Top 5 Reads of 2022
I have FINALLY put together my TOP 5 BOOKS of 2022 and I’m pumped to share them. Each of these 5 star books moved and entertained me in their own special way! Enjoy!!!
🎁2022 HOLIDAY BOOKS & PAIRINGS🎁
The 2022 Dear Mr. Hemingway Holiday Books & Pairings is HERE, and short and sweet—perfect for everyone exhausted from endless decision-making. In this year’s minimalist guide, I chose five books & five pairings that have DELIGHTED me every which way. This year’s lineup includes a scrumptious new cookbook, a mesmerizing book of poems, a musical memoir, a thriller in a secluded cabin, and a tantalizing tale of love and lust. My pairings are equally satisfying. They can be mixed and matched and open the doors to many products from pretty spectacular businesses. I hope you enjoy my holiday roundup for shopping made easy this holiday season! Be sure to click on the book pictures below to purchase these books for the book lover in your life. Don’t forget to click on the highlighted pairings as well. If you are looking for a more extensive list of Books & Pairings, check out my past gift guides RIGHT HERE!
Try A Little Tenderness
Today I am sending a big shout-out to ATRIA BOOKS for sending me an ARC of Jacqueline Bublitz’s debut novel Before You Knew My Name. FIVE STAR READ all the way, and guess what????? It just came out, so be sure to grab yourself a copy after you read my rave!
All Things Bianca Marais
One of my favorite authors of all time has a new book out in the world today. Bianca Marais is back, and this time, she brilliantly meshes present-day themes of race, gender, women’s rights, and sexual identity with a spellbinding flair in her brand new magical tale, The Witches of Moonshyne Manor. It is time to hop on a souped-up Harley Davidsonstick and fly on over to Moonshyne Manor & Distillery to meet some of my new favorite characters who are not only fierce friends but WITCHES too. Being described as The Golden Girls meets Practical Magical, Queenie, Ursula, Jezebel, Tabitha, Ivy, and Ruby are a force to be reckoned with. Let’s not forget about Widget and Persephone too. These characters are MY PEOPLE!
The 1950s & 1960s Housewives in Fiction
Today I am incredibly psyched to share four books that depict women living in the 1950s & 1960s. I will NEVER NOT be fascinated with this period in our history. I adore being a wife and a mother, but I also enjoy my opinions and ways of doing things that most definitely do not match up with the era I bring to you today. Some women were complacent with their expected roles as wives and mothers. Others rebelled or suffered from undiagnosed mental illnesses. My book selection shows the superficial glamour of these times for women and the limitations and repercussions of such an oppressive era. Yes, women could vote, but they were still second to their male counterparts in everything else…except child rearing, vacuuming, and making dinner. Enjoy these four splendid books and wicked remarkable and courageous leading ladies! I sure did!
The WesternMost Bookstore in the United States
I am so excited to share with you the bookstore I had the pleasure of visiting last week. It just so happens to be the Westernmost Bookstore in the United States. How cool is that?
Cocktails & Book Tales With Ashley Winstead
I am so excited to announce that I will be going LIVE on Instagram with author Ashley Winstead tonight at 8 pm EST. We will be discussing her new book, The Last Housewife, which comes out on August 16th, and a bunch of other fun things. I hope to see you all there. If you happen to miss it…It will be saved to my Instagram account and can be watched later. In the meantime, here is what I said about all three of her books.
Cape Cod Summers With Jennifer Weiner
I am 100% in love with all of Jennifer Weiner’s “Summer Books.” 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 and 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 kept me company on the beach the past few years here in coastal Maine. AND this year, I happily devoured Weiner’s latest, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 with my toes nestled deep into the warm sand. Today I am happily sharing all three of her summer books with you, hoping you will enjoy them on a warm sunny day. At the end of the day, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝗪𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐞!
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS JUNE SELECTION
Katie @basicbsguide and I are so excited to announce our June Book Selection…𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 🐍 by Leigh Bardugo. I have been wanting to read this for SO LONG and my dreams are finally coming true 😃. Does an Ivy League School, secret societies, dead bodies, and some dark magic sound good to you???? Sounds magnificent to me! This is a read at your own pace situation during the month of June followed by an EPIC private chat on Instagram with me, Katie, and the whole 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐁𝐔𝐃𝐃𝐘𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒 crew. Come join us!
Cleopatra’s Dagger & An Honest Lie
Today I am sharing two books that couldn’t be more different from one another. On tap is a psychological thriller that will knock your socks off and a slow-burn historical mystery with a few dead bodies floating around. Let’s take a peek at these spring 2022 releases, shall we?
May #DEARBASICBUDDYREADS SELECTION
The month of May is just around the corner, and Katie @basicbsguide and I have selected 𝘕𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 by Anna Pitoniak for our next Buddy Read!
It’s time to dive into something with chills, drama, ambition, and intensity and we anticipate Pitoniak’s 2019 book will deliver.
As always, this is is read at your own pace situation with a killer private chat at the end of May!
Listen Up
Spring is officially in the air, and my reading life feels wonderfully on point. I constantly switch up genres to keep up with my ever-changing mood, and it’s the #1 reason I hardly ever get bored with my books. Today I am sharing two books that could not possibly be more different from one another, yet both were captivating in their unique way. A memoir about healing from trauma while climbing Mount Everest and a work of spectacular fiction that involves dead bodies and over-the-top rich people is what I am talking about today, so listen up.
@freethetruth
I am so thrilled to be writing to you about a brilliant debut novel that completely captivated me. Truth and Other Lies by Maggie Smith is Women’s Fiction at its finest. Politics, journalism, and family dynamics line the pages of Smith’s book and I happily read every word. Let’s take a peek, shall we?
A Trio of Books Just For You
I have three books for you today and they are all so very different from one another. These three works of fiction each have their own unique vibe and I am thrilled to share them with you. I am offering up a man in search of his soul, a courtroom drama set way into the future, and a mystery around some Nazi stolen artwork. I can honestly say that I was swept away by all three of the books below. I was shocked, entertained, made to think, and above all…simply wowed by these three authors. I do believe there is something for everyone in today’s round-up. Happy reading and listening!
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS MARCH SELECTION
he moment you have all been waiting for 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 𝐓𝐡𝐞 #𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐲𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 by Amy Poeppel 🎶🎶🎶. Katie @basicbsguide and I are so excited to lighten up the reading vibe in March with a book that PEOPLE MAGAZINE calls, “𝐀 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐢𝐧-𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.”
February Book Selection
Katie @basicbsguide and I cordially invite you to join in our February Book Selection for #𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐁𝐔𝐃𝐃𝐘𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒. We will be reading the 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝗪𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 and 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘜𝘯𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Jesmyn Ward.
Nothing Lasts Forever
There is nothing more thrilling to me than reading a debut novel. Because I have no preconceived notions or backlist titles to compare it to, I have the opportunity to absorb the writing while getting to know the writer one page at a time. With that said, I just finished Julia May Jonas’ debut novel, Vladimir, and I can honestly say that I was dazzled by her beautiful writing.
One Letter, Three Books
Happy New Year! I don’t know about you, but I love the start of a brand new year. Clean slate, endless possibilities, and of course…new books. Today I am sharing one book that came out in September 2021 and two that were published TODAY! Three books for the price of one letter to you is not too shabby. Let’s see what I’ve got, shall we!
Nutcrackers & Handsprings: Books About the Cutthroat World of Ballet and Gymnastics
Today I am sharing four books that capture the fierce passion and wild side of ballet and gymnastics. Scandal, abuse, injuries, eating disorders, and love fill the pages of today’s reads. The lineup is dripping in all of the blood, sweat, and tears that we love to read about. And GUESS WHAT? Legwarmers and leotards are entirely optional. You can be captivated by these stories from the comfort of your living room couch wearing sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. How great is that!!!!
DIG HERE
I am over the moon to share with you one of Fall’s most anticipated and buzziest new books. This September, Lisa Jewell is back with her latest creation,The Night She Disappeared. Once again, Jewell delivers another fantastic read!
Love Me Tender
I was instantly seduced by the cover of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s newest sensation, Velvet Was the Night. Luscious lips coated in a sticky pink gloss about to take a drag off of a tantalizing cigarette being gracefully handled by pointy manicured nails with a drizzle of smoke permeating the air!!! Ummmmm, I had to see what’s inside! And guess what???? I am happy to report that the pages of this historical noir were just as mesmerizing as its cover. Let’s take a look.
The Way You Look Tonight
Happy Saturday! Do you remember when I told you about how much I loved Melissa Grace’s book, Home is Where You Are? Well guess what??? The sequel, Home Again, is coming out for all the world to read July 27, 2021 and I am here to tell you how fabulous it is. Grace once again dazzled me with her passionate characters and heartfelt tale. The spotlight is on Ella and Cash this time around, and their love story does not disappoint. I am now impatiently waiting for book three.
Watermelon Queen
Passerby (Out Today), by the lovely Britney King was my perfect Saturday night read. King never fails to thrill me with her suspenseful tales and her latest did not disappoint. Small town living and dead bodies wrapped in a bit of southern charm is what’s on tap today my literary friend. Grab an ice coffee and your sunnies….the heat is on!
Happy 122nd Birthday Ernest Hemingway
I am here to share with you that today would have been Ernest Hemingway’s 122nd birthday. Just to refresh your memory, Hemingway was born in 1899 and died at the age of 61 years of age. He is considered one of America’s greatest novelists and short story writers of all time.