A lot of people shared the list of their favorite books for 2022 weeks ago, but I am always worried that I will read a great book at the end of December and it will miss making the list. So you get my favorite books of 2022 list on the thirtieth of December.
Sometimes I wait until the first week of January to share this list, but this year I knew I could easily share it today.
I might finish another book or two in the next two days, but they won’t be favorites for the year.
So far this year I have read ninety three books. I was hoping to make it to one hundred, but I think I will be a few short.
I was going to narrow it down my favorite books of 2022 to ten, but I had trouble doing that. Instead, I did ten nonfiction favorites and nine fiction favorites.
I tried to come up with another fiction book to add to the list, but I couldn’t. I didn’t read a lot of fiction that I loved this year. When it comes to fiction I had a lot of three star reads this year, so instead of picking ten favorite fiction books, I picked nine.
Favorite Nonfiction Books
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. This one makes both my husband and my top reads of 2022. We read this one as a buddy read. We both read it at the same time and loved it. There was so much to talk about in this one. If you love true crime this is a great read.
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku. This is an excellent memoir written by a survivor of Auschwitz.
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson. True crime, but about feathers and fly fishing. I read this and instantly handed it to my husband to read. I had no idea that feathers and fishing could be so interesting.
Red Notice by Bill Browder. This is definitely a fact is stranger than fiction book. It is a mix of high finance, true crime, and Russia.
Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland. This Christian book has been so popular over the last couple of years. I finally picked it up and really enjoyed it. I think this one will become a Christian classic. It was just the reminder that I needed to rest in Christ.
Tree Thieves by Lyndsie Bourgon. True crime and trees. I grew up in a small logging town in Oregon. This book reminded me of the place where I grew up, yet also took me to a world that I had no idea existed.
Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown. Daniel James Brown makes this story of Japanese American heroes in WWII come alive. This history has been neglected for over fifty years. If you love WWII nonfiction this is a great one.
Devotion by Adam Makos. If I had to choose my favorite book of the year, this would be the book. I have read very little about the Korean War, which is why I decided to pick this one up. That and I was determined to read it before I saw the movie. Adam Makos makes history come alive. I can’t wait to read more by Adam Makos in 2023.
The Watchmakers by Harry and Scott Langa. I am so glad that this impulse buy about WWII ended up being a favorite book of 2022. I feel like this WWII book did not get the attention that it deserved. If you love WWII nonfiction, this is a good one.
Finding My Father by Blair Linne. I shared this one for a Sunday Reading post. This is one of the best modern Christian memoirs that I have read. Most memoirs focus on the person, this one focuses on Christ and what he did for the author.
Favorite Fiction Books
The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. If I had to narrow my list of favorite books down to just ten, this WWII historical fiction would make the list. I love Kristin Harmel’s writing and will read probably read just about anything she writes.
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. This WWII historical fiction is my favorite fiction book of the year. It is about a woman sniper during WWII. I can’t wait to read more by Kate Quinn.
Bluebird by Genevieve Graham. This historical fiction book is about WWI and post WWI Canada. I loved that this book showed me a part of Canada that I knew nothing about. I discovered this author this year after seeing an interview that she did. After reading two of her books I now want to read all of her backlist.
Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher. I loved this book published in 1988. I am not sure why it took my so long to read Rosamund Pilcher. I have several of her books in my to be read stack for 2023.
The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan. I have heard great things about this WWII historical fiction book so I finally picked it up. It took a while to get into the story, but once I did, I loved it.
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. This historical fiction book is set in WWII Lithuania and Siberia. It took me to a time and place I knew very little about. I don’t read a lot of young adult books, but I love Ruta Sepetys books.
The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah. This book has gotten a lot of mixed reviews. I loved it, or as much as you can love a book about the Great Depression.
The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly. I loved the writing in this one, but I think I loved the fact that it took me to a time and place I knew nothing about even more. I have written about the Debutantes during the 1800s and older, but I had no idea what it was like in the 1950s.
The Lumby Lines by Gail Fraser. This series has been recommended to me by so many people. I finally picked it up. If you love the Mitford books by Jan Karon, I think you will like this series as well. In fact, I think I like it better than Mitford.
What was your favorite book of the year, or favorites if you have more than one?