A year in books: 2022.

my favorite reads of the year 📚

2022 was a pretty great reading year for me. And it’s not the end of the year unless there are book lists. That’s my philosophy. I find book lists to be just delightful and fun. I also enjoy taking a look back to notice trends and habits, so I can read even better next year.

Here are a few things I learned about myself through reading this year:

• There are two standout ⭐⭐⭐ reads that I’d never read before: This Here Flesh and Prelude to Bruise.

• I did a fair amount of rereading, which I find myself doing when I’m traveling or writing often, or when I really need a win. I did much of that this year.

• Quality over quantity matters to me in my reading life. I read roughly 10-15 fewer books than my annual average. I started many, but I rarely finish books I don’t love anymore. What I care about most is that this list reflects my intention to read and learn from a diverse array of authors.

• These are mostly memoir and poetry, because those are my favorites. As my reading time becomes more precious, I want to start with what I’ll probably love.

Here are my top reads of 2022 organized by favorites (in mostly the order I read them), then format or how I read the book, and whether it was a reread.¹ (Thanks to Heather Chollar for this method!) And huge thanks and love to the authors who've made my life richer and more beautiful. You are my heroes, and I want to be you when I grow up.

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⭐⭐⭐ The BEST books I've read in a long time. Exact book pairing for my season of life. Contender for a lifetime favorite.

• Sorry For Your Troubles, poetry by Pádraig Ó Tuama🥈📙

• Before the Next Bomb Drops, poetry by Remi Kanazi🥈📙

• On Being Human, a memoir by Jen Pastiloff🥈📙
  *This one changed my life the most this year. I decided to go to Jen’s creativity retreat in Tuscany because of the way she wrote about these experiences in her memoir, and it became the catalyst for my Sabbatical in Italy.

• This Here Flesh, a memoir by Cole Arthur Riley📙

  *This was my favorite read of the year! Cole is the creator of Black Liturgies and an expert storyteller. Reading her words make me a better human and better writer.

• Eat Pray Love, a memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert🥈📙

• Prelude to Bruise, poetry by Saeed Jones📱

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⭐⭐ LOVED it. Have already recommended it to others. Will probably reread, if I haven't already.

• Shoutin' In the Fire, a memoir by Danté Stewart🎧

• I Take My Coffee Black, a memoir by Tyler Merritt🎧

• The Anthropocene Reviewed, essays by John Green🎧

• The Year of Magical Thinking, a memoir by Joan Didion📙

• The War of Art, essays by Steven Pressfield📙

• Know My Name, a memoir by Chanel Miller🎧

• Bread and Wine, a memoir by Shauna Niequist🥈📙

• How We Fight for our Lives, a memoir by Saeed Jones📱

• The First Advent in Palestine, narrative nonfiction by Kelley Nikondeha📱

• Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance, a memoir by Jessamyn Stanley📱

• The Way of Integrity, narrative nonfiction by Martha Beck🎧

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⭐ Really enjoyed its finding me this year. May reread someday and likely recommend.

• Outlove: A Queer Christian Survival Story, a memoir by Julie Rodgers🎧

• Arabiyya, a cookbook with essays by Reem Assil📙

• My Name is Rachel Corrie, a play edited by Alan Rickman 🥈📙

• Rifqa, poetry by Mohammed El-Kurd📙

• Cultish, nonfiction by Amanda Montell📱
  *This was my favorite cover of the year! I have a thing for weird book art that marries brilliant design and accurate portrayal of contents. Cultish nails it for me.

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, a novel by Gabrielle Zevin🎧

• The Measure, a novel by Nikki Erlick📱

• Taste: My Life Through Food, a memoir by Stanley Tucci📱🎧

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I’m currently reading Truth Has a Different Shape, a memoir by Kari O'Driscoll; working through Nourish: A Guide to Coming Home to Yourself, a guided journal by Kirbee Miller; and Bright Dead Things, poetry by Ada Limón.

I get all my book recommendations from friends and writers, so I hope to hear from you if you’re a reader. Let me know in the post comments if you’ve read any from my list of favorites!

May all the readers (and future readers!) find more good pages in 2023. I want to hear from you! Comment to tell me any of these things:

• What's a book (not a religious text) that changed your life?

• What’s your favorite book cover art?

• What are you excited to read this next year?

• What books should I add to my list?

Happy reading,

1. The links are my affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online book marketplace that supports local bookstores with each purchase. Using my links to purchase books gives me a little cash kick back and keeps indie bookshops in our communities!