I read more in 2022 than I have in years. So narrowing it down to my favorites was quite difficult. Particularly since I read a host of genres. But here are my favorites:
YA FICTION:
1) (3-way tie) Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo and You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson. Six of Crows is an enjoyable fantasy novel. Excellent worldbuilding and rich characters. Crooked Kingdom is a fantastic read. The series in general is exceptionally well done. Beautifully crafted characters, incredible wit, and just brilliant writing. You Should See Me In a Crown is a beautiful novel about self-discovery, self-esteem, and self-acceptance. The writing was impeccable.
4) (2-way tie) A Taste of Poison and Heart of the Raven Prince by Tessonja Odette (check first and see if appropriate for your readers; older YA/young NA). Tessonja Odette’s retellings of classic Disney stories set in the world of fae is phenomenally well done. I have never really liked the story of Snow White, but A Taste of Poison changed that. Having Snow White be the mirror was genius and so creative. I also really liked Heart of the Raven Prince. I have enjoyed all of them, but the Little Mermaid one wasn’t my favorite. These are tame New Adult reads but New Adult nontheless, so check before your younger readers read.
6) The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho. Such beautiful lyrical writing. Solidly Young Adult. So so well done. It tackles Asian history and Asian hate/prejudice very well.
7) The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing.
8) Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi. Powerful read; written in connection with one of the Exonerated Five.
ADULT FICTION:
(Note it’s probably a five-way tie, but if forced to choose one as the top I’d choose The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. In 2021, I read several non-fiction books about the coders of Word War I and II. (Definitely recommend “The Woman Who Smashed Codes.) So when a friend recommended this one, it was an easy sale. While I feel the dual timeline in books can be overdone, Kate did it masterfully. I was fully engrossed and intrigued. It was one of my early favorites of the year.
3-way tie: Brit Bennet’s The Mothers and The Vanishing Half; and Girl In Translation by Jean Kwok.
Brit Bennet’s writing is extremely powerful. It simply resonates. She tackles heavier themes such as identity in such poignant ways. Girl In Translation simultaneously reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn while also being uniquely its own. And that’s high praise.
BIOGRAPHIES:
1) The Indomitable Florence Finch by Robert J. Mrazek. Before reading this book I hadn’t know much of the Filipinos efforts or involvement in WW II, which was a failing on my part. So I really enjoyed this book about Florence Finch. Note: it also tells the story of a few others involved as well.
2) Betty Ford by Lisa McCubbin. I had not known much about Betty Ford previously. And this book was a delightful and informative read.
3) (4-way tie) Being Heumann by Judith Heumann; Believing by Anita Hill; Abigail Adams by Woody Holton; and The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore. Judith Heumann was a champion of the Disability movement, and I loved learning more about her. With the work I do, Believing was sure to be among my favorites, and it did not disappoint. Abigail Adams was a delightful and informative read about one of America’s favorite first ladies. The Woman They Could Not Silence tells the story of a woman whose husband repeatedly tried to commit an insane asylum, even though she was not, and her treatment in these centers. Gripping!
4) My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King. It does not talk about (nor does it accept) that MLK may have been unfaithful. So know that going in. But this was a delightful (albeit) look into the life of a woman that too few give the credit she deserves. It was a great look into who she was, and as the title says, talks about her life, her love (MLK and children), and the legacy she wanted to leave behind. It was rich and deeply informative.
SOCIAL JUSTICE NON-FICTION (ADULT)
1) A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett. I am quite passionate about criminal justice, so I read a lot in this genre. So it’s no surprise, that one from this genre made the top of my list. I also was involved in law school with my local innocence clinic, and so this book resonated with me deeply. It was well written, and I loved reading more about it.
2) Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott. This book left me in tears. Literal tears. I cried for an hour after I finished it. It was so heavy and moved me deeply. I value education so much, and so seeing this child’s experience with education was heart-wrenching. I also have volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), and I have long since been passionate and concerned about how we deal with neglect. This book was crushing! But also a must-read.
3) Call Me American by Abdi Nor Iftin. This is a one-in-a-million story. It’s rare for this type of immigration story to come to fruition. I think it’s important that readers remember that. The reason I liked this book—it put a face on the Muslim ban for me as well. I also am passionate about immigration, and I read a lot in this genre.
GENERAL NON-FICTION (ADULT)
1) The Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine by Anne Applebaum. I will admit I picked this book up after Stalin’s war on Ukraine because I realized I knew little about Ukraine. I also realized how little I knew about Stalin’s manufactured famine. A very important read and very well done.
2) Wandering in Strange Lands by Morgan Jerkins. I love morgan Jerkins! I haven’t read her fiction, but I enjoyed her biography, so was eager to read this one. I also love family history and what it means for identity. I know that for some family history and identity are not easy subjects to dive into. For some, they have to grapple with ancestors who were slaveholders, slaveholders who raped their enslaved mothers, and ancestors who would hate and wouldn’t acknowledge them as part of their tree.
THEOLOGY:
1) (2-way tie) The Book of Mormon for the Least of These, Volume 2: Mosiah-Alma by Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming; and Good Enough by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie. The first is a brilliant book that has forever changed how I view and read The Book of Mormon, I cannot recommend it enough. The latter is a beautiful book by Kate Bowler, whom I adore.
3) (3-way tie) The Book of Mormon for the Least of These, Volume 1: 1 Nephi-Words of Mormon by Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming; Lighten Up by Chieko O. Okazaki; and The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr. The first is the first in the series I mentioned above. I adored it. Chieko Okazaki is such a GEM! I adored her book and thoughts. She captured extremely well how I view the world. It’s always nice seeing somebody else capture your thoughts so well. Barr’s book breaks down how much of Christianity has chosen to view womanhood and why and what “The Christian woman” should be. Very informative.
There are many more books I could mention, but these are the ones that truly left a mark.
Photo by Gulfer ERGIN via Unsplash license
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