My Favorite Books of 2022: An Overview

And just like that, 2022 has come to a close. We’ve nearly reached the end of the first month of 2023, but I still wanted to share some of my favorite reads of last year. My reading in 2022 was pivotal. I read a lot less when compared to past years (31 books compared to 57 books in 2021 and 63 in 2020), but I felt that I became a lot more intentional in what I chose to dedicate my reading time to. I can’t exactly pinpoint when the shift in my reading occurred, but I’m glad it did since I ended up with a great bunch for this year’s favorites. This post will be more of an overview of my 2022 favorites since a couple of my picks already have dedicated reviews here on the blog. Enjoy.

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

First and foremost: the annual SJM release! The last few years have been filled with yearly new releases from Sarah J. Maas which has been a true gift. House of Sky and Breath was my most anticipated read of 2022 which is typical with me when it comes to a new Sarah J Maas book. I liked the first book, House of Earth and Blood, enough, though it didn’t compare much to her A Court of Thorns and Roses series for me. However, all of that changed after I read this sequel. HOSAB has what now become one of the most memorable book cliff-hangers that I’ve read in recent years. The hardest part is still yet to come, though. And that includes waiting for the next installment.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass was such a surprising delight. I’d heard about the wonders of the Daevabad trilogy over on Bookstagram for years, but I didn’t get the urge to pick it up myself until last year. I initially read it in an effort to determine my next read, not really expecting too much from the first chapter. Instead, I became instantly hooked and the rest is history. Chakraborty is a true wordsmith and a gem of writer. Now I just need to continue on with the trilogy. Read my full review for The City of Brass here.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

I’ve been burned quite a few times by the extremely popular books of BookTok. I truly had no reason to expect that The Atlas Six would be any different. But something about the book’s synopsis and its dark academia sub-genre really piqued my interest. So, I caved, though still bracing myself for disappointment. But that dissatisfaction never came. Instead, I was captured by the immensely heavy-handed (albeit pretentious) writing style, along with the unlikeable yet hypnotic cast of characters. I finished this book in awe. Read my full review for The Atlas Six here.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Somehow, upon all my years studying English in college, I had yet to read a novel by Toni Morrison until 2022. But timing is everything because I was able to read this book while taking a course all about the author and her first four literary works. Suddenly, my assignments of reading and writing papers no felt longer like homework to me. I was fascinated by the type of thinker that Morrison was, and how she so eloquently tackled the difficult and complex topics of internalized racism, misogynoir, and familial dynamics. She didn’t shy away from the taboo of these themes, but dove into their intricacies in a way that exceeded the fictional space. The Bluest Eye was the first Morrison novel that I read, and it continues to stick with me for these reasons. Toni Morrison is the kind of writer that I wish I could be. I now own quite a few of her novels that I can’t wait to continue devouring.