Books I Read in 2022


These are the books I’ve read in 2022.

Clicking on a book title will take you to the individual book page where you can read my favorite quotes.


Title: Aspergirls

Author: Rudy Simone

Read In: 2022

Description:

Purchase: Bookshop.org (affiliate link)


Title: The Kiss Quotient

Author: Helen Hoang

Read In: 2022

Description:

Purchase: Bookshop.org (affiliate link)


Title: Oddball

Author: Sarah Andersen

Read In: 2022

Description:

Purchase: Bookshop.org (affiliate link)


Yona 29.


Yona 28.


Yona 27.


Yona 26.


Yona 25.


Yona 24.


Yona 23.


Yona 22.


Yona 21.


Yona 20.


Yona 19.


Yona 18.


Yona 17.


Yona 16.


Yona 15.


Yona 14.


Yona 13.


Yona 12.


Yona 11.


Yona 10.


Yona 9.


The Final Gambit


The Hawthorne Legacy


Yona 8.


My Body—Emily Ratajakowski


Yona 7.


Yona 6.


Yona 5.


Yona 4


Yona of the Dawn: Vol. 3—Mizuho Kusanagi


Chouette—Claire Oshetsky


Brave New World: A Graphic Novel


The Giving Tree


Inheritance games


Yona of the Dawn: Vol. 2—Mizuho Kusanagi


Yona of the Dawn: Vol. 1—Mizuho Kusanagi


Dracula MF


Heartstopper 4


Heartstopper 3


Heartstopper 2


Heartstopper: Vol. 1—Alice Oseman


Feeling Is The Secret—Neville Goddard

Read In: 2022

Summary: Very small, straightforward book about how feelings are the gateway between the conscious and subconscious mind. So any affirmations/thoughts that you want to turn into beliefs and have them manifest into your reality need to be “felt” while in a dreamlike, sleepy state, in order to traverse them from your conscious mind into your subconscious mind.


The Summer I Turned Pretty—Jenny Han

Read In: 2022

Summary: So I read this book because sometimes I feel like reading books that are trending, but honestly it kind of sucked. Then I realized it was published in 2009 and it’s only trending because they made a TV show out of it (because Jenny Han got kind of famous after her “To All The Boys” books/movies blew up). I’m now watching the show, and it’s so much better than the book. It fleshes out the other characters and captures the magic of teenage beach romance so much better. I was just annoyed by everything in the book, especially by the fact that the main character, a 16 year old girl named Belly, is constantly sticking her tongue out at people. That’s not something sixteen year old girls do!! Also the name Belly (a nickname for “Isabel”) is so weird, I hate it so much.  Anyway. You won’t hear me saying this very often but, skip the book (it’s actually a trilogy, I ended up reading plot summaries online so I wouldn’t have to read the other two books lol) and watch the show!


What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding—Kristin Newman


After Ever Happy—Anna Todd


Writing Down the Bones—Natalie Goldberg


After We Fell—Anna Todd


After We Collided—Anna Todd

Read In: 2022

Summary: I spent the whole book screaming, “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.” But then I remembered a serious relationship I had when I was twenty, and communicating honestly was the most difficult thing for me to do, so I often tried to just run away to get space. *sigh* At least we weren’t screaming or breaking glass or kissing other people.


Jennette McCurdy I'm Glad My Mom Died Book Quotes Ally Brennan Website Blog Author Essays ArchiveTitle: I’m Glad My Mom Died

Author: Jennette McCurdy

Read In: 2022

Description: Jennette McCurdy’s memoir of growing up shaped by her toxic controlling mom and dealing with eating disorders and addictions while being thrust into fame from iCarly. We also see her resilience and dogged pursuit of independence and recovery.


Adulthood Is A Myth—Sarah Andersen

Read In: 2022

Summary: SHE’S A CHILDFREE QUEEN.


Alone On the Wall—Alex Honnold

Read In: 2022

Summary: I just love this guy’s brain. And as a rock climber myself, obviously very inspired by his climbs. And secretly hoping to run into him one day since he owns a home here in Vegas.


Shout—Laurie Halse Anderson

Read In: 2022

Summary: I first read Speak when I was maybe 14. The writing style and storytelling left a huge impact on me. Now we get the story behind the story. Basically like her memoir but in poetry format. And after all these years, I finally learned that “Halse” is pronounced like “waltz” but with an H. Nice. And very beautiful book.


The Last Unicorn—Peter S. Beagle

Read In: 2022

Summary: This is like a classic twentieth century fantasy novel. Starring an independent immortal unicorn who lives alone in the forest. Kind of has The Princess Bride vibes. Just a little weird quirkiness to the fantasy that makes you tilt your head a little bit.


Sheets—Brenna Thummler

Read In: 2022

Summary: Cute and sad ghost story. The topic of death as seen through child character is always heartbreaking. But lovely story.


The Spring Girls—Anna Todd

Read In: 2022

Summary: A modern-day retelling of Little Women, but with very satisfying alternate endings. Jo is my queen, as always.


After—Anna Todd

Read In: 2022

Summary: Pretty much a rip-off of both Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey (but Fiffty Shades of Grey literally began as a Twilight fanfic, so Twilight is still on top, babyyyy). I will not apologize for my reading choices nor label them as “guilty.” But I will complain about them. Toxic relationships are really exhausting to read about. And the characters in this book are really boring. They have zero hobbies/personality, besides partying, watching TV, having sex, and shopping at the mall. Are there actual people who live like this?? I can’t stand it.


The Autism-Friendly Guide to Self-Employment—Robyn Steward

Read In: 2022

Summary: Very helpful book. Lots of detailed explanations for things that most people expect you to know. I made a long list of action tasks from this book.


This Is Not a Fashion Story—Danielle Bernstein

Read In: 2022

Summary: This is a memoir of the creator of the brand We Wore What. While it’s kind of fluffily written and shallow, I enjoyed reading it (the triple Gemini part of me who likes The Bachelor, gossip, easy reads with lots of sex, and celebrity memoirs enjoyed reading it). I also saw a lot of myself in her and I like reading about people who stubbornly pursue their wild vision to fruition. And I greatly enjoyed reading all the 1-star reviews written by people who are salty towards the privileged, the rich, and the successful.


Breaking Dawn—Stephenie Meyer

Read In: 2022

Summary: The story wraps up just a little too neatly and sweetly, “together forever,” that I actually feel a little sad by the time I finish the series.


Beyond The Wall—Edward Abbey

Read In: 2022

Summary: Gritty yet humerous essays about the deserts of western America. He’s stubborn and irreverent and says what everyone else is too afraid to say—and I genuinely busted up laughing while reading this book. Reading about someone else who also can’t understand why they’re so obsessively drawn to the hostile desert is quite comforting. Also while reading this, I decided he reminded me a lot of the author Tom Robbins. Then serendipitously, in the last essay in the book, he writes about how he forgot to bring a book with him on a guided expedition in Alaska in 1983 so someone lends him Still Life with Woodpecker, which was his first introduction to Tom Robbins. Amazing.


Eclipse—Stephenie Meyer

Read In: 2022

Summary: No matter how many times I read this book and scream at Bella to choose Jacob, she always breaks my—and Jacob’s—heart.


New Moon—Stephenie Meyer

Read In: 2022

Summary: I love all the Jacob Black in this book. I wish Edward had never returned. Bella’s actually happy and adventurous with Jacob, not co-dependent and controlled. #teamjacob


Twilight—Stephenie Meyer

Read In: 2022

Summary: One of my favorite comfort reads to turn to when I tire of pretentious books. Bella gets way too much hate. She’s just an awkward tomboy book lover who feels like she doesn’t fit in in this world. I love her and relate.


What Are People For?—Wendell Berry

Read In: 2022

Summary: Compilation of essays on technology, farming, modernity, environment, and how humans fit in the grand design of nature. My favorite essay is called “Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer,” written in 1987.


The INFJ Revolution—Lauren Sapala

Read In: 2022

Summary: After finishing her book Firefly Magic, I decided she was one of my new favorite authors and wanted to read more from her. I’m an INFP, not INFJ, but I was willing to read this just to get more Lauren Sapala in my life. To my surprise and delight, she ended up writing a lot about INFP’s too, because of their similarities to the INFJ. This book made me feel so seen.


The Reader—Bernhard Schlink

Read In: 2022

Summary: First love, nazi trials, and the art of reading out loud.


Shaler’s Fish—Helen Macdonald

Read In: 2022

Summary: I approach all poetry with the expectation that I will have no idea what’s happening but at least the words are pretty (the exception is my queen, Emily Dickinson). My expectations were met with this poetry book.


The Little Paris Bookshop—Nina George

Read In: 2022

Summary: A bookish book for bookish people. And for people who love love and want to cry about lost love.


Your Infinite Power to be Rich—Joseph Murphy

Read In: 2022

Summary: Joseph Murphy is pretty much the only “manifestation” author I read anymore. He structures his techniques into meditation prayers, which work really well for spiritual people like myself. Also he was a scientist so his writing is just super straightforward and practical, which is definitely what this topic needs more of in order to be taken more seriously.


Howl’s Moving Castle—Diana Wynne Jones

Read In: 2022

Summary: One of the weirdest cutest books ever. I will never not be in love with Howl.


The Creative Habit—Twyla Tharp

Read In: 2022

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Firefly Magic—Lauren Sapala

Read In: 2022

Summary: Marketing book catered towards highly sensitive INFJ and INFP folk. Basically my new bible.


The Year of Magical Thinking—Joan Didion

Read In: 2022

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The War of Art—Steven Pressfield

Read In: 2022

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In Love—Amy Bloom

Read In: 2022

Summary: Memoir of the writer’s husband developing Alzheimer’s and the concept of quality of life vs elongating life by any means necessary and a look inside the infamous Swiss non-profit Diginitas.


The Queen’s Gambit—Walter Tevis

Read In: 2022 + 2021

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Station Eleven—Emily St. John Mandel

Read In: 2022

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Wintering—Katherine May

Read In: 2022

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At Home in Joshua Tree: A Field Guide to Desert Living—Sara & Rich Combs

Read In: 2022

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Writers & Lovers—Lily King

Read In: 2022 + 2021

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The Electricity of Every Living Thing—Katherine May

Read In: 2022

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Very Cold People—Sarah Manguso

Read In: 2022

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Will—Will Smith & Mark Manson

Read In: 2022

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The Song of Achilles—Madeline Miller

Read In: 2022

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The Minimalist Entrepreneur—Sahil Lavingia

Read In: 2022

Summary: “This book, part manifesto, part manual, will help you design, build, and successfully grow your own right-size business.”


Bewilderment—Richard Powers

Read In: 2022

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The Desert Mothers—Mary C. Earle

Read In: 2022

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue—V.E. Schwab

Read In: 2022 + 2021

Summary: A 23 year old girl in 1700’s France dreams of independence, art, and travel, but is being roped into an unwanted marriage to a widower and father of two. Panicked, she flees the church and runs into the woods, begging the gods for help. A dark god appears, offering her the freedom she desires, in exchange for her soul when she tires of her new life. Unbeknownst to her, he uses careful wording to add some curses to her wish. And so her life becomes a game, a battle of wills.

I love her stubborn independence, her insistence that she will never give up even when she’s cold, exhausted, hungry, in pain—because there’s always more beauty and wonder to discover. Her fierce lust for life, for independence, for seeing what could happen next—that is something I relate to on a soul level.


The Cat Who Saved Books—Sosuke Natsukawa (translated by Louise Heal Kawai)

Read In: 2022

Summary: A reclusive high school boy named Rintaro loses his grandfather and has to keep their small bookstore running himself. A talking cat appears one day, with a demand that Rintaro help them save books that are being abused by powerful beings. They enter a portal which takes them through different mazes to face the various challenges—and quiet, indecisive Rintaro must rely on his love for books and the wisdom of his grandfather to save them.

I adore any book that has a focus on the love of reading. Maybe it seems kind of circular to read books about reading books, but I guess that’s when you know you’re in love with books. It’s a peaceful, mildly easy read. It feels like a breath, a pause, a short reprieve from reality that feels both comfortable and inspiring. (I was also challenged by the points made about not secluding yourself too much in the world of books, to get out and be a part of the world.)


Financial Freedom—Grant Sabatier

Read In: 2022

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Zen Pencils—Gavin Aung Than

Read In: 2022

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Matrix—Lauren Groff

Read In: 2022

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Poison For Breakfast—Lemony Snicket

Read In: 2022

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The Power of Your Subconscious Mind—Joseph Murphy

Read In: 2022

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The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse—Charlie Mackesy

Read In: 2022

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Genesis—Bernard Beckett

Read In: 2022 + 2017

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Odd Girl Out—Laura James

Read In: 2022

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Oddball—Sarah Andersen

Read In: 2022

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The Kiss Quotient—Helen Hoang

Read In: 2022

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Aspergirls—Rudy Simone

Read In: 2022

Summary: