Wow, it has been a hectic illness driven month I have to say. So much so I wasn’t able to blog last week as planned, and to be honest I didn’t think I was going to be able to this week either. But, here I am.
Let me start with a few bits and bobs health wise. The last few weeks really have been a domino effect of one set of symptoms setting off another, and one condition flaring the second another stops. It has prevented me really being able to get online and in all honesty blogging seemed like a far flung dream. Of course this is as always the nature of living with multiple chronic illnesses, and I won’t bore myself or anyone else on the difficulty of living with so many conditions. Not today anyway! 😉 (If you are interested however, here is a previous blog post I wrote on The Difficulty of Living with Multiple Chronic Illnesses – My Top 5 Dilemmas here).
Instead today I want to focus on something outside of feeling so rubbish, and what better way than to talk about some of the books I have read so far in 2022. Reading is a great form of escapism for me, although at times certain symptoms can make the actual act of reading extremely challenging and at times impossible. With that said, I am proud to be a book worm and am always on the look out to add books to my TBR list even if it does take a small age to actually read them.
So let’s take a look at some of the books I have read in 2022 so far…
The Perfect Guests – Emma Rous
I actually read The Perfect Guests quite early on in the year and have to say it was a fantastic book to kick start the year ahead. What first attracted me to this book was the book description about it being set on a murder mystery night – which as an Agatha Christie fan has always been something I would love to do. Whilst part of the book is around this set-up, it also jumps between the past and the present which I personally love. FYI my fellow chronic illness people – you may want to read on more energy filled days so as not to lose your way on the whole host of twists and turns you will encounter. In addition to the rollercoaster of events the setting of the mysterious Raven Hall Manor fits the book perfectly.
Ideal for thriller lovers and fanatics of twists and big reveals. For me this book is a 5 ⭐ read all day long.

The Baby Group – Caroline Corcoran
I have to confess this is another thriller style book – can you guess this may be one of my favourite genres? However, whilst The Perfect Guests was a mix mash of time lines, The Baby Group couldn’t be any more modern day life inspired. Without giving any spoilers, The Baby Group is about a group of friends who you may have guessed already, have met through a new mothers group, whereby one of the women has had a video from her past leaked to everyone she knows – but who is behind it?
What I liked about this book is all the modern day references from the impact of social media to the importance people put on how they appear to others. The book has you guessing throughout with regards to who is behind the scandal and who you can really trust, and the ending is brilliant. I did struggle at times with the style of the writing, but that is personal preference and I would still recommend. I give this book a solid 3.5 ⭐.
Strangers on a Train – Patricia Highsmith
We have moved a bit old school now with this next book read, focusing on a classic. I first became aware of Strangers on a Train via the Alfred Hitchcock film, however the book by Patricia Highsmith (which may I add was written first) is filled with differences. Slight spoiler – The plot is quite a simple one – two strangers meet on a train, each of them have someone in their lives who let’s say they could do without. A suggestion is made that they could help each other out by bumping off each others ‘problem’ person without worrying about alibis or motives. A throw away plan until one of them does just that.
This book is such a mixed bag for me because I actually love the idea behind the plot. The first half of the book is engaging and I was really keen to see where this plan by two strangers was going to lead. Then the second half of the book happened and my desire to keep reading waned. I think a big part of this was I didn’t gel to any of the characters and it seemed to drag on with not a lot actually going on. The style of writing was also quite hard for my fatigue addled brain to comprehend at times, but hey it is a classic.
For me, I would rate this book a 4 ⭐ read for the idea itself, however I wouldn’t be in a rush to read it again.
New Beginnings at Rose Cottage – Erin Green
Ok, ok I am going to move away from thrillers and suspense and move to romance, chick lit. I have actually written about this book before and I am going to write about it again because I LOVE it. This book installs such hope for me in times when I feel I am lacking because there is just an overwhelming sense that things can get better.
Set in Brixham, Devon this book is about three solo holiday makers sharing a holiday cottage who each have their own stories and struggles back home, yet come together and build a beautiful friendship and re-discovery of their own lives. The characters are lovable, the setting is picturesque, and the story is beautifully packed with simplistic moments of pure joy. There are many moments in this book which I can sympathise with in my own life which is maybe what makes it so poignant for me , alongside moments of fun, laughter and lots of ice cream!
No doubt one of my favourite books of all time, so I have no choice but to give it a 5 ⭐ review.
Here we have it a few reviews of some of the books I have read so far in 2022. What books are you currently reading/listening to or have read/listened to this year? Are reading book reviews something you enjoy, if so let me know as I would love to do more in the future.
Sarah xx