Hello helloooo!

I hope you had a lovely and safe new year! Waking up for work yesterday was sooo rough haha – the holiday bedtime is drastically different from my year-round bedtime, let me tell ya. Sorry to be coming at you with my monthly reading wrap up post a tad bit late! I ended 2021 at 111 books, which I’m very pleased about! My original goal was 50 – you just never know what the year will hold in adulthood, you know? I set my goal for 2022 at 75 books… but I’ll save my 2022 goals for another post ☺️

MARY JANE by Jessica Anya Blau

Set in the 1970s, a 14 year-old girl ends up babysitting for a hippie family while coming to terms with her strict upbringing. This was alright — I’m annoyed because the synopsis compares it to Daisy Jones and the Six (which is widely loved, including by me) when it’s actually far from it. The story had its sweet moments, and while I understand the POV is through a 14 year-old girl, something about the writing itself felt immature.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5

THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY by Amor Towles

A man takes his younger brother on a roadtrip on the Lincoln Highway to find their mother in San Francisco with many a detour along the way. Ooooiii this was not what I was expecting. This was good but didn’t read at all like Towles’ prior two novels – the first-person POV threw me off and his sophisticated, elegant writing style wasn’t present in this novel. The plot was fun — not necessarily a “roadtrip” story, but adventurous nevertheless. I guess, overall, I was expecting it to be more ~grand~ and it didn’t quite hit.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett

A businessman hosts a birthday party with a guest opera singer when things take a turn and all of the guests are held hostage by terrorists. The plot sounds scary – and at times the story certainly is thrilling – but per Ann Patchett’s writing style, she has a way of making mundane, or in this case, outlandish, situations beautiful and meaningful. I did feel that given the stakes at the beginning of the novel (when the guests are taken hostage), the novel felt very slow-paced. The story does develop gorgeously though!

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND by Michael Pollan

An explanation and history of the groundbreaking research done on psychedelics of all forms. I picked this up because I a) honestly don’t know much about psychedelics and am curious about the science behind it all, and b) know I have a negative implicit bias toward people who use it recreationally and wanted to see if this would change my mind. I wanted to love this non-fiction like I loved Why We Sleep, but it wasn’t quite there. There is a lot of history behind psychedelics, research politics & name-dropping all around. I am however, intrigued on how the stigma of psychedelic use within society will change overtime! I’d say this book changed my mind on how I view people who use it recreationally, but I myself am not quite convinced to try it until further research is developed. 🙂

Rating: 4 out of 5

KLARA AND THE SUN by Kazuo Ishiguro

A futuristic novel where the norm is for kids to grow up with an AI robot-friend, exploring various themes like humanity, the environment, and what it means to know and love someone. I had been meaning to read this one for ages and am not disappointed nor surprised – just satisfied with this read. There’s a lot to unpack in this one (classic Ishiguro). I thought it was just spectacular, unique, and thought-provoking.

Rating: 4 out of 5

THESE PRECIOUS DAYS by Ann Patchett

A series of heartwarming, autobiographical essays, including how Patchett spent her first couple of months in the pandemic. By now, you probably know I’m a big fan of Ann Patchett (and her voice. This audiobook is absolutely lovely). Her latest book of essays is no exception – poignant and so touching. I really felt Patchett writing from the heart, especially in her last couple of essays about her dear friend Sooki (and Tom Hanks!). Loved ♥️

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

BEAUTIFUL WORLD, WHERE ARE YOU by Sally Rooney

Two women email back and forth about their daily and love lives. This was really lovely – classic Rooney in her latest. I found myself to be more interested in the email exchanges between the two women than the actual plot, lol – they were borderline philosophical and I was kind of down for that! Once again, Rooney is so good at capturing the nuances between people, however uncomfortable and raw. A must-read if you loved Rooney’s other books!

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

EARLY MORNING RISER by Katherine Heiny

A woman moves to a small town in Michigan and falls in love with the player of the town and finds her people. This one came highly recommended from one of my book-blogging-days friend (thanks Bella!), and I couldn’t agree more that this book felt like a warm hug. The story was so stinkin’ sweet! And funny! And messy, and smart, and real. The characters felt so genuine and I loved each dynamic. I laughed out loud multiple times – loved this one.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

MAGIC LESSONS by Alice Hoffman

The prequel to a witch series following the generations of the Owens. This one is really fun and adventurous – your classic witch story. It’s set in the 1600s and takes place in England and Massachusetts, so there are really interesting historical tidbits on the plague and the Salem witch trials. I feel that it could be a tad more dreamy & magical for what it is, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I honestly feel like this could be read as a standalone; tbh I might only read this one the series because the reviews for the rest of the books aren’t as great.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

CALL US WHAT WE CARRY by Amanda Gorman

A collection of Amanda’s poems primarily surrounding topics on the pandemic, our nation, and race. I struggle to recommend this one – like most of America, I fell in love with Gorman’s poetry and narration during the 2020 presidential inauguration. This collection is smart, but it is heavy. Gorman’s talent shines through and I can 100% recognize and respect it for what it is, but I would hesitate to recommend it, especially while the world is still fighting a pandemic. If you do choose to pick it up, I would recommend getting your hands on a physical copy and the audiobook – it’s narrated by Gorman herself, but she incorporates verses from other thinkers and historical events; it would’ve been nice if I had visually seen the distinction on the page.

How was the end of your year in reading?

Thanks for sticking with me!

Jen x