I read a lot of books!
I completely surprised myself and broke any previous personal record by reading 45 books in 2022.
Here’s my list (from first book of the year to last - with some notes on favorites):
1. The Promise by Damon Galgut
2. Think Again by Adam Grant (love his work and his Twitter posts - follow him)
3. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (I come back to Dame Agatha often…for sentimental reasons and for a well-constructed mystery)
4. Alec by William di Canzio (fantastic “retelling” of Maurice by EM Forster)
5. Art of Solitude by Stephen Batchelor
6. The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
7. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
8. Like Streams to the Ocean by Jedidiah Jenkins
9. The INJF Writer by Lauren Sapala
10. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (one of my favorites - Emily St John Mandel has jumped to the top of my list as a favorite author)
11. Lost & Found by Kathryn Schulz (might be my top book of the year)
12. The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (so fun returning to some young adult literature. Brought me back to my years as a teacher. An amazing and heartwarming interview with Kate DiCamillo on the On Being podcast with Krista Tippett led me to reread DiCamillo)
13. The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
14. The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier
15. The Book of Delights by Ross Gay (love Ross Gay’s writing)
16. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (another favorite that I enjoyed even more than The Glass Hotel. If you choose to read her writing, read both of these back-to-back (Glass Hotel then Sea of Tranquility) - you’ll thank me after
17. Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown (yep, good stuff)
18. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (another favorite…I smiled so much reading this)
19. The Magician by Colm Toibin
20. A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson
21. In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World by Padraig O Tuama (oh, wow, this was fantastic)
22. A Great Mistake by Jonathan Lee (solid - historical fiction and a murder mystery all wrapped up into one)
23. Time & Again by Jack Finney (time travel is always an intriguing read)
24. The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal (what a fantastic true story)
25. On Lighthouses by Jazmina Barrera (picked this up when I moved into my new place in Rhode Island that has a view of a lighthouse. Glorious reflections on the history of lighthouses and the individual history of many lighthouses around the world)
26. Already Enough by Lisa Olivera
27. Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham
28. The Queer Advantage by Andrew Gelwicks
29. How Your Story Sets You Free by Heather box & Julian Mocine-McQueen (short and powerful book)
30. The Bloodless Boy by Robert J. Lloyd (another historical fiction and mystery - enjoyable)
31. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (loved)
32. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
33. Autoportrait by Jesse Ball
34. The Lost Boys of Montauk by Amanda Fairbanks (picked this up at a bookstore on Shelter Island during my vacation to Sag Harbor/Montauk. Provided some lovely insight into the area of Long Island).
35. The Trees by Percival Everett
36. Ways of Being. Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for Planetary Intelligence by James Bridle (another top book…my mind has been churning about this read since I finished)
37. The Hollow by Agatha Christie
38. From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks (love)
39. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (reread that was much needed and, as always, hilariously fantastic)
40. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (great guide and a wake-up call for the artist in me)
41. Marple: Twelve New Mysteries (Twelve female mystery writers have written new Marple mysteries. Hit and miss with a few really exceptional)
42. How We Heal by Alexandra Elle (her thoughtful and caring writing always feels healing and helpful and supportive)
43. The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg (gosh, this was a really good read and an important read around teens and suicide. I keep thinking about ways to incorporate this writing into my work with teens and mental health. Bill Konigsberg achieved something here that many could not - sensitive to the topic, blunt and honest without sensationalizing, and some genuine characters to relate to, feel with and feel for, and to cheer on)
44. A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd (needed to read this year as it was one of my dad’s favorites and, well, one of mine too. And, yes, this is the writing that was made into the classic movie).
45. David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
So, my top nonfiction book of 2022 is a tie between Lost & Found by Kathryn Schulz and In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World by Padraig O Tuama
My favorite fiction is a tough call between House in the Cerulean Sea, Sea of Tranquility, Alec, and Less with The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune edging others out due to the smiles it gave me (and I read it near a kinda cerulean sea on the beach near Key West)
And, finally, for my Agatha Christie rereads, I thoroughly enjoyed The Hollow.
Now, to decide on my first book of 2023
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