16 books I read in 2022
In January 2022, I set out to read 24 books. While I’m a few books short of that goal, it was still a rewarding year for reading and I discovered a few new favorites that will stick with me for a long time.
Here’s a look at the books I read in 2022 and a recap of my top three favorites.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact by Liz Wiseman
Lease on Love by Falon Ballard
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
9. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
10. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
11. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
12. The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price
13. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters Most in the End by Atul Gawande
14. One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
15. The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
16. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
My top three favorite books of 2022…
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller: Ever pick up a book that reads like a movie? The Paper Palace — while a heartbreaking and sometimes difficult to read— is a story of nostalgia and digging into the past. This book was also an escape into the memories of spending summers at the lake (Every Summer After offered similar vibes, too). The writing in The Paper Palace was just so tender and beautiful which kept me turning every page. Just thinking about the writing takes me back to the vivid imagery of its summer cottage and lakeside setting. I finished this book in a weekend.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson: Black Cake was another novel that completely swept me away. Filled with love and loss and family secrets, this book was a page turner from the very beginning. It was unlike anything I’ve read before.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande: Being Mortal was the most impactful and perspective-shaping book I read in 2022. While I have been someone who has been (mostly) comfortable-ish with the thought of my own mortality, this book challenged me for the first time in my life to think about what quality of life means and looks like when we near the end. I learned everyone has their own needs and meaning for quality of life as they age or become ill, and just because one person feels one way, that doesn’t mean another feels the same. This book opened my eyes and gave me more empathy for my loved ones and how to listen to their needs, as well as made me think about how to communicate to my loved ones about what quality of life means for me at the end. While this isn’t a topic that’s easy to grapple, I found myself with more awareness about mortality and filled with compassion by the end of the book.
I am already digging into my book stack for 2023. In the meantime, stay tuned for my reading goals for the coming year in my next blog post. Oh, and also find me on Good Reads — I’d love to read together in 2023!
What was your favorite book in 2022?
