My 20 Favorite Books of 2022—10 Fiction + 10 Nonfiction Books

Looking back over the books I finished in 2022, the following 20+ books are my favorites. Which books would you add to your list of favorites?

My 10 Favorite Fiction Books

1. Necessary Lies
by Diane Chamberlain

In this novel set fifty years ago, 15-year-old Ivy Hart works on a tobacco farm. When she’s assigned a new social worker—the first job for young Jane Forrester—secrets begin to unravel. Such a heart-rending story.

2. The Last House on the Street
by Diane Chamberlain

Another Diana Chamberlain book (my new favorite author this year). Kayla Carter’s new house is attracting unwanted attention. When she looks back into the history of the neighborhood, she finds secrets of racism and violence. A riveting story told in 1965 and 2010 in a town in North Carolina.

3. The Downstairs Neighbor
by Helen Cooper

When a teenage girl disappears in London, all the neighbors in the apartment become suspects through individual circumstances. Intriguing and well-told, this novel kept me wondering what would be uncovered next.

4. True Biz
by Sara Nović

As a deaf child, teenage Charlie never learned sign language or about the deaf culture. When she transfers to a boarding school for the deaf, a series of events provide quick introductions for her into the deaf community. I learned a lot of valuable lessons about it, too.

5. Sing You Home
by Jodi Picoult

Through story, Jodi Picoult dives into the middle of the ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding pregnancy and family in modern times. Music teacher Zoe Baxter saves her fertilized eggs when she and her husband can’t get pregnant, but they later divorce. The plot gets complicated as the book unfolds.

6. Apples Never Fall
by Liane Moriarty

Where has Mom gone? After Joy Delaney suddenly disappears one morning, her husband Stan and four grown children are left to figure out where she is. Liane Moriarty never fails to tell an intriguing story with interesting plot twists. Very good.

7. The Four Winds
by Kristin Hannah

Set in Texas during the Dust Bowl/Great Depression, young Elsa—later a wife and mother—fights her way through poverty in a man’s world and through extreme conditions. Her difficult life choices involve staying on the family farm pelted by disastrous storms or move west to California in search of a better life and the American Dream.

8. Wish You Were Here
by Jodi Picoult

This novel hits close to home. It was written during and set in the Covid-19 pandemic. The main character Diana is planning to travel abroad with her surgical resident boyfriend when the coronavirus comes to New York City. The book takes a major plot twist halfway in. I didn’t see it coming at all (I love when that happens).

9. Anatomy of a Miracle
by Jonathan Miles

Based on a true story, this novel is about an Afghanistan veteran who returned home paralyzed from the waist down. Until a “miracle” occurs at the Biz-E-Bee convenience store in Biloxi, Mississippi. What accounts for it? A very interesting and unusual plot.

10. Sins of the Tribe
by Mark A. Salter

Wally is thrilled to join the Bastille University Tribe football team. But as the plot unfolds, he sees behind the curtain of tribalism that often surrounds college sports. As a college football fan myself, I appreciate the plot line as well as the moral implications hidden in this story.

[My review of Sins of the Tribe: “How Loyal Are You to Your Sports Team?”]

My 10 Favorite Nonfiction Books

Because there are so MANY great nonfiction books available, I’m actually recommending more than just 10 books. With each suggestion below, I add a loosely related bonus recommendation.

1. Nonviolent Communication
A Language of Life
by Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD

This book explains how to talk in clear and simple ways to be better understood and to better understand others (even though it still requires self-discipline and thus is hard; sigh). It’s full of great sample conversations. If we could be this compassionate, direct, and gentle, we’d eliminate so many problems. One of the bottom lines for me: Be more aware of the NEEDS (both my own and others) underneath our words.

Bonus Recommendation: The Dance of Connection
How to Talk to Someone When You’re Mad, Hurt, Scared, Frustrated, Insulted, Betrayed, or Desperate
by Harriet Lerner

2. Do I Stay Christian?
A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned
by Brian D. McLaren

Written with great humility, curiosity, and research, McLaren walks us through 10 reasons why someone might not want to be a Christian (part 1), then 10 reasons why someone would want to be a Christian (part 2). For himself, McLaren concludes he’s staying Christian. But regardless of your own answer, McLaren then offers 10 excellent pieces of advice to everybody (part 3) on how to be a more loving human being in this world, Christian or not.

[my review of Do I Stay Christian?]

Bonus Recommendation: God Can’t
How to Believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils
by Thomas Jay Oord

3. This Chair Rocks
A Manifesto Against Ageism
by Ashton Applewhite

At least in the West, there’s a large bias against the aged. We often depict older people as out of touch, annoying, and just in the way. But Applewhite refutes these myths about later years in a refreshing way, while also staying realistic about the genuine trials. We don’t have to dread getting older.

Bonus Recommendation: The Wisdom of Your Body
Finding Healing, Wholeness, and Connection Through Embodied Living
by Hillary L. McBride

4. Plays Well with Others
The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know about Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong
by Eric Barker

This is a fantastic book. Based on scientific data, Barker writes with wit and clarity to debunk false theories we inherently believe about relationships, and confirms several theories we intuitively believe already. It’s very enjoyable and informative.

[my review of Plays Well with Others is here, Two Things Your Friendships Need to Survive]

Bonus Recommendation: Platonic
How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends
by Marisa G. Franco

5. Constructive Wallowing
How to Beat Bad Feelings by Letting Yourself Have Them
by Tina Gilbertson

While we’re often told not to wallow in our emotions, this book says that if we’ll just feel our feelings when they arise (before acting on them), they’ll serve their purpose and move on. We don’t have to minimize what we feel or pretend like we’ve got it all together—that’s unhealthy. I found this information very enlightening and helpful.

Bonus Recommendation: Permission to Feel
Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive
by Marc Brackett

6. It’s OK That You’re Not OK
Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand
by Megan Devine

When I began this book, I had no idea how great it would be. If you are experiencing grief (from any kind of loss) or you’re in close relationship with someone going through grief, this book is very beneficial. Megan reminds us that grief is normal; it’s not a problem in need of a solution. Stop trying to “solve” grief. As the title says, it’s okay that you don’t feel ok.

Bonus Recommendation: The Grieving Brain
The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss
by Mary-Frances O’Connor

7. Rules of Estrangement
Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict
by Joshua Coleman, PhD

Dr. Joshua Coleman is a leading expert on the complex topic of family estrangement. In this book he shares practical advice to help heal the open and painful wounds based on his years of work with parents and adult children. Excellent resource.

Bonus Recommendation: When Parents Hurt
Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don’t Get Along
by Joshua Coleman, PhD

8. The Happiness Trap
How to Stop Struggling and Start Living
by Russ Harris

The content of this book is extremely practical and helpful. Russ Harris teaches Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in an easy-to-understand way to counteract cultural myths about happiness. ACT stands for Accept your thoughts and feelings, Connect with your values, and Take effective action. I highly recommend this book to help you live according to your values.

Bonus Recommendation: Good Inside
A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
by Becky Kennedy

9. Atlas of the Heart
Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
by Brené Brown

With her usual insight and wit, Brené Brown walks us through 87 emotions that we all feel, but we don’t all recognize. She uses language as power to define our experiences. Recognizing and labeling our feelings is a critical step in knowing how to handle them.

Bonus Recommendation: Bright-Sided
How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America
by Barbara Ehrenreich

10. How to Keep House While Drowning
A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing
by K.C. Davis

This book reminds us that you don’t exist to serve your space; your space exists to serve you. And that means you don’t always have do everything in the most efficient way (my personal struggle), but in whatever way you can get the job done. Davis’s philosophy is very freeing: “Anything worth doing is worth doing partially.”

Bonus Recommendation: Someday Is Today
22 Simple, Actionable Ways to Propel Your Creative Life
by Matthew Dicks

What is a favorite book you read this year? What book do you want to read in 2023? Share in the comments.

Read More:

• How These 5 Books Changed Me
• 5 Ways to Get More From Reading Books
• Do You Feel Guilty When You Read?

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