A few years ago, I started setting reading goals for the year. My goals over the years have been:

• 12 books in 2020 (read 13)
• 20 books in 2021 (read 21) 
• 24 books in 2022 (read 34)

34 books for 2022!! The most I have ever read in a year! In the past, I would try to rotate fiction and nonfiction. Basically I would try to force myself to read a nonfiction book for each fiction book I read because I would FLY through fiction and it would take me much longer to complete a nonfiction book. In 2022 I basically let myself read whatever I wanted (even if I meant I flew fiction books in 24 hours – Colleen Hoover, I’m looking at you!)

My new goal is to replace scrolling or TV with reading instead. Not only do I love to get lost in a story, but I love to learn and I don’t need my brain to turn to mush from screens. So I no longer make ‘rules’ about what I should read, I just grab whatever peaks my interest.

So here are my favorites from 2022!

1. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Kate Quinn is by far my favorite historical fiction author. I have read most of her books and have loved them all. The Rose Code was no exception. The book follows 3 young women during WWII to Bletchley Park, a country estate in England, where the brightest minds are working on breaking German military codes. It’s based on a true story and will no doubt capture your attention with mystery, war, and love.

2. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Because I was reading so many books in 2022, I was looking for a way to not spend a lot of money on my habit. I hadn’t gotten into the library or Libby yet, so I set out to find books at the thrift store. I also discovered that you can scan books with the Goodreads app and quickly see their rating. This was a book that I scanned and saw that it was over a 4 star rating. I glanced at the synopsis and thought, yeah, I could like that. This book is a window into Korean culture during Japanese colonization in the 1930s and 40s. It details the lifestyle of the haenyeo (female divers) on the Korean island of Jeju. Two friends journey through some tumultuous decades and endure war, childbirth, loss of parents, and poverty. Learning about their career as divers and the haenyeo way of life is truly fascinating.

3. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

I picked up this book because it seemed like everyone had read it. I’m usually not much of a romance novel gal, but this one was fun and kept my interest. Nora and Charlie, the main characters and rivals in publishing, meet in the city, and hate each other from the get go. They somehow both end up in the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina and keep running into each other. Henry’s writing keeps you wondering how it might end.

4. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

This was the second Colleen Hoover book I had read so I didn’t really know what to expect. Colleen has a way of ripping your heart out and putting it back together all in the same book. I read this one in a day, because I just needed to know what happened. Lily Bloom grows up in Maine, but works hard to move to Boston and start her own business. She meets a neurosurgeon, who can’t be tied down, but somehow falls for Lily. He’s handsome and successful but we find out, it’s all too good to be true. As things start to get serious between Lily and Ryle, her first love, Atlas, reappears in her life for the first time since they were young. With no shortage of twists and turns, this one is sure to be a quick read.

5. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

I fell in love with Kristin Hannah’s writing when I read The Great Alone – it’s one of my all time favorite books. And once again, she didn’t disappoint with The Four Winds. Set during The Great Depression, Elsa Martinelli has to decide if she will stay in the dust bowl of the great plains or head west to find a new life. It’s a heartbreaking story of poverty, perseverance, and manipulation of those in power. As someone who has lived in decades of economic success this was an eye opener of what life was really like during the depression. It took all Elsa had to get her and her kids to the other side of the depression – unbelievable grit and courage to keep moving forward. 

So there you have it! My top books for 2022. I hope this list inspires you to crack open a few more books this year. If you want to see all the books I read in 2022, you can follow along on Goodreads here. If you want to get into reading more, make sure you get a library card and use the Libby app! I should have moved to that method far before my bookshelf was overflowing from thrift store books!

Happy reading in 2023!!

Disclaimer: I like to read a variety of books. Just because I read a book, does not mean I agree with all its contents.