After last year’s insanely high reading list (almost 200 for the year), I capped myself at 100 in 2022. I even went so far as to add to my “40 things before 40” list an item that says: Read less. Dance more. (Dance was my word for 2022, so that’s less weird than it sounds.)
So I did it. I held myself to 100. It meant I had to binge a lot more Netflix, Hulu, and podcasts, because what else do I do with the 10:00-midnight hours? (Thanks, Shondaland, for How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal that messed me up for weeks.)
At first I anticipated a normal top 10 list like I used to do, then I was reading so much non-fiction that I thought I’d have a top 10 for each genre, but eventually I decided to have a top 15 that includes both fiction and non-, as designated by F or NF. (No one cares about my thought process here, but I feel the compulsion to explain anyway. Enneagram Four probs.)
And so... let’s begin.
15. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Real talk. I read Picoult’s newest novel, Wish You Were Here, which released during the pandemic, and I first had it on my list. It was one of those books that took my breath with a surprise turn. But then I read this older book, Small Great Things, and it was simply a better story, so I switched them out (I have a problem with multiple books by the same author being on this list). This novel focuses on a Black delivery nurse, Ruth, the death of an infant of white supremacist parents in her care, and the following court case. So, so compelling. (F)
14. God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines
I am 100% positive that some people will be bothered by this addition, but I chose to read some books to challenge long-held beliefs, and Vines presents a compelling argument for following Jesus closely, holding Scripture in extremely high regard, and understanding context, translation, and interpretation differently in light of all that. (NF)
13. Altogether You by Jenna Riemersma
Deedra and I were privileged to host Riemersma on our podcast so that she could unpack this book and explain more about the Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy model. This is a wonderful primer for anyone looking to learn more about the parts of yourself and how to experience more wholeness and integration as a Christ follower. (NF)
12. Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer
I didn’t read as much YA this year, but somehow several YA books found their way to this list. In Some Mistakes, Dwyer writes the story of Ellis who was shipped to California after a mysterious incident, and she hasn’t spoken to her best friend Easton or his family in a year. But when she returns home to celebrate his mom’s 50th birthday, she has to confront Easton, the incident, and all the events that led up to it. (F)
11. You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
Another YA read, this novel follows Liz Lighty and her journey to attend an elite college but finds out her scholarship falls through. In a quest to afford her dreams and leave the small town where she feels “too black, too poor, too awkward,” she sets out to become prom queen, even though she’s made it a goal to be invisible for most of high school. (F)
10. What Happened to You? By Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey
This book is a must-read for anyone who has children, works with children, was a child, or interacts with humans of any age. Dr. Perry unpacks trauma, evocative cues, how the brain is changed, and how healing begins to work at a neurological level. Winfrey adds an interesting narrative alongside the technical writing. (NF)
9. Know My Name by Chanel Miller
This raw, brutal, and beautiful memoir is written by Miller, who is better known as Emily Doe from the Stanford sexual assault case a few years back. Her victim impact statement, which I read back in 2016, was incredibly heartbreaking and powerful. This book is an extension of that. It chronicles what led to that night, the immediate aftermath, and the drawn-out court case she endured for several years after. More than a victim of Brock Turner’s, Miller also became a victim of the judicial system. This book should make you grief-stricken, angry, and still hopeful as you read it. (NF)
8. Before I Do by Sophie Cousens
Cousens tells the story of the 24 hours leading up to Audrey’s wedding to Josh, interwoven with flashbacks from her childhood, a previous romance, and her relationship with Josh. Although a fairly light read, it does venture into good questions that people must ask themselves before tying the knot, and it says a lot about understanding what baggage you bring into relationships. (F)
7. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
I read all of Henry’s books this year, and I randomly picked one to put on the list, but you should definitely read them all. This one is about the relationship between best friends Alex and Poppy and the vacations they take each year until they have a falling out. After two years of not speaking, they find themselves on one more trip together where they have to confront their past to move into the future. (F)
6. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
This is almost the book I started writing a few years ago, but hers is much better and mine would have had less cussing and sex. Haha! Basically, Alice is turning 40, and she falls asleep and wakes up on her 16th birthday. Alice grapples with the mystery of time travel, how past choices affect the future, and what she can do differently to keep those she loves around longer.
5. Waymaker by Ann Voskamp
I was skeptical of this one, okay? I tried A Thousand Gifts and Voskamp is just too precious for me. But this book. WOW. Her preciousness is cut with raw transparency, and she opens up about her own journey through the difficulties of life. She brings Jesus to the reader in such a compassionate, freeing way. (NF)
4. The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
I had The Inheritance Games on my list last year, and at the time, I understood that to be the first in a duology. Imagine my thrill when she released a third book this year, and it’s the perfect capstone to the Hawthorne trilogy! The best description I used last year for this YA trilogy is: The Westing Game meets Truly Devious. So delicious. (F)
3. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
While not my favorite Reid novel (that distinction belongs to Evelyn Hugo), I still love everything she writes. In fact, I read three Reid novels this year and had a really difficult time deciding to put Carrie Soto on the list instead of Daisy Jones, and I eventually stuck with the 2022 release. It’s set in the same world as Evelyn, Daisy, and Mick Riva, and Carrie is a pro tennis player out to make a comeback. (F)
2. The Best of You by Dr. Alison Cook
I think I’ve mentioned a few dozen times that Cook fulfilled an item on my “40 things before 40” list: interview a dream guest. And she is a dream! I debated whether to include her first book, Boundaries for Your Soul or this newest one, and I chose to go with The Best of You because Boundaries is like Riemersma’s in that it’s a primer for IFS, and this new book is a broader understanding of how to become the best version of ourselves that God created us to be. But it’s not a self-help book; it’s learning who we are, what we want, and how to understand and discern our own knowing. (NF)
1. Heavy Burdens by Bridget Eileen Rivera
This book is to the LGBTQ community what Barr’s The Making of Biblical Womanhood was for women. A celibate lesbian herself, Rivera makes no impassioned plea for anyone to change their mind on marriage or sexual ethics; instead she unpacks the history of the evangelical (and societal) belief around the treatment of the LGBTQ community and how the Church must answer for the harm done in the name of morality. I think if the Church understood how secular thought leaders (Aristotle, Freud, and Darwin, for example) shaped most beliefs surrounding gender and sexuality, they’d be shocked. This is a very, very important book, especially considering the recent shooting at the gay nightclub in Colorado. (NF)
