My 22 Favorite Books of 2022

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Like 2021 and 2020 before it, 2022 contained plenty of struggles and joys, all coexisting in this strange life. In May I celebrated three years of running my own business! I also received my New York State woman-owned business certification in November. 

I also dove into the world of TikTok and blogged about it often, which included one of my most popular blog posts of 2022, where I shared what I learned by posting on TikTok 3 times per day for 3 months. Additionally, I wrote about non-marketing topics like how my ADHD affects me as a business owner and the joys of visiting all 31 libraries in Monroe County.

Libraries have been essential to my reading journey in 2022–they’ve often led me to pick up books I might not have encountered otherwise. Last year, I read over 120 books and shared 35 favorites on the blog. In 2020, I read 86 books and shared my top 25. This year, I’ve narrowed it down even more! I’ve read 155 books this year and I’m sharing 22 of my absolute favorites. 

Here’s a breakdown of what I read:

  • 46 novels

  • 31 manga 

  • 20 graphic novels

  • 16 memoirs

  • 16 nonfiction books

  • 10 poetry collections

  • 9 short story collections

  • 5 graphic memoirs

I’m sharing this breakdown to help bust the gatekeeping attitude some have toward certain kinds of books, like graphic novels and manga. All reading is reading! Let’s celebrate it. I’ve loved reading a wide variety of books this year. There’s joy to be found in all of it–a wholesome graphic novel, an entertaining manga series, an intense memoir, or a thrilling novel.

Without further ado, let’s get into it! Here are my 22 favorite books of 2022.

Memoir & Nonfiction

1) Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

I read Caitlin Doughty’s memoir about her time working in a crematory twice this year, once on my own in January and again with my book club in October. My grandmother and my mother’s deaths in 2021 sparked a curiosity about the death care industry and American attitudes toward death, and I’m glad to have discovered Caitlin Doughty’s work and the death positive movement this year. It would not be an exaggeration to say it’s significantly shaped my thinking and maybe even my career path in the future. 

2) What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo

I can’t say enough good things about Stephanie Foo’s memoir. Written in 5 parts, only the first part describes the horrific abuse she endured at the hands of her parents, and the remaining 4 parts let the reader walk alongside her on her healing journey. Foo tries everything from EMDR to IFS, from mushrooms to restorative yoga. Foo’s book offered something I felt was missing from the highly hyped I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy: depth and insight. Foo holds you close throughout, and the ending is satisfying and moving.

3) This is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan

I picked this up on a whim from the library and was pleasantly surprised! It truly isn’t a book about Benedict Cumberbatch (though the appendix is, and it’s delightful). It’s about how much joy it brings to have a hobby or obsession that’s just for us. Even if something seems trivial, if it makes you happy, then lean into it! Caravan unpacks how society is extremely judgmental toward women’s passions compared to men’s (think: man obsessed with football versus woman obsessed with Sherlock). It’s fascinating to follow her thought process as this book unfolds. And it’s extremely funny, too!

4) What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

After binging the entirety of the Maintenance Phase podcast, I was excited to dive into Gordon’s first book. Gordon lays out how widespread discrimination against fat people is in our society, and how body positivity is not enough and fat justice is necessary. She interweaves personal anecdotes, research, and cultural criticism in a way that makes her arguments come to life.

5) World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

This book is just beautiful–how can you resist it with that cute axolotl on the cover? Each vignette connects plants or animals to experiences in Nezhukumatathil’s life. It feels fresh, lush, and vibrant. It made me want to engage more regularly and thoughtfully with the natural world. 

6) From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

In her first book, Caitlin Doughty argues that Americans are lacking ritual and meaning around death; this book shows the myriad, meaningful ways other cultures engage with and process death. My favorite parts were the open air funeral pyre in Colorado and the technological innovations in Japan.

Fiction

7) Go Home, Ricky! by Gene Kwak

I found this book in a free cart at a library and it took me by surprise. Ricky’s voice leaps off the page and is totally hilarious. His observations are on-point and funny, and while he keeps messing up, you continue to root for him. I never knew what was coming while reading this and that made it fun, too.

8) What’s Coming to Me by Francesca Padilla

Full disclosure, Padilla lives in the same city as me and I was lucky enough to interview her this year and have her join my book club in September for a Q&A. Even if I didn’t know her, I would think her debut novel was fantastic. It’s a beautiful illustration of how anger and numbness can make up a significant portion of our grief. I was rooting for Minerva the whole way through. Large Marge the dog is just an added bonus.

9) Fight Night by Miriam Toews

Read this one if you want to cry. The voices of Swiv, her mom, and her grandma are so alive. It made me laugh a lot, and then the final 50 pages were a wild ride. 

10) The Hare by Melanie Finn

Two Dollar Radio always publishes the best, weirdest stuff, and The Hare is no exception. It has a thriller-y vibe, while also being about nature and womanhood and relationships. I was very invested and loved the payoff in the final pages. 

11) Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

I love a good unhinged, dark novel. Murata has created characters who feel deeply alienated by the pressures of a frustrating system. The whole vibe is uncanny, and the ending is disturbing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

12) Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

Also in the ‘off the rails’ category, Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch involves a woman turning into a dog at night as she loses herself in motherhood. There are so many fun scenes and descriptions throughout. The ending somehow felt both anticlimactic and brilliant. 

13) Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

There’s a tea shop that serves as a waystation after you die, filled with a cast of quirky characters who help you process your life and prepare to cross over to what lies beyond. I thought this would be cheesy, but I confess, I sobbed at the end. It’s beautiful. 

14) Small Game by Blair Braverman

I don’t read many thrillers, but this one about a survivalist reality TV show gone wrong had me absolutely hooked. It feels deeply ominous and horrifyingly real. It helps that the author herself competed on a survivalist reality TV show!

15) Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Another Sayaka Murata novel? Yes! This story of a woman who genuinely loves the routine nature of her job at a convenience store (despite her friends and family constantly hounding her to advance in her career and find a spouse) is a fun and engaging read with great social commentary.

16) Loveless by Alice Oseman

I’ve loved reading books with more queer representation in recent years, but ace representation has always been lacking. Alice Oseman (of Heartstopper fame), does a great job showing how confusing it can be to not experience romantic or sexual attraction. Her protagonist gradually learns that asexuality doesn’t make you ‘weird’ or ‘broken,’ and that your life can still be full of meaningful platonic relationships. 

Graphic Novels

17) Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau

This was exactly the kind of comforting and happy read I was looking for at the end of the year! Jordan, a wheelchair user, helps and befriends a baby elephant, who in turn teaches her how to play water polo. I learned a lot about both water polo and Indonesia! 

18) Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

This book has it all: a witch who rides a motorcycle and takes care of roadkill, a three legged dog named Good Boy, a gay grandma, a trans best friend, and more. 

19) Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

A cute, wholesome read featuring a queer, hard of hearing witch and a queer werewolf. These childhood friends reunite as adults, face a literal demon together, and fall in love. 

Short Story Collections

20) The Rock Eaters by Brenda Peynado

I happened to pick this one up at an indie bookstore in Charleston last summer, and I’m so glad I did. These stories are strange and surreal, powerful and political. “Thoughts and Prayers” is one I’ll read again and again every time there’s a school shooting. 

21) I’m Not Hungry But I Could Eat by Christopher Gonzalez

Very short short stories that are funny, smart, and heartbreaking. Great bi representation, too!

22) Jerks by Sara Lippmann

Another collection with relatively short short stories that still pack a punch. They revolve around motherhood, marriage, loneliness, and loss of self. It’s more funny and observant than depressing, I promise. 

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