My Favorite Books of 2022

Welp, I didn't meet my reading goal for 2022. I set a lofty goal of 150 and ended up reading 104. Looking back on all that I read, I don't know if I would've passed any sort of comprehension test on many of the books, either. Luckily, I just get to read for fun, and I'm grateful for all the places I've been able to escape through books this year.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my favorite books of 2022:

• The Measure by Nikki Erlick (adult fiction, listened to audiobook) - I hadn't read a good dystopian-esque book in a long time. In this one, boxes appear on people's doorsteps that have a string showing the measure of how long they have to live. Suddenly, people are divided between short-stringers and long-stringers. The book follows a variety of people and how their lives are transformed by the strings.

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (adult fiction, listened to audiobook) - Tied for the book I recommended most this year, this book is delightful. It features Tova, a widow who cleans at the aquarium, and Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus at the aquarium. Marcellus (which, by the way, is the perfect name for an octopus) is far more observant and capable than many of the people around him realize. Ugh, it's such a sweet story.

• A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (young adult fiction, listened to audiobook) - The other book I have recommended most this year, this trilogy is fantastic. The audiobook is incredible. I devoured all three books. The story is about Pippa, who is a high school senior working on a capstone project solving a murder in her town that many had believed was already solved.

• A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga (middle grade science fiction, read hardcover) - Jasmine Warga is such a talented writer. Resilience the rover loves the scientists who are working on him and gets caught up learning about humans and human emotions. He is sent to Mars, embarking on quite the adventure. In addition to Res's point of view, readers get to hear about how things unfold in the eyes of Sophie, the daughter of one of the scientists working on Res.

• The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (adult fiction, listened to audiobook) - Okay, I'll be honest that I don't remember many of the details of this one. Ultimately, it's a story of a variety of different people, people with different backgrounds and circumstances, connecting through incredible books. It was a beautiful story of the power of good books and human connection.

• The Hurricanes of Weakerville by Chris Rylander (middle grade realistic fiction, read hardcover) - This one cracked me up. Like, laugh out loud in the middle of the quiet, focused independent reading time in my classroom kind of cracked me up. Alex Weakerman is this clumsy, awkward boy who loves baseball and somehow inherits the job of managing a baseball team. He's hilarious, and the story of Alex trying to save this losing team was fantastic.

• Bringing up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman (adult nonfiction, read hardcover) - I didn't do too much research before having our baby, which I think was a good move for me. Sometimes, with too much information, I wind up stressing myself out about doing things perfectly. However, this book was one that I read that I think helped shape me to be a more relaxed parent, which I desperately wanted to be. I loved it.

• The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera (middle grade science fiction, listened to audiobook) - This book won the 2022 Newbery Medal, with good reason. It's yet another book reminding readers of the importance of stories. Petra wants to be a storyteller but, as one of a select few chosen to live on a new planet after Earth became uninhabitable, there are people desperate to erase her memory. This is not one I would've normally picked up, but I'm so glad I did. It was beautifully written.

As someone who occasionally struggles with indecision, I had to list a few honorable mention favorite books of 2022.

• Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (adult fiction, listened to audiobook) - Taylor Jenkins Reid is SUCH a talented writer.

• Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy (adult nonfiction, listened to audiobook) - This book was so good, reminding me to recognize the inherent good in everyone, not just kids.

• Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff (adult nonfiction, listened to audiobook) - I love how this book helped me take things back to the heart of what's most important. Again, it's great even beyond parenting.

• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (adult fiction, read hardcover) - This book was unlike anything I've ever read. I loved it and was rooting for the characters the whole time.

• A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (middle grade historical fiction, listened to audiobook) - Just like Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, I was rooting for these characters the whole time, too, although in completely different ways. I'm currently re-listening to it with my class; it's that good.

A couple other things about my reading life this year:

• Almost half (47.6%) of what I read was written for adults, which is atypical for me. I used to think that because I read a lot of middle grade books that my reading didn't count. While I disagree with that logic, I'm excited that I've been "reading like a grown-up" ☺

• The majority of my reading was through audiobooks (67%). If you're wanting to increase your reading and you're not reading audiobooks, you should try them!

• 44 of the books I read this year came out in 2022.

• 5 of the books I read only earned 2 stars. I can't remember how many books I quit, but I sure read a lot of good ones.

Once again, in 2023, I plan on tracking my reading with Goodreads. I'll probably also keep track with my nerdy Google form because I love to see the data. My goal this year is 125, and I'm excited for all the great books awaiting me.

-J