My Halfway Top 12 Reads from 2022
It’s officially (a little more than) halfway through 2022 and I’ve rounded up my 12 favorite reads of the year so far! I read 73 books total in the first half of this year (see them all here) and 23 of them were five star favorites (ps— these all live on Instagram under #radfivestarfaves) and these 12 are my favorites of those!
Here are my halfway top 12 reads from 2022 so far:
These are listed in the order I read them in!
My reviews:
So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow // you all KNOW how much i love Little Women (SO MUCH) so when i saw this remix of the classic, written by a Black author and centering Black characters in the Civil War era, i snatched it up SO FAST. and i was blown away. it’s an incredible retelling of LW, for sure, but even more than that, i learned a looooooot about how Freedmen’s Colonies came to be and dove deeper into just how challenging and complex emancipation was for Black people in this country. once again, my education failed me. 😠 this is truly a brilliant book.
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover // ATTENTION: i have a new favorite CoHo book!!! 🥳 wow wow wow i loved this one and i’m so grateful @amazonpublishing + @colleenhoover sent me this copy. gahhhh SO GOOD. i don’t know how she does it but DANG. laughed, sobbed, loved it all. tw: car crash, death, custody battles, alcoholism, addiction, prison, suicide
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee // i got an itch to listen to audiobook this weekend (v unlike me!) and this was available from @libby.appand i knew it was on my tbr list for @reesesbookclub! you all— i LOVED this book. it told the story of Jo (we love a main character named jo!!!) but really, it told the story of Chinese Americans after the Civil War in the South, stuck in the middle between “colored” and white, hiding in the shadows and trying to make a living, carrying secrets and shame too great for anyone to hold. it was a fast-paced, action-packed, not-too-heavy but not-too-light story, and i was hooked from the beginning and didn’t stop listening until the narrator said the end. 🙃 side note: i never want to stop learning about the parts of history and the people in the past that i wasn’t taught about in school. even when it’s hard and painful to realize what was true about america or people in power or corrupt systems, it’s incredibly important to become aware of and educated on the realities of the past in order to work toward a better and more just present and future. also maybe don’t ban books that tell these stories!!! 😡 #endrant
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams // it was no small thing to me to read a book featuring a main character who battles chronic pain and migraines, especially when i’m on day 4 of one of the worst migraines i’ve ever had. truly, representation in books MATTERS and it was beautifully done in this book. i loved this story so, so much for many more reasons than just seeing a piece of myself reflected in Eva— it’s a love story of writers whose own story was woven into the books they wrote… yep 🤯. it’s definitely a pg-13 read with some nsfw content, but truly the layers to the love story here just blew me away and the ending had me FLYING through pages and it just felt so, so fresh and new. gah!
Lease on Love by Falon Ballard // grabbed this book on a whim and IT WAS SO DELIGHTFUL.truly, this is the romcom read i am HERE FOR. it’s such a joy, totally unrealistic but adorable, a slow burn of the best kind, full of flirting and flowers and friendships that dreams are made of. i truly squealed all the way through, even in the middle of the shop while my car was getting an oil change!!!
How to Fight Racism by Jemar Tisby // got to hear @jemartisby share at a @for_richmond event recently after long admiring his work, his teachings, his wisdom, and his heart for the Lord and for justice and reconciliation. i finally dove into his newest book right afterward, and found it so incredibly practical, applicable, helpful, convicting, challenging, encouraging, and full of powerful truth. it’s a book that makes it clear— the fight against racism involves ALL of us, that none of us can say there isn’t a place for us in this work, and truly, we all MUST be actively fighting racism in all kinds of ways (of which 50 are laid out here). i’m so grateful for how tisby weaves together honest history, a heart of love for justice, deep faith, strong passion, righteous anger, fierce conviction, and a clear call to action in his work and his words. absolutely a must read.
My Inner Sky: On Embracing Day, Night, and All the Times in Between by Mari Andrew // a DELIGHTFUL and poignant book from @bymariandrew that was the perfect read for me in this season ✨ i just looooove when the right books find me at the right time. so much of this one felt comforting and encouraging and uplifting to me, and just continued to grow my love for all the goodness mari makes! her art, her words, her way of seeing magic and chasing wonder and celebrating beauty, it’s such a gift and reminds me to be open to more of the same myself. 🥰
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain // sooooo @susancainauthor is now two for two on life-changing books 🙌🏼 her book Quiet on introverts made me feel SO seen and known in a way i hadn’t known was possible, and this book did the same for my deeply-feeling, melancholy-loving, bittersweet soul. (exhibit A: there’s a bittersweet quiz and if you score above 5.7, “you’re a true connoisseur of the place where light and dark meet” …and i scored 8.6.) i could quote you pages and pages of this one, and truly, i want to, because it’s so beautiful and helpful and meaningful and transformational. seen, and known. if you’re a person who likes sad music, rainy days, art and beauty, deep emotions, nostalgia… this will be a book that resonates with you, too, i’d bet. i loved it so, so much.
Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans with Jeff Chu //
i’ve been both eagerly wanting to read this one and completely avoiding it, knowing it would be the last of @rachelheldevans that i’d ever get to read. it was a tender kind of reading experience from the very first pages, with the most poignant words from @danieljonce and @byjeffchu, and every page felt laced with the spirit of Rachel that i, along with so many others, came to treasure and respect so much. i’m so grateful we got this book, that @byjeffchu came alongside rachel’s words to take them across the finish line, because this one is wise and winsome, beautifully crafted and a gift to the world. i’m still so sad rachel isn’t with us, that we don’t get more of her heart, her wit, her incredible twitter snark, her remarkable wisdom. but this felt like a healing balm, and i loved it.Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez // eeeeeeek i loved this one!!! i truly can’t think of another author who has 100% all five star books for me but abby jimenez is MY FAVE and her books are such a delight! 😍 definitely some schitt’s creek vibes here (listen, i love an alexis/mutt kinda vibe so i’m into it) and we love an older woman/younger man (gives me hope?!??) and breaking those family stereotypes and molds!!! also yes i did have little mermaid songs constantly in my head thanks to this title 😂 gah, such a fun one, perfect for a weekend read or a pool day or just a happy little break from reality!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry // lemme just SQUEAL about this book for a sec!!! i loved it so much!!! 🥰 a book about book lovers by an author i love that released ON MY BIRTHDAY?!? what a dream, and what a gift. this book was a delight and was the most enjoyable to read, and the ending got me GOOD and it was just the frothy, fun summer romcom i needed. 🙌🏼 new fave emily henry, right here!
This May End Badly by Samantha Markum // i was in line at b&n when i saw @abbimbay’s insta stories raving about this one so OF COURSE i got out of line to go grab it and wow wow wow SO GLAD I DID. truly the most delightful read!!! 🥹 a badass and lovable main character you can’t help but adore, a fake dating trope that ends just like you want it to, private school rivalries and prank wars better than you’ve ever seen, the takedown of a creep teacher that will have you HOLLERING, family drama and nuanced relationships that felt so tender and real, a whole cast of incredible characters… i just kept texting abbi as i was reading because i was feeling all the feels and couldn’t put it down and that is the sign of a VERY GOOD BOOK.
