
The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of my absolute favorites for 2022 by a long, long mile. This clever, funny book is unlike anything I’ve read in a long, long time. I loved every moment I spent with it and even though I thought the ending bordered on the absurd, I still laughed out loud for most of this hilarious and smart book. Highly recommended.
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Stunning Watercolor Seascapes: Master the Art of Painting Oceans, Rivers, Lakes and More by Kolbie Blume
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I discovered Kolbie Blume randomly on Pinterest and fell in love with her art and her videos. I then signed up for her two 10-day challenges which was life changing and filled up all my days with beautiful art. And then I finally tracked down her books and got them. I think doing it in that order was actually the best fit for me and allowed me to hear her voice as I read the book and completed the projects in this book. I highly recommend doing it this way. Love love loved this book.
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Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars.
Not terrible but also not amazing. Sarah Pinborough’s books are always unusual and require a suspension of disbelief. This one is no exception. But it’s still interesting, engrossing and worthwhile.
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Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
4.5 stars.
Jonathan Franzen can write. He also can create 3dimensional characters that jump out of the page and stick with you for a long, long time. I put off reading this book because it was so long and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to a book for this long if it wasn’t going to be excellent.
But alas it was quite excellent.
I loved each of the characters in their own ways and their imperfections and their willingness and ability to grow. I cannot wait to read the next one.
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The Great Book of Journaling: How Journal Writing Can Support a Life of Wellness, Creativity, Meaning and Purpose by Eric Maisel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve been journaling since I was in third grade. I remember (and still have) my first diary. I still find journaling to be the most useful tool to help ground myself, to understand my thoughts and to figure out a path forward for myself when I am stuck. This book has a collection of chapters by different contributors, each telling you a different kind of journaling or a different place, way, goal to journal. I found it to be incredibly inspiring and I can’t wait to sit and try some of these other methods that I don’t usually do. If you’re into journaling, or have wanted to journal, this book is guaranteed to inspire you.
with gratitude to edelweiss and Mango Publishing Group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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In the Weeds by B.K. Borison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think I liked this one even more than the first one. Beckett is such a great character and it was just so lovely to get lost in his world for a few hours. Love the kittens, the duck, the sisters. I love everything about these books.
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Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was an okay story, moved fast but went nowhere. No major twist (I guess one small one which I will admit I didn’t guess.) Interesting premise but not sure where it went in the end.
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Loving the Dead and Gone by Judith Turner-Yamamoto
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3,5 stars.
This is the story of two different women at two different times in history. Both dealing with loss and pain and how their lives intertwine in an unexpected way. I really enjoyed the writing and the resilience of the women who have learned to move forward and do what’s needed regardless of the pain they endure.
with gratitude to edelweiss and Regal House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Aurora by David Koepp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this fast-paced story about a different disaster around the electric grid that comes a few years after covid. As we’ve learned in the last few years, some people take it better than others and for some it brings out the best in them and they help each other out, and for others, well it brings out the worst.
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Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fast-paced fun and light read about two women who start a business returning counterfeit bags and selling the real ones on ebay. There a few little surprises but for the most part it’s just a fun story.
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Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars.
An interesting story about a graduate student who uncovers a big deception as part of writing her thesis. There’s a lot around being Asian and racism and literature and even educational institutions in this interesting and layered story. It was a bit longer than it needed to be.
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A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve always enjoyed Jane Smiley’s writing and “A Dangerous Business” is no exception. This is the story of Eliza Ripple who lost her husband in a fight and now has to learn how to make it on her own in 1851 California. She works at a brothel and when women in the town start getting murdered, she and her friend, Jean, decide to solve the mystery of who’s hurting the women.
The characters in this story are all three dimensional and Eliza is a funny and there are a lot of interesting bits about working at a brothel, being a woman in California at the time, the gold rush, the beginnings of Civil War talks and slavery and even women who work at brothels for women.
I enjoyed the writing and this unusual story. I felt like the ending was more abrupt than I thought it would be but, for me, the mystery was secondary to this character-driven story.
with gratitude to netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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