104 Book Challenge

Reading two books a week for 2022. A list and short synopsis of each book I read this year. Reading a variety of nonfiction, fiction, children’s, classics, new authors, and even a graphic novel or two.

Book 45: Lonesome Dove: The best book I have read all year. Painful, sad, funny, and epic this book was brilliantly written. I loved the depth of the characters and descriptions of their world. I had watched the mini series and enjoyed it. The book was even better.
Book 44: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea: This YA book had a fun and easy going feel to it. After reading some dark books it was a nice change. It was a very easy read and could be put down and picked up with little confusion. The book takes place in the underworld and has some fantastic elements.
Book 43: A Thousand Ships: This book follows the women who were involved in the Trojan war. The book is only from the perspective of women and is beautifully written. There are hard parts to read but I loved the book.
Book 42: The Memory Painter: This book was about two characters who are reincarnated over time and always come back to each other. The book was alright but not my favorite book I have read.
Book 41: Spark: This book has so many great ideas about exercise and the ways it helps our brains and bodies. This book has a lot of reasons to exercise and it is broken down into easy to digest chunks.
Book 40: Dreadgod: This is another Will Wright book. He is a great writer this one wasn’t as great as the others. I love the series but this is the 11th book in the series and I want to see an ending soon. Hope there is an end in sight, hoping for closure.
Book 39: My Perfect Daughter: This story is a murder mystery. It is an easy read with all the parts of genre. The story is pretty good and I enjoyed it for an easy story.
Book 38: Once there were Wolves: I had heard a lot about this book from several friends and I was excited to read it. The book follows a wolf biologist and her sister as they try to reintroduce wolves to Scotland. It was a good book with a lot of ups and downs. There are some graphic scenes but worth reading.
Book 37: Tell Me Lies: This was a fun “who done it?” book. It was an easy read and had a great ending. The book follows a phycologist who has several patients who are unstable. It was an enjoyable book that I didn’t have to think about too much.
Book 36: Feed: This is my second Mira Grant book and she didn’t disappoint. Her books are graphic and well written. This book was a zombie book but took a completely different angle. The book followed a political campaign and the characters were fantastic. Great book and surprising ending.
Book 35: The sisters: This book is by my favorite Irish author. The book is a murder mystery and was predictable but still enjoyable. I listened to it on Audible and the reader did a fantastic job. An easy listen but well written with strong women characters.
Book 34: Manhattan Beach: This book was beautifully written and told. The story follows the first female diver during WW2. The book dealt with themes like woman’s sexuality and racism in the 1940s. Great book and a wonderful read.
Book 33: Goosebumps: Curse Mummey’s Tomb: I wasn’t allowed to read Goosebumps when I was little so this was my first one. It was surprisingly good for short easy read. It was predictable in the best way.
Book 32: The Surrogate: This was my least favorite book I have read this year. The book was too predictable. The book had happy endings for everyone and everyone got their way and it was very unrealistic. The book was well written but not one I enjoyed.
Book 31: Bridge to Terabithia: I never read the book or watch the movie when I was young and always wanted to read it. The book is written well and the characters are deep and moving. The ending is beautiful and painful.
Book 30: Into the Drowning Deep: This book was excellent. I listened to it on audible while I swam at the pool. It was really fun. The book is about mermaids in the deep ocean. It is surprisingly believable.
Book 29: The Candy Shop War: This is my first Brandon Mull book and it was good. The idea was unique and fun to read. The story follows four fifth graders who encounter magic candy through a super villain. Entertaining.
Book 28: Touching Spirit Bear: This book is about a boy who attacks another boy and is sent to an island by himself. This has some parts that I really like. The idea of Circle Justice and working on oneself. It is a pretty violent book but has some good lessons.
Book 27: Artemis: Another Andy Weir and another success. I think I have read all of his now. The story follows a woman who lives on the moon. The woman runs into several problems that include murder and sabotage. The characters are well developed and the writing is funny.
Book 26: The Insignificant Events in a Life of a Cactus: Another children’s book this week and a fantastic one. The book follows a girl who was born with no arms. Her struggles with moving to a new school bring out a human part to this book. Fantastic for adults and children.
Book 25: A Boy in the Girls Bathroom: A cute book about boy who struggles with everything from school to social interactions, even the relationships with his family is strained. The book is great especially for kids. There is humor and sadness and I loved it all.
Book 24: Green Lights: This book was suggested to me by a friend and I enjoyed it. I think it is geared more towards men but I was able to gain some insightful tidbits from it as well. I read it in the audio format and it is read by the author which was a fun listen.
Book 23: The Mockingjay: I finished the series finally and even though I knew what happened it was still so sad. It is a hard book to read but well written and does the end of the series justice.
Book 22: The Martian: Another book by Andy Weir and I was just as impressed with this one. The man knows how to write. I am not a big space fan, but his books are incredible.
Book 21: The Happiness Project: This is a book about a woman who for a year does a challenge to try to get happier. The is funny and has some good points. I had a hard time connecting with parts of it, but a it was a good reminder read.
Book 20: Inside out and Back Again: This book follows a young girl’s journey to America during the fall of Saigon. The book is written in poem form. The book was brilliant and had so many good thinking points for adults and children.
Book 19: The Moonlight Child: Loved this book. Predictable in a good way. It made me laugh and cry. It is an easy read. The book follows an old woman and a girl who has just aged out of foster care. The connection they develop is very believable and the book is well written. If you need a book that is easy to read and easy on the heart it is a great one.
Book 18: The Unheard: This book was alright, but not my favorite. It follows a young woman who is a single mother who’s life spins out of control when she believes her daughter’s behavior is odd. It was a little unbelievable but alright for an easy read. I did not predict the ending so that was nice.
Book 17: MeatEater’s Campfire Stories, Close Calls: This book is about close calls in the wild. The book has several stories about real people who almost died spending time in the wild. I enjoyed the book but sometimes the audio isn’t great. I am not sure if it is available other than on Audible but I would try to find another source.
Book 16: Catching Fire: After reading The Hunger Games I had to read the second one. It did not disappoint.
Book 15: The Bad Guys Books 1-12: This series is one of my favorite series for children of any age. The graphic novel follows a Wolf, Shark, Snake, and Piranha who are the “bad guys,” who want to be good. It is a great book series that is funny and touching.
Book 14: Atomic Habits: This book is one I listened to on Audible. I love Audible but I would suggest getting the physical book for this one. It is a book you want to go back and look at the lists for but with the audio book it is much harder to do that. A good book if you want to be more productive, it is similar to any book that deals with Cognitive Behavior and brain research.
Book 13: Hunger Games: I have never read the Hunger Games and I finally see what all they hype is about. A fun easy book to read that really transports you to the world the author creates. If you haven’t read it yet and need a book to get lost in, I suggest it.
Book 12: The Lost City of the Monkey God: This book was so interesting. The book was written about a “lost” city that was unearthed only a few years ago. The part that I found particularly enthralling was the history about disease in the old world versus new world. It also predicts a pandemic far before COVID-19. A great read, especially for a nonfiction book, it reads like fiction.
Book 11: Loser: This book is about a boy who has a unique perspective on the world and his life growing up. The book is written for middle school children and is a great book to read as a family. It deals with inclusion and differences in a subtle way. I would recommend this book for any child fourth grade and up.
Book 10: The War that Saved my Life: This book has been my favorite children’s book I have read this year. This book follows a girl during WW2 who lives in London. She has a disability and a mother who is cruel. She overcomes both in this touching and beautiful story.
Book 9: The Terrible and Wonderful Reason why I Run Long Distances: My first graphic novel and I loved it. I love the author “The Oatmeal.” He has a hilarious point of view that is different from any other author I typically read. The graphic novel is an adult novel and is not for children or those who are bothered by language, but if you love an off sense of humor you will love this book.
Book 8: Noyln: This book was a second chapter to a series I read last year. I was frustrated by the way the series ended but Audible had a sale and I purchased this new one. The story follows mixed blooded characters who are half human, half elf. The fantasy story has lots of ups and downs and is fast paced, but takes a while to understand the world that the authors builds.
Book 7: Island of the Blue Dolphin: This was the first children’s book I finished. The book was a quick read and interesting. I liked the perspective of a girl survival book and her perspective on living alone. The book’s writing is simple language and yet descriptive enough to be entertaining. An easy read and a good book for middle aged kids. There are parts that are not suitable for very young children (murder and death of a young child).
Book 6: The Four Winds: This was the second book I have read by Kristin Hannah. It was well written and engaging but quite depressing. The history of the dust bowl and the treatment of migrant workers was eye opening and thought provoking but the book was just so sad I almost couldn’t stand it. Great writing and history but be prepared to be crushed by sadness.
Book 5: Project Hail Mary: I am not a big science fiction fan, but once again my friend’s tastes in books impress me. This book was recommended to me by a friend and was a treat. I felt like I was getting smarter as I read, the writing does a great job between real science and fiction science, to make the story very believable. The story follows a man who is a middle school science teacher, turned astronaut. Being a teacher I loved the references to teaching. The book has many twists and turns and a great ending.
Book 4: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: If you want a book that will stretch you as a person and to entertain you in the process, this book is the one. I think learning should be enjoyable. Deeply moving and full of emotion and beauty this book does not disappoint. I cried, I laughed, and there was never a dull moment. This book is about an actress from 50’s to the 80’s. It has rich history on women’s rights, LGBTQ+ perspectives, and early Hollywood. If you want a book to move you and challenge you, this is it.
Book 3: The People of the Book: This book won the Pulitzer Prize and it is easy to see why. The story is written in a series of “mini” stories, which I loved. The story is about a woman who is working to preserve a book, a Jewish book called the Haggadah, and the story follows characters who have come in contact with the book. The history and details of this book are incredible. The characters feel real. Their struggles, triumphs, and shortcomings all make for a great read.
Book 2: A Gentleman In Moscow: The best book I have read this year, (I couldn’t help myself). In all honesty, this was an enjoyable read. The language is beautiful in its simplicity and complex in all the best ways. I might have fallen just a little in love with Count Rostov, but I don’t think you can read this book and not fall for the Count. Last year I read The Romanov Sisters, which gave me background on the Russian Revolution and the start of Communism in Russia. If you are unfamiliar with the Russian Revolution this book will have elements that are not easily understood. This book spans a large part of Russian history and has some interesting political perspectives. I truly enjoyed the book and if you are in the mood for fantastic writing and a character to fall slightly in love with I would suggest it.

Book 1: Reaper: If you have read anything by Will Wright you must stop what you are doing and read him now. I started his Cradle series, his best books (in my opinion), and I cannot stop reading him. His latest book, Reaper, is the best. The book is so good in fact that I am going to go back and reread his other nine. Yes, you read that correctly, his other nine books in this series. I thought that Reaper would be the last book I would read because I wanted an ending but, this book absolutely rocked my world.