2022 was the worst reading year ever – no kidding! I hardly read anything, neither for work or for myself. 2023 has to shape up differently or … I don’t know. Sometimes I think I lost the joy but then I’m in the middle of a book I really like and it’s definitely not that. I think part of the issue is that I’ve been pretty much dead tired all the time last year and just couldn’t bring myself to pick up a book after work lest I fell asleep. Anyways, while I don’t know how things will turn out, at least January was a good kick-off to the year …

When it comes to poetry, things get complicated. I have a very specific idea of what poetry should look like. Alas, this is probably why Great Goddesses didn’t work for me because I don’t consider this poetry and my brain just automatically turns off being annoyed …

I fell in love with this book the moment I lay eyes on it. The cover that is. As much as I wanted to love the content, it made it its mission to drive it up the wall. This is one of the most frustrating books I have ever read. It got so bad I had to put it down a couple of times to give myself a break. It certainly had potential but it left me hot and cold in all the wrong places …

I actually never meant to read this book. I wasn’t interested in it at all. But then I read her second novel, In Search of Us, for work, which I really liked, and decided to give this one a try anyway – and off I was on a reading odyssey. I borrowed the audio book online from my library but had to discover that it ended rather abruptly. Too abruptly and on a rather sad note for a YA novel. So I did some research and found out that a quarter of the book was missing. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a paperback copy from a colleague to finish it. I’m glad I did, though this book wasn’t really for me …

What would my bookshelves be without the recommendations of my friends? Well, much more empty for sure and my bank account would be quite happy as well! Not complaining, though! Because if it weren’t for books, I wouldn’t have any friends at all. There are so many books and friends I could mention here, it was hard to pick, so I decided to go waaaay back. And somehow this turned out more like a walk down memory lane than a proper rec list. But hey, you get nice anecdotes out of it …

A new year also means there are a gazillion books we didn’t manage to read in that timespan society puts so much meaning to and that’s now over and can never ever come back (though, let’s be honest, we’re all glad we made it through that one alive). For this month’s topic, we decided to pick five books that we meant to read last year, as in 2021, but didn’t get to for some reason or another …

AWWWEEEE! XOXO was everything I hoped for AND MORE! If you’re looking for a super cute, wholesome, and fun read that screams for a K-drama adaptation because it basically already is one, then look no further. This is IT!