During the last few months of 2021, I read a wide variety of different novels. Some of my favorite novels from those months include It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover and Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I connected with both books in many ways, and I will forever cherish that. This year, I am looking forward to reading dozens of books during the 2022 new year. But I am more than excited to read these five books, Little Women, The Book Thief, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Normal People, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women follows the lives of the four March Sisters-Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy-and the details of their lives from being small, wondrous children to growing into bright, strong women.
I am looking forward to this book because not only do we get to enjoy strong, female leads, but we also get to read and imagine what it was like to be a woman of this time. I am obsessed with the 2019 movie adaptation of Little Women, and I feel I will love the book even more.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel, a young girl growing up in Germany during World War II. She steals books, learns to read, and finds comfort in words while keeping a huge secret from the world, her family is hiding a Jew in their basement.

Ever since I learned of this book, I had always been interested in reading it. The story of Liesel and the jew she is hiding in her family’s basement sparks many feelings in me and I cannot wait to learn more about them and their relationship.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo tells the story of the fictional old Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, who at the age of 79 decides to give a final interview to an unknown journalist, Monique Grant.

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid and her writing, and I am so excited to see what this novel brings to me and if I like it as much as I like her other novel, Daisy Jones & The Six. I am most excited to read this novel because I get to read about the (fake) life of a celebrity who no one truly knows anything about. I have heard many great things about this book which, as well, prompted me to be excited about it.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Normal People follows the complex friendship and relationship between two teenagers, Connell, and Marianne, who both attend the same secondary school.

I am most excited to read this novel because I have heard that it is very relatable, and the characters really remind you of real-life people and situations they struggle with. I have also heard that Sally Rooney is a very creative writer and author.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray revolves around a portrait of Dorian Gray by Basil Hallward, an artist impressed and infatuated by Dorian’s beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat’s hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life.

The Picture of Dorian Gray’s plot has always interested me. I have watched the movie and enjoyed it a lot more than I imagined. This book as well is one of my good friends’ favorites and she continues to recommend this novel to me.

These five books are the ones I am most excited to read this year. I have hope that most of them will bring out many different emotions in me and will forever be stuck in my heart. I read many great books in 2021 but I am looking forward to the new books I get to read in 2022.