A Review of my 2021 Reads

When 2021 started, I’d initially set a goal for 50 reads. I’d read 45 books in 2020, so it seemed totally doable that I could read 50. A mix of things made that not so likely: ending my Audible subscription (and not seeking out the free library audiobooks option, which I should have done), having a baby (duh! lack of sleep/time), increased amount of school time with my two older kiddos, and continuing to work from home.

However, I’m still proud of myself, with reading 46 books (admittedly several of those are favorite picture books I discovered, but I’m counting them). The whole point of goals is to create habits, and I’m still seeking out reading in one of the busiest times I’ve ever experienced; which means I’m also still growing, and learning, and becoming.

The biggest thing I learned from this year of reading is that there are certain books I feel add to my life (or are life-giving), and certain ones that take away from it. I wasn’t sure how to put this into words until I read Sarah Clarkson’s Book Girl (which I’ll review later), in her section on “The Art of Discernment.” She says, “Discernment really is an art – a skill we learn in the doing, something we gain confidence in through practice. In that sense, it’s a forward journey, a habit we learn in the midst of reading, not a list we make before we start. If it still seems overwhelming at times to know how to choose the good and the beautiful and best from the plethora of books out there, I find that a final question often helps me come to a conclusion: What is it I hope to become?“

My 2021 reading shaped my art of discernment, and now my 2022 reading will be greater refined by the idea of who I hope to become: a woman after God’s heart, who loves her husband unconditionally, seeks out beauty and truth and goodness for her children, and considers ways to encourage those in her path.

So, without further ado… a review of my 2021 reads!

Children’s Books

First things first, I’m a firm believer that if a children’s book can’t be enjoyed by an adult – it’s not worth reading. Apparently C.S. Lewis felt the same. He said, “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” With that in mind, here are some of my favorites.

Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick
This was an adorably sweet story about how Winnie the Bear (of Winnie the Pooh fame) came to be, before starring in A.A. Milne’s beloved books. Before Christopher Robin ever saw Winnie, she was adopted by a soldier on his way to war. With whimsical illustrations and a lovely story, my kids wanted to read this several times before we returned it to the library.

Locomotive by Brian Floca
This picture book packs a bunch in: gorgeously detailed illustrations, historical facts peppered throughout, geographical elements in story and drawing, and a story that has the rhythm of a train.

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
I loved the detailed illustrations, and the concise yet poetic text. A story that really helps you see and feel the first moon landing. And apparently we need to check out more books by Brian Floca!

Freddie’s Amazing Bakery by Harriet Whitehorn
Sweet, sweet, sweet. Sweet characters, a sweet story, and of course, lots of sweets to eat! My kids loved the friendly and humble Freddie, and his willingness to help others. As a mom, I loved that he persevered despite several unexpected obstacles in his baking competition. And the story ended with a raspberry cupcake recipe – totally won my kids over! (Disclaimer: the link heads to my book shop.)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
I remember reading this book in 6th grade with my English teacher, and being somewhat in awe at the audacity of it, while also laughing my pants off. But 20 years later, I couldn’t remember why. So when I found this for $0.25 in a bargain bin at the library, I snagged it to read as a family. My early elementary and preschooler kiddos didn’t understand the humor of it, so I’ll save it for when they’re a tad later. A wonderful story where the naughty kids in town take over the nativity show, and show that all people matter to God, and the beginnings of Jesus’ life were probably not the commercialized version we’ve come to expect.

Benjamin Franklin by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire
An Ambleside Online read. This book was so much more than I expected it would be. I borrowed it online as our library didn’t have it (and at the time I was looking online, it was a whopping $107 for a copy… it’s $25 for a hardback now, so I’ll need to add this to our shelves after we settle in Colorado!). While the story of his life runs as a narrative throughout the whole book, each page is also filled to the brim with interesting tidbits in both the illustrations, framing of the page, and various sayings from Franklin himself.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Another Ambleside Online Year 1 read. The story of a sweet toy and how he becomes “real”. Though it’s intended for children, the message strikes through into the heart of any adult, too. Just consider this little taste of this books goodness:
“Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’
‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.
‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’
‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’
‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
I was prompted to buy this book after both of my older kids began to fall absolutely in love with Winnie the Pooh. One borrow from the library, and we knew we were done for, and had to own it ourselves. So much of Pooh’s antics are absolutely hilarious to both kids and adults – and we found ourselves giggling or snorting while we snacked and read (side note: snacks are my favorite time for read-alouds, cause mouths and hands are busy). But Pooh is also just such a good friend. I found myself thinking of more ways I could love the Eeyores, Piglets, Owls, Kangas, and Rabbits in my life. (Do yourself a favor and buy the set – Pooh’s stories continue, and the poetry of A.A. Milne is delightful.)

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Another Ambleside Online Year 1 read! Can you tell it’s been a great year of children’s literature? I read this aloud to Eli when he was 3 and couldn’t wait to read it again. He liked it then, but he loved it this go around. I noticed a lot applied to our nature study for the term. (During that term, we were studying invertebrates.). There was quite a bit of detail on how a spider creates webbing, makes an egg sac, eats, etc.. Perfect for budding naturalists!
As I said in my review on Goodreads 4 years ago, I’d happily read this for the pastoral descriptions.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I’ll give you one guess… yup. An Ambleside Online Year 1 read! We started this in summer and slowly finished it in the fall, which ended up working perfectly, as the story itself is seasonal in nature. My kids were shocked by the bad behavior of Laura’s cousin, and Pa’s narrow escapes and adventures in the woods. A lot of creative play was inspired by this book, and it made me feel all gushy to think that one of my childhood favorites is now one also a favorite of my own children.
Something that stands out to me now, reading these as an adult: Pa and Ma Ingalls seem a force to be reckoned with. How on earth do they do it?! This year I’m reading Prairie Fires, a biography of Laura and her family, so we’ll see what I think of Pa and Ma after that. Currently, as a parent who feels like I’m floundering most days in a very easy technology-assisted modern life, I’m in awe of them.

Non-Fiction Reads

Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson
A book about books, with lists of books – a book-lover’s dream.
Here’s just a short snippet of one of the things I loved in this book: In the chapter “Books Can Shape Your Story”, Sarah’s explaining how she sent a copy of Anne of Green Gables to a girl she’d never met, because her flight attendant mother told Sarah she had never read it, and Sarah was absolutely appalled. She couldn’t quite place why this mattered so much to her, until she discussed it with other lovers of the series. “The Anne books, we realized, set a surprisingly powerful and attractive picture of womanhood before us in the years when we were beginning to wrestle with those fundamental questions of budding maturity: Who am I? Who should I be? What does it mean to live, love, work? What does it mean to be a woman?…. And this was the reason I sent Anne of Green Gables to a little girl I’d never met. I knew that in a confusing, turbulent world where she will receive countless contradictory and often negative messages about what she, as a budding young woman, ought to be, Anne would come alongside her with health, possibility, innocence, and joy.”
Peppered with wonderful examples of the power of reading, like Anne’s, and some practical tips on reading more, I adored Sarah’s book. There was some redundancy in the lists, but those that kept cropping up made me realize I definitely need to read them!

Cultivate by Lara Casey
The theme of this book is gardening… our lives. Lara Casey digs (see what I did there?) into her own experience as a beginner-turned-great gardener, and founder of a company with products focused on goal setting, to create a book that is refreshing and inspiring in its concept of goals. What if the way we set goals had the end in mind? As in: Who do you want to be when you’re 80 years old? What will have mattered to you? With those questions in mind, she helps you work backgrounds to gently cultivate your own life into a flourishing garden. One of my favorite quotes: “Peonies grow through dirt, and so do you.” A reminder that the muck is what feeds the beauty.

On Flowers by Amy Merrick
I’m pretty sure I borrowed this from the library shortly after reading Cultivate. Must’ve had flowers on the brain! This book made me look at flowers as though they have personalities: country charm, elegant and proud, wispy and wistful…. and there were some great, but simple, pointers on how to arrange flowers. The book reads a bit like a how-to, a bit like a diary, and a bit like a love letter to flowers. The photography has a retro vibe. Would make a lovely coffee book table.

Eric Sloane’s Weather Almanac
I was completely surprised at how much I loved this book. It was recommended as a read in my nature study curriculum, Exploring Nature with Children, so I put it on hold at the library and expected a children’s picture book. It’s actually a seasonal journal by one of America’s foremost experts on weather, with his farm adventures as well as his observations recorded once a week for a year. I can’t wait to have this one on our shelf one day. It reads like going to your grandpa’s country home for a cup of lemonade on the porch on a blazing summer day, or sitting in rocking chairs next to the fire in a snowstorm, while you chat about weather and he shares his wisdom. (Fun fact: this summer we were driving home from the Omaha Zoo and we saw mammatus clouds – I never would’ve known what they were or even paid much attention to them if it weren’t for this book!)

Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders
This is an incredible cookbook. The tips/tricks in the beginning and scattered throughout were very helpful, and I’ve been using them ever since I read this. The tidbits of Outlander quotes coupled with Theresa’s witty recipe names and descriptions had me giggling. And the photographs of the food made me want to get in the kitchen ASAP. I’ve made the Goat Cheese Tarts, Mr. Willoughby’s Hat (pimiento spread), Cock-a-Leekie soup, and La Dame Blanche hot chocolate (best hot chocolate of my life) and WOW. All of these recipes have been easy and so incredibly delicious. Friends have raved over all of them that I’ve shared. Looking forward to making more!

Clanlands by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish
Are you noticing a Scottish theme here? You’ll see a bit more of that in the Fiction section. I have been fascinated by the history of Scotland for a long time, and as a freshman in high school, lugged a 400-page book on the history of Scotland to Mexico with me. (It was paperback, and the humidity destroyed the cover, but I’ve still got it). So when I heard of this book, I thought, “What fun! A guided tour of Scotland!” And that’s essentially what it is – with a lot of antics along the way. Some had me laughing out loud while on my walk / listening, and others made me cringe. There’s quite a bit of Outlander show trivia thrown in there, so if you don’t care for that, you may not be as enthralled with this book. The way the history was brought to life in this was my favorite. (And p.s. I didn’t care for the show. I was so excited to watch it after listening to this, but the book gave much more historical info. The show is more of the antics side of things.)

The Lifegiving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson
This is what I initially wrote in my Goodreads review on this book: “This book inspired me to think – a lot – about what kind of impression and legacy I am creating in my home. The Bible uses physical examples to shadow spiritual, and why not use our homes to shadow the one eternal home we’re looking forward to? With that vision and mission, even mundane tasks can take on a much greater meaning. There were so many practical suggestions along with this central idea, focused around the seasons/months of the year, that were a mix of fun, creative, traditional… but fully alive in the senses and building community. I borrowed this from our community library but I’ll definitely be looking to add it to our bookshelves and work through each month’s ideas!” … And then I was gifted the book. And then every month, I would read the section pertaining to the current month and work to apply it’s concepts. It was incredibly life-giving, and I felt the most on-top-of-it I’ve ever felt as a mom in working to create an atmosphere of peace and love amidst the everyday and special celebrations. Probably my favorite book of the year. Highly recommend.

The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith
A modern lady’s treatise imploring women to love the house they’re in: owned or rented, big enough or not, and for goodness sake, to put your personality in it. I loved the originality offered in the ideas on the pages, and it was a good reminder that the time we put into our home is not wasted, but effort that sparks opportunities for late-night conversations on the couch, or crafting at the table, or trying new recipes and then feasting together, or having a dance party in the living room. Essentially, our homes are a huge tool in memory-making and life-making.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver
This was our ladies’ Bible study book this year, and I’d been gifted a copy a year or so ago by a friend (thanks, Kari!). The Bible study was the perfect prompt to dive in, and once I started, I didn’t want to stop. Our fast-paced, got-to-be-perfect culture is a killer to faith. And really, it’s not only our culture… apparently, ladies have been struggling with how to balance life and do it all for centuries. A great read for the Christian woman who feels burnt out or overwhelmed.

Life in Colors by George J. Boelcke
There was a lot of hype over this book. Maybe that’s why it fell somewhat flat for me. The way personalities were divided up was interesting, but I took 18 months to push through this book, even though it was an easy read. My two cents: there are other personality books I’d rather spend time in.

The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment
Part memoir and part call-to-arms for homeschooling mommas, this book is all about home education for the beginner. With a great walk-through on hesitations, modes of schooling, and practical tips, it’s one I definitely recommend for those getting started on the homeschool journey. (Also, it gave me one of my first glimpses at the Charlotte Mason method of learning… which led us to Ambleside Online. And it has been our most joyous school year yet!)

Educating the Whole-Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson
A hefty why and how-to for the beginner or veteran homeschool parent. I read through this in bits for about a nine months – just a page or two each morning. I had so much to think over each day between the Clarksons’ personal wisdom, as well as the quotes they scattered on the sidebars of the pages. I’ll be revisiting this book yearly (and realistically, I’ll be peeking through it weekly to remind myself of certain things). A heads up: this book is heavy on philosophy in the beginning, and then practical ideas at the end. If the philosophy feels too much, flip back and forth.

French Women for All Seasons by Mirielle Guiliang
I’ve always been interested in French culture – I mean, who doesn’t want to eat delicious food and feel good in their own skin? While some of the ideas in here are not ones I’ll implement at this time of my life, here are the ones I definitely will: eat food you enjoy (and with variety/moderation), move every day for emotional and physical and mental health, and embrace the seasons of the year for the various dishes, activities, and enjoyments they offer.

Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living by Linnea Dunne
I’m gonna be honest: this book didn’t really strike a chord with me when I read it, though there were a few interesting tidbits. (Like when I learned that the Swedes have Taco Night every Friday and chillax in their pajamas while they eat and watch a movie…. Apparently I’ve been a Swede in disguise for a while!). It reads a bit like a infographic in long-form.

This Beautiful Truth by Sarah Clarkson
Before you read my review, know that I’d like to read this book again. The first time I read through it, it awakened my awareness of the experience of mental illnesses in people I love as well as my own after the birth of my son. I remember disagreeing with some of her theology, but I felt torn between this heightened realization and empathy of others’ and my own experience, and wrestling with her theological presentation. I’ll read again and circle back. In the meantime, know that this book will deepen your understanding of what it is like for a person who believes in God to battle mental illness, and increase your compassion.

Glow Kids by Nicholas Kardaras PhD
I took a whole year to finish this book – not because it wasn’t good, but because it was scary. The author, as an expert in addiction and recovery, dives into the rabbit hole of what-exactly-is-technology-doing-to-our-kids. I had to take breaks after some of the anecdotal stories. I don’t agree with all of his opinions, but I definitely feel I need to research more about how to approach technology as a family. Highly, highly recommend, even if my review seems like I don’t.

Fiction

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Oh, J.K. Rowling, you have my heart. I re-read this book with my son. It’s the last one he’ll get to read for a few years, as I feel the 4th book begins to dive into more advanced themes that he’s not ready for yet. This was a favorite of mine as a kid, and a favorite of mine now. Some of the best themes in this one: friendship sees us through dark times, people are not always who they seem (both good and bad), and love wins the day, always. We read the Illustrated edition, which has lovely, incredibly detailed small and full-page drawings sprinkled throughout.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
You’d thinking after my last glowing review, I’d have another for this one. I loved the plot, but reading a screenplay wasn’t my favorite. I wanted the story to be fleshed out – to see, feel, and experience more. It’s hard to get that with pure dialogue. This is the story of one of Harry’s children – one who feels he can’t live up to his dad’s name, and struggles to connect with him. He also happens to be best friends with Draco Malfoy’s son and is in Slytherin House; another story showing that people are not always who they seem.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
I. Couldn’t. Put. This. Book. Down. A fantastic dive into what made President Snow the man we knew in the Hunger Games Trilogy. I hated his character before I even started the book, so it shows what a great writer Suzanne Collins is that I started to root for him. As a young man, President Snow grew up in a Capitol that had been absolutely ravaged by war. He’s put to the test when he’s assigned as a mentor to a District 12 girl picked for the Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Naturally, I had to re-read all three Hunger Games books after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I’m so glad I did! It was a fresh reminder that what shaped President Snow and Katniss Everdeen was not their circumstances (which were similar: hunger, pain, being a pawn of the capital), but their choices amidst those circumstances. I’m excited to read these with the kids when they’re older for a great discussion on choices, paths, and character.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
My sister gifted me this book in 2020, and I meant to crack it open right away. But with all of the struggles 2020 brought, I never got around to it. Once I finally opened it this year, I couldn’t put it down. Heart-wrenching and so full of hope, all at once. You know the whole time what is going to happen, you can feel in your bones the quickening pace toward destruction. And yet, humanity gives flickers of light throughout the darkness. Written from four perspectives, this book left me feeling torn apart, and also so grateful. It also inspired a deep-dive into Google on the history of the Wilhelm Gustloff.

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill
A delightful read on the power of education in the hands of a loving and compassionate teacher. Miss Agnes comes to Alaska to teach a class of Inuit schoolchildren, who’ve only experienced hate and rigidity from their previous teachers. But from Miss Agnes, the kids feel empathy, adventure, and a passion for life and learning. The change in the children ripples into their community. Very quick read, a good one for discussing aloud, and with ideas I want to implement in my children’s education (don’t you love how stories can apply to real life?).

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
I’ll be honest: I didn’t like this one. I have loved everything I’ve ever read by Kristin Hannah, until I came to this one. It felt like a political statement disguised as a story. Hear me out: I know 99.9% stories have political and/or religious and/or moral statements to make. But the story and characters didn’t grab me, so it all felt very forced.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Another one that many people loved, and I didn’t. I read this after seeing many, many reviews raving over it. It felt like a cliche romance novel (not my thing), and I was really disappointed in (spoiler alert) the way Daphne essentially forced her husband into a pregnancy together. I’ll be honest here: it’s my personal opinion that romance novels cheapen real relationships. I don’t think they inspire us to look at ourselves and think, “How can I grow closer to my spouse? How can I become a stronger, better person? How can I love the people in my life more?”

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
I know you just read a review of a romance novel and I said “not my thing”. That’s still true. A lot of people would argue that Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series is romance novel material, or “smut”. I’d argue the opposite. There’s a relationship here that feels raw and real – one where they choose each other over and over again, despite hardships thrown their way. (That being said, I don’t agree with everything that is in Gabaldon’s writing, but I don’t think she does either. She portrays characters as who they are (a product of their time/upbringing/etc.), not who she is.).
This book in the series felt like historical fiction with a mix of thriller/suspense. I just could not put it down, and was staying up to read wayyyy past my bedtime. Brianna won my heart in this book; she had to figure out single parenting for a bit, in a very scary situation. I don’t want to say too much and ruin it for anyone, but she makes me want to get some practice in at the gun range.
But the ending really tore me up. I’ve always admired Claire for her steadfastness to Jamie. Her decisions in the latter part of the book changed my idea of who she is as a woman, not in a good way.

Written in my Own Hearts Blood by Diana Gabaldon
The next part in the series (after that terribly sad cliffhanger ending) didn’t start out winning my heart. (I want to say more but don’t want to spoil anything for anyone!). I felt that given Claire’s choices in the last book, there would be a greater repercussion for it. There’s definitely some repercussion, but it felt let’s-just-kiss-and-make-up. Which makes light of a terrible decision like that, in my opinion.
In this installment, Claire and Jamie are navigating the American Revolution while Brianna and Roger are straddling two different times to save their family. William, Jamie’s son, features heavily in this book as he struggles to come to terms with his parentage. Some reviewers hated William for being a “twit”; I think it makes sense given his upbringing, and I admired how as he wrestled with what makes a person noble is not their bloodline, but their choices with the less fortunate.

The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat
I wanted so badly for this one to catch me. A WW2 story about a Jewish woman living on a German-occupied island, and keeping her identity a secret. Not sure if it was the writing itself or something else, but even though I finished it, I didn’t love it. It was just a “like”.

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
I had a love-hate relationship with this book. It’s told from the perspective of three different women during WW2: a New York socialite, a Polish girl swept into a concentration camp, and a female German doctor working at the concentration camp. The story is based on true events and real people, and I felt the book was so vivid in some parts, I couldn’t shake the atrocities experienced. (Even now, one scene in particular is unfortunately etched in my brain). But, knowing that those things happened, and women survived them, and went on to overcome in a day-by-day fashion the things they endured, gave me hope for my very insignificant trials. And if I ever were to encounter terrible things, I think stories like these would give me courage.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
An unfortunate incident at a wedding buffet leaves the bride and groom sick with food poisoning and unable to take their honeymoon, and so they offer it to the bride’s sister and groom’s brother – even though they hate each other. Not ones to pass up a vacation, the two grit their teeth in order to experience the beauty of Hawaii, and end up falling in love. I’ll admit there were parts in this book that made me laugh out loud while on my late afternoon listen-to-audiobooks walk (I’m sure some of the neighbors thought I was nuts), but there was also a lot of language and bits I don’t really think I needed in my reading life.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
Booklovers will adore the way Jenny Colgan’s heroine describes her love for books, and her despair at the demise of reading. I found myself smiling broadly and nodding in agreement to moments like this one: “for Nina, whenever reality, or the grimmer side of reality, threatened to invade, she always turned to a book…They had mended her heart when it was broken, and encouraged her to hope when she was down.” The main character, Nina, loses her job as a librarian and comes up with the wild idea to have a book bus that drives throughout Scotland to bring reads to more rural areas. Some cliche relationships and moments throughout, and overall I felt it was an ok read. But I loved Nina’s love for books.

Poldark: Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
I ran to the library to get this book after watching the BBC’s first season with my husband (and we both loved it). Ross Poldark returns from the American Revolution to find that the girl he loved and longed for is engaged to his cousin, his father is dead, and his home has been left in shambles by untrustworthy servants. He has a terrible temper, but a heart for those in dire situations; as well as a mind for exacting what drives and motivates others, which he uses to aid the less unfortunate. His character leads him to bring home an abused and bedraggled girl, who grows up in his home to be a beautiful young lady. This is a poetically written story of lending a hand to the unfortunate and pressing on even when you keep falling down.

Poldark: Demelza Poldark by Winston Graham
Told from the perspective of Demelza, the servant girl from the first book. I couldn’t wait to devour this one too. I wasn’t sure what it would be like, since Winston Graham had a very masculine writing style in Ross Poldark’s novel. I was pleasantly surprised by how real Demelza’s thoughts felt to me, and fell even more in love with her character. This is her story of overcoming her beginnings as the daughter of an abusive miner, how she finds confidence and courage when others want to diminish her, and handling the after-effects of her and Ross’s choices. Winston Graham’s word-smithing once again gave great depth to Cornwall, the Poldarks, and the people they encountered. I’ll definitely be looking to own this series!

What are you reading in 2022?

And that’s a wrap! Here’s to lots of reads in 2022 for all of us! I’m aiming for 50 this year. Do you have a reading goal? What are you hoping to read this year?