ALL THE BOOKS I’M READING IN 2022
One of my resolutions this year is returning to reading for fun, so I’m sharing all the books I’m reading in 2022.
MY 2022 READING LIST
I often make jokes about how reading books for my degree ruined my desire to read. And to be honest, there is some truth to that. While in college, I was often saddled with 2-4 books to finish and write reading responses for on a weekly basis. Do that for four years, and you eventually start to associate books less with the magic of the fictional worlds that authors create, and more with the grating anxiety of an assignment submitted at 11: 59.
After a good two-year break, I started to pick up books again in 2021. I mainly relied on friends’ recommendations and reviews from my favorite bookstagrams to make my selections, and thankfully I enjoyed most of what I read. My 2021 highlights were definitely The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet and The First Woman by Jennifer Makumbi.
As I’m looking to read more in 2022, I thought I would share my journey with you and share the books I read, along with very short ratings, as I read them. My plan is to incorporate reading before bed as a part of my night routine, and also take my Kindle everywhere with me so I can read in those small waiting times we always have on a commute or before a meeting.
I don’t have a reading list already decided and will be picking books as I stumble upon them or they are recommended.
This is my ongoing 2022 reading list!
I’m not usually a short story collection type of reader. I definitely prefer full novels where I can dig into a fictional universe and fully escape into the characters. I read this book because its absolutely hilarious opening line went a little viral on my Twitter feed.
I found myself laughing through most of the stories- sensational, vulgar, many more explicit sex scenes than I think even Harlequin romances could justify. As I got to the final few of the collection, the stories seemed flatter. Or perhaps I had just gotten tired of reading about heterosexual shenanigans.
I think it’s an easy read- great if you’re trying to ease yourself back into reading- but ultimately somewhat forgettable. I still recommend it; not all books need to be life-changing, and it’s a fun way to spend a few hours.
I breezed through this book while getting my hair braided (it was the perfect way to spend that time) and honestly don’t think I would have finished it under different circumstances. One of the Goodreads comments describes this as a Lifetime movie set in Ghana and it’s honestly an incredibly apt summary.
The novel feels quite flippant- there are some interesting themes around feminism, marriage as a patriarchal tool, ethnocentrism, but none of them are treated in a manner I find particularly striking.
I was mainly interested in its discussion of Accra, which is the city I was born and grew up in, through the eyes of a character who isn’t native to it. It felt a bit removed from the city’s realities, flat in its descriptions, and halting in its analyses. Again, it’s not a bad book- a solid 3/5- but it’s not one I would re-read or be quick to recommend.
Amazing post, Amoafoa. And yes to reading more this year. I also have “His only wife” on my reading list too. One thing I do is that kindle thing you mentioned. Though I don’t have a Kindle I make use of my phone and read my books any free time I get, say I’m in the car going somewhere or when I’m done eating at school, it really helped me reach my reading goals for last year. I’m defo going to continue with it this year too