July - September 2022 Reads

I dropped my reading ball a little over summer, but given I've had a busy one, I'll let myself off. I also expected this; summer is the one time of year when I'm semi-social and have less time to read, so it's hardly unexpected.

The good news is that I've officially surpassed my 2022 reading challenge of 30 books. I've now increased it to 50, and as a result am now 5 books behind (according to Goodreads), but I have some faith in myself to make up for those 5. In theory, as the dark nights draw in, I'll be reading more. Although I'm also starting an MA in Publishing (and still working part-time), which could majorly derail my reading. Here's hoping not!

Throughout July, August, and September, I read the following titles:

• Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

• Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy

• Lives Like Mine by Eva Verde

• None of This is Serious by Catherine Prasifka

• Did You Miss Me? by Sophia Money-Coutts

• Book Lovers by Emily Henry

• Out of Love by Hazel Hayes

• The Staycation by Cressida McLaughlin

• Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical Thinking by Marianne Eloise

• Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Unlike previous months, there were a few books here that I didn't love, namely Good Girl Complex and The Staycation. My top 3 would have to be:

• Book Lovers by Emily Henry

• None of This is Serious by Catherine Prasifka

• Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

In short, I'm obsessed with Emily Henry. Book Lovers has overtaken You and Me on Vacation as my favourite romcom, and I've already pre-ordered a signed edition of Happy Place (Henry's 2023 release). It's only over the past few years that I've gotten into reading romance, and a big part of why I avoided the genre for so long was because it often felt quite 'samey' to me with surface-level depth. I love tropes and will die on my trope hill, but it's so important to me that they're executed well, and that there are layers to them (and the characters wrapped up in them). This can be really difficult to pull off in romance, but I think Emily Henry has mastered it. Nora and Charlie's characters are fleshed out, the tropes are fun but don't lack complexity, and the writing is as wonderful as ever.

None of This is Serious by Catherine Prasifka

I was really looking forward to reading Prasifka's debut, and she didn't disappoint. While there were some pretty dark themes present throughout the novel, the dry humour complimented the darkness nicely (without taking away the seriousness of some topics). I loved the Science Fiction-esque twist too; it added such an interesting dimension to the overall plot, and Prasifka's exploration into our online vs 'real life' selves was done well. I imagine this novel might be a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it, but if you're looking for something a bit different, I'd highly recommend. Side note (and totally a me issue), but reading this was a little jarring at times because the total sweetheart love interest in one of my romcoms shares the same name as one of the (not so great) love interests in Prasifka's novel.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

I'd not read any of Ishiguro's books before, and so I didn't know what to expect from Klara and the Sun, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The novel had the right amount of nuance for me, and the narrative voice was intriguingly unique (Klara has my heart). This was a book I couldn't put down, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easily I was immersed into the fictional world this story is set in (it's often something I struggle with when it comes to Sci-Fi novels). I'm kicking myself for not reading any of Ishiguro's books before now! I'm also really keen to read Never Let Me Go soon, so watch this space for my October - December reads post! 👀

Books I've read in 2022 so far:

• Never Kiss Your Roommate by Philline Harms

• Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

• If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlene

• How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

• Just Like You by Nick Hornby

• The Lock In by Phoebe Luckhurst

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

• Love, Locked Down by Beth Reekles

• Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

• Daisy Miller & The Turning of the Screw by Henry James

• Starter for Ten by David Nicholls

• The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

• Beach Read by Emily Henry

• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

• Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

• The Runaway Girls by Jacqueline Wilson

• You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

• The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

• The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

• Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn

• Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

• Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy

• Lives Like Mine by Eva Verde

• None of This is Serious by Catherine Prasifka

• Did You Miss Me? by Sophia Money-Coutts

• Book Lovers by Emily Henry

• Out of Love by Hazel Hayes

• The Staycation by Cressida McLaughlin

• Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical Thinking by Marianne Eloise

• Icebreaker by Hannah Grace