My Favorite Books of the Year

 

Well, here we are! Another year over....can you believe it? This year was filled with so many great books, especially for the historical fiction genre. While I didn't read as much young adult novels as I had hoped, I did read more from the non-fiction genre as well as romance! I also got into a lot of audio books. I look forward to hearing your favorites from 2022, so be sure to share with me in the comments below. Lastly, each title is linked to my full review when possible.

Adult Fiction/Romance:

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

 

 

 Meant to Be by Emily Giffin

 

 

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

 

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

 

 

 

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

 

 

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

 

 

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk 

 

 

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

 

 

 

Historical Fiction:

 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani

 

 

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

 

 

Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck

 

 

Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah

 

 

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (review to come)

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

 

 

Biography/Non-Fiction:

 

Truly, Madly by Stephen Galloway

The Palace Papers by Tina Brown

Young Adult Fiction:

 

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

 

Audio Book:

 

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (Review to come)

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley 

 

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

Runner-Up:

 

The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden

 

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

 

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

 

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

 

Backlist:

(Books that I read that weren't published in 2022, but were fantastic.)

 

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

 

Verity by Colleen Hoover

 

 

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser (Review to come)

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

The Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (Review to come)

 

 

 

 

 

So, what books make your cut this year? Did any of my "favorites" make your list, too? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Happy Holidays! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday and a New Year filled with health, peace, happiness, and some good books. I will be popping in with a review between Christmas and New Year's Day as well as my list of my favorite books of the year. I can't wait to hear which books made your "Best of" list, too.  

Meanwhile, if you are looking for some holiday books to curl up with till 2023 comes, check out my list of holiday favorites.

Happy Holidays,

Book Review: The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk

Pages: 352

Genre: Adult Fiction
Pub. Date: November 15, 2022

Publisher: HarperCollins

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: On a Night Like This

My Rating; 4 out of 5 stars 

 

 

Goodreads says, "Newly single lawyer Gwen Baker is hoping that a family Christmas—countryside, a mountain of food and festive films—will salve the sting of her career hanging by a thread and her heart being trampled on. Because everyone else has their life sorted: even Dev, her boy-next-door crush, is now a tall, dark and handsome stranger with a fiancée. She can’t help wishing her future was clearer. Then Gwen wakes up to discover it’s Christmas day all over again. Like Groundhog Day but with eggnog. And family arguments. On repeat. As she figures out how to escape her own particular Christmas hell, Dev is the one bright spot. He might be all grown-up but underneath he’s just as kind and funny as she remembers. Maybe, just maybe, her heart can be mended after all. But how do you fall in love with someone who can’t remember you from one day to the next?"

 

 

 

Gwen Baker is newly single and her job as a lawyer is in question after an incident at work. She is heading home for the holidays to her childhood home of Baslow. While there, she has to deal with her family's expectations as well as her critical sister. Plus, there's all the holiday chaos of a family coming together under one roof along with all of their physical and mental baggage. Things start to get extra weird when Gwen finds herself stuck in a time loop. She is repeating the same 24 hours of Christmas over and over again. While this is 100% stressful, she starts to realize thing about her friends and family as well as herself. The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk is a very fun and hilarious holiday read reminiscent of Groundhog Day. 

I liked Gwen right from the start of The Christmas Wish. She had a meltdown at work, which seems a bit extreme, but she has absolutely had it with this one client. Now she isn't sure if she will be fired and she has to return home to tell her dad this bad news. He has always admired her work as a lawyer, so this will be disappointing to him. On top of it, she is newly single and won't be bringing anyone home to Christmas this year. Her sister, Cerys, and her family will be there and things don't always go well with her overly critical sister and her inappropriate brother-in-law. Thank goodness her cousin, Manny, will be there with her to help her through the mess.

And by mess, I mean the fact that Gwen wakes up and it's Christmas Day again in. She finds herself stuck in this time loop with no way out. It's exhausting, but she starts to realize not only some things about herself, but also her family members. She sees things in a new light and this time loop not only gives her time to reconnect with her sister, but also with Dev, her childhood crush who lives next door. Could he actually have feelings for her too after all this time or are the rumors true that he is engaged?

The absolute best parts of The Christmas Wish are the funny holiday antics as well as the witty banter. I was laughing out loud, which I rarely do when I read a book. So much so that I was in public in a waiting room and shaking with silent laughter. Kelk really hits it out of the park with her British dry humor, her one-liners, as well as the hilarious situations her characters find themselves in during a family holiday get-together. 

I really needed a laugh this holiday season, so easily I can say that The Christmas Wish is my favorite holiday book of the year. I highly recommend it if you need something funny, light, and a character who will remind you of Bridget Jones. So, have you read The Christmas Wish? Is it on your TBR list? Let me know in the comments below.   

 

My Favorite Picture Books for the Holiday Season

 

Christmas is such a special time of the year and one of my favorite times to snuggle up and read with little ones. Today I'm sharing some of our favorite holiday picture books that we have enjoyed over the years.

1.  The Story of Baby Jesus by Mary Kelly  - A gorgeous picture book that covers the true meaning of Christmas. It's written simply for little ones to appreciate.

2.  The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert  - A breathtaking book with beautiful photographs all about a little girl who wants to be one of Santa's elves.

3.  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Barbara Shook Hazen - A classic in every sense of the way.

4.  The Littlest Elf by Brandi Dougherty - This book is so cute! It's about a little elf, who although small, finally finds his purpose amongst Santa's elves. 

 

5.  The Christmas Baby by Marion Dane Bauer - This book not only celebrates the birth of Jesus, it also celebrates babies everywhere.

6.  It's Christmas! by Tracey Corderoy - This is a delightful picture book all about a little reindeer's excitement for the holiday. He can't contain himself and he ends up in some predicaments.

 

7.  The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving by Jan and Mike Berenstain - I love that this book reminds us that it is better to give than receive.

8.  The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore - Another classic that cannot be missed.

 

9.  Strega Nona's Gift by Tomie dePaola - Of course there's Big Anthony getting himself into trouble in this book, but it also covers Italian Christmas traditions as well as feast days. 

10.  Frosty the Snow Man by Annie North Bedford - I love this story, but I especially appreciate this 1950s classic.

11. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss  - A favorite in our house! Who doesn't love the Grinch?

12.  The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg - Another modern classic that is much loved in my house.

 

13.  A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz - Another modern classic that is a must-read for the holiday season.

14.  The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jan Brett - I especially love the illustrations in this book covering the famous Christmas carol. 

15.  The Gingerbread Pirates by  Kristin Kladstrup - This is such a fun Christmas story about a little boy who makes gingerbread men and at night they come to life as pirates and encounter Santa. 

16.  Night Tree by Eve Bunting - I love this story of a family who decorate a Christmas tree with treats for the animals in the forest.

 

17.  The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers - A beautifully illustrated version of the classic tale.

18.  My Treasury of Christmas Stories by Caroline Pedler - This treasury includes many Christmas classics, such as A Christmas Carol, The Snow Queen, and more. 

 

19.  Jingle Bells by Kathleen N. Daly - This book is one of my favorites from my childhood. I love how the animals help Santa deliver the gifts and the lyrics of Jingle Bells are throughout.

20.  Over the River & Through the Wood: A Holiday Adventure by Linda Ashman - Kids can especially appreciate this one if you have a busy holiday of traveling to visit family.

21.  The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne - A beautiful book set in the 1800s that will be sure to bring a tear to your eye as it reinforces the importance of kindness as well as the origin of Christmas stockings.

22.  Room for a Little One by Marin Waddell - The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful! I love this nativity story and some of the new animals in this heartfelt tale.

 

 

 

 

 

23. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs - A beautifully illustrated picture book about a snowman coming to life.

 

24.  The Mitten by Jan Brett - This is a much loved classic that is perfect for wintertime.

 

 

 

 

25.  The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski - This tale of kindness is about a Scrooge-like woodcarver.

 

26.  The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever by Stephen Kroll - The mice are at it again and on the hunt for the biggest Christmas tree.  

 

 

 

 

27. A Bad Kitty Christmas by Nick Bruel - This laugh out loud picture book follows Kitty after she doesn't get all the gifts she wanted for Christmas. Cue the hilarious antics.

28. Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin and James Dean - Everyone's favorite cat proves it's cool to be giving.

On Our TBR List:

The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

Green is for Christmas by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry

Merry Christmas, Strega Nona by Tomi dePaola 

What are some of your favorite picture books to read during the holiday season? Any of your favorites that I missed? Let me know in the comments below.