Books I Read and Other Assorted Oddities

 I thought it might be fun to look at my reading challenge from last year and look at what I enjoyed the most. I picked my top 5 favorite books from 2022 to highlight one more time. Choosing only five was actually more difficult than I imagined, since I had a lot of favorites. It was also hard to rank them if I'm completely honest, but here is my list! #5 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon  by Kelly Barnhill I loved this book. I loved the whimsical storytelling style and the plot. I loved the characters and how they were developed. I loved how the author carefully crafted the foreshadowing and how she carefully guided you through the mystery of Xan's memories. Overall, this book was so well written. Even though it was a middle grade book, I found myself unable to put it down. #4 - I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys If you've followed my blog, then you probably know that I don't usually care much for Ruta Septys's writing. It's not that I dislike the stories she tells,...

 I read this for a co-worker who chooses his own book list for Battle of the Books and uses it in his classroom each year. I'd already read and loved the first one, and he brought this to me one morning (ironically while I was desperately trying to finish Skyward  again so I could read Cytonic ) and asked me to read it and write questions for the book. I finished it in one day, and that should also tell you a lot about how I felt about this book. The Hawthorne Legacy  by Jennifer Lynn Barnes picks up with Avery Grambs' story almost immediately after the conclusion of The Inheritance Games . Avery is trying to find Toby Hawthorne, the son of the billionaire that left her his entire fortune. Along with the help of the Hawthorne grandsons, she must unravel the mystery of who she really is, how she's related to this family, and where Toby might have gone. I loved this book. Just like The Inheritance Games , there is a twist around every corner. Barnes is a master of giving yo...

 I read this one for Battle of the Books for one of my coworkers. When looking at the summary, this book jumped out to me. The premise sounded very interesting and exciting, and I was not disappointed. This is probably the best book I read last year. I LOVED it. The Inheritance Games  by Jennifer Lynn Barnes describes the story of Avery Grambs, a poor high schooler just trying to make ends meet. Avery's mom died years before the story begins, and since then, she's been living with her half sister, Libby. While she loves Libby and living with her isn't bad, it is when Libby's dating Drake, so Avery moves out. At school, Avery is pulled out of class and goes to the office to be confronted by the Hawthorne grandson, Grayson. Grayson informs Avery that she has been named in his grandfather's will, the will that outlines his multi-billion dollar empire. She travels to Texas for the reading of the will to find out that the old man disinherited his entire family and left h...