My 2022 Reading

I declare there is no enjoyment like reading
-Jane Austen

There is no doubt I have a lot of reading ahead of me in the new year. But I’d like to look back for a moment on my reading of 2022. In this post I’m going to go over the books I read.  Then, at the end I’ll list my all time favorite books of this year!

Total Number of Rereads:

7

One thing you should know about me is that I always enjoy a good reread!

Total Number of Books Read for School:

22

I have mixed feelings about the books I read for school. Some of them can lean on the… less than desirable side. But as I looked back over the ones I read this year, I realized that a lot of them are good, high quality books. One of them (The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller) even made it onto my top ten list. 

Total Number of Audio Books Listened To:

9

I love listening to books while I crochet, fold clothes, or even while I’m riding in the car for long periods of time. This year I listened to quite a lot of lengthy books, so I’m surprised at how many are still on this list. 

My favorite Picture Book:

There weren’t many picture books recorded in my log this year (and I didn’t count any of them in the numbers on this post) but sometimes my family will discover a new picture book that I don’t want to forget about. 

There were several good ones, but I’d have to say my favorite is A Splash of Red, by Jen Bryant. The best part (in my opinion) is that this book is illustrated by Melissa Sweet. If you don’t know who she is, Melissa Sweet illustrates (and sometimes writes) picture book biographies of famous people in history. My favorite of her works is Some Writer! a biography on E. B. White. 

Most Read Author:

Jennifer A. Nielsen

Jennifer won most read author by a longshot. I got on a kick of reading her work in the summer. Several of my friends were reading her books at the same time (or were urging me to read them) and I’m so glad I did.

It started when I read her historical fiction book, A Night Divided.  In no time I had found her fantasy books, and was hooked. By reading her books, I was introduced to some of my favorite characters of all time! She is one of the only authors I can think of who writes both historical fiction and fantasy, and does so well at both! I hope to read more of her work in the new year.

…And Runner Up:

The next most read author was C. S. Lewis, followed closely by L. M. Montgomery. You can’t go wrong with either of them, and I will always love their writing. 

Highest Reading Month:

February

I read a total of thirteen books this month, which is over twice the average per month.

Total Number of Books Read in 2022:

72

If I’m being honest, this number  is actually less than average for me. I’m a little disappointed at the quantity of last years reading. But I did read a good number of good long books, which is something to be happy about. This year I found a lot of new authors that I look forward to reading more of over the next few months.

Here’s to another year of good books and much reading!

And Now… My Top Ten Books of 2022!

This was painful to narrow this list down to as short as it is. It’s undeniable, I read a lot of good books this year. The next books are all wonderful inside and out. I think it’s safe to say you can expect book reviews on them in the future.

1. Adorning the Dark, by Andrew Peterson

(a book on the beauty and calling of art)

2. The Faithful Spy, by John Hendrix*

(a thrilling graphic novel about a pastor during WW2)

3. Courage, Dear Heart, by Rebecca K. Reynolds*

(a lovely set of letters to broken people)

4. The Last Bookshop in London, by Madeline Martin*

(a WW2 novel set in London that includes books:))

5. Wingfeather Tales, by Andrew Peterson

(a set of well written short stories set in the land of Aeriwiar)

6. Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie

(a sweet story about children’s adventures)

7. The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings*

(a heartbreaking story about growing up)

8. The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller

(an autobiography about a deaf and blind young girl)

9. An Old Fashioned Girl, by Louisa May Alcott

(a simply plotted story with beautiful writing)

10. The War that Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 

(another WW2 story, this one about a little girl with a clubfoot)

*these books have sensitive topics

Your Turn!

Did you read a lot of books in 2022? Which ones were your favorites? Let me know in the comments!