From The Pumpkin Patch

I’m a self-confessed bookworm-gone-bad.

As a child, it was rare to find me without my head in a book. But as an adult, reading was something that I just never had time for.

So at the beginning of last year, I challenged myself to start reading again. I set myself a goal of 12 books in 2022, which worked out to one book a month – a lofty ambition in my eyes!

Now that I’ve turned the final page, I can sit back and reflect on my progress.

I’m so proud that I was able to accomplish this goal. It has rekindled my love for reading, and now I genuinely look forward to snuggling down with a good book.

My attention span has also improved – at first I struggled to get through a few pages, but now I can quickly become engrossed and completely forget my surroundings.

I discovered that I love Japanese novels, so you’ll see a lot of those listed below. I’m going to continue seeking those out this year, but I also want to add a few more creepy stories to my collection in the future.

Below are all the books I read in 2022 along with my thoughts and observations. I also rated each one out of five, so I’m curious to see if you agree with my opinions!

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero ★★★

I love a good self-help book, so I decided to start the new year with You Are a Badass.

This book challenged a lot of self-beliefs that many of us carry around, and made it seem possible (although a lot of hard work!) to achieve my goals. It was full of funny stories and anecdotes that related to various life lessons and was overall a pretty empowering read.

A lot of the information wasn’t particularly ground-breaking and it relied a little heavily on the concept of manifesting (which I do agree with, but others may not) so I hesitated to give You Are a Badass a high score despite the fact that I mostly enjoyed it.

Maybe it’s because I’m not used to reading, but I found it a bit of a struggle to finish this book. I definitely learned some valuable lessons and I enjoyed the humorous writing style, but I’m not in a hurry to pick it up again.

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday ★★★★★

This book will change your life.

I’ve been interested in the idea of stoicism for a while now, so when Elliott recommended this book to me I decided to give it a try despite the relatively plain and non-descript cover, which would ordinarily put me off!

The Obstacle is the Way takes concepts that are often difficult to understand and explains them in simple terms using historical anecdotes as examples. It teaches you how to succeed not in spite of the problems that arise in life but because of them, and I was blown away at how much these ideas made sense to me.

If you’re struggling with self-doubt, a victim mentality or any other issue that may be preventing you from achieving your goals, give this book a try. I’m already looking forward to re-reading it and sucking out every bit of knowledge that I can!

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata ★★★★

Keiko is 36 years old, single and working a dead-end job at a Japanese convenience store. But she likes it that way – it’s everyone else who expects her to change.

It’s always been difficult for Keiko to fit in, and she’s never really felt like a normal person. Even as a child her parents despaired over her unusual thoughts and as a result, she learned to keep quiet.

When she began working at the convenience store she learned the rules of social interaction and mannerisms from the store manual. It was the first time she’d ever felt like part of society, which is why she never left.

Convenience Store Woman is a fascinating peek into the Japanese culture and the pressure that many people find themselves under when they don’t quite fit the mould. Keiko was surpisingly likeable despite her lack of social awareness and I found myself rooting for her to keep rebelling against societal norms!

I really enjoyed this book – it was a quick, light read that I found difficult to put down once I’d started. I’d never read a Japanese novel before, but now I think I’m hooked.

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa ★★★★★

Sentaro is half-heartedly working at a dorayaki shop to pay off his debts, churning out mediocre cakes using store-bought bean paste. When he meets Tokue, an old woman with a secret and a talent for making the most delicious sweet bean paste, his life begins to change in ways he could never have imagined.

Many Japanese people believe that their lives only have meaning if they can contribute positively to society, particularly through work and labour. So if someone is unable to do that, whether due to illness or another factor, what is the point of their life?

Sweet Bean Paste poses a beautiful concept, stating that our sole purpose here on earth is to merely observe. If there were no people to see the beauty of nature and the universe, it would cease to exist.

By simply being alive and noticing the flow of the seasons, we have achieved our purpose.

I wasn’t expecting to cry so much during a book about making and selling dorayaki, but this story touched me in a very special way. I chose it due to the cute name and pretty cover, but Sweet Bean Paste has so much more depth below the surface.

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto ★★★★★

When I read the opening line to this book, I was immediately hooked.

“The place I like best in this world is the kitchen. No matter where it is, no matter what kind, if it’s a kitchen, if it’s a place where they make food, it’s fine with me.“

Raised by her grandmother, Mikage feels lost when she suddenly passes away. She is taken in by her friend Yoichi and his beautiful mother, who actually used to be his father.

There are more heartbreaking losses to come for Mikage, each with the power to shape her life, but her love for kitchens and cooking remains a thread throughout the story.

As someone who shares the same passions, I found this book to be a wonderful ode to the power of the kitchen. The author dealt with grief and loss in such a poignant and realistic way, and I found myself looking forward to my reading sessions each day.

Kitchen also included a short story, Moonlight Shadow, which follows a woman and her immense grief when she loses her boyfriend after a sudden accident. 

Much like Kitchen it was powerfully and beautifully written, bringing me to tears and helping me to feel more grateful for my own life.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki ★★★★★

I bought this book on a whim after wandering into Waterstones one afternoon. The Japanese-style cover caught my eye initially, and I immediately felt drawn to the story after reading the blurb on the back cover.

Ruth stumbles upon a Hello Kitty lunchbox containing a handwritten diary as she strolls along the Canadian shoreline, a few years after the 2011 tsunami. When she begins reading, she is drawn into the life of a young Japanese girl and grows concerned for her fate – how did this diary end up so far from home?

A Tale for the Time Being covers several complex concepts including Zen Buddhism, World War 2 history and quantum physics. It makes for difficult reading sometimes, but by persevering you will unlock a beautiful and touching story spanning across time and space.

I particularly enjoyed the little footnotes scattered throughout the book, translating various Japanese phrases and kanji while providing more context for the reader.

This was the longest book that I had attempted this year, and I think it may be my favourite. I’m so glad I felt compelled to pick it up!

Things Remembered and Things Forgotten by Kyoko Nakajima ★★★★

This was another purchase based solely on the pretty cover – in fact, I didn’t even realise that it was a collection of short stories until I brought the book home!

All written by the same author, Things Remembered and Things Forgotten deftly weaves the often difficult themes of memory and grief throughout each story. While many seemed deceptively simple, each held a deeper meaning that becomes evident as soon as you scratch the surface.

If I had to choose a favourite, it would be ‘When My Wife Was A Shiitake.’ After losing his wife suddenly, Taihei reluctantly attends the cooking class that she had previously scheduled for herself. He is overconfident and unskilled, and soon realises that he has a lot to learn.

While reading through her old cookbooks, he discovers the little notes that his wife had written to herself and forms an even deeper connection with the part of her that she had never revealed to him.

I can already tell that this will be a book that I reach for again and again, and I couldn’t be happier that I gave it a chance.

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata ★★★★★

I enjoyed Convenience Store Woman so much that when I saw this collection of short stories by the same author, I quickly picked it up without thinking.

Murata combines the mundane with the extraordinary and even grotesque in the most seamless of ways, and each story never failed to get me thinking about the different ways that other people live their lives behind closed doors.

It’s difficult to choose a favourite from this collection, but if pushed I would have to go with Life Ceremony. Set in a reality where society dines on the deceased as a way to honour them, it really made me think about many of our current traditions and how quickly they can change based on public perception.

Other notable mentions include A First-Rate Material, A Magnificent Spread and Eating The City.

It’s definitely a weird book, but then again aren’t we all a little weird?

Baby Love by Jacqueline Wilson ★★★★★

I’ve always loved Jacqueline Wilson’s books, particularly as a young child. She has such a talent for writing about heavy topics in a way that is relatable and easy to access, and I was even lucky enough to meet her once.

She complimented my name and then included it in her next book, which cemented her in my mind as my all-time favourite author!

So when I heard that she had published a new book for young adults, I knew I had to get my hands on it.

I actually checked this book out from the library, which made me feel very nostalgic!

Baby Love follows a young teenage girl named Laura, who becomes pregnant in the 60s and is sent away to a home for expectant mothers to escape the shame of her condition. There she is pressured to give her baby up for adoption, but Laura has other ideas…

This book explores a number of different topics with the utmost sensitivity, and I was gripped as soon as I read the first page. It made me cry many times and I was left feeling emotionally drained in the best kind of way.

I don’t fit into the target demographic for this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it all the same – proving that Jacqueline Wilson’s writings are completely timeless and made for all ages.

How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie ★★★★

Grace has found herself in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. She finds this particularly unfair as her true crimes have flown under the radar – namely, murdering six members of her own family.

From drowning her cousin to triggering anaphylaxis in her sister, Grace is on a mission to take revenge on her absent father and get her hands on the fortune that she is rightfully owed.

I didn’t find Grace particularly likeable, but I found myself rooting for her in a strange way. Of course I don’t condone murder, but it was fun to see her meticulous plans play out while watching the downfall of a very unpleasant family.

The style of this book is dark and wry, and I enjoyed the change of pace from the books I usually read. If you’re looking for a crime thriller with a fun millennial twist, I highly recommend How To Kill Your Family.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien ★★★★★

It had been well over a decade since I last picked up this classic novel, so I decided to reacquaint myself with the magic and lore of Tolkien’s world this autumn.

Of course, it goes without saying that The Hobbit gets a 5-star rating – it is absolute genius, on the level of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

The story follows Bilbo, a hobbit who is very content with his comfortable life in Hobbiton. But when Gandalf the wizard puts his name forward to join a troop of dwarves in a quest to reclaim their stolen gold, Bilbo finds himself on a most peculiar adventure involving goblins, elves and a particularly cunning dragon named Smaug…

I enjoyed this book even more as an adult, and I could definitely relate to Bilbo’s love of cosiness and comfort. The descriptions of all the food eaten throughout their adventure never fail to make me hungry, and I would give anything to visit his hobbit-hole and tuck into a delicious second breakfast.

It’s impossible not to fall in love with all the characters, particularly little Bilbo. I found it so gratifying to watch him grow as a person (or rather as a hobbit!) and couldn’t be prouder of him by the end of the tale.

The Hobbit will forever be one of my favourite books of all time, and my words can never do it justice.

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume ★★★★★

I’d been feeling a little nostalgic towards the end of the year, so this was another re-read.

Although it was one of my favourite books as a child, it had been roughly 20 years since I last cracked the pages of Margaret’s story. As the book itself was first published in 1970 you’d be forgiven for assuming that it would be a little outdated, but it still holds up today.

Margaret is a girl on the cusp of puberty who moves to a new town, and we follow her as she navigates friendships, crushes and all the trials and tribulations that come with leaving childhood behind.

She is also on a journey to understand religion, as she doesn’t quite know where she fits in. Margaret finds comfort in talking to God despite her uncertainty about which path to follow, and I had to chuckle inwardly to see her pleading to start her period so that she could finally feel ‘grown up.’

This book will always have a special place in my heart as I could relate to so many of Margarets’ thoughts and experiences, even years later in life.

So, that’s it. 12 books. I accomplished my goal!

My reading journey has been invaluable this past year, giving me a safe and healing space in which to navigate the ups and downs of life.

As you can imagine, I have no plans to slow down. I’ll be increasing my goal to 15 books in 2023, and I’m already looking forward to the new adventures and words of wisdom that await.