Today we’re looking back at our final bookhaul of 2022. Some of us added a lot of new books to our collection in December 2022, other got less new books, haha. But the question remains the same, did we actually read those books? It looked like we were getting better at reading books we got, but is that still true? Let’s take a look!
Candyce
Looking back at my December bookhaul is definitely the scariest post of the year, haha. Most of the time I have books on my wishlist and I’m very grateful I have family members who don’t mind my bookish obsessions. In December 2022 I ended up with 23 new books on my shelves. Let’s see how I did!
Traitor – Hattie Jude
Unread
We’re not starting off too great, because I haven’t read Traitor yet. This is actually pretty surprising, because it’s the shortest book from this haul I think. I’m still enjoying the why choose genre, so once again I hope I’ll love this one.
Kings of Quarantine – Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Unread
I did start reading Kings of Quarantine and I got about 20% into the book I think. As usual, I ended up getting distracted by something else. Kings of Quarantine is a book I will revisit, because what I read was good.
Unanimity – Alexandra Almeida
DNF/Unhaul
Like I said in the bookhaul last year, I received Unanimity for a blog tour I was going to participate in. I started this book and really wanted to like it, but after 50 pages I was just so confused and not enjoying myself. I’m really trying to not continuing with a book if I’m not loving it, so I decided to DNF this one.
Recursion – Blake Crouch
Read
Recursion started off really strong and I loved how we kept getting time switches. There is a fake memory syndrome around and our characters start learning about it. This was a fast paced book and I really enjoyed it. If you really analyze this book there are some plot holes/things that don’t make sense, but entertainment wise I was hooked.
Midnight Kisses – Jeanine Bennedict
Unread
Midnight Kisses was a sports romance I was really excited about, but for some reason still haven’t picked up. I’ve honestly had it in my hands a few times the last couple of weeks, but just haven’t sat down with it yet.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife – Ashley Winstead
Read
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is a thriller I kept seeing everywhere and I understand why. When I sat down with this book I read it in one sitting. There are some twists and turns and I enjoyed the dual timeline. It kept me guessing and trying to figure it all out. I’ll definitely be reading more by Ashley Winstead.
Anastasia – Sophie Lark
Unread
Since Anastasia released, I’ve read a few books by Sophie Lark and I’ve loved them. Like I said in our bookhaul, this one has been getting mixed reviews. Part of me thinks I’ve been hesitant to pick this up, because it’s a big book. Anastasia seems like a perfect winter read.
The Bone Spindle – Leslie Vedder
Unread
I’m still very grateful that the author sent me a copy of The Bone Spindle and it’s still a series I want to start. If I’m correct, the final book releases this year. So I will be reading these this year.
Accidentally Amy – Lynn Painter
Read
Lynn Painter proved to me once again why I say she’s a favorite of mine. The first few pages of Accidentally Amy had me laughing out loud. I definitely recommend this romance. My only wish was that it’s longer.
King of Wrath – Ana Huang
Unread
Since adding King of Wrath to my shelves, I’ve been debating if I want to read this before finishing the Twisted Love series. So it’s my goal to finish that series early this year and catch up with Kings of Sin.
The War of Two Queens – Jennifer L. Armentrout
Unread
I’m still so behind with this series and I received another book this year for Christmas. Just like I want to finish Twisted Love, I’m determined to finally be caught up with this series. A couple more books are releasing this year and I want to be able to read them before the year is over.
A Brush with Love – Mazey Eddings
Unread
A Brush with Love was actually on my list, so I could read the second book in this series. They are interconnected standalones, so they can be read separately. I did end up reading Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake first. I loved that book, so I’m looking forward to reading this and the third book that has been released.
The Charm Offensive – Alison Cochrun
Unread
I added The Charm Offensive to my list, because I tried the audiobook and it didn’t work for me. I love the idea of a romance starting between a producer of a reality dating show and its star. We all know that’s going to get messy.
Drunk On Love – Jasmine Guillory
Unread
Another book I’m surprised I haven’t picked up yet. Romances that start with a one night stand and they end up having to work together. I have a feeling this will be a fast and fun read.
Love & Other Words – Christina Lauren
Read
Wow, Love & Other Words was such an emotional roller-coaster. We get alternating timelines and slowly get to know what happened that pushed our two main character apart. I was not expecting the twist we got though. This book had me in tears!
Four Aunties and a Wedding – Jesse Q. Sutanto
Read
After loving Dial A for Aunties, I was so excited to receive the sequel of this series. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this one at all. For me it felt like not much happened and it was all settled really quickly? Also, the main character basically misses her whole wedding and it just keeps on going?
Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail – Ashley Herring Blake
Read
After loving Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, I was so excited for Astrid’s book and it didn’t disappoint. This is a bit of a rivals to lovers romance and both characters end up really thinking about things in their lives and their romance starts to develop. Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail had me laughing and crying.
Faking with Benefits – Lily Gold
Unread
I remember seeing Faking with Benefits everywhere. I love the concept of her best friends teaching her how to date and we all know that they’re going to fall in love. This why choose romance still sounds right up my alley. I just need to make time for it.
A Cosmic Kind of Love – Samantha Young
Read
I loved the idea of these two characters meeting after she sends emails to an email account he hasn’t used since being in space. When they first meet, I loved that she told him about what she’d done. What I didn’t love was that he had been reading said emails and didn’t say a word. It took way too long in my opinion before that was put out in the world. There were some enjoyable aspects, but the main characters also annoyed me quite a bit.
After I Do – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Read
Taylor Jenkins Reid writes emotional books and After I Do was another one. Our main character’s marriage isn’t a happy one anymore. So they decided to take a break for a year without any contact. We get the whole process and it was interesting to see her learn to live without him and how she felt about that. I loved this book, but I think it would’ve been even better with his POV a few times.
Meet Me in the Margins – Melissa Ferguson
Read
If I know a book is bookish in any way, I want to read it. Our main character is an editor and trying to write her own book. She accidentally leaves her manuscript at work and when she finds it again, she seems notes in the margins. This starts a whole set of interactions between these two people and she starts getting to know her new boss. I enjoyed Meet Me in the Margins, but the romance felt a bit absent. I needed more balance between the different side stories.
If the Shoe Fits – Julie Murphy
Read
If the Shoe Fits is a Cinderella retelling and with a reality dating show. I really ended up loving this book and read almost all of it in one sitting. I’ll definitely be picking up the other retellings in this series by different authors.
The Atlas Paradox – Olivie Blake
Unread
After loving The Atlas Six, I was hoping to read this one pretty soon after that. As you can see, that didn’t happen. My boyfriend has read The Atlas Paradox and didn’t really love it. I still want to give it a go to see how the story continues.
End Result
Read: 10/23 – 43.5%
Unhaul/DNF: 1/23 – 4.3%
TBR: 12/23 – 52.2%
Isabelle
I didn’t get that many new books December 2022 and the ones that I did get weren’t really ‘reading books’ so to say haha. So I’m not too mad about the fact that I haven’t read that much from them yet ;). Let’s see if I read any of it!
The Queen of Distraction: How Women with ADHD Can Conquer Chaos, Find Focus, and Get More Done – Terry Matlen
unread
I looked through this book for a bit but I haven’t fully read it yet. This year I hope to read a chapter every now and then. I just don’t read non-fiction books in one go, but I would love to read some more of them and maybe even finish one or two haha.
Women Don’t Owe You Pretty – Florence Given
unread
This is another non-fiction book. I read a bit of it and I think I actually could finish this one this year. It looks pretty big but there isn’t that much text in it. I will take another look at this one and maybe pick this as my non-fiction book for the year.
A couple of (beautiful) puzzle books
not yet completed
I have been working on most of these puzzle books and I have been loving them so much! But I haven’t completely finished them. I always hate finishing puzzle books haha. But maybe I should try and completely do one first because I am constantly switching between multiple at the moment.
End Result
Read: 0/6 – 0%
TBR: 2/6 – .%
Not yet completed: 4/6 – .%
So those are our final bookhauls of 2022! It seems we still need to get a bit better at finishing our books, haha. Do you ever look back and see if you’re actually reading what you add to your shelves? Or have you read any of these? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!
