Today is officially the first day of 2023. But it’s also Sunday and time to reflect on the previous week. So, this Sunday, reflect on and summarize the week you just had (as well as the past year you just had) in your writing. Write a piece of fiction or nonfiction, or both.

In today’s post you’ll also see updates on the current novel I’m writing, news about the newest Ebook I published, what I’m reading, and a few book reviews. 

**Quick Note: You can now download the new Ebook: 150 Days of Writing Prompts**

This Week’s Sunday Summary Writing Prompt: Reflect on 2022

Today, write a journal entry or a piece of short fiction about your most memorable experiences of 2022. Or pick just one memorable experience from 2022 to write about.

Writing Prompts From This Past Week

In case you missed them when they were originally published earlier this week, here are the links to this week’s writing prompts on Daily Drafts & Dialogues blog. See my completed versions of each writing prompt in each post.

Updates On My Current Book Project

This past weekend I edited the first part of the novel I’m currently working on. This coming week, I’ll start writing the second part of the novel, of three parts total. I’m still deciding on a title for the novel. I hope to have one by the end of February or early March.

Current Reads And Book Reviews

My Top 10 Books of 2022

1. Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark
2. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
3. What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
4. The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
5. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
6. The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
7. Trust by Hernan Diaz
8. Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
9. Permanent Record by Edward Snowden
10. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

We Are The Light by Matthew Quick

This book. This book actually made me cry. Tears of sorrow. And tears of hope. I don’t even remember the last time a book made me do that. It is so vulnerable and real, almost terrifyingly so at times. It makes you remember how one single life can make such a profound difference and how none of us are truly alone, especially at the moments when we feel alone. Together, we can be the light. We are the light. If we want to create it to see it. Wow. This book is beautiful. And healing. Even if you don’t think it will be uplifting when you first start reading it. But you must slow down and let yourself take in the light it offers, so you don’t miss its raw beauty. It is a real and vulnerable beauty, which many of us are sadly not accustomed to, and are often unable to see. Read this one to the very end. Then be prepared to stare at the wall for a good while as you process everything it makes you think and feel.

Rating: 5/5

Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh

This was my favorite holiday rom com this year. It was laugh-out-loud funny and so sweet. Molly and Andrew will take you on the perfect holiday adventure.

Rating: 5/5

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

This book is so fascinating and so well written that you almost forget it’s about his life– that it’s a memoir. It was amazing to learn more about his journey and how he came to be who he is, and why he decided to do what he did. I also loved how he explained the technology he used and uses, and all its evolutions, in such an easy-to-understand way without ever being condescending. I learned a lot while reading this book, but was also thoroughly entertained by his candor, quirkiness, and humor. I learned about technology and our human obligations related to it, data security and privacy, and our current state of humanity and institutions. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It’s not as controversial as you might think if you’re willing to really pay attention to what he has to say. And it is enjoyable to read, too.

Rating: 5/5

Verity by Colleen Hoover

This book is surprising and I can see why it’s controversial. It keeps you hooked from the beginning, and Hoover does not shy away from writing about extremely risqué and heart-breaking topics… but somehow still encapsulates fundamental human elements realistically, human elements that people never want to talk about and are afraid of talking about, or don’t know how to talk about. And that is not easy to do, especially in such a disturbingly bewitching way.

This book is for those who want to be engrossed in a twisted story, and who value storytelling. It will force you to question a lot about human nature and what people are capable of, and what you believe to be true as you’re reading. Even her critics will want to read this book to the very end. It is an ending you won’t want to miss.

Rating: 5/5

I’m currently reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton.

***Follow me on Goodreads to see other book reviews and what I’ll be reading this coming week. ***

My Most Anticipated Reads for 2023

• The Faraway World by Patricia Engel
• Evil Eye by Etaf Rum
• Victory City by Salman Rushdie
• Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
• Spare by Prince Harry
• Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong
• The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg
• Who Gets Believed?: When the Truth isn’t Enough by Dina Nayeri
• The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S. A. Chakraborty
• Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
• Happy Place by Emily Henry
• The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict
• Old Babes in the Wood: Stories by Margaret Atwood
• Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Download the New Ebook: 150 Days of Writing Prompts

Download the new Ebook: 150 Days of Writing Prompts. Its 237 pages include unique writing prompts and writing tips that will help you kickstart or maintain your daily writing habit, today. Crush your writing goals in 2023!

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