I ended December reading 54 books this year. The holidaze hit me hard in November and December and I did not get to finish all the books that I thought I would during December. All that to say, 2022 was a fun year of reading and I am looking forward to continuing that journey into this year. One thing I did spend some time on during my holiday break was updating both GoodReads and StoryGraph (user name: @imfixintoread). I prefer StoryGraph to GoodReads, though I have more friends on GoodReads, so I have not fully made the switch yet. Either of those is a great place to follow along for real time updates on what I’m reading. I also keep my Instagram updated with books as I finish them (2022 Highlight | 2023 Highlight).
Here is everything I read in 2022. If you would like to see my reviews, check out what I read in January & February, March & April, May & June, July & August, and September & October.
Everything I Read in November and December 2022
What I Read in November
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
- I am a big fan of Elin Hilderbrand’s writing when I want to take a little mental escape and this book was exactly that. It is the first in a series and I was hooked pretty much right from the get-go.
- Irene Steele shares her idyllic life in a beautiful Iowa City Victorian house with a husband who loves her to sky-writing, sentimental extremes. But as she rings in the new year one cold and snowy night, everything she thought she knew falls to pieces with a shocking phone call: her beloved husband, away on business, has been killed in a helicopter crash.Before Irene can even process the news, she must first confront the perplexing details of her husband’s death on the distant Caribbean island of St. John.After Irene and her sons arrive at this faraway paradise, they make yet another shocking discovery: her husband had been living a secret life. As Irene untangles a web of intrigue and deceit, and as she and her sons find themselves drawn into the vibrant island culture, they have to face the truth about their family, and about their own futures.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willis, and Karen White
- This book is still on my To Be Read list and I plan on picking it up in January 2023. Look for a recap on a different article!
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- I absolutely adored this book! Elizabeth Zott is an icon and I could not love her character more if I tried. I really appreciated the storyline and the dry humor. It is a little slow, which is really the only reason I did not give this a five star review.
- Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with–of all things–her mind. True chemistry results.But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
- I am currently reading this book and I must say, it lives up to the hype! I will update my January 2023 reading list with my review and rating!
The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
- This thriller was one that I had a hard time putting down! The author takes the reader on a trip thinking that you may have it all figured out, only to give you a surprise ending. Rhys’ character is really likable, which made this even more enjoyable.
- It’s the party to end all parties….but not everyone is here to celebrate.On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake are a success, and he’s generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbors.But by midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.On New Year’s Day, Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects. The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbors, friends and family–and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead…but who finally killed him.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What I Read in December
One Day in December by Josie Silver
- Talk about a tear jerker! This is not a normal holiday romance… it has twists and turns and heartaches. I loved it and could not put it down.
- Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic…and then her bus drives away.Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- This book is still on my To Be Read list and I plan on picking it up in January 2023. Look for a recap on a different article!
The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch
- There were parts of this story that were really intriguing, though I felt like it kept falling a little short in areas. The last 40 pages were really the best and made it worth while.
- Two exes wake up together with wedding bands on their fingers–and no idea how they got there. They have just one New Year’s Eve at the end of 1999 to figure it out in this big-hearted and nostalgic rom-com from New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch.
When college sweethearts Frankie and Ezra broke up before graduation, they vowed to never speak to each other again. Ten years later, on the eve of the new millennium, they find themselves back on their snowy, picturesque New England campus together for the first time for the wedding of mutual friends. Frankie’s on the rise as a music manager for the hottest bands of the late ’90s, and Ezra’s ready to propose to his girlfriend after the wedding. Everything is going to plan–they just have to avoid the chasm of emotions brought up when they inevitably come face to face.But when they wake up in bed next to each other the following morning with Ezra’s grandmother’s diamond on Frankie’s finger, they have zero memory of how they got there–or about any of the events that transpired the night before. Now Frankie and Ezra have to put aside old grievances in order to figure out what happened, what didn’t happen…and to ask themselves the most troubling question of all: what if they both got it wrong the first time around. - ⭐️⭐️✨
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
- I read this in January 2023, so I’m going to include all the details in that post in February, but let me tell you… pre-order it ASAP.
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
- I was looking for a good holiday romance novel and this fit the bill perfectly! Nobody does romance like Jasmine Guillory.
- Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.
Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour–until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her.
When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day…or are they? - ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Loved loved loved Lessons in chemistry! Agree it was a little slow it took a bit to get into the groove but once it was it amazing! I hope they make this into a movie!
I agree–a movie would be great! You shared with me that it’s gonna be a TV show, right? It was such a good read! Glad you enjoyed, too!