I had the best reading year I’ve had since 2015 in terms of amount read (I finished 80 books, which is a fair amount for me). But I also read a lot of books I really enjoyed. Some were re-reads, others were random picks from my ancient TBR shelves and digital shelves, others were new releases, and still others I only read because I was assigned them in The BookTube Prize (though most of those I was really glad to have read). But there were plenty of contenders for my top books of the year (for clarity I’m including books I read this year, not necessarily books that were published this year)! I’ve expanded my top ten to a top 11 and one tie, and I’ve included some honourable mentions at the bottom of the list as I had a tough call on which to include in the last few places on my official list. I also decided to exclude re-reads. The reason for this is that I purposely re-read books I had loved: Matilda, Q’s Legacy, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, To Kill a Mockingbird. Nothing was going to beat those, so it seemed like bringing in ringers for the top spots to include them! So here are my favourite books that I read for the first time this year!
Numbers 1-4
  
   
   
These could (and have been) moved interchangeably. For a while The 1619 Project was in the top spot for how comprehensive and important it is, then I figured maybe Borders deserved to be there due to its beautifully quiet but deeply impactful style, then Heartstopper just because of all the FEELS and how much I wished it had existed when I was a teenager, and Hell of a Book has been moved in and out because it was punchy, original, funny but also such a gut punch. I am not going to commit to any particular order for these, but they are all firmly in the top four of the year, and you should really pick them all up.
Numbers 5-7
   
   
  
Again, these could shift around. I loved A Man Called Ove because it perfectly captured the emotional landscape of Ove, and also created such a gentle sense of support and acceptance in the community that slowly coalesced around him. Just lovely, and what I’ve always wanted for myself. Quiet Girl in a Noisy World and Book Love are actually tied for 6th place. I loved both of these thematic graphic novels, and felt very seen as I was reading each of them. This Bright Future was a bit of a sleeper hit with me. I really did not expect it to be so engaging, well written or relevant to some of my own experiences. But it definitely left me with a lot to think about.
Numbers 8-11
   
   
  
My Brother’s Husband was one of the books I read towards the end of the year when my energy was flagging. It wasn’t perfect – some scenes made me feel a bit uncomfortable, some of it felt like it was telling more than showing, but the story was excellent, as were the characters. I can see why it’s been such a favourite, and I already have volume 2 ready to pick up. How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water would probably be my top pick for an audiobook performance this year, as well as being a great story. The character is abrasive, but still somehow wiggled her way into my heart by the end of the novel, despite very frequent urges to shake her (gently) and tell her to focus on the task at hand! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow was another of the books I read towards the end of the year, and though it took me a few tries (and two formats) to get into it, once I was immersed I really enjoyed it. It’ll never hit me like The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry did, but that’s a given (Fikry is one of my favourite books and is about readers rather than gamers so connects more naturally to my interests). The Reading List probably has one foot on this list and one in the honourable mentions. I think it bumped up into this section at least partly because it surprised me so much. It’s a sweet story with a considerable dark side, some great characters and lots of feels!
Honourable Mentions
   
   
   
   
   
   
There’s a lot of wiggle room on these lists. On another day the entire top 11 list could look completely different, some of the honourable mentions could have switched places with a couple of them, or dropped off completely. It’s been a good reading year, basically! I think this is the hardest time I’ve ever had picking my favourite books of the year, and there are several more I feel should probably have been on here, but it is already out of hand!
What about you guys? Which were your top books of the year? Was it easy to choose, or did you also struggle to put them in order? Do we have any in common? Any you read and really did not like as much as I did?
And, of course, happy new year!!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.
Long Way Down was my favorite book of last year. Heartstopper and The 1619 Project are on my TBR list. I’ll get to them eventually. I hope you have a great reading year!
Yes, it was very impactful! 1619 was good to chip away at as it’s a collection of writings, so doesn’t have to be read in one go. I’d recommend getting all the Heartstopper books before you dive in – it was agony waiting for the rest to arrive after I started!
You’ve got some of my favorite books on your list!
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/my-ten-favorite-books-of-2022/
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it!
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is on my TBR. I’m glad it made your list.
Yes, it was a last minute impulse at the end of the year and it managed to make the top list! I liked it. I’ve seen some mixed reviews, but it had enough feels for me to really enjoy reading it. Hopefully you will as well!
My top pick is When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit! I never managed to read it as a kid, but maybe I can still change that as an adult 🙂 And of course, A Man Called Ove — which I really need to read in 2023!
Yes! I didn’t even know WHSPR existed until recently. I’ve been reading her children’s books to my kids and they’re favourites, so when I found out about it I had to have it IMMEDIATELY. I think it was fine reading it as an adult. It just meant I understood more of the context, but the story itself was just as evocative. I’d say give it a try! Oh, Ove. I had no expectations for him, but he managed to surprise me! What a loveable curmudgeon.
I’m hoping to read A Man Called Ove this year. Glad you liked it so much!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-books-of-2022/
I do hope you get to it and can’t wait to hear your thoughts! I don’t think it’s for everyone – it’s a quiet book and takes some effort – but I feel like that’s part of what I liked so much about it. It’s like the people who seem a bit gruff and off-putting at first, but who end up being your best friends if you put in the effort to get to know them. Like that, for me. Hopefully you’ll like it too! I’m interested to try out the film when it comes out – we’ll see if it captures the same feels!
Tomorrow x3 made my list too. My list was pretty easy since I gave 12 books 5 stars last year and didn’t go back to consider any 4 star reads.
You know what? I didn’t even really think about looking at my star ratings, I just looked through my list and wrote down the ones that stood out to me! Of course, that would have made SO MUCH MORE SENSE! Ha.