My Year in Books | 2022

This was such a fantastic reading year for me! From Gone Girl and celebrity memoirs to The Fire Next Time and graphic novels, I finished a wide variety of titles. I'm sharing my favorite books for the year -- only including my 4 and 5-star ranked reads. I base my ratings on a subjective combination of how much I enjoyed the reading/listening experience, how enthralled I was by the writing/language, how much the story and themes stuck with me, and how enthusiasticly I recommend to others. 

Reading Highlights:
- 76% authored by a woman
- 33% authored by a person of color
- 16% audiobooks -- won over by the format (although picky!) and will continue this trend in 2023
- Tried short stories and revisited young adult fiction
- Read more contemporary fiction
- Started my UT Book Club with college friends
- Joined my friend's West Seattle Book Club
- Planned a weekend retreat with my long-standing (five years!) Book Club
- Discovered Novel Pairings
- Discovered Fiction Matters
- Discovered From the Front Porch

#26 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
memoir (reread -- already a favorite) // infuriating and astounding

#25 Maybe you Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
memoir // personal and insightful

#24 Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott
2022 memoir // familial and reflective

#23 The Summer Book
classic fiction, translated // relational, vignettes

#22 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

self-help, debut // motivating and uplifting 

 

#21 Best Wishes, Warmest Regards by Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy
coffee table book // fun and breezy 

#20 Everything Sad is Untrue by Danel Nayeri🎧
autobiographical novel, debut // captivating and lyrical

#19 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
2022 fiction // upbeat and delightful

#18 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas🎧
classic (reread -- already a favorite) // adventurous and grand

#17 Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly

micro-memoirs // light and poetic 

#16 Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

memoir, debut // gut-wrenching and empathy-building

#15 Reading Magic by Mem Fox
non-fiction // bookish and practical 

#14 How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa

short stories, debut // descriptive and humanizing

#13 Taste by Stanley Tucci🎧
memoir // feel-good and mouth-watering 

#12 Mom Milestones by Grace Farris

2022 comics, debut // relatable and tender

#11 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
historical fiction, debut // sweeping and well-written

#10 Passing by Nella Larsen
classic fiction // compelling and discussable 

#9 City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

contemporary fiction // zippy and feminine

#8 Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg
graphic novel // creative and original 

#7 Brood by Jackie Polzin🎧

contemporary fiction, debut // quirky and observational

#6 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
2022 fiction // imaginative and cinematic 

#5 Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
contemporary fiction, debut // page-turning and thought-provoking

#4 The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
narrative nonfiction, debut // eye-opening and historical

#3 84, Charring Cross Road by Helene Hanff
epistolary // endearing and poignant

#2 Know My Name by Chanel Miller🎧
memoir // heavy and hopeful

#1 Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Séamas O'Reilly🎧

2022 memoir, debut // rib-tickling and heartfelt

An ecclectic mood reader,
- SJW