The 12 Best Books I Read in 2022

By Barbara Kingsolver

I have read every book Kingsolver has written, but this is my favorite and her magnum opus. It takes a special combination of talent and love to write a book about the opioid crisis in Southern Appalachia that is equal parts heartbreaking, compassionate, and insightful, but Kingsolver has written a masterpiece of epic proportions.

Last year I read, and loved, Empire of Pain, so I was aware of the devastation that opioids have wreaked in this country. But in this book, Kingsolver makes the crisis personal and I've never loved a fictional character more than I love Damon (Demon). This book changed me.

By Meg Mason

This is a book about mental illness, and while it captures the darkness and devastation that comes with mental health struggles, it's also incredibly funny and ultimately hopeful. I loved every page of it!

A "bomb went off" in Martha's brain when she was a teenager and she's been coping with the aftermath ever since. When the story opens, Martha and her husband Patrick have separated and Martha narrates the story looking back on their past together and how they arrived at this heartbreaking point. Her inner narrative, while insightful and sensitive, is wickedly funny and it brings a lightness to the difficult subject matter.

By Chanel Miller

Chanel Miller is the "Emily Doe" in the horrifying Brock Turner sexual assault case and this is her story in her own words. I had tears running down my cheeks through most of this book. It is one of the most powerful and important books I've ever read. Everyone should read this book.

By Elif Shafak

This is the first book I've read by Elif Shafak, but I could tell right away it was going to be one of the best books of 2022, and now I want to read everything she has ever written! The story is set in 1971 Cypress and 2010 England, weaving together the stories of a fig tree, a family, and a war.

I didn't know anything about the tumultuous history of Cypress before this book, but I was immediately enthralled by this historical fiction tale, laced with the perfect amount of magical realism. It's a truly beautiful book.

By Maggie O'Farrell

I think a Maggie O'Farrell book makes it onto my favorites list nearly every year. Not only do I love the way she writes, but she tells such unique stories.

This one is based on the real life of Lucrezia, the daughter of Cosimo I de’ Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany in the 1540's. Unfortunately, history left very little information about her fate, but a "Marriage Portrait" of her survived and Robert Browning famously wrote his poem, "My Last Duchess," about the painting.

In The Marriage Portrait, O'Farrell fills in the details and tells a sweeping, page-turning tale about Lucrezia and how she became the Duke of Ferrara's last duchess.

By Elizabeth Strout

Yes, another book about Lucy Barton and another favorite. And this, the fourth book in the Amgash series, might be my favorite Lucy Barton book of all! I read the entire book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down, and as soon as it ended I wanted to start over again.

By Ann Patchett

I don't have words for how much I loved this collection of essays. I will probably revisit these again and again forever. (I said the same thing about her essay collection This is the Story of a Happy Marriage.)

By Clint Smith

This non-fiction book is a nuanced look at slavery and how it's taught. Smith visited numerous historical sites across the U.S. and West Africa, interviewing both Black and White tour guides, as well as visitors to the sites and the results are both powerful and fascinating.

What is incredibly clear by the end, is that ignorance only fuels white supremacy. We have so much to gain by telling the truth about history and Clint Smith examines some very important truths in this phenomenal book.

By Michelle Obama

I loved her first book, but I went into this one cautiously. I think the cover and title struck me as cheesy and I thought the book might be too fluffy for me. I was wrong and I ended up loving it so much. I listened on audio, but I think I need a hard copy so I can revisit my favorite parts.

This is a book about life lessons that Michelle Obama has learned, but it's never trite or pithy. The entire book felt like a hug and a good, cathartic conversation with a best girlfriend. I know I'll be rereading this one.

By Anthony Doerr

This is a spectacular story about the power of stories. It felt like so many different things - science fiction, historical fiction, mythology - happening in the past, present, and future. And yet, Doerr masterfully weaves all the different threads together into one gorgeous story by the end. I will always read anything Anthony Doerr writes.

By Ruth Ozeki

This book is very hard to describe. It's weird and you've probably never read anything like it. But, WOW! I could not stop talking about this book after I finished it.

Annabelle and Kenji married and had a son named Benny. But after Kenji dies tragically and unexpectedly, Annabelle becomes anxious, depressed, and her grief comes out through hoarding. Likewise, in Benny's grief about the loss of his dad as well as his mother's mental illness, he starts hearing the voices of inanimate objects.

The chapters alternate between Annabelle's story, Benny's story, and occasional chapters told in the style of a Marie-Kondo-like book about decluttering. It takes a bit to get into the rhythm, but the philosophy major in me really loved what this book had to say, and my reader self was in awe of what Ozeki has created here. What a reading experience!

By Ed Yong

This is not normally a book I'd pick up, but I'm so glad I did! If you want to exercise your capacity to feel wonder and awe, this is the book to read. Yong examines the way animals experience the world beyond our five human senses. It's fascinating and thought-provoking, and I really appreciated all of the humor sprinkled throughout.