Starry Says – Episode #66 — ’22 Book Year in Review

Manuscript Word Count (MWC) – 74,545

2023 Reading Goal to Date – 0/124

In 2022, I spent much time thinking about books and reading. Not only did I exceed my Goodreads goal of reading 100 books, I also continued to regularly post Starlight Book Reviews (SBR). As mentioned in Episode #65, I completed 3 out of 5 Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC) by the afternoon of December 30. The next day, I also finished the 2022 Sacred Text SRC. Click here to read about last year’s SRC. I officially kick off the 2023 SRC on Sunday, January 15 so there’s still time to complete last year’s SRC.

Below are what I consider my “Top 9 Reads” in 2022. Some books I read for various SRC, others just happened to be stellar reads for last year. I listed the fiction in alphabetical order by author’s surname, nonfiction in order Dewey Decimal Codes. Books with SBR are linked.

Fiction

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Curse of Salem (Bishop/ Special Crimes Unit #20) by Kay Hooper

Nothing to Lose (J.P. Beaumont #25) by J.A. Jance

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Nonfiction

Bible in 90 Days

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman

The Combat Diaries: True Stories from the Frontlines of World War II by Mike Guardia

Skybreak: The 58th Fighter Squadron in Desert Storm by Mike Guardia

Prophetic City: Houston on the Cusp of a Changing America by Stephen L. Klineberg

How about you, Gnomies? How was 2022 in books for you?

Starry Says – Episode #45 — Adventures in Reviewing Nonfiction

The drawing Cypresses in Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh in Background, Images of Logos for Starlight Book Reviews (SBR) and Nonfiction SBR in Foreground © Starry Night Elf

Manuscript Word Count (MWC) – 73,692

2022 Reading Goal to Date – 51/100

Have you ever noticed, Gnomies, how some goals lead to other goals? How some challenges lead to more challenges?

Such has been the case for me over the past few years and the advent of my current blog — Starry Night Elf (SNE). About ten years ago, I aimed to share daily motivation quotes on my personal social media. A few years later, this developed into Jorie’s Wall of Word (Jorie’s WoW). On the tail of Jorie’s WoW, I crafted what would become Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC).

In between sharing Jorie’s WoW posts and issuing SRC, I crafted what I now refer to as Starlight Book Reviews (SBR). (No more abbreviations beyond those, I promise, Gnomies!) As I posted motivational quotes and hit benchmarks on SRC, I realized a good way to show the Bloggerverse and beyond that I was accomplishing goals.

Well, those goals begat goals. Donning my librarian hat, I determined I should organize my SBR. Naturally, I divided these into “Fiction” and “Nonfiction” reviews. As I achieved my SRC, this SBR grouping showed a my leaning toward reading Fiction.

Enter my recent adventures in reading and reviewing Nonfiction.

Once I met my goals in the 2021 SRC, I determined I would at least read one book in each Dewey Decimal Classification group. I already had Biography/Memoir, some 900s (History & Geography), and a few other Nonfiction subjects. Since mid-March, 2022, I plunged myself into other Dewey subjects. When I finished The Greatest Invention… (Dewey 400s – Languages), I slayed the my self-imposed reading goal and tour of Nonfiction.

I look forward to reading more stellar Nonfiction works. Yet, I still love a good, engrossing work of Fiction.

How about you, Gnomies? Do you have a leaning towards Nonfiction? If so, what books do you recommend to your Gnomie Hostess?