My Best-Loved Books of 2022!

I enjoyed a great year of reading. There are simply too many to review, but here are a few of my favorites from the 51 books I read in 2022.

Self-help/Christian Inspirational:

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry https://amzn.to/3ZaR395 by John Mark Comer. I read this book twice and plan on rereading it—a perfect book for the new year. A few favorite quotes: “….and how we spend our time is how we spend our lives. It’s who we become (and don’t become).” “The whole point of apprenticeship is to model all of your life after Jesus. And in doing so, to recover your soul.”
WayMaker https://amzn.to/3ksAWF0 by Ann Voskamp. Beautiful prose and deep thoughts. Truly transformative for me. I read it a few times and review my highlights often. So many beloved quotes; here is one: “There is no pleasing God without trusting God. Trusting God is no small thing! To God, it is everything. God wants to be chosen too.”
No Cure for Being Human https://amzn.to/3lXkZY7 by Kate Bowler. A mix of memoir/self-help/inspiration. I resonated with her words. “Life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between, and there’s no cure for being human.”

Health:

The Pegan Diet https://amzn.to/3Sk1zbT by Mark Hyman, MD. I read many books on the health journey that I am on. This one is solid, laid out well, and easy to understand. Recipes too. He says to treat sugar as a recreational drug (wow!) and that sugar and starch, not fat, are killing our health.
Healthy in a Hurry: Real Life, Real Food, Real Fast https://amzn.to/3ExPB90 by Danielle Walker. Being dairy-free and gluten-free can be a challenge. This book is pretty and has some great options for people like my son and me.

Fiction:

Where do I begin?! Too much great fiction to cover, but I will give it a shot with my top four.

The Maid https://amzn.to/3SCawh3 by Nita Prose. This was a book club read, and our gang loved it! Classified as a cozy mystery, we all adored the protagonist, Molly Gray, and you will too. Set in the Regency Grand, a luxury hotel in NYC.
The Nature of Fragile Things https://amzn.to/3konHp6 by Susan Meissner. Another fabulous book club choice. I have read almost all of this author’s books, and this one is my favorite. Historical fiction (1906 San Francisco) also has a bit of mystery. I give it five stars.
West With Giraffes https://amzn.to/3YVglrW by Linda Rutledge. Book club strikes again (we all fell in love with giraffes)—historical fiction(Dust Bowl, Depression-era) with lots of action and colorful characters. Many heart-stirring quotes like these: “Time heals all wounds, they say. I’m here to tell you that time can wound you all on its own.” “Do you know what I love about photographs? They stop time.”
Where the Crawdads Sing https://amzn.to/3XOpgu9 by Delia Owens. I was late to the party on this story of abandonment, survival, loneliness, isolation, and intrigue—with so many poignant quotes. “Why should the injured, the still bleeding, bear the onus of forgiveness?” “I wasn’t aware that words could hold so much; I didn’t know a sentence could be so full…” I enjoyed the movie as well!

I also read in other genres; for my complete list, here is the link:

Happy reading! What are your book plans for 2023?