Category: Uncategorized

My reading slowed down a little this week as exhaustion set in, but there were some good books in here.

1/14: Read to 17% of Throne of Glass. Read to 42% of Iron Flame.

1/15: Started The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan and read to 24%.

1/16: Read to 47% in The Book Club Hotel. This book is perfect for people who like Hallmark movies. It’s cozy, there’s almost no spice, and the setting is magical.

1/17: Finished The Book Club Hotel. This was a light and fluffy read that was perfect for my state of mind right now.

1/18: Started and finished All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I had a little bit of a ticking clock with this one because my digital copy was due back to the library and it would be several weeks before I got it back. This was my favorite entry in this series so far. These are light quick reads perfect for fans of the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the Truly Devious series.

1/19: I finally knuckled down and made myself finish Iron Flame today. I finally got hooked around the 350 page mark and got it done just before midnight. I think what threw me about this one is that we ended Fourth Wing on such a roller coaster high, but even though we picked up in the same spot where that book left off, we spent the next 350 or so pages plodding along. The writing was a little flat for me until the halfway point also. I’m still glad I read this and I will continue to read this series.

1/20: Read to page 78 in The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. Bk. 2 in the Thursday Murder Club series. Easy writing style. Good jokes.

Title: Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond

Author: Henry Winkler, written with James Kaplan

Publisher: Celadon Books

Published Date: October 31, 2023

Page Count: 256

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org

My quick take:

I know there are a lot of buzzy celebrity memoirs coming out right now, but people should not be sleeping on this one! “Being Henry” by Henry Winkler is a warm hug of a memoir, introducing you properly to the man behind the characters. Winkler is a figure that many people think they know and understand, but this is a memoir with a lot of depth. It is a true retrospective on fame and the struggles of being an actor after landing the big role.

The writing itself was the most familiar part of the reading experience for me. I hope Winkler narrated the audiobook himself, because hearing his distinctive voice in my head as I read this greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the experience.

A lot of people will assume that Winkler’s life was smooth sailing, but they will discover a number of challenges that he had to overcome from a young age and into adulthood, even past his time as the Fonz. His descriptions of how hard he worked on developing his craft and how willing he was to change to get work and grow as an actor will surprise some.

Without spoiling too much, I will also say that this is not a vanilla accounting of his life. Some light drug use is mentioned, as well as descriptions of his various romantic relationships over the years. The story of meeting his wife was a personal favorite of this reader.

In summary, he is not a perfect man, but this memoir isn’t going to change the mind of anyone who already finds him charming. It will be a great nostalgia read for those who watched him growing up and an interesting introduction for those who are only getting to know his body of work now.

My rating: 5 stars, for both the writing and the overall experience.

Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this title from the publisher through BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite part of each new year is beginning to plan my reading for the year. While I am still primarily a mood reader, I like to keep certain titles on my radar so that I can get my name on the holds list earlier at my library. The following list are some titles that I already know about that are supposed to be coming out in 2022. Obviously, with publishing and supply chain issues, any of these dates are subject to change.

JANUARY

The Maid by Nita Prose, January 4

The Starless Crown by James Rollins, January 4

In Every Generation by Kendare Blake, January 4

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, January 18

FEBRUARY

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano, February 1

A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox, February 1

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys, February 1

Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston, February 1

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas, February 15

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart, February 22

MARCH

This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg, March 1

Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett, March 8

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James, March 15

Secret Identity by Alex Segura, March 15

Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian, March 15

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson, March 15

Destiny of the Dead by Kel Kade, March 22

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim, March 22

APRIL

The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport, April 5

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher, April 26

MAY

The Island by Adrian McKinty, May 17

JUNE

Death by Beach Read by Eva Gates, June 7

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro, June 7

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill, June 7

JULY

The IT Girl by Ruth Ware, July 12

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey, July 19

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee, July 26

AUGUST

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones, August 2

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall, August 9

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn, November 8

DECEMBER

I had an okay year in reading. When I looked back at my stats, I was actually surprised that there weren’t more 5-star reads on the list. I read fewer books this year than last year, but I had less than half as many 5-stars this year. Part of this could be that I’ve become a little more discerning about what makes a read one of my favorites of all time. Part of it could be that I’ve added more people that I actually know to my Goodreads friend list this year and even though I know there should be no shame involved in reading, I still worry sometimes about what people might think of my reading taste. In any case, I had 11 5-star reads in 2021. These are the books that I have been recommending far and wide since I read them. *All links go to Goodreads*

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Libraryland: It’s All About the Story Edited by Ben Bizzle and Sue Considine

The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Dava Shastri’s Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti