My Favorite Books from 2022
Inspired by the year-end survey hosted by Perpetual Page Turner
2022 Stats
- # of Books Read: 70 (See full book list here)
- # of Pages Read: 24,094
- # of Re-Reads: 3
Note: My answers pertain to books I read this year, no matter when they were published.
1. Best Book You Read in 2022?
Nonfiction
Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein
This is the best political book I've ever read. I've long wondered why American politics is so divided, and Klein expertly explains that the system is unfortunately "working as intended." Essentially, our system assures that Democrats and Republicans will become increasingly polarized. But the future isn't all bleak; Klein also offers ideas for how we can come together.
Fiction
The Circle by Dave Eggers
In this powerful novel, Eggers erects a Black Mirror-esque world in which a social media company slowly dominates every aspect of life. As the tentacles of the billion-dollar behemoth wrap around more aspects of their users' lives, the reader begins to wonder: Is this book maybe a little too real?
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going to Love More But Didn’t?
His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
This series is on the 200 Best Books of All Time list, so I thought it'd be great. The first book (The Golden Compass) was okay, but the series got worse with each book. I still finished the series, but it was an overall disappointment.
3. Most Surprising (in a Good Way or Bad Way) Book You Read?
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
I opened this book expecting a standard time management book about how to hustle and get more out of every second. Instead, Burkeman delivered a pleasant surprise: a philosophical, practical, and timely book that encouraged me to question whether I’m using my life for the most important things. He asks: How will you use your 4,000 weeks on this planet?
4. Book You “Pushed” the Most People to Read (and They Did)?
The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth
Farnsworth summarizes thousands of years of Stoic philosophy in this incredible book. If you keep hearing about Stoicism but you don't know much about it, start here.
5. Best Series You Started in 2022?
The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
I don't read a ton of fantasy, but this series is pretty good. I'm two books into the trilogy so far, and Bardugo has created some fascinating characters (such as "The Darkling") and an interesting world.
6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2022?
Patrick Radden Keefe
I hadn't even heard of Keefe before this year, but I instantly fell in love with his work once I read Say Nothing and Empire of Pain. I'm planning to dive into the rest of his oeuvre, including his recent compilation Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks.
7. Best Book from a Genre You Don’t Typically Read/Was Out of Your Comfort Zone?
Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman
I've been getting more into graphic novels lately. I had heard about Spiegelman's work in the past, and decided to read these two graphic novels during my recent reading binge on WWII-related stories. His heartfelt storytelling absolutely lived up to my expectations. Spiegelman tells the story of his parents' time in Auschwitz and the Holocaust using the artistic lens of cats as Nazis and mice as Jews.
8. Most Action-Packed/Thrilling/Unputdownable Book of the Year?
The Circle by Dave Eggers
I chose it as my favorite novel of the year not only due to its poignant message but its fast-paced plot and compelling characters.
9. Book You Read in 2022 That You Are Most Likely to Re-Read Next Year?
The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth
This book is packed with practical life advice.
10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2022?
Will by Will Smith with Mark Manson
I read Smith's memoir a few months before the infamous moment during this year's Oscars when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. It was fascinating to watch that situation after reading Smith's memoir because Smith talks a lot in the book about how much regret he's felt throughout his life for not defending his mom from his abusive dad. It seems he has now decided to over-index on defending the people he cares about in his life.
11. Most Memorable Character of 2022?
Negan in The Walking Dead graphic novels
It's hard to top Jeffrey Dean Morgan's performance as Negan in The Walking Dead AMC television series. But the source material for that character came from a few brilliant graphic novels by Robert Kirkman. As a huge fan of the tv series, it was really fun to read the inspiration for Negan, and I was surprised to see that some of Negan's most memorable dialogue in the tv series was taken verbatim from the graphic novels. (The quotes were just that good.)
12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2022?
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Doerr, who won the Pulitzer for his earlier work All the Light We Cannot See, traverses time and space in this book about five people whose lives all intertwine around the same ancient book.
13. Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2022?
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
The way Burkeman framed some of his ideas around the shortness of life helped me kick myself in gear to prioritize the things in life that really matter.
14. Book You Can’t Believe You Waited UNTIL 2022 to Finally Read?
The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
As a big fan of true crime, I'm surprised I didn't read this true crime classic much sooner. While working at a Seattle crisis clinic, Rule befriended a nice guy named Ted. Years later, she was tasked with writing a book about the serial killings that had ravaged Washington (along with Utah, Colorado, and other states). She was shocked when the police investigations led to a familiar face: her friend Ted Bundy. Wild story.
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From a Book You Read in 2022?
From Sex God by Rob Bell
"With every decision, conversation, gesture, comment, action, and attitude, we're inviting heaven or hell to earth."
From The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
"You absolutely need habits to function. You cannot solve every problem in life as if it is the first time it's thrown at you."
16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read in 2022?
Shortest: You Are Your Own by Jamie Lee Finch (134 pages)
Longest: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (626 pages)
17. Book That Shocked You the Most?
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
Keefe's book about Oxycontin and the rise of the Sackler family is as shocking as it is page-turning. Those who watched the Hulu series Dopesick are already familiar with some of the story (although that series was based on a different book), but this book also explores what happened before and after the events portrayed in that show.
18. Favorite Book You Read in 2022 from an Author You’ve Read Previously?
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
I previously read The Devil in the White City (incredible book—you should definitely check it out) and fell in love with Larson's writing. This book tells the story of Churchill's first year as Prime Minister as he tries to ward off Nazi Germany, copes with the London Blitz, and tries to convince FDR and America to join WWII.
19. Best Book You Read in 2022 that You Read Based SOLELY on a Recommendation from Somebody Else?
Death Note: Black Edition Book 1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
My brother Trevor highly recommended this book, and I always take his recommendations seriously. I haven't read much manga (Japanese comics), but Death Note was great. The plot is that teenager Light Yagami finds a random black notebook that he learns has the power to kill anyone in the world. Upon hearing that synopsis, I thought this graphic novel sounded interesting but perhaps corny. Then I read it and realized it's way deeper than the plot summary implies. Obata explores the nature of good and evil, capital punishment, and even game theory.
20. Best Debut You Read in 2022?
The Street by Ann Petry
The Street came out long ago (1946), but I read it this year. Petry's first novel is a heart-wrenching view into the experience of a poor, Black, single mom trying to make her way in Harlem. The story is simultaneously poignant yet page-turning, gritty yet beautiful, and depressing yet somehow still hopeful. The Street was the first novel by an African-American woman to sell over one million copies.
21. Best World-Building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
22. Book that Put a Smile on Your Face/Was the Most FUN to Read?
23. Book That Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2022?
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
Brown's book is a devastating recounting of the injustices that white people have enacted against Indigenous American Indians throughout our nation's history. Brown focuses on the period of 1860-1890, and it's astounding how many times white men (primarily U.S. soldiers) killed Indians in cold blood, broke treaties, pillaged Indian villages, and committed atrocious acts upon the Indigenous tribes of this land.
24. Hidden Gem of The Year?
High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil
This is the best, most practical book about startups I've ever read, and I've hardly heard a word about it. Gil's background as an investor/advisor to companies like Airbnb, Square, and Stripe would be reason alone to read his book, but he also co-founded two companies and spent time at Twitter and Google. High Growth Handbook is a stellar how-to guide for scaling any startup.
25. Most Unique Book You Read in 2022?
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
Did you know Mark Twain was obsessed with the story of Joan of Arc? And did you also know he spent 12 years researching her and wrote a novel about her life? Pretty wild! Twain regarded this as his best book, and it follows Joan's life from early youth until death.
26. Favorite 10 Nonfiction Reads of the Year?
- Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein
- Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
- Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
- The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
- The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
- Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
- High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil
- Will by Will Smith
27. Favorite 10 Fiction Reads of the Year?
- The Circle by Dave Eggers
- The Street by Ann Petry
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (449pp) - 12/25
- Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
- Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman
- Death Note: Black Edition, Book 1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
- Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
- The Every by Dave Eggers
- The Bees by Laline Paull
1. One Book You Didn’t Get to in 2022 But Will Be Your Top Priority in 2023?
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
2. Book Releases You Are Most Anticipating in 2023?
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin - Release Date: January 17th, 2023
A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak - Release Date: February 14th, 2023
3. One Thing You Hope to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading Life in 2023?
I've been slowly working my way through The Uber-List of the Top 200 Books of All Time. I'd like to read at least another eight books from that list this year.
What were your favorite books that you read in 2022? I'd love to hear your recommendations. Please leave a comment below!
Guess I’d better add the Eggers book to my list since it was the answer to half of the questions. Carly has recommended Babel to me, too. She wants to talk to someone about it, I think. Did you see my list? https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2022/12/2022-end-of-year-book-survey.html
Yes, I did. I liked your list a lot!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy “The Circle” if/when you check it out. 🙂