favorite of all her books and yet I still very highly recommend it as all her books assist us in learning empathy. It’s reflective and medium-paced.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng was fantastic despite a bit of far-fetchedness. I did not enjoy it as much as Little Fires Everywhere, but it was still fantastic. Her books are emotional, reflective, and challenging, and this one felt medium-paced.

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman is a book of poetry that’s emotional, inspiring, reflective, and political. A fascinating woman with an interesting take.

Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy is a group of short stories put together after Maeve died with Chestnut Street being the commonality. They are mostly lighthearted, emotional, and reflective. Overall I found it had a slower pace, but if you love Ireland you’ll enjoy these quirky characters.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins…yes, that one…I’m late to the party! It’s excellent, a fast-paced YA adventure that’s dark and tense and dystopian and I have no idea how I didn’t read this when it was all the rage about ten or fifteen years ago.

The latest in the Mapmaker Chronicles: Beyond the Edge of the Map #4, by A.L. Tait is a middle grade young adult book combining history and fantasy, it’s adventurous and mysterious and fast-paced. I Love this series and can’t say enough about it.

Usually I’d tell you what I’m reading now, but with it being the New Year and people wanting good book recommendations to get them on their way, I thought I’d give you a list of the books I read in 2022 that I gave five stars to that I haven’t already mentioned in previous columns (in title alpha order):

Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick by Jen Sincero (Self-Help)

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (NonFiction)

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (Fiction)

Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski (NonFiction)

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (NonFiction)

Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage by Anne Lamott (NonFiction)

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (Memoir)

Gilded by Marissa Meyer (YA Fiction)

Healing Mantras: Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing by Thomas Ashley-Farrand (Self-Help)

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Historical Fiction)

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell (Memoir)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (NonFiction)

The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism by Jen Gunter (Women’s Health)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (YA Fiction)

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson (Fiction)

Night by Ellie Wiesel (Memoir)

On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (Fiction)

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (Fiction)

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (NonFiction)

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett (Essays)

Thursday Murder Club Series by Richard Osman (Mystery)

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Essay)

What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold (YA Fiction)

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero (Self-Help)

Happy New Year, Sanders County, and happy reading.

Sunday Dutro is an avid reader and eBook convert living in Thompson Falls with her beautiful family and an enormous “to be read” pile. Reach her at [email protected].