Can you have it all?

Contrary to what we might tell our children, I don't think we can..

At least, not all at the same time!

A bit of a backstory yarn tonight before we get into the books…

I used to be so disciplined with exercising. I wear my Fitbit every day and that thing leads me to 10,000 steps each and every day without fail. That is, until I had major surgery in 2022 and wasn’t able to exercise. The first of my (three) surgeries for the year took place in July, and I have not got my exercise mojo back…. Until now!!!

As of last week, I am back on the disciplined Fitbit train. Doing my 10,000 steps like a mad person being controlled by a little wrist robot. It was our wedding anniversary on Monday and I made Mr Matilda walk home from the restaurant to our house so that I could get my steps. I had been in a meeting all day in Auckland for work and I had done next to no steps. Have you ever heard a more romantic wedding anniversary story? Colleen Hoover might want to write a book about this.

According to Google Maps, we live 4 kms away from the restaurant. I was wearing a nice dress and my fancy sandals. COMMITMENT TO THE 10,000 STEPS!

What has this got to do with books? Well.. now that I am back into exercise (and feeling AMAZING for it - hello old self and mental clarity), my brain and body do not want to write a detailed book review for you this week.

I will not let you down though, so this week you get THE LIST. For those who have been following along for awhile, you would’ve seen that the aforementioned surgeries were the catalyst for extremely high reading levels. I do not do things by halves people. I am either a couch potato, or walking a marathon. Last year I read 138 books, and I have been slowly doing mini reviews of my favourites in this weekly substack release. A part of me is thinking, when will I ever get through all of my favourites and start reviewing 2023 books? Well today is that day. You won’t be getting mini reviews though, just a list!

And what I reckon is that you then let me know which ones you would like a review of and I will review those.. I have already reviewed many of these, but if there is something in this list that you want to know more about, let me know and I will review it. JUST FOR YOU! And if I hear from no-one, I will just move on to 2023 books like the cheery little stepping bunny I am. (I am not at all a cheery bunny but I am over tired and need sleep and this description of myself is giving me no end of amusement).

I have gone back and forward on this list many times. I have even cut it down as much as I could. From the 138, we are left with my 45 favourites. A substack post called “My 45 Favourite Books from 2022” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it? So you got my yarn instead..

On to the list, in no particular order:

1. Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

2. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

3. Us by David Nicholls

4. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

5. Miss Bensons Beetle by Rachel Joyce

6. The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

7. Still Life by Sarah Winman

8. Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

9. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

10. Anxious People by Frederick Blackman

11. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

12. Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

13. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

14. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

15. Honeybee by Craig Silvey

16. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

17. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

18. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

19. The Choice by Edith Eger

20. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

21. What Happened To You by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey

22. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

23. All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

24. A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

25. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

26. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

27. Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

28. When Things Are Alive They Hum by Hannah Bent

29. Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

30. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

31. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

32. True Biz by Sara Novic

33. A Place For Us by Fatima Mirza

34. Lost and Found by Toni Street

35. Life as a Casketeer by Francis and Kaiora Tipene

36. Needs Adult Supervision by Emily Writes

37. While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart

38. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

39. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku

40. Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

41. Why Fish Don’t Exist - A story of loss, love and the hidden order of life by Lulu Miller

42. The Bookseller at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw 

43. Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke

44. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

45. Four Pivots - Reimagining justice, reimagining ourselves by Shawn Ginwright

Have you read any of these? Are there any of these you would like me to review for you? I love adding my faves to your TBR because life is too short to read bad books.

P.S I don’t really use these weekly reviews to push my little secondhand book social enterprise. But I did want to let you know that I am currently fundraising for the cyclone clean up in Gisborne and for every book sold I am donating $1 to the clean up - this finishes on 31 March and I will then have a new charity for April. So if you want to support the cyclone clean up and get a fab (secondhand) book at the same time, you have 2 days left to do it here

P.P.S Next week I endeavour to do my steps AND write you a book review. Wish me luck!