a lifestyle blog for book lovers

What a reading year it’s been! 2022 saw the publication of so many wonderful books: I loved SO MANY and once again had a terrible time narrowing down my list to a reasonable, shareable number. After much obsessing and crossing-outing I’ve finally landed on fifteen superlative titles I read in print, which I’m sharing today, and nine superlative audiobook selections, which I’ll share next week.

That makes for a total of two dozen favorites, which is undoubtedly a lot, and yet represents only 10% of the books I read this year: the year isn’t quite over but I expect to come in at about 220, which is fewer titles than I’ve read the past few years. In 2020 I read 300 books, which I thought was too many. (I tell you why in that year’s favorite books post.) In 2021 I read just over 250.

Why did I read fewer books this year? It wasn’t because I didn’t have seemingly endless enticing options in front me! I believe my relatively low tally is partly due to the fact that in 2022 I made a concerted effort to not shy away from long books: I read many novels and narrative nonfiction works over five hundred pages, and several nearly twice that long.

I haven’t run the numbers, but I also believe I read fewer total pages in 2022. For various personal and professional reasons, I read an absurd number of articles this year: and while these pieces are often interesting and enjoyable, they don’t get logged as books read. I also dedicated a whole lot of what used to be reading time to helping my kids with homework and college applications.

I know some of you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say that nothing has impacted my reading time this year as much as those college applications! My second-born is a high school senior this year, and since her brother already went through this process two years ago, I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong: every kid has their own path, and my daughter’s chosen field of study (and its specialized schools and programs) requires much more of its senior applicants than those my son, a happy history major, demanded. This means that instead of reading on the sofa for an hour each night this fall, I was often reading through program requirements, essays, or sample portfolios. And that’s on top of regular homework help for all three kids still living at home. It was my pleasure to offer assistance, and also, as someone who enjoys reading (and, in a very real way, needs to read for work), it’s important to understand where my time goes, and which factors impact my reading life.

I may have had less reading time this year, but I’m satisfied with how I spent it. I read so many good books, and while I once again enjoyed a pleasing variety of old and new across a whole lot of genres, I couldn’t help but notice the frequency with which I gravitated towards stories of complicated relationships.

For this year’s favorites list, I once again prioritized books with staying power and emotional resonance; ones with admirable craft, that I enjoyed reading, and that I found myself returning to in my mind—even long after I finished the book.

I track my titles in the My Reading Life book journal, and put a simple star by especially noteworthy titles. Despite my best efforts at record-keeping, I’m probably forgetting a favorite here, because I always do. Luckily I’ll have plenty more opportunities to talk about books I love!

I would love to hear your favorite books of the year in the comments section.

All books featured here were chosen because I loooove them. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. More info here.

My favorite books of 2022

The Arsonists’ City

The Arsonists’ City

Author:
We're beginning with one of just two rereads on my 2022 favorites list. We hosted author Hala Alyan in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club several weeks ago, so I read this again to prepare for our conversation—I think I enjoyed it even more my second time through. This is the multigenerational story of the complex Nasr family, with its Syrian mother, Lebanese father, and three adult children in Brooklyn and Beirut. I loved how the nearly five-hundred page length gave Alyan room to explore each family member in all their complexities—the secrets each is hiding from the others, the long-held hurts and resentments simmering just below the surface, the exasperating familial dynamics they all seem powerless to overcome. If you love dual timeline historical fiction or books about sibling relationships, take a close look at this one. More info →
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Lucy by the Sea

Lucy by the Sea

Another reread, but that hardly counts since while I've now read this book twice, both readings were in 2022. I sat down with this book, Strout's latest in the loose Lucy Barton series, on a Saturday afternoon—and I read the entire thing without getting up because I couldn't bear to put it down. It is a pandemic story, following Lucy as she escapes with her companion from New York City to the coast of Maine. The conversations in this book are about the pandemic, but also about the fragility of life and what it means to be in relationship with others, and I found it touching, tearful, and ultimately life-affirming. More info →
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The Swimmers

The Swimmers

Author:
This new 2022 release made me an instant Julie Otsuka fan: I laughed, I cried, I dove into her backlist. This slim story begins with the collective narrative of the devoted regular swimmers at a community pool. But one day a crack appears in the bottom of the pool and it's soon closed to the swimmers. No longer able to gather for their laps, the swimmers are forced to individually deal with the grave disruption to their routine‚ and no one is affected more than elderly Alice, whose story takes over the narrative. The surprising pivot from snappy social commentary to a devastating portrait of encroaching dementia is effective and moving. Otsuka is a master of the tiny details throughout, be they witty or heartbreaking. More info →
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Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution

Author:
When MMD Book Club hosted Peng Shepherd in August to discuss The Cartographers, Peng raved about this new fantasy release from the author of The Poppy War trilogy (which I haven't yet read, should I?). It's a cool 545 pages in hardcover, and WOW does she put every one to good use. The publisher calls it “a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”—if that sounds a little cerebral for you, don’t worry, it’s easy to get swept up in the story. Kuang's historical fantasy takes place primarily in 1830s Oxford, where the workers at the translation institute Babel literally fuel the British Empire by combining their language skills with precious silver bars. While I loved the academic setting and band of four fast friends, her engagement with the complexities of race, power, and privilege are what really ground the novel. There's also a lot of philosophizing about the art of translation and discussion of what the practice actually involves, which I found insightful and fascinating (especially in light of my recent stack of translated reads). More info →
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Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation

Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation

Author:
There's not a lot of nonfiction on my favorites list, but I found this arresting blend of memoir and true crime about a landmark sexual assault case as unputdownable as any thrilling novel. “I became a private investigator because of my face,” Krouse writes in her opening lines. No matter where she goes or who she meets, perfect strangers tell her things they’ve never told anyone else. To her great surprise, this inconvenience turns into a job offer when a local attorney hires her as a PI to investigate cases for his firm. When the attorney takes on a new client who was sexually assaulted by college football recruits, he sets an audacious goal: he wants to prove the school was not only aware of but complicit in the program’s culture of violence. The prospect of securing justice and making the perpetrators pay compels Krouse to take the case, despite her own history of sexual abuse. As the lawsuit—and the story—move forward, her past trauma and its present repercussions nestle up alongside the investigation in the narrative, to great effect, and build to a stirring, stunning, and gently hopeful ending. More info →
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Demon Copperhead

Demon Copperhead

I always look forward to a new Barbara Kingsolver, and this one is her best yet. 2021 Anne might be surprised to hear 2022 Anne say that, because when I first learned her new book would be a David Copperfield retelling, I was less than enthusiastic. I needn't have worried: I was hooked from the first chapter. Damon Fields, known as Demon Copperhead for his red hair, grows up impoverished in the southern Appalachian mountains in Virginia. We first meet him at age 11 and then follow along as he watches his mother become addicted to opioids, enters the foster care system, and later wrestles with substance abuse himself. Just as David Copperfield was an impassioned work of social activism, this update examines the ravages in southwestern Virginia and how the people Demon loves and identifies with are oppressed by those who have power. At 560 pages, this story feels like an investment; I found it to be worth every page. To answer a frequently asked question: no familiarity with Dickens's original is required but if you have read it, you’ll appreciate her updates. More info →
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French Braid

French Braid

Author:
This may be Anne Tyler's 24th novel, but it's only the third or fourth I've read. This Summer Reading Guide selection offers a funny and wise meditation on the enduring imprint of one’s family of origin. The multigenerational story portrays life with the Garrett family of Baltimore over a sixty-year span, beginning with a rare vacation in 1959 and ending in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In vignettes set every ten years, the common thread is the little kindnesses and cruelties that characterize the family, along with their constitutional inability to share their true thoughts and emotions with each other. In the final pages, one character compares the indelible imprint of his family to his daughter’s French braid: “That’s how families work,” he says. “You think you’re free of them, but you’re never really free; the ripples are crimped in forever.” The family may be exasperating, but the book is anything but. I loved this. More info →
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Foster

Foster

Author:
Like so many readers, my first introduction to Keegan's work was her 2021 novella Small Things Like These, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Following the success of that work, Grove Press just released this 2010 story as a standalone book in the U.S. for the first time. This tender story is at once heartbreaking and life-affirming; and though it's a short story it's lush, full, and packed with life. It begins on a hot summer day in rural Ireland, when an anxious child is taken by her father to live with a distant relative for a time, in order to ease the burden on her mother as she prepares to deliver another child. The story is just under a hundred pages but Keegan takes you on a journey: I read this with my heart in my throat, and found it to be a true testament to what a gifted writer can do in a small space. More info →
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Memphis

Memphis

I love a good story-behind-the-story, and this 2022 Summer Reading Guide selection delivers: Stringfellow’s grandfather was a World War II veteran who served as the first Black homicide detective in Memphis—before being lynched by his own all-white police squad. Her grandmother was among the first Black nurses in Memphis. This dual legacy of excellence and injustice permeates the novel as it traces a legacy of violence and matriarchal strength through three generations of Black women living in this historic city from 1937 to 2003, with the events of 9/11 serving as a key plot point. The novel unflinchingly portrays both Memphis's strong communities and grim history of racism and violence, yet also lovingly and fiercely conveys the resilience, grit, love, and joy of the women and their community. This was one of my first reads of 2022 and it set such a good tone for the year to come! It's also one of the many books about artists and painters I enjoyed this year. More info →
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Take My Hand

Take My Hand

A timely and gripping work of historical fiction loosely inspired by the real-life groundbreaking court case of Relf v Weinberger. In 2016 Memphis, distinguished Black doctor Civil Townsend prepares to retire. First she must journey to her hometown of Montgomery to make peace with the past and tell the truth of it to her own daughter. In alternating timelines, Civil reveals all that unfolded in 1973, when she was a young and idealistic nurse, stepping into her first job at a reproductive clinic serving Black women in her community. She cared deeply for the girls under her care, but grew alarmed at what she was called upon to do: administer experimental and perhaps unnecessary treatments to young patients without their understanding or consent. When the unthinkable happens to one patient and she is sterilized without consent, Civil becomes involved in a landmark lawsuit. This 2022 Minimalist Summer Reading Guide selection is a moving story and a testament to fiction’s power to influence hearts and impact lives. More info →
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Author:
This 2022 Minimalist Summer Reading Guide selection is an intoxicating and wholly unexpected epic of love, art, belonging, betrayal, and friendship. This is the story of Sam and Sadie, two childhood friends who meet in a hospital game room in 1986. They come from completely different worlds, but bond immediately over video games. Eight years later, as students at separate Boston colleges, the pair reunite and bootstrap a Tempest-inspired video game that becomes an unexpected blockbuster, cementing their future as game designers but bringing upheaval into their personal lives. I don’t have much interest in video games but I adored this book, which is ultimately about creativity and ambition, astonishing success and what comes after, and the inevitable hurts and disappointments of a life-defining friendship. More info →
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Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me

Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me

Author:
More nonfiction, but this is every bit as much a family saga as any novel I read this year. Thanks to the book's pre-release publicity, I discovered Calhoun is the daughter of art critic Peter Schjeldahl, who I've been quoting for YEARS (especially in MMD Book Club) about his approach to works that aren't "immediately hospitable." Calhoun's new genre-bending book is a memoir-ish look at their complex relationship—and also a profile-of-sorts about poet Frank O'Hara. I couldn't resist that description, devoured it in 36 hours, and knew it would land on my Best of the Year list. By the time I closed the last page I'd googled a hundred things about NYC history and requested ten books from my local library. Fascinating, devastating, vexing, illuminating. More info →
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Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give

Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give

Author:
After reading and loving Also a Poet I was eager to read more from Calhoun, and blew through this essay collection on marriage, relationships, infidelity, divorce, and personal growth that came into being because of her viral Modern Love column, and made a hundred highlights along the way. This book would have horrified me when I was younger, but Will and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary this year: we're hardly newlyweds. To give you a taste: "'The first twenty years [of marriage] are the hardest,' an older woman once told me. At the time I thought she was joking. She was not." Or this: "Even good marriages sometimes involve flinging a remote control at the wall." I loved it. More info →
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Funny You Should Ask

Funny You Should Ask

Author:
Talk about the right book at the right time! I picked this up at an indie bookstore on vacation this summer and it was the perfect smart and sexy beach read. The story unfolds in two timelines: back then, Chani Horowitz wanted to be a serious writer but she's stuck writing puff pieces for popular outlets, something her more literary colleagues (and novelist boyfriend) sneer at. But then, she lands a gig interviewing A-list movie star Gabe Parker, her biggest celebrity crush and the next James Bond. Fast forward ten years: The Profile (as it came to be known) launches her career, but Chani still feels conflicted about it, wondering if she would even have a career without Gabe. So when his publicist asks her to revisit Gabe for a second interview, she wants to say no ... but she's also desperate for him to answer the questions that still linger for her ten years later, the ones she never wrote about or disclosed to anyone. I flew through this: strong writing, interesting format, great narrative drive, tons of fun. More info →
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Diary of a Void

Diary of a Void

Author:
I describe this Japanese debut (translated by David Boyd and Lucy North) in more detail in What Should I Read Next Episode 336 ("Find your audiobook formula"). The premise hooked me immediately: when 34-year-old Ms. Shibata begins working at the cardboard tube manufacturer, she initially finds it a welcome change from her old job, where sexual harassment was a constant threat. But she quickly realizes her new position has problems of its own: as the only woman in her department, her colleagues expect her to serve the tea, do the dishes, and sundry other menial tasks unrelated to her actual work. Then one day, fed up with waiting on the men, she impulsively tells them she can't clear the tea: she's pregnant and the smell makes her nauseous. The thing is, she's not pregnant—but because her work life instantly gets a whole lot better, she determines to find a way to keep the ruse going for the whole nine months. A satisfying blend of clever, playful, and subversive. More info →
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What were your favorite books of 2022?

P.S. Grab yourself a copy of the My Reading Life book journal to track your favorites in the year to come. Plus my favorite books of 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016 (that year I kept it to 7—how did I do that?).

128 comments

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  1. Paula says:

    I am super excited by this list, as I have only read one of them! Tomorrow cubed is on my best of the year as well. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is one of my favorites from this year.

  2. Lisa A. Eichholtz says:

    My favorites:
    Horse, Geraldine Brooks
    Counterfeit, Kristin Chen
    Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel
    Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson
    The Sentence, Louise Erdrich
    Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus

  3. Susan says:

    ‘The Winners’ is on the very top of my favorites list for the year, and I have a trilogy reread already planned for 2023 as a result. Oh man, how I love Backman’s writing in this Beartown collection. I’m also close to the end of Louise Penny’s latest and have no doubt it will be a favorite of the year. ‘Demon Copperhead’ was fantastic!

  4. ClaraB says:

    My favorite fiction of the year was Checkout 19, by Claire-Louise Fuller. I had loved Fuller’s earlier novel, Pond, and her sublime writing, so I was not surprised that enjoyed Checkout 19 even more. The slim book is many things, including a coming-of-age tale, but it’s primarily the story of how a working-class Irish girl finds her way to books and writing. For anyone who loves books, this novel will resonate, and stay with you.

  5. Kristen says:

    Remarkably Bright Creatures, The Winners, and The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot were my favorites! I apparently like books that break your heart and then put it back together again!

    • Sandy Hoenecke says:

      The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot was definitely one of my favourites from last year. I really liked your comment about ‘books that break your heart and then put it back together again’.

    • Carol Quan says:

      I just finished The Hundred Years of a Lenni and Margot. It is my favorite fiction book that I read in 2022. It was funny, sad and such great characters.

  6. Julie Newman says:

    My favorites this past year:
    The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani
    The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan
    The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
    The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Clocumb
    The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
    The Winners Fredrik Backman

  7. Debbie B says:

    Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader – Anne Fadiman

    Lincoln Highway – Amor Towles

    Damnation Spring – Ash Davidson

    Ghost Forest – Pik Shuen Fung

    Daisy Jones and the Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid

    I Must Betray You – Ruta Septys

    The Crossover – Kwame Alexander

  8. Jennice says:

    Happy holidays,Anne! Every time I come to your blog, I find at least two books I want to cram on my TBR list lol. It’s no different today because I want to read Arsonist’s House,The Swimmers, Diary of A Void, and Take My Hand.

    My favorite books this year are: The Devil Finds Work by James Baldwin, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, Daisy Jones& The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Because He’s Jeff Goldblum by Travis M.Andrews, and About The Author by John Colapinto(a pick I got from YOU!)

  9. Amanda Cole says:

    I’ve had a great reading year. I limited myself to ten favorites and have been swapping books out throughout the year (I think Ginger gave me this idea and it’s been hard!). I’ve loved a lot more than ten, but the limit has been an interesting exercise for me. In no particular order, these are the ones that have made the cut:
    1. The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan
    2. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
    3. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
    4. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
    5. Horse by Geraldine Brooks
    6. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
    7. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
    8. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
    9. How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis
    10. Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott

  10. S.E. Todd says:

    I would add Our Missing Hearts, Signal Fires, The Measure, and Mary Laura Philpott’s Bomb Shelter to your list. Great reading year!

  11. Gina says:

    Fellowship Point (Alice Elliot Dark)
    Everything Sad is Untrue (Daniel Nayeri)
    Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver)
    Now is Not the Time to Panic (Kevin Wilson)
    Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin)
    This Tender Land (William Kent Krueger)
    Happy-Go-Lucky (David Sedaris)
    Hello, Molly! (Molly Shannon)

  12. Berg Robin says:

    Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doer
    Permanent Astonishment – Tomson Highway. This a memoir by a classical pianist who grew up in Canada’s north. If you want to understand Indigenous life, including residential schools, but mostly love and respect for the land and for all creatures, this is a place to start. Beautiful book by an accomplished writer.

  13. Emily says:

    Just finished my favorite of the year: Catherine Newman’s We All Want Impossible Things. It’s such a tender story of lifelong friendship, family, foibles, and the life-affirming, wonderful, heart-wrenching horribleness that is hospice.

  14. Nancy says:

    The first book I read in 2022 was The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, and it is at the top of my favorites list. A bonus: I live in St Paul, MN and bought this book at her amazing bookstore, Birchbark Books and Native Arts, in Minneapolis.
    Others on my list:
    The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Imai Messina (based on a true event–the tsunami in Japan in 2011–explores the rhythm of loss and grief and the re-entry into life and love and hope)
    Beneficence by Meredith Hall (Set in rural Maine in the 30s-60s, this book reflects on big themes–grief, coping, forgiveness. Gorgeous writing.)
    Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout (I felt like I was in a conversation with the author about how we just keep adding to the crucial moments of our lives.)
    All of the titles by Mary Lawson
    All of the titles by Maggie Shipstead

  15. Cheryl (Sherry) Andre says:

    My favorite read this year is Patti Callahan’s “One Upon a Wardrobe.”
    It is set in Dec 1950 in Oxford, U.K. soon after the publishing of The Lion, The With, and The Wardrobe. Megs, an Oxford scholarship student in Maths and Physics, is exhorted by her ailing young brother, to ask the author, C. S. Lewis, where he got his ideas for Narnia.
    This is a heartwarming book of the love between siblings and families, C. S. Lewis own biographical backstory, and the power of story, myth and belief b

  16. Adrienne says:

    Thanks for sharing your favorites, Anne! I have not heard about a few of these… I’m adding Tell Me Everything (looks fabulous) and Funny You Should Ask to my TBR. So far in 2022 I’ve read about 80 books, which is more than 2020 or 2021, so I’m happy. My favorites of 2022 (thus far) are:
    * The Whalebone Theater – Joanna Quinn
    * The Winners (Beartown #3) – Fredrik Backman
    * The Violin Conspiracy – Brendan Slocumb
    * The Latecomer – Jean Hanff Korelitz
    * Meet Me in Another Life – Catriona Silvey
    * Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doerr
    * The Island of Missing Trees – Elif Shafak
    * The Good Left Undone – Adriana Trigiani
    * We Begin at the End – Chris Whitaker
    I’m just starting the new Louise Penny, which will probably make this list too. Looking over this list, at least half of these are books or authors that I found through WSIRN, or blog posts, or MMD Reading Guides. I am so grateful! Happy Reading!

  17. Haley Wofford says:

    My favorite reads of this year:
    The Ivory Key, When Christmas Comes, The Truth and Beauty, The Great Good Thing, Exodus, All the King’s Men, The Library: A Catalog of Wonders, The Bone Houses, The Drowned Woods, My Lady Jane, My Plain Jane, My Calamity Jane, My Contrary Mary, and My Imaginary Mary

  18. Cara says:

    I love this list! (And would also be curious to see the draft of 60)

    My top 16 in no particular order EXCEPT for number 1, my first read of 2022 that astonished and wrecked me and immediately made me do a reread in print (it’s amazing in both audio and print for what it’s worth)

    Migrations – Charlotte McConaghy
    The Arsonist’s City (also reread for MMD book club!)
    Binti trilogy – Nnedi Okorafor (thanks postal club for a different Okorafor title that sent me here!)
    The Paris Bookseller – Kerri Maher
    Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club – Roselle Lim
    A Prayer for the Crown Shy – Becky Chambers
    The Eighth Life (for Brilka) – Nino Haratischwili
    The Cartographers – Peng Shepherd (thanks MMD bookclub!)
    Jacqueline in Paris – Ann Mah
    Atomic Habits – James Clear (cliche at this point BUT helped me with habit formation!)
    Orwell’s Roses – Rebecca Solnit
    Book Lovers – Emily Henry
    An Immense World – Ed Yong
    Hester – Laurie Lico Albanese
    The Huntress – Kate Quinn (reread, audio, Saskia Maarleveld is simply the best)
    The Women I Think About At Night: traveling the paths of my heroes – Mia Kankimaki (a rare translated nonfiction!)

  19. Ola Kraszpulska says:

    I have a stellar system for this, lol, I put a <3 by it in my reading list. Here's the favorites so far:
    The Last Thing to Burn, Will Dean
    The Walking Dead Compendium 4, Robert Kirkman (the whole thing is awesome, takes a long time to read but the ending is so good)
    The Younger Wife, Sally Hepworth
    The Night Burns Bright, Ross Barkan
    Magpie, Elizabeth Day
    My Sister, The Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite
    Just Like Home, Sarah Gailey
    The Cartographers, Peng Shepherd
    Never Have I Ever, Joshilyn Jackson

    • Maria says:

      Yay for Joshlyn Jackson domestic thrillers! I loved Never Have I Ever last year and Mother May I this year. She has a new one coming out in the spring

  20. Jana Griner says:

    Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
    The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
    Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos
    The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
    Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
    The Assignment by Liza M. Wiemer
    Nine Lives by Peter Swanson
    Think Again by Adam M. Grant
    The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
    Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton
    Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
    Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
    A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
    The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
    The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
    Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts
    The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
    A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
    It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
    Seriously…I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
    The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine
    Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
    Oona Out of Order by Margarita Miontimore
    The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling
    Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

  21. Marci Travels says:

    I read some amazing series this year. I am still on a kick of strong uplifting finales even if they aren’t HEA. In no particular order, Oil and Dust and the sequel, Graphite and Turbulence by Jami Farleigh, The Wolf Gate by Hanna Sandvig, A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles, A Gift of the Stars, Manumina, War and Wrens, Exile: A New Beginning, and The Wrens Fly Away all by ML Dunker and An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. I also agree with Nancy above, anything by Louis Erdrich. My, that woman can write!

  22. Kathy D'Amelio says:

    Hi Anne
    I have to say there are so many books to chose but these were 6 of my favorite
    Eleanor Olipant is Completely Fine
    The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek
    Crying in H Mart
    The Saints of Swallow Hill
    The Thursday Murder Club
    The Murmur of Bees
    I have to say that listening to your podcasts and being in the book club has widened my pallet of reading and I was happy to meet my reading goal this year. I am a fledgling in the volume of books but am grateful to work on that with your help.
    Kathy

  23. Maria says:

    Best books:
    The Lincoln Highway, The Murmur of Bees, Passing
    Also really enjoyed:
    Same Time Tomorrow’s, Secret Life of Church Ladies and Mother May I

  24. Patricia says:

    The Trees (Percival Everett)
    Erasure (Percival Everett)
    We All Want Impossible Things (Catherine Newman)
    Left On Tenth (Delia Ephron)
    Signal Fires (Dani Shapiro)
    The Marriage Portrait (Maggie O’Farrell)
    The Book of Form & Emptiness (Ruth Ozeki)
    Sea of Tranquility (Emily St. John Mandel)
    Small Island (Andrea Levy)
    Agatha of Little Neon (Claire Luchette)
    A Separation (Katie Kitamura)

  25. Tasha says:

    Great list! You asked about the Poppy Wars books. IMHO, knowing your taste, I don’t think you would enjoy that trilogy. I was unable to go beyond the first book myself, as I found it to be a slog, and I usually enjoy gritty, action-packed books with a hefty dose of violence.
    On a different note: I recommend “I Thought You Said This Would Work” by Ann Garvin. I don’t recall you discussing this one in any of your posts, and I think it would be right up your alley. Quirky, full of those momentary keen observations about life and relationships, and it packs a deep and caring punch.

  26. Kim K. says:

    Love this list! I also have Take My Hand as one of my favorites this year, followed by These Precious Days by Ann Patchett. I have Babel and Diary of a Void on my book stack right now. Realistically, I plan to get Diary of a Void read in these waning weeks of 2022, but Babel may need to wait to kick off 2023. Can’t wait!

  27. Heidi says:

    My favourite books this year were Theory of Crows (David A Robertson), Black Water (David A Robertson), The Seed Keeper (Diane Wilson), Beatrice & Croc Harry (Lawrence Hill), Sparks Like Stars (Nadia Hashimi) and Sea of Tranquility (Emily St. John Mandel)… All incredible storytellers… I guess it was actually a pretty good reading year. I didn’t read as much as I often do, but I LOVED what I did read:)

  28. Elise says:

    I especially enjoyed Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi, Hello Molly!, The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani, Signal Fires, and The Matchmaker’s Gift by Linda Cohen Loigman.

  29. Alice R McMaster says:

    This is an incredible post! I love how my TBR just blew up!!! My faves this year:
    My most favorite:
    The Lucy Barton trilogy by E. Strout (read all 3 in a week)
    Also 5 stars:
    Horse by G. Brooks
    Take My Hand by D. Perkins-Valdez
    Finding Me by V. Davis
    Portrait of a Thief by G. D Li
    The Latecomer by J. Hand Korelitz
    Demon Copperhead by B. Kingsolver
    Liked a whole bunch:
    The Sentence by L. Erdrich
    The Four Winds by K. Hannah
    Lessons in Chemistry by B. Garmus
    The Cartographers by P. Sheppard
    The Lincoln Highway by A. Towles
    The mystery series I’m reading this year is Sheriff Cork O’C. by WK Krueger (love it!)

  30. LOVE end of year favorite reads posts–they are always my favorite! (And the comments section is a goldmine!)
    My favorites this year were:

    This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley
    Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
    The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
    Less by Andrew Sean Greer
    Freeing Jesus by Diana Butler Bass
    In the Shelter by Padraig O’Tuama
    Lucy By the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
    Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer
    Candlelight: Illuminating the Art of Spiritual Direction by Susan S. Phillips

    I love reading these posts with a pen and paper, to get reading ideas. I’m in an end-of-year reading slump and looking forward to finding a book to read over the Christmas holidays!

  31. Jo Yates says:

    I read three wonderful books in order in November: Fairy Tale by Stephen King, The Measure by Nikki Erlick, & Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro. Also the newest releases of several favorite series were great: A Sunlit Weapon (Maisie Dobbs series); Bark to the Future (Chet & Bernie mystery); and A Song of Comfortable Chairs (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.) I’m waiting for the newest Louise Penny from the library, but I did read Bruno Chief of Police by Martin Walker which felt like the Inspector Gamache stories.

  32. Shan says:

    The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, Elisabeth Tova Bailey
    The Sentence, Louise Erdrich
    The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
    The Salt Path, Raynor Winn
    The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green

  33. MARY CURRY says:

    Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is my favorite (that I read) in 2022. It’s the book I’ve recommended to EVERYONE this year and was my book club pick.

    • Carol Gallman says:

      I loved Mary Jane, too! Memorable characters and excellent writing–easy to picture the messy kitchen in the house and the meals that Mary Ann prepared so carefully!

  34. Cathy says:

    I have 9 top reads so far:
    Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr
    The Violin Conspiracy, by Brendan Slocumb
    Anthem, by Noah Hawley
    Taste: My Life Through Food, by Stanley Tucci
    The No-Show, by Beth O’Leary
    Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos
    The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Osmann
    Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan
    Signal Fires, by Dani Shapiro

  35. Sandy Hoenecke says:

    NF
    Talking to Strangers/Malcolm Gladwell
    Stoned/Aja Raden
    These Precious Days/Ann Patchett
    F
    The Dictionary of Lost Words/Pip Williams
    This Is How It Always Is/Laurie Frankel
    This Time Tomorrow/Emma Straub
    Lessons in Chemistry/Bonnie Garmus
    Ragged Company/Richard Wagamese
    The Testament of Mary/Colm Toibin
    The Diamond Eye/Kate Quinn
    And many more but these are definitely the books that rose to the top for me this year.

  36. Janet says:

    Love these lists — just added two more titles to my library hold requests.
    The best of the best for me this year:
    Girl, Woman, Other-Bernardine Everisto
    Passing-Nella Larson
    A Psalm for the Wild Built-Becky Chambers
    Cloud Cuckoo Land-Anthony Doerr
    Haven-Emma Donoghue
    Miss Benson’s Beetle-Rachel Joyce
    The Snow Child-Eowyn Ivey (my absolute favourite)

  37. Sara says:

    I love all the posts. My favorite books this year include
    Anthony Doerr Cloud Cuckoo Land
    Penguin Shepherd The Cartographers
    Mary Philpott Bomb Shelter
    Elizabeth Strout Lucy by the Sea
    Ausama Z Khan series with Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty (Canadian detectives)
    Louise Penny A World of Curosities
    Barbara Kingslover Demon Copperhead
    Deanna Rayburn Killers of a certain Age
    Best of all John Meacham And then there was light about Abraham Lincoln

  38. Jill Jaclin says:

    Love your list! My favorites thus far:

    Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
    The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz
    Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
    Honor by Thrity Umrigar
    The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
    Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
    Sister Stardust by Jane Green
    The Change by Kirsten Miller
    Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

  39. Erica Rayner-Wodzak says:

    My favorites this year (so far):
    The Storyteller (Dave Grohl)
    Wish You Were Here (Jodi Picoult)
    The Violin Conspiracy (Brendan Slocumb)
    My Moment (Kristen Chenowith, Kathy Najimy, et al)
    The Masterpiece (Fiona Davis)

  40. Shelli Riggs says:

    I read about 70 books in 2022 and tried to keep a running ranking. I was able to identify a clear top 3. Although I loved SO many this year.
    The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley was my #1 favorite,
    The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas,
    Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.
    It’s funny, 2 of the 3 I head about from a Strong Sense of Place so I think Melissa and I are often a good match.

  41. Laura says:

    I’m surprised that A Ghost in the Throat didn’t make the list! I loved that one from your recommendations. Fiction:
    Unlikely Animals,
    the Cartographers,
    Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting,
    the Stone Diaries,
    the Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep,
    Blessed are the Cheesemakers, the Maid,
    A Gathering of Old Men,
    We Have Always Lived in the Castle,
    A Raisin in the Sun.
    Nonfiction:
    Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?
    40 Autumns
    The Whole Language (Boyle)
    Working Stiff (medical examiner)
    Free (Ypi)
    Surrender by Bono
    I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet
    The Violence Project or Thoughts and Prayers are Not Enough.

  42. Lisa Toner says:

    I had a great reading year – so many amazing books!! This would be my short list:
    The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller;
    A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara;
    The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai;
    Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart;
    A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson.

  43. Carolyn says:

    I’m still reading and mulling things over, but here’s my list as of today, in no particular order:
    -Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
    -Here For It by R. Eric Thomas
    -A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
    -The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradl
    -One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel
    -Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
    -Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
    -The Mutual Friend by Carter Bays
    -The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier
    -The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
    -How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
    -Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
    -Finding Me by Viola Davis

  44. Leslie Frederick says:

    Currently reading The Beauty of Dusk by Frank Bruni. I was asked to read it by a favorite aunt, who is facing age related vision problems but it is a beautifully written tribute to those changes we all face in our lives…and how to deal with them with curiosity and grace.

  45. Rebecca says:

    Some of my favorite$
    The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni
    The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
    The World of the End by Dr. David Jeremiah
    Solito by Javier Zamora
    The Stranger In the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom
    Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
    White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
    Last Bus To Wisdom by Ivan Doig
    84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
    Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield
    Enjoy!

  46. Andrea Cox says:

    Wow, looking back I can’t believe how many truly amazing books I’ve read this year. It took all I had to narrow it down to 12, and 2 of those are entire series! (not sorry) The ones that will stay with me most:

    -Hamnet- Maggie O’Farrell
    -A Thousand Ships- Natalie Haynes
    -The entire Inspector Gamache series- Louise Penny
    -The Song of Achilles- Madeline Miller
    -The Thursday Murder Club series- Richard Osman
    -The Inimitable Jeeves- P.G. Wodehouse (re-read)
    -Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs- Beth Ann Fennelly
    -Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine- Kevin Wilson
    -Lamb- Christopher Moore
    -Dream Work- Mary Oliver
    -Sea of Tranquility- Emily St. John Mandel
    -Killers of a Certain Age- Donna Raybourn

  47. Terry says:

    I’m cheap with my stars, but this year I’ve had five!!!

    All About Me! By Mel Brooks—the audio book is fantastic, just hilarious!
    Unseen World by Liz Moore—the first book I read for the MMD Book Club is one of my all time faves!
    Sea of Tranquility by Hillary St. John Mandel—just a beautiful story, I loved Station Eleven but love this one even more.
    Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout—she’s my favorite living author and imo can do no wrong.
    A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute—a lovely story about an ordinary woman in WWII dealing with an extraordinary circumstance with bravery, humility, and pragmatism.

    And just for fun, try the Murderbot series!

  48. Nancy says:

    My short-list of favorite novels –
    SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan, a moving Christmas story.
    ALL THE CHILDREN ARE HOME by Patry Francis
    THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS by Lisa Wingate
    THESE IS MY WORDS by Nancy E Turner
    These 2 for fans of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING –
    IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE by Leah Weiss
    THE GIRLS IN THE STILT HOUSE by Kelly Mustian
    Finalist for National Book Award for Young People –
    THE OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS by Kelly Barnhill

  49. And out of this wonderful list, which would you recommend to be possibly pleasing to most any reader? I mean we all have our preferences and it’s hard to pick for someone with a different personality than ourselves…what would you pick if you weren’t sure what someone may like?

  50. Denise Sande says:

    The minimalist list of the Summer Reading Guide had several hits for me! My favorite books of the year include:
    The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah My favorite book of the year I think
    The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
    Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
    The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
    The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar

  51. Lee says:

    My favorites this year were mostly older – Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, David Copperfield, then a couple of real page turners — The Nothing Man, and The Lies I Tell.

  52. Holly says:

    I’ve read 85 books thus far in 2022, shattering my previous record of 50. That is what no internet, no TV, and no social life (moved to a new town in a very isolated region of the country) will do for the life of a reader.
    My favorites from this past year are:
    1. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (the four other books in the series are equally wonderful), by Karina Yan Glaser
    2. The Light in Hidden Places, by Sharon Cameron
    3. Once Upon a Wardrobe, by Patti Callahan
    4. The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White, by Henry Wiencek
    5. Lovely War, by Julie Berry
    6. The End of Innocence, by Allegra Jordan
    7. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention- and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann Hari
    8. Long Road to the Circus, by Betsy Bird
    9. Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, by Susan Cain
    10. Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis, by Beth Macy

  53. Kim K. says:

    There are simply not enough hours in the day for all the books waiting to be read! My faves from this 2022, in no particular order:

    Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
    Empire of Pain (NF) by Patrick Radden Keefe
    Hannah Coulter by Wendall Berry
    Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
    Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
    Once Upon a River by Diane Satterfield
    Just Mercy (NF) by Bryan Stevenson
    Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

  54. Sheryl Esau says:

    Ok this is a first. I’ve only read one of these books and didn’t love it. I really loved Gabrielle Zevin’s other books, but this one just didn’t connect for me. I’ve read 120 books so hopefully some of my favorites are on the audiobook list.

  55. Hildred Sullivan says:

    I, too, read fewer books this year than last, I guess because was able to get out more. And most of my favs are on other lists here. But what a great year for fabulous books. My tops, in no particular order, were:
    1. A World of Curiosities – Louise Penny
    2. The Measure – Nikki Erlick
    3. The Winners – Fredrik Backman
    4. A Town Called Solace – Mary Lawson (thanks to MMD for the rec)
    5. The Cellist – Daniel Silva
    6. Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
    7. These Precious Days: Essays – Ann Patchett
    8. The House on the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune (LOVED the recent podcast from the book fair that he was on!)
    9. A Breath of Snow and Ashes – Diana Gabaldon (reading to keep up with the show)
    10. Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doerr
    11. The Lincoln Highway – Amor Towels
    12. One Was a Soldier – Julia Spencer-Fleming
    6.

  56. Barb Blom says:

    Great list Anne! There are a number on there that are on my TBR…next year!
    Probably my number one read this year was The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois. So powerful and beautifully written.

    Other contenders are
    The Lincoln Highway
    The Unseen World
    Fifty Words for Rain
    The Woman They Could Not Silence.

  57. Susan says:

    Great list and have enjoyed everyone’s posts. I am at 120 books this year and these were my favorites,
    The Lincoln Highway
    Carrie Soto is back
    The Diamond eye
    Prayer for the crown shy
    Empire of pain
    Sun down motel
    This time tomorrow
    The guncle
    The extraordinary life of Sam Hill
    Lessons in chemistry
    Home before dark

  58. Susan Baum says:

    My fave books 2022:
    Lessons in Chemistry
    Remarkably Bright Creatures
    Demon Copperhead
    Mad Honey
    Take My Hand
    Left on Tenth (Delia Ephron)
    The Boys (Ron Howard)
    Here’s Molly! (Molly Shannon)
    All about Me! (Mel Brooks)

  59. Tamara says:

    Magical Realism had a moment this year as 3 of my favorites were Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, Sourdough by Robin Sloane, and Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Verandah.
    I also made a greater effort to read nonfiction as several favorite memoirs were The Boys by Ron and Clint Howard, A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary, Gratitudw Diaries by Janice Kaplan, and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.
    My favorite science fiction were An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim, Armada by Ernest Cline, and Duplex by Orson Scott Card.
    My favorite Romance were Eight Perfect Hours by Lisa Louis, Falling for Your Best Friend by Emma St. Clair, and Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin.

  60. Annajouj says:

    I must admit to being slightly proud to discover that 4 of my own best books of the year were on your list. The most recent being kingsolver…wow. That book pummeled me. At times I didn’t know if I could keep reading, it was so heartbreaking. But I’ve read, and reread (poisonwood Bible 3 times in a row, the one other time a decade later:) her books enough to trust my reading soul to her capable pen. And I agree that this is her best yet. She has honed her craft to a fine tip, and I just hope she continues.
    There are a few on your list that I hadn’t heard of, so did a quick search and on the way home picked them up at the library. The one I will add, that I don’t see on your list, Geraldine Brooks Horse. This was a book that caught me off guard this year, off my interest radar but immensely compelling and satisfying:)

    • Diane says:

      I loved this book! Still debating whether to watch the adaptation A Man Called Otto next year with Tom Hanks. Movies aren’t usually as good, but Tom’s a good actor.

  61. Diane says:

    So many good books read this year, though I also less than last year. Several 5 star reads for me. Of those, my top favs are:
    – Remarkably Bright Creatures :: Shelby Van Pelt
    – These Precious Days :: Ann Patchett
    – Taste: My Life through Food :: Stanley Tucci (audio) then I bought the book
    – Black Cake :: Charmaine Wilkerson

    Happy reading, everyone!

  62. JJ says:

    “Nobody Will Tell You This But Me” by Bess Kalb, “Pop: An Illustrated Novel” by Robert Gipe, and the book that I keep telling everyone to read “The Once and Future Witches” by Alix E. Harrow

  63. Sally Shughart says:

    So many great books out there! My 2022 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s:

    1. No Land To Light On (Zg
    Heintz) – gorgeous and heart wrenching.
    2. The Lucy Barton Trilogy – Strout’s writing is impeccable.
    3. The 40-Day Sugar Fast (Speake) – powerful devotional
    4. Fresh Water for Flowers (Perrin) – just loved this book
    5. Still Life (Winman) – these characters will be with me forever.
    6. Crossing to Safety (Stegner) – so good it was a reread.
    7. Far From the Madding Crowd (Hardy) – I love a classic.
    8. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, The Horse (Mackesy) – gorgeous children’s book…but good for any human.
    9. Deacon King Kong (McBride) – fantastic story.

  64. Michele says:

    My favorites this year were Remarkably Bright Creatures, which I loved so much I also listened to on audio, Lessons in Chemistry, The Guncle, Taste; My Life in Food (Stanley Tucci), Nora Goes Off Script, and Louise Penny’s latest, A World of Curiosities.

  65. Caroline says:

    World War Z (audio best. Feels like a movie), Max Brooks
    Things I learned From Falling: A Memoir, Claire Nelson
    The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets & Stolen Identity, Axton Betz-Hamilton
    Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing
    Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
    I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jeannette McCurdy
    Thunderstruck, Erik Larson
    Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
    Counterfeit, Kirstin Chen

  66. Sandra Mosolgo says:

    My favs this year
    I Must Betray You-Ruta Septys
    The Last Thing He Told Me-Laura Dave
    Lincoln Highway-Amor Towles
    This Tender Land-William Krueger
    Crow Lake-Mary Lawson
    Audiobooks
    A Town Like Alice-Nevil Shute
    A Gentleman in Moscow-Amor Towles( a re-read)

  67. Deb says:

    I loved Take My Hand and Demon Copperhead! Some other favorites this year were Peach Blossom Spring, Young Mungo, Lessons in Science, Lady Justice, and Yerba Buena. Also really liked 100 Years of Lenni and Margot.

  68. Safari says:

    What great lists of favorite books of 2022! This will keep me busy for years. Ten of my favorites this year are:
    West with Giraffes
    Every Day is a Gift
    Empire of Pain
    Woman They Could Not Silence
    999: the Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz
    Lost Girls of Willowbrook
    Maid (by Prose)
    My Wife SaidYou Might Want to Marry Me
    Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death, and Glory in America’s Most Extraordinary Treasure…
    Left on Tenth: a Second Chance at Life

    • Carrie says:

      West With Giraffes was one of my favorites, too! It is one of those under-the-radar books that turned out to be a gem.
      Other favorites:
      Take My Hand
      Lessons in Chemistry
      The Book of Lost Friends
      The Last Castle – Kiernan (nonfiction, history of the Biltmore Castle)

  69. Queen Sansa Stark says:

    Apparently I gave almost all of my reads 4 or 5 stars on Goodreads! Regardless, here were the ones I gushed about when people asked:

    The Marriage Portrait (I only just finished this one a few days ago but can Maggie O’Farrell write or what).
    These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
    The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
    The Plot and The Latecomer, both by Jean Hanff Korelitz
    The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve
    Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
    The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
    The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (this is probably my #1 for the year)

  70. Andrea Cox says:

    Thank you, Anne, and thank you to everyone else for sharing! This is such a great community, and I always get so many great recommendations from the comments!

  71. Mary says:

    An eclectic list of favorites, both new releases and backlist, in no particular order:
    The Winners by Fredrik Backman
    The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
    Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger
    The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
    French Braid by Anne Tyler
    Eventide by Kent Haruf
    Love and Saffron by Kim Fay
    The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs

  72. Ramona says:

    I can’t stop recommending Bittersweet by Susan Cain to anyone who will listen. It has stayed with me so deeply, is highlighted and noted and I will never lend it out. I would rather buy a copy than lend this precious cook to anyone.

  73. Hillary says:

    I’m not sure which books I read this year were actually published in 2022 but these were my favorites that I *think* were new this year:
    Nightcrawling (Leila Mottley)
    Finding Me (Viola Davis)
    Didn’t Nobody Give a Sh!t What Happened to Carlotta (James Hannaham)
    The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot (Marianne Cronin – great audio!)
    All This Happened, More or Less (Jayne A. Quan)
    Fresh Water for Flowers (Valerie Perrin)
    Book Lovers (Emily Henry)

  74. Tanya Paquet says:

    My favorites in fiction this year we’re:

    The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid
    Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts – Kate Racculia
    Still Life – Louise Penny
    Oona Out of Order – Margarita Montimore
    Heartstopper Series
    Holes • Louis Sachar
    The Cartographers – Peng Sheperd

  75. chris says:

    I read a lot. My favorite books of the year were .. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout (love all her books) and Jackie and Me by Louis Bayard. Don’t let any preconceptions you might have about other books about Jackie stop you from reading this. It is wonderful, insightful and magnetic. With a twist.

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