Goal to Read 100 Books in 2022 Accomplished!

I have to say, that happened a lot quicker than I ever thought. When I made the goal in January, I was curious about how fast I could read, if given a goal. And I really wanted to read a lot more books than I did last year. So, I set the 100 books goal. 

I divided out between audiobooks and books. And some books were on my Kindle and some I bought or rented from the library. 

MY FAVORITES OF THE 100:

  • The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
  • Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
  • Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan 
  • Book Lover by Emily Henry
  • Birds of California by Katie Cotugno
  • A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna 
  • The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood 
  • The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abi Waxman
  • My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
  • Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score
  • Finley Donovan is Killing It  by Elle Cosimano 
  • Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Reid (the whole series)
  • Homecoming King by Penny Reid 
  • A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin 
Mainly romance, rom coms, and chick lit. I tried out a murder mystery (albeit a silly one). And I got really comfortable listening to audiobooks during the day, while working, walking with Bruce or cleaning the house. Especially in the car waiting for Leah after play practices and doing a late night grocery store run. I listened to Beauty and the Mustache late night at Acme before our Memorial Day party and nearly cried in the produce department. 

I read books at night before bed to wind down -- for about an hour, but sometimes more. Not often, but I'll read durning the day or while waiting. And always while I'm traveling.  

Books

  1. Lease on Love by Falon Ballard -- good! great love story. fun characters.
  2. A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore  (pretty good. fun read
  3. Bringing Down the Duke  by Sophie Jordan (ok, feminist/suffragette themed romance
  4. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez - awful, started fine but just kept going and going, ugh!
  5. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas - super read and loved the MC and her guy. Also, it takes place in Spain with her Spanish family. 
  6. The Love Hypothesis by  Ali Hazelwood -- for sure going down as a favorite for this year. Swoony and sweet!
  7. The Duke Goes Down by Sophie Joran - Ok story, feminist/suffragette themed historical romance
  8. When a Scott Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare - great historical romance
  9. Death (Four Horsemen) by Laura Thalassa  -- the last in a romance series I started years ago and is exciting and crazy strange
  10. The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle -- ugh, not good at all! The main character is super UGH
  11. Follow by Tessa Bailey - blah, a skip, for sure.
  12. Famous by Kylie Scott -- once a great romance writer that I loved, now her books have gotten a little ho-hum
  13. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abi Waxman (LOVED!) -- lots of heart, cried a little at the end, sweet story
  14. The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser -- started out good, petered out at the end
  15. To Love and Loathe by Martha Waters -- not good. Don’t read the next book
  16. Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey -- cute, this author seems to be reliably good
  17. The No-Show by Beth O'Leary -- not as good as the first book I read, but there was a twist I didn't see coming that saved the story)
  18. Attraction by Penny Reid -- swoony romance with a cliffhanger ending that I'm not sure I really care enough to read
  19. Brides series by Vanessa Vale -- this is a series but will only count as one book because they're short and spicy!
  20. Something Wilder by Christina Lauren - went a surprising direction, but slow burn and swoony
  21. Book Lover by Emily Henry - gah, she is just Such a GOOD writer, it doesn't bother me the secrets and simple-to-see-to-everyone-but them ending/solution plot issues.
  22. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory - Ok, is there such a thing as too much sex? Like really? Otherwise, petered out pretty quickly. Skimmed the "let's both not be honest about our true feelings" middle to get to the happy ending at the end.
  23. My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey - so so so so so so much fun
  24. Mouth to Mouth by Tessa Bailey - going through back catalog, so good!
  25. Heat Stroke by Tessa Bailey
  26. Sink or Swim by Tessa Bailey - the entire beach kingdom bundle
  27. Birds of California by Katie Cotugno - Really Great!!! 100%, read it all during our travel day from Madrid to Athens
  28. Adult Assembly Required by Abi Waxman -- good until the last 1/4 and then it just DRAGGED. WHY?!
  29. Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score -- YES! Great read, so sweet and happy. Love it when the guy is more in love than the girl. Gah, a favorite.
  30. Do you Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare -- I really loved Charlotte and it's a cute story.
  31. Dream On by Angie Hockman -- interesting concept but was just terrible. the main character was guileless and shallow. 
  32. Bad Cruz by LJ Shen -- not well written but enough crazy action and a loveable MC to make it worth getting to the end
  33. Bombshell by Sarah Maclean -- second book in the Hell's Belles series, excellent! Love these books
  34. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood -- not as great as the first book, but LOVED the quirky MC and I LOVE LOVE when the guy falls first troupe.
  35. Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst-- the characters were boring and had no chemistry at all, it's good getaway read if you just want to fantasize about living in France.
  36. Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter -- mass market but cute dialog and romantic

Audiobooks

  1. When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips -- not great ... way too long
  2. Love at First Spite by Anna E Collins -- such a great listen, love the home reno tie-in
  3. Kismet by Lauren Blakely -- ok? but not great
  4. Stuck with You (2) by Ali Hazelwood (swoony goodness)
  5. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
  6. Just One Night by Carly Phillips -- steamy but dull
  7. The Paris Connection by Lorraine Brown -- another dull one, but a good way to day dream about being in Paris 
  8. Under One Roof (1)  by Ali Hazelwood (swoony goodness!)
  9. Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey  (great narration and fun book to listen to)
  10. Namesake by Adrienne Young (sequel to Fable) (ok)
  11. Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard -- not great, wayyy too long and very predictable.
  12. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren -- not great and a little slow
  13. Wilde in Love by Eloisa James - entertaining historical romance series so I'll check out the second
  14. Born to Be Wilde by Eloisa James
  15. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary -- so super-duper good, the dual narration and the fun MC, got a little teary at the end. 
  16. The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary -- also really good, fell a little flat at the end but the dual narration again was excellent. Loved dreaming about falling in love in the French countryside.
  17. These Hollow Vows by Lexi Brown -- wayyyy too long, really need to look at the durations, ugh
  18. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare -- cute but not memorable historical romance
  19. The Wrong Highlander by Lynsay Sands -- enjoyed the foreign accent of the narrator but the story wasn't all that good 
  20. Finley Donovan is Killing It  by Elle Cosimano -- by first mystery!! Such a fun and silly book. I'm IN for the entire series
  21. Seatmate by Cara Bastone -- theatrical reading, held my interest on a roadtrip but not memorable 
  22. Below Zero (3) by Ali Hazelwood -- My least favorite of the three audiobooks but no shortage of swoony and romantic
  23. Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan -- this one was awful
  24. The Glittering Court by Richelle Meade -- absolutely NOTHING happened 
  25. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams -- ok, fun and great narration. I'm hooked!)
  26. Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams -- the second in the series, it's a good one
  27. Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams -- the third in the series, but just ok, kinda over the concept.
  28. My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren -- great banter but the mistaken identity/lying gets tedious
  29. Finlay Donavan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano -- was too curious about the hero, so I had to find out what happens next. 
  30. Beard in Mind by Penny Reid -- 5th Winston Bros book, the southern accent is sooo good
  31. Meet Cute by Helena Hunting -- pretty good all around with a great payoff epilogue
  32. Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott -- crushing on Chris Brinkley narration. gah! but this story was a little sloooooow
  33. Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Reid - 0.5 book in the Winston Brothers series, Ashley's story (Swoony!)
  34. Truth or Beard by Penny Reid - I really like the male voice but the story got a little loooong (Duane's story)
  35. Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey - not her best series. Lots of sex.
  36. Grin & Beard It by Penny Reid - I can't stop with this sweet Beard series. Seriously.
  37. Beard Science by Penny Reid - Cletus and Jen's story. two more to go!
  38. Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid - this one got a little long but still fun. One more to go!
  39. For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten - entertaining but not super great. I liked the narrator a lot.
  40. Highland Wolf by Lindsay Sands - just a quick and silly Scottish romance
  41. Isn't It Bromantic by Lyssa Kay Adams - just wanted to get to the end of the Bromance Bookclub series, but I think there's another one coming 
  42. Playing with Trouble by Joya Ryan - it was free and it was ok
  43. Bravely by Maggie Steifvater - Delivered, as usual.
  44. Enjoy the View by Sarah Morganthaler - boring and not good
  45. Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas - going down the Ravenel series wormhole
  46. Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas - I read them all but years ago
  47. Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas  - i didn't remember much about each story
  48. Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas - and they were all soo good
  49. Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas - and the narration was excellent
  50. Homecoming King by Penny Reid - super swoony and good. I just love Joy Nash's narration. I hope there's another one
  51. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center - ok, cute dialogue but there was something very OFF about this main character who was essentially a Gallagher Girl but was somehow bested by a river and a cow -- which a Gallagher Girl WOULD NEVER HAVE been beat by. So .... no.
  52. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin - so good! Perfectly read and adorable story.
  53. Iona Iverson's Rules For Commuting by Clare Pooley -- super good! Great narration.
  54. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (or something like that) -- sappy and romantic and lovely
  55. Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan -- sappy and romantic -- loved that the character ran 2 miles each morning than sat down to write. Still thinking about this story, weeks later.
  56. Ten Trends to Seduce Your Best Friends by Penny Reid -- two red flags before I started this book, it was 15 hours (five longer than I usually choose) and social media challenges, which is a dumb plot device. Terrible book. 
  57. So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park -- super-duper boring, I skipped 30% of the book and I missed NOTHING.
  58. A Lady's Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett -- kinda fun, maybe a little too obvious, very spicy!
  59. American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas -- no stakes, totally boring. MC was like a newborn and had never experienced a feeling before. Ugh. I couldn't finish it fast enough
  60. The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson -- Finally! A good audiobook after so many lame picks. The MC was a bit soppy, but there was enough going on that it was OK. 
  61. Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman -- amazing narrator and swoony romance. Loved the two timelines and how natural it seemed. TOP 10 for sure
  62. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin -- pretty good. I always like the double narration. Lots of good action. Witches and witch hunters. Predictable, sure, but mostly exciting.
  63. Much Ado About You by Samantha Young -- nice romance but a little boring
  64. A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna -- great narration, cute read, good first book into this witch rom com genre.
That's 100! 

I'm going to keep going and see what number I end up with by the end of the year. And I'm going to pursue 100 books for the year, and see how close I get. Reading is slower for me, since I can't multitask while reading. But I like them more. 

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