Take Back Your Time – Christy Wright
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I have a tradition of carefully picking the first book I read of the new year, and it usually takes me awhile to get through it. Take Back Your Time took me 6 weeks to read, which is very unusual for me, but it was important to take it slow. Plus, there were 3 journal questions at the end of every chapter and a workbook full of challenges. The great thing about the challenges was that you could start making changes before finishing the book, and I did. I started cutting out things that were unnecessary and not bring me joy, and I lost some of that stress and anxiety.

My Top 3️⃣ Takeaways:
1️⃣ Balance is less about finding hours to add to your day and more about finding peace, fulfillment, and confidence in how you use the hours you already have.
2️⃣ Life balance isn’t about doing everything for an equal about of time. Life balance is about doing the right things at the right time. It’s about spending your one life on what matters to you.
3️⃣ We have 168 hours in a week. If we sleep 7 hours a night and work 40 hours a week, we still have roughly 79 hours left do to other things.
*️⃣ BONUS: Your life is just that: yours. You get to decide how you spend it, and sometimes you have to be willing to speak up and be your own best advocate in order to protect your time.

The Attic on Queen Street – Karen White
Tradd Street Series #7
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I am very sad that I’ve finished the 7-book Tradd Street Series. But luckily there’s a spin-off series that starts later this month. I highly recommend the Tradd Street Series and will gladly lend out the set once I find my collection.

Paradise Series – Elin Hilderbrand
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

#1 Winter in Paradise
#2 What Happens in Paradise
#3 Troubles in Paradise

I finally got to finish the Winter in Paradise series by Elin Hilderbrand this week. I picked up the first book at a library sale last year and took it with me on my Edisto vacation. It wasn’t until the last page of the book (which was captivating by the way) when I realized there was at least a second book, but hey, at least I didn’t start with the second or third. So I put those on my wishlist and got them for Christmas. Spring break gave me enough time to finish the trilogy, and it’s a good one. I highly recommend!

The Wish – Nicholas Sparks
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

First chapter was slow, stick with it. One of the last chapters, I almost through the book across the room. But we had almost a full recovery. I am going to deduct one star though, because I think an epilogue could have and should have happened. If you’ve read The Wish, or after you do, come find me and let’s discuss.

Charleston Green – Stephanie Alexander
Tipsy Collins Series #1
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I’ve been looking forward to reading Charleston Green, written by the wife of one of my favorite doctors! The first chapter or two were a slow start for me but once the story got rolling it was hard to put down. Definitely 5 stars, especially because it’s about Charleston. I’m a sucker for a local read. I can’t wait to pick up Haint Blue to continue the series.

Remember Me? – Sophie Kinsella
⛔️

Picked this one up at a book sale last year. (I’ve decided to just pick up anything that looks interesting and if I don’t like it, I can add it to the bookshelf in our future Airbnb). Slow start. I’ve been having a real tough time with those first chapters. I guess I got too used to reading series. Also, it’s based in London. Not a fan of overseas locals, but the lingo wasn’t as bad to ignore as some of the other books I’ve read. The pace picked up as Lexi was trying to regain her memory, but I feel like it fell flat in the end. So it’s going on the Airbnb bookshelf. No rating cause I wouldn’t read it again.

Along for the Ride – Sarah Dessen
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I finished Along for the Ride this past weekend, a book I picked up from one of the many book sales I went to last year, and then today I learned that a movie adaptation is being released on Netflix Friday. I guess I know what I’ll be doing this weekend. This was my first read from Sarah Dessen and I could see myself picking up more of her novels. What is a must read from her collection?

I give it one less star because if I was the main character, I would’ve told that worthless father off, more than once.

Here’s To Us – Elin Hilderbrand
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I got hooked on Elin Hilderbrand’s books after picking up the first book of the Paradise series at a book sale last year and reading it out at Edisto. I’ve since stocked up on at least 10 of her books. Here’s to Us was a comical, quick read. I’d be interested in a sequel that follows the new friendship of the ex-wives, maybe back at the beach house the following summer.

Haint Blue – Stephanie Alexander
Tipsy Collins Series #2

The Tipsy Collins Series was recommended to me by a colleague, we work with the author’s husband! I received #CharlestonGreen for Christmas and read it earlier this year, then I snagged its sequel #HaintBlue at the big library book sale a few weeks back. I’ll always love a good book about the Lowcountry and I’ve been enjoying Tipsy’s story. I’d assumed this was it and was said to see it end, until I learned there is going to be a third book titled #PalmettoRose coming out later this year. It will definitely be going on my Christmas list!

Wildstone Series – Jill Shavis

#1 Lost and Found Sisters
#2 Rainy Day Friends
#3 The Lemon Sisters

All from library book sales, I snagged the bottom book first because the pupper looked like Jake and then found the others, not realizing they were part of a 10 book Wildstone Series (which luckily don’t have to be read in order). They’re cute reads, good to throw in a beach bag or for vacation.

The Color of Light – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

After spending the past year or two reading the Tradd Street Series, I’ve ventured out to some of Karen White’s other novels thanks to a few library book sales. The Color of Light was a quick read that kept me engaged and also kept me guessing the whole time, not expecting the two plot twists at the end. I’m also a sucker for any book set in South Carolina 🌴

The Beach Trees – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I’m starting to see a pattern that books not set in locations other than the Lowcountry seem to take me a little longer to get into, but the mystery in The Beach Trees kept me reading. The ending forgot to tie up one last loose thread though, and it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be a sequel.

On Folly Beach – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Local reads are my favorite, especially when they lean a little more towards mystery than romance. On Folly Beach was a quick read merging the past with the present and involved book stores!

When We Found Home – Susan Mallery
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I’ve been seeing Susan Mallery books at a few of the recent sales and have picked up a few, choosing When We Found Home first. It was an odd read, too much romance and not enough mystery. Ended flat with loose ends. Probably not going to keep in my library.

Ladies of the House – Lauren Edmondson
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Picked this one up at a library book sale, solely for the pretty cover. Meh. It was okay. The family was like a train wreck you couldn’t look away from so it made you want to keep going to find out all the secrets. And it did have a trip to Charleston so it got an extra star from me.

Sea Change – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Slow, slow start and almost gave up but I’ve been wanting to read all of Karen White’s novels. The 1800s flashbacks were confusing and hard to follow due to the different speaking style. I caught on early to part of the plot twist and hung on till the end to see if I was right.

Pieces of the Heart – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Continuing to make my way through the Karen White books post-Tradd Street Series ending. Pieces of the Heart was another short, quick & easy read within her standalone novels that I’ve found so far during my book sale travels. I’m off my A game though, not even guessing the plot twists ahead of time.

Spinning the Moon – Karen White
⭐️

This was really two books that took me about two months to read. The first book, In the Shadow of the Moon, was pretty decent. I give it about 3 stars. I don’t really like books based in historic times though. The second book, Whispers of Goodbye, absolutely sucked until the last page. Did not see that plot twist coming. Luckily the next Karen White book I read was much, much better.

The Sound of Glass – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I really enjoyed The Sound of Glass. The first few pages hooked me in and I flew through the rest of the chapters in one day to put all the pieces together. Highly recommend. Plus it takes place in Beaufort.

The Lost Hours – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

There was a lot going on in The Lost Hours, but I knew the mystery was in there so I held on. However, the mystery was pretty easy to guess along the way and there weren’t any twists at the end to blow your mind.

The Time Between – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Only managed to get through one book of my TBR collection during our Edisto vacation, and it was based on Edisto. It was a decent read that will be going on my bookshelf at the Pearl. I wonder how many guests will go on adventures finding all the locations mentioned in The Time Between.

True Love Cowboy – Jennifer Ryan
McGrath Series #3
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This was a cutesy and quick read, with a dash of drama and suspense. There’s apparently two more books that tie in but don’t necessarily have to be read in order. Still deciding on if I’ll read them. All in all, a decent read that only cost me a dollar at a book sale.

Dear Carolina – Kristy Woodson Harvey
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

My first of many Kristy Woodson Harvey books (I’ve been holding off on starting the Peachtree Bluff Series until I have all the books together, cause I’ll be mad if I have to wait)! Dear Carolina was a slow start for me, getting used to the flipping of chapters between the two points of view, especially with the language of the second character, but over time it turned into a cute & sweet read. I think the characters need a chance to continue on their stories in a sequel.

TOPGUN’s Top 10
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

My favorite leadership books to read are those written by military leaders. They are the most apt to lead an effective team, because their lives depend on it. My favorites are Extreme Ownership and Navigating Chaos, and now I can add Topgun’s Top 10 to that list.

My top 3 takeaways:
1️⃣ Be better than yesterday. Do the same tomorrow.
2️⃣ Taking the time to stop and do the small things correctly becomes a lifelong habit, one that positively impacts everyone around you, just as we benefit when others to the same for us.
3️⃣ Consistency lends itself to finding a rhythm where productivity climbs and frustrations begin to fall away

It was so hard to narrow down to just 3 takeaways. There are just too many good nuggets packed into this quick read that I highly recommend (and you learn interesting facts about the real Top Gun)!

The Memory of Water – Karen White
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This will probably be my last book finished in 2022. Didn’t quite hit my goal of 40 books. Read a lot that started out slow and took awhile to get through. The Memory of Water was one of them. You could tell there was a good mystery there, but you figured it out halfway through and then just had to wait for it to come to light with a twist thrown in. I just don’t think any of her work will live up to the Tradd Street Series.