Books Read in 2022

I can’t believe I only read 7 books this year, I assume that is an all-time low. Many years ago that would have bothered me greatly, but today not so much. I started to intentionally not waste my time with books I wasn’t enjoying, instead of feeling obligated to finish them. I technically started many books, but only 7 of them ended up worth my time.

Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola
Giving Your Words by Sally Clarkson
Hearts of Fire
The German Midwife
The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff
A Literary Education by Emily Cook
The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

I don’t have a book list of what I’d like to read in 2023, but my Goodreads is filled with non-fiction (mostly on theology and motherhood) and all the fiction titles I’ve saved are historical fiction. I guess I’ve gotten to the age of reading where I no longer am interested in expanding my horizons by reading a vast variety, choosing to stick with only what I know I’ll probably like.

Life is short, read what brings you joy.

with love, Samantha

A Lookback at 2022

2022 has been a year of being present and confident as a Christian, as a wife, as a mom, as a sister, as a friend. The year seemed to go faster than others and while I can’t remember everything, these are the memories that stand out the most:

We left a homeschool group that didn’t feel like a good fit after finding a new one that is just perfect. I took Fish to his first musical, we visited Holy Hill in every season, we had a blast during our family vacation, we all cried and grieved when Emma moved out, we explored two new cities as a family during our special day trips, we played mini golf in scorching hot weather, we tried to swim often on all the other hot days of summer. We attended a wedding and celebrated our anniversary, the kids went to four weeks at day camp, we went bowling with friends, dozens of trips to the library, many parks explored, a dozen cold and rainy soccer games, canning strawberry jam for the first time, and reading almost the entire Bible. We took an overnight trip to the state border so Ally could tour a college, we popped into IKEA and played make-believe like Bluey, improving my embroidery skills, seeing a functional medicine doctor, memorizing scripture, reading 7 books, reading hundreds of children’s books aloud.

Cheers to whatever God has in store for 2023!

with love, Samantha