Book Reviews for Q1 of 2022

In the first quarter of 2022, I read 51 books, a total of 13,989 pages.

One of my reading goals for 2022 was to spend less money on books. I have started tracking how much money I saved by borrowing books from the library and online databases, including Libby, Hoopla and Z-Library. Of the 51 books that I read in the first quarter of the year, 35 of them were from the library, saving me a total of $466.

Below are reviews for the books I read in the first quarter of 2022.

1. Later by: Stephen King

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This book was a great way to start the year! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a short and fast-paced read that follows a boy who can speak to dead people. This was a more action-packed book than what I expected from Stephen King, but this is also the first book I have read in the “Hard Case Crime” series. I’m looking forward to picking up more books in said series. The “twist” at the end was gross and unnecessary but it did not ruin the rest of the book for me.

2. Coraline by: Neil Gaiman

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I was obsessed with this movie when I was a child and even though it gave me nightmares, I’ve watched it at least 30 times. I found a copy of this book at the library and figured I should read it. Definitely worth it for fans of the movie, but I found the film to be scarier. This could be because of the unsettling nature that all claymation movies tend to give me. I don’t know how many children would be able to read this without being scared, as even I was a bit unsettled, especially with the descriptions of the Other Mother.

3. The Haunting of Hill House by: Shirley Jackson

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: This was another book that I can’t help but compare to the movie/ TV version. The Netflix series is amazing and one of my favorite things that Netflix has done, but it is very different from the book. While I enjoyed the book, I just wasn’t scared or too intrigued to find out the rest of the story. I know many horror fans sing the praises of this book, but I found it to be just ok.

4. Blockade Billy by: Stephen King

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️

Review: This short story by Stephen King was so boring. It could be because I don’t like sports, but I couldn’t wait to be done with it. Thankfully, I borrowed it from the library, so I did not have to spend any money on it.

5. Horrorstör by: Grady Hendrix

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was a unique concept and I surprisingly enjoyed it. The reader is following a worker at a Swedish furniture store (like an IKEA) who is working the night shift and discovers the store is haunted. Maybe it is because every time I enter an IKEA, I feel panicky and stuck in a maze, but I related to the anxiety around a haunted furniture store. Overall, the quirky and camp horror that I would expect from Grady Hendrix.

6. Girls Like Us by: Cristina Alger

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: I usually enjoy detective stories, but this one took too long to get interesting. The author gave far too many descriptions of the setting and the people. It takes place in Suffolk County, Long Island, which the author reminds you about 80 times. The author is also trying too hard to be woke, yet her main character views femininity as a weakness, which is an all too common internalized misogyny trope.

7. Rage by: Stephen King

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I found a PDF of this book online since it is out of print. I don’t blame Stephen King for pulling this book because it is about a school shooter holding a classroom captive. While this wasn’t his traditional horror style, I enjoyed reading about the main character’s upbringing and what led him to this heinous act.

8. The Girl on the Train by: Paula Hawkins

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This has been my favorite book I’ve read this month so far. It was such an engrossing thriller that kept me guessing who the killer was the entire time. I also enjoyed how the point of view was constantly changing from chapter to chapter. Additionally, I love when a book has an untrustworthy narrator and the main character, Rachel, could not be trusted because of her alcoholism. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys thrillers.

9. Night Shift by: Stephen King

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: It seems like Stephen King’s short-story collections always get a lukewarm rating from me (with Different Seasons being the exception). The stand-out short stories in this collection were Graveyard Shift and Children of the Corn. Overall, it was a bit dull, but this was his first short story anthology to be published, and I think his more recent ones are a lot more interesting.

10. There’s Someone Inside Your House by: Stephanie Perkins

Category: YA Horror

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I’m surprised by how engaging this book was. I typically expect young adult books to be predictable and overdone, but the characters were realistic and enjoyable enough that as a reader, I could empathize with them. This was a one-day read for me because the writing is pretty simple, and I couldn’t wait to get to the end and find out who the killer was.

11. They Ask, You Answer by: Marcus Sheridan

Category: Business

Rating:⭐️⭐️

Review: I read this book for work with my boss. I would not call it revolutionary, but it did include some interesting content ideas that I will be implementing. I gave it two stars because I have never found a business book that is well written and/or doesn’t contain an absurd amount of pages where the author brags about their own accomplishments like a diary entry.

12. The Bell Jar by: Sylvia Plath

Category: Classic

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: It is impossible to not draw comparisons between this book and Plath’s life, and her sudden death after the bell jar was published. Although Esther’s suicide was unsuccessful, we, unfortunately, can’t say the same for Plath. Every young woman should read this book, especially if they know they don’t want a traditional lifestyle of marriage and children. It is a beautiful exploration of a woman’s psyche. It also shows a unique perspective that authors seem to be afraid to discuss, depression and imposter syndrome in young women.

It is a shame we lost Plath at such a young age as she showed so much promise as an author. This book is immediately being added to my favorites list.

13. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by: Holly Jackson

Category: YA Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was an engrossing thriller that was difficult to put down. It is written for a younger audience, so the language was a bit too simple for my taste, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I often find main characters in young adult fiction to be unrealistic or insufferable, but Pip was delightful and down to earth.

14. The Vagina Bible by: Dr. Jen Gunter

Category: Science/ Nonfiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is a book everyone with a vagina should read. Dr. Gunter provides the necessary scientific information while still making it accessible and easy to understand. The writing is also punchy and funny, which is a needed break between the medical information.

15. Flowers in the Attic by: V. C. Andrews

Category: Young Adult Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was another TikTok recommendation, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It is one of the saddest books that I have read in a long time. I do disagree with this book being categorized as young adult, and I’m happy I did not come across this book as a pre-teen. There are some dark topics discussed like child abuse, death, religious trauma and incest. I do think it is worth the read if you are in the mood for this type of depressing book.

16. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by: Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Category: Young Adult Fiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was overall an endearing story, but there was seemingly no plot. I do believe that this would be the perfect book for any teenager questioning their sexuality, especially if they are Hispanic. I think I just wasn't the target audience.

17. Priest by: Sierra Simone

Category: Erotica

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: It has been a long time since I’ve read an erotica book, but many people on TikTok posted some raving reviews about this one, so I decided to pick it up. This book was far too long and could have easily been a short story. The plot in between the sex scenes read like filler. I didn’t find this disrespectful as some Catholic reviewers did, but I thought the writer did a good job at not trashing the church, as the main character is a priest who is being distracted from his pledge to God and the church.

18. All’s Well by: Mona Awad

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I am shocked by how much I loved this book. Mona Awad’s writing is not for everyone because it oftentimes becomes difficult to follow. However, I believe this is purposeful as her characters are spiraling through insanity, and Awad takes the reader on this journey with the main character. Aside from the Shakespeare play being put on, this book’s main focus is a trippy and twisted exploration of women’s health and how their pain is oftentimes being ignored by medical professionals.

19. Good Girl, Bad Blood by: Holly Jackson

Category: YA Thriller

Rating: ⭐️

Review: I really enjoyed the first book in the series, but I felt like it had a complete ending and a second book was pointless. I’m not sure why so many legal professionals completely trust a teenage girl when any woman can tell you that as a teenager, nobody will take you seriously. It is also strange how killers and convicts seem to be afraid of this young girl. Nobody attacks her but tells her their evil plan as soon as she corners them. This book felt like a drawn-out Scooby-Doo episode.

20. The Last Thing He Told Me by: Laura Dave

Category: Thriller

Rating:⭐️⭐️

Review: This thriller was just ok. It was interesting enough that I didn’t want to DNF it, but I did not really care what happened to the characters. It seems that many authors forget what it was actually like to be a teenager and always write a caricature of how teenage girls actually act. This feels lazy to me and like the author did not do enough research into creating her characters.

21. Dark Places by: Gillian Flynn

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I expected nothing less than an amazing book from Gillian Flynn. This novel kept me guessing the entire time to know who the true killer was. This book also did an astounding job of putting into words my disdain for true crime fanatics that start podcasts and blogs attempting to solve closed cases. It always leaves such a bad taste in my mouth because they seem to forget that these are real people. I’m definitely going to read Sharp Objects and re-read Gone Girl after re-discovering Flynn’s outstanding story-building skills.

22. Violeta by: Isabel Allende

Category: Historical Fiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: I was incredibly excited to hear that Isabel Allende was publishing a new book this year. It was unfortunately a letdown. While I enjoy Allende’s writing style, Violeta was a subpar narrator. The story was sterile and emotionless even though such heavy familial topics were being discussed. This is the first book I have read in Spanish since I was a teenager, so I am grateful to it for that, and I hope to read more books in Spanish this year. My mother gave this book a raving review, so I don’t want my review to put anyone off from it.

23. The Great Gatsby by: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Category: Classic

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was another book that I felt lukewarm about. The descriptive language is absolutely amazing, but I felt like the story was lacking something. It is a short book, just 106 pages, I think Fitzgerald could have made the book longer and given us more backstory on the characters, especially Gatsby.

24. The Final Girl Support Group by: Grady Hendrix

Category: Horror

Rating:⭐️⭐️

Review: While I typically love Grady Hendrix’s writing, this book felt a bit lackluster. He does have the unfortunate habit of making his characters into caricatures. Even woman in the support group has to be entirely on the nose of who they are described as. For example, Marilyn is a rich snob who married into money and I wish there would have been something out of character for her, like spending her time volunteering or coaching a soccer team. This would have made her more than a one-dimensional priss. Overall, Hendrix writes the most unique and funny horror books I’ve come across, but he can’t seem to write an interesting character. I don’t know how important this is to note, but all the books of his that I have read feature female main characters, so maybe this is the ever too often case of men not knowing how to write women.

25. Tender is the Flesh by: Agustina Bazterrica

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: Aside from the expected gore in a book about a world where cannibalism is legalized, the writing in this book is incredibly impactful. For example, “He tried to hate all of humanity for being so fragile and ephemeral but he couldn't keep it up because hating everyone is the same as hating no one.”

This book shows how little we value human life and how self-centered we all are. I questioned what I would do in this situation and how far I would go to try to maintain some sense of normalcy. The ending was not as shocking as I expected from other reviews, as I could tell the main character only acted in his own self-interest, but it was still devastating nonetheless.

This book made me want to throw up as much as it made me want to cry.

26. Rebecca by: Daphne Du Maurier

Category: Classic

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: At first I was intimidated by this book, as I feel with many classics, but I’m surprised with how much I enjoyed it. At one point, I thought the story would be taking a paranormal turn, but I’m happy it did not go that way. For anyone looking to read more classics, I definitely recommend this one, and I will be reading more Daphne Du Maurier books in the future.

27. Who Moved My Cheese? by: Spencer Johnson

Category: Business

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: This is another book I had to read for work, and I felt as bored with it as I do with most business books. The general moral to the story I agree with, we need to learn how to adapt and step out of our comfort zone, but that did not need to be a book. This book was clearly not written by a professional writer, as the writing is bland and uncreative. I will give him kudos for not wasting 100+ pages bragging about himself and his successes, like I find writers do too often in business books.

28. Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by: Eric LaRocca

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: This read like a creepypasta post. I was expecting a disgusting horror book, like Tender is the Flesh, but I was very let down. It is pretty obviously written by a man who knows very little about lesbians. I enjoyed how the story takes place between emails and online chats and I did like the ending, but overall I felt a bit let down with the horror aspect of this book.

29. The Maid by: Nita Prose

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This book was so much fun. At the beginning, I was a bit annoyed with how innocent and aloof Molly’s character is, but she grew on me. I loved reading about her relationship with her recently deceased grandmother. I found out pretty early in the book who the killer was, which typically annoys me, but I was so eager to see how Molly would react with her quirky personality. Overall, a fun book to read if you need a break from typical thrillers.

30. We Were Liars by: E. Lockhart

Category: Contemporary Young Adult

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: This book read like a John Green novel. I did not feel anything about any of these characters. I don’t mind books focusing on rich families and their internal drama, but I just couldn't bring myself to relate to any of these people. It also felt so obnoxiously woke but without any substance.

31. The Song of Achilles by: Madeline Miller

Category: Historical Fiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I had higher expectations for this, but I did enjoy it for what it was. This is the first mythology historical fiction I have read. I typically do not enjoy this genre, but I had seen such raving reviews for this book that I figured it was worth a shot. The writing is absolutely beautiful. For example: “I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”

I found that I did not care much for the characters, both Achilles and Patroclus. Additionally, most people know the fate that these two characters will face at the end of the book, so it felt like their deaths should have been more of a shock in the novel than it actually was.

32. Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass by: Lana Del Rey

Category: Poetry

Rating: ⭐️

Review: Maybe I would have liked this more when I was an angsty teenager and a huge fan of Lana Del Rey’s music, but this poetry collection felt like a diary, in the worst way possible.

33. The Passenger by: Lisa Lutz

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I bought this book on a whim at the used book store, solely because I liked the cover. Thankfully, this was an engrossing thriller that kept my interest every step of the way. The main character is on the run under a new identity. I don’t want to give too much detail because it is best to go into this book without knowing much.

34. Sharp Objects by: Gillian Flynn

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: As always, Gillian Flynn can do no wrong. Her main characters are always the perfect mix of likeable yet hateable. This main character had mental health issues that made you feel for her, but she also made choices that made me want to hit her. Although the main character coming back to her home town trope is overdone, it was interesting to see Flynn’s take on this type of story.

35. A Curious History of Sex by: Kate Lister

Category: Science/ Nonfiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: It is difficult to make a scientific book both engaging and informative, and this author did just that. There are a variety of topics covered, but I mostly enjoyed the chapters that discussed the origins of certain words and how the usage evolved. This is not an all-encompassing book on the history of sex, but it is a fun and funny read.

36. My Sister, the Serial Killer by: Oyinkan Braithwaite

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: While I thought this was a unique concept, nothing about this thriller was thrilling. We know from the title, that the sister is a serial killer and the main character is always scrambling to clean up the crime scene. I would have liked to read more about their familial relations, and the obvious tension with the parents.

37. Dear Daughter by: Elizabeth Little

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️

Review: This main character, Janie, was insufferable, and this was not done purposefully by the author. I think the author expected readers to find her quirky, funny and endearing. But I really didn’t care what happened to her or who actually killed her mother. The author also did a poor job of building suspense. When a new character was introduced, Janie automatically suspected them as the killer, without any reasoning given to the reader.

38. The Paris Apartment by: Lucy Foley

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is the second Lucy Foley book I’ve read and I loved it! This was not a thriller I could easily figure out until the very end, which seems to be a difficult thing to find as I read so many thrillers. I also enjoyed the setting in Paris. It was not overdone, and the Partisans in the story did not feel like stereotypes. The heroine was the perfect amount of brave and relatable.

39. Verity by: Colleen Hoover

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I had heard so many good things about Colleen Hoover’s books, so I figured I would read Verity first, as it is her only thriller book and that is what I’m used to reading. I was pleasantly surprised. I read this entire book in a day because I could not put it down. This was also because I found Verity to be so scary that I needed to know what happens to her. I typically dislike when books include sections of a different book in it, but Verity’s manuscript was easily my favorite part of this novel.

40. The Paris Library by: Janet Skeslien Charles

Category: Historical Fiction

Rating: ⭐️

Review: This book was insufferably dull. I typically avoid historical fiction because of this, but I figured I would enjoy this one because it focused on a library. Additionally, World War II historical fiction is incredibly over-saturated and I think it is fair to be critical of books in this category.

41. Ice Planet Barbarians by: Ruby Dixon

Category: Science Fiction Erotica

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I was reluctant to read these books because of their popularity, but I instantly loved them. The writing style is much better than I expected. The world building is also a perfect amount where it does not get exhausting to read about but enough to where the reader is not lost. I tend to avoid Sci-Fi books because of the excessive world building. I can’t promise that I will finish the entire 22 book series, but I did read the first three books in a weekend.

42. Barbarian Alien by: Ruby Dixon

Category: Science Fiction Erotica

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: So far, this is my favorite book in the series. Raahosh is the typically rude, bad boy, but Liz is hilarious and creates a perfect balance. We get more background from how the Sa-Khui existed before the humans arrived.

43. Barbarian Lover by: Ruby Dixon

Category: Science Fiction Erotica

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I enjoyed the first two books more because I found Kira to be a bit annoying since she is so shy and reserved. The romance with Aehako was sweet and they made a good couple. It was also nice to read about a woman in the tribe that did not immediately resonate.

44. Barbarian’s Mine by: Ruby Dixon

Category: Science Fiction Erotica

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was the Tarzan of the Ice Planet Barbarian series. While I enjoyed it, I feel like the series is starting to become repetitive. It is nice that we got a small glimpse into the rest of the tribe towards the end of the book, but because most of this story was the couple secluded, it felt like the same plot as the second book in this series. I will be taking a break from these blue barbarians and I will probably pick it up in a couple of months.

45. The Art of Goosebumps by: Sarah Rodriguez

Category: Art

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I bought this book because of the nostalgia. I loved Goosebumps as a kid and this book reignited that obsession in me. It is nice to have a resource when I am recreating the book covers. I just wish there was more information on the certain books and about Stine’s writing process.

46. I am, I am, I am by: Maggie O’Farrell

Category: Memoir

Rating: ⭐️

Review: This book contained beautiful writing. I picked it up only because the title is a Sylvia Plath quote. Unfortunately, the gorgeous prose could not salvage the content of the book. Overall, I felt like the author over-exaggerated on what a brush with death is. The author’s loose requirement for a “brush with death” then makes the number of 17 is less impressive, and many people could write a similar book. I might give this book another chance at some other time or try another book by the author.

47. Into the Water by: Paula Hawkins

Category: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating: Thriller

Review: I decided to read this after I loved The Girl on the Train. However, I found that there were far too many characters. It was an unnecessarily confusing book. I started to lose interest during the halfway point because I still felt so confused about the plot and I still wasn’t sure which character I had to suspect.

48. Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I remember this being one of my favorite Goosebumps books when I was a child. I decided to re-read it and I really enjoyed it. The creepy writing still holds up as an adult. Oftentimes, Goosebumps books can be cringy or just not scary at all. It was also interesting to read about the origin of Slappy who has now become the largest stand-out character in the Goosebumps franchise.

49. Of Women and Salt by: Gabriela Garcia

Category: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating: Historical Fiction

Review: I have lately found an interest in books about Cuba, especially about Cuban women. This book was everything I was searching for. It gave me the perfect amount of nostalgia for my childhood days in Hialeah, and the couple of summers I spent in Cuba. The author did an excellent job at building so many memorable characters. I even found myself enjoying the pro-communist/ pro-revolution characters, which is what I find often soils the Cuban fiction books I’ve been reading. Overall, this book is an amazing exploration of success as multiple generations of women in a family see it and define it.

50. Goosebumps: The Ghost Next Door by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I don’t remember reading this book when I was a kid, but I’ve been making the effort to finish the original Goosebumps series in 2022. Surprisingly, this was an emotional book that contained a twist I didn’t see coming. I remember reading an article where Stine said this is the saddest book in the series and I have to agree.

51. Goosebumps: The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I vividly remember seeing the TV episode created from this book’s plot, but I don’t remember reading it. Overall, this book was just ok in my opinion. I’m typically not a fan of mummy or Ancient Egyptian-themed horror books.

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