My Year in Books: Sara

The Library’s Social Media Team is always busy reading! So, we are sharing some of our favorite books of 2022 in a blog series. Several of us also did a GoodReads Challenge, and you can check out our reading habits there. This series will highlight the Social Media Team’s year in books. You might want to read some of our recommendations or join a GoodReads Challenge of your own in 2023.

In 2022 I read 47 books, which totaled to 15,368 pages. My favorite genres include romance, fantasy romance, paranormal romance, romantic comedies, and… did I mention romance? While my favorite genre is obviously romance, occasionally I do enjoy a good memoir, biography, or other non-fiction book. So, if you enjoy the types of books I do, continue reading to find out what my favorite books of 2022 were. If you want to see more of the books I read, you can check out my GoodReads profile!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

This was the first book I read in 2022 and I enjoyed it so much that I went on to read the next two books of Maas’ award-winning trilogy as well. It focuses on Feyre, a teenage human girl living near the world of dangerous and immortal faeries. When she hunts and kills a wolf from the land of faerie, a ferocious creature confronts her and demands she live with the faeries as retribution. What follows is a story reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast with a surprising twist halfway through the novel that leads in an entirely different direction. While this book has lots of world building and introduction of many characters, it is worth the slow burn as the reader progresses toward the end. The full trilogy is available to check out in Union’s library! Please note that this trilogy is geared toward mature young adults aged 16 years and older due to some of the content.

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

If you read Stephanie Garber’s Caraval trilogy and enjoyed it, you may love her spin-off series even more! Jacks, the villainous fate featured in the original Caraval trilogy is now the main romantic interest in Once Upon a Broken Heart. When Evangeline’s beloved boyfriend chooses to marry her stepsister, she knows he must be under a curse. She approaches Jacks, a fate known as the Prince of Hearts, for help in stopping the wedding. In exchange, she agrees to a dangerous bargain with him in which she must bestow three kisses at the time and place of his choosing. Until then she is tied to him, a fate who cannot fall in love, for his kiss is fatal. I love forbidden romance stories, and this did not disappoint!  The good news is the second book in Garber’s trilogy was recently released and it’s even better than the first book. The bad news is that we must wait until September until the final book in the series is available to read. Although Once Upon a Broken Heart is not available in Union’s library yet, you can check it out through Interlibrary Loan. In the meantime, if you haven’t read the Caravaltrilogy, be sure to check it out from Union’s library!

Sara Hand’s reviews reflect her personal opinions and not necessarily those of the library or university.