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Bridges Recap - Part 8 - 2022


While this definitely is not my longest list, I'm surprised that I did read as many as I did.

2022 was the year I became a mom. Based on the number of series I listened and relistened to as comfort books, it's clear I was anxious about becoming a parent. While there aren't any parenting books on the list, I remember being annoyed by the number of parenting books I wanted to listen to that didn't have audiobooks. At least, not audiobooks available on my app. I did end up listening to a lot of parenting podcasts, to fill that void.

In Bridges Recap - Part 1 - Audiobooks, I discuss audiobook options, and how I have chosen a lot of the books I listen to. The first actual book log post is Bridges Recap - Part 2 - 2016. All of the books in these posts were listened to on Bridges, which has now been discontinued. I now listen on Libby. This is mostly a book log for me. It doesn't mean I liked or didn't like the book if it's listed or linked. Most links are from Bookshop.org, which I am currently an affiliate.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.


January

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February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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My favorite books this year were largely some sort of historical novel, aside from Untamed. Unsurprisingly, there was also a connection to the UK in all of them, aside from Untamed.


Not My Father's Son is a book I hadn't expected to enjoy as much as I did. I don't remember the initial reason I found the book, and I know I've seen the episode of Who Do You Think You Are this book centers around. However, I know I did read the book first because this book is what got me into watching the show. In general, I love his honesty about his struggles with identity and the struggles his family had with shame and secrets. I greatly respect self reflection and introspection.


This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing was an interesting listen. A memoir from her versus all of her Maisie Dobbs books I've listened to was more of a shift than I expected. I had put off listening to this one because I was nervous I would dislike a different type of book or style, but I ended up really enjoying this one. The era of her life is also a time period I haven't read a ton about, so the perspective was new to me. In my history classes, it often went from the large world perspective of the war and treaties to the US perspective of recovery. Plus, her family's optimism was just something I couldn't fathom, which is what the title is referencing.


Untamed is one of my favorite books. This empowering book has given my people pleasing, do what everyone else thinks I should do, obedient daughter, passive teacher, some self confidence to do what I need to do and know is right. Every time I listen to this book, I cry. I can feel myself giving myself permission to be myself. In my new parent journey, there was a quote that stuck out to me and really said my beliefs more eloquently than I could. "What if parenting became less about telling our children who they should be and more about asking them again and again forever who they already are? Then, when they tell us, we would celebrate instead of concede. It's not: I love you no matter which of my expectations you meet or don't meet. It's: My only expectation is that you become yourself. The more deeply I know you, the more beautiful you become to me." Everything she said about raising your kids to be who they are versus who anyone else--even me--thinks they should be. I find myself thinking about this quote when I'm with my son as well as when I'm with students. When I'm unsure how to respond or what to say, I'm constantly thinking, "how do I help you become yourself."


The Hollywood Spy was a surprise to me. I didn't know there was going to be a new Maggie Hope book, so when I saw it in a bookstore at the end of the summer 2021, I was shocked! It felt like a while since I'd finished the others, so I relistened to the series to remind myself what had happened and to give Bridges time to have it on audiobook. I found this book intriguing because everything about LA often screams open minded and aware and anti-racist, compared to where I grew up and live. I mean, when I found out some actors were Jewish, that's when I realized not all Jewish people had died in the Holocaust. (Before I learned about the Holocaust, I actually thought there weren't any Jewish people outside of the Bible because I thought all Jewish people became Christian after Jesus was born.....I was 8, don't judge me). Disney channel kids weren't all white, like my high school. So, Hollywood and LA always had a more diverse atmosphere to me. The real life events and activities of the KKK and American Nazis at the time and in that location were eye opening to me. Growing up, it seemed like these groups only existed in the southern states, so this story felt contemporary in many ways. A bit of history repeating itself.


Outlander had been a long time coming. When I started watching the show on Netflix about a year before, I purposely didn't look up anything. I didn't look it up on IMDb, on google, anything. As a person who typically looks up everything about a show or movie the instant it starts, this is a big deal for me. I knew it was a book series, and I didn't want to know anything ahead of time. I wanted to watch the show and take it in as it is. Since it wasn't until I finished what was then on Netflix that I looked it up on IMDb, I didn't even know it was a current show with episodes coming out. I had seen an ad for it in an old magazine I had at home, so I guess I figured it was done. I read a few chapters in the physical book, but even after watching the show, I had a hard time reading the accent and some names. Plus, it takes me forever to finish a physical book. So, I listened to it! I'm glad I did. To me, it made the TV show creators and producers and writers for the first season look even more brilliant. The book is already detailed and interesting, but the specific use of voiceovers and the way scenes or events are moved around in the show, show a really in depth understanding of the book. I love historical fiction, and Claire's more contemporary world view mixed with Jamie's world view of the time is often something I often imagine while reading historical fiction.


For a list that only has about 44 books compared to some years having more like 80 books, there are definitely a lot of books on the list I would reread or have reread. A lot of this years books weren't specifically personal growth books, but it felt like a lot of the books led to a great deal of self reflection and societal reflection.


*Coming Soon* Libby Recap - 2023

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