My Favorite Books of 2022
- Jaimee LaTorra
- Jan 1, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2023
Hello readers! Since this blog has little-to-no SEO, you're probably here because I've sent you this page. My friend Hannah does a yearly wrap up of her favorite books over the past year, and it inspired me to do the same.
Reading brought me a lot of joy this year, even though I felt like I had more favorites that came out of 2020 & 2021. I ended the year having read almost 14k pages and 41 books total (a number that annoys me for some reason - maybe because it's prime?). I didn't reach my goal of 52 books, but it's more than I've read in years past!
My reading list spanned different genres, and it contained fewer nonfiction books than usual. After living for almost three years in pandemic times, I found myself in need of books that were a little lighter and would allow more of an escape.
Below is a list of the books I read and loved this year, in no particular order.
My Favorite Books of 2022
An often dark, but moving collection of short stories recommended to me by my coworker, Vivian. The stories center Indigenous Latina women living in Denver (or surrounding areas) and their joy, grief and inherited trauma. I found this collection to be haunting and very heavy; I found myself wishing that some of the stories were longer form since it was so easy to feel connected to the characters. My favorite chapters: Cheesman Park, Tomi, Galapago, and Remedies.
I adore Emily SJM's world-building, and this story was an intricate and riveting exploration of humanity and time travel. I think I appreciated it even more having read her previous books (Glass Hotel, Station Eleven), since there were a few small nods to past characters or settings. Another extraordinary book.
Romance is not historically one of my favorite genres, but this book completely sucked me in. I loved the origin story of the couple (two prominent Black authors in New York City) and wished that I could read each of their fictional book series. As another reader on Goodreads stated, prepare to be sucked into a vortex of emotion.
Not the deepest book, but a very fun read. As my friend Alli put, it's Grace and Frankie meets Jason Bourne (without the amnesia). Though I wished there had been a bit more character development, this was still a satisfying read.
I think TJR is excellent at character development, and her latest book is no exception. Carrie Soto is a legendary (fictional) tennis player attempting a comeback after a fifteen year post-injury break. I never thought I could be so riveted by reading about tennis matches, but this story completely sucked me in.
I am completely obsessed with these graphic novels and the recent Netflix TV show adaptation (which is how I found them in the first place). Both follow an incredibly sweet pair of teenage boys, and their surrounding cast of friends, as they fall in love for the first time. I read the first three graphic novels, all of which were quick reads and made me feel like I was being enveloped in a warm hug.
A novel about a Black father struggling to accept his gay son written in the form of a letter, based somewhat on the author's real life experience. This book made me reflect on parenting and the differences between generations. It was an interesting exploration of how much an upbringing or surroundings can shape our beliefs and relationships with our children.
A YA novel about a young woman struggling to adjust after her "golden child" sister, Olga, dies suddenly. I actually had to pause in the middle of reading because the Uvalde shooting had just happened and I couldn't handle a book that involves a young person dying. I did end up loving this book and feeling extremely connected to the main character and her struggle to be understood. Thanks for the recommendation, Elena (I know it took me like 2 years to get around to reading)!
An fun, satisfying novel about a single mom and chemist-turned-celebrity-cook. I devoured this book on a drive from Seattle to Denver. It's been on many top lists, and though the feminist message was not subtle (and definitely unrealistic at times), it was a very enjoyable read.
A coming of age story following students (and the principal) of a school for the Deaf. I learned so much about Deaf culture through reading this book, and it had me really thinking about the ways that language forms our identities. I did find it interesting that this book was somewhat heavily anti-cochlear implant; I've read before that this is a rift in the Deaf community. This book made me want to learn basic ASL in the coming year.
I've been on a real mystery kick lately and I loved this book by Tana French. It's the first of a series, each focused on a different member of the Dublin Murder Squad. I read three books in the series this year and the first was by far my favorite. The ending is a bit controversial, but I appreciated it.
A thought-provoking nonfiction book about productivity and time management. The title comes from an estimation of the number of weeks we have to live (assuming we live to age 80). This book was extremely philosophical and I read it during time off at the end of the year, which was perfect timing for me to be extremely introspective. I will probably re-read this, because it was super helpful for reflecting on how I want to spend my relatively short time on this earth. I highlighted almost 40 passages, but here are my favorites:
"As I make hundreds of small choices throughout the day, I’m building a life—but at one and the same time, I’m closing off the possibility of countless others, forever. Any finite life—even the best one you could possibly imagine—is therefore a matter of ceaselessly waving goodbye to possibility."
"The exhilaration that sometimes arises when you grasp this truth about finitude has been called the “joy of missing out,” by way of a deliberate contrast with the idea of the “fear of missing out.” It is the thrilling recognition that you wouldn’t even really want to be able to do everything, since if you didn’t have to decide what to miss out on, your choices couldn’t truly mean anything."
Please send over any & all book recommendations, and also let me know if you've read any of the above. There is nothing I love more than discussing books with others.
Happy New Year & thanks for reading!
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