Good morning! It's once again time to share the books I enjoyed reading the most this year. And in 2022, there were a lot of books to pick from. So far I've read over 70 books, which I track with The StoryGraph. That's pretty much the same as the number of books I finished in 2021. I ended up selecting just 10 books as always, which makes for tough decisions.
This is also the second year in which I've exclusively used The StoryGraph instead of Goodreads. I moved over because the latter remained static the entire decade I used it. It was also quite bloated and didn't have a handful of features I consider must-haves. Rating books in fractions of a star is the biggest advantage The StoryGraph has, in my opinion. I can also see reading statistics, which tells me I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi this year. Anyway, here are the books I ended up selecting:
This is also the second year in which I've exclusively used The StoryGraph instead of Goodreads. I moved over because the latter remained static the entire decade I used it. It was also quite bloated and didn't have a handful of features I consider must-haves. Rating books in fractions of a star is the biggest advantage The StoryGraph has, in my opinion. I can also see reading statistics, which tells me I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi this year. Anyway, here are the books I ended up selecting:
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Initial release year: 2011
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
I'm moderately familiar with Lisa Gardner, as she's a popular mystery author. I picked up Love You More and its two sequels when I saw them at my local bookstore. This series introduces Tessa Leoni, a state trooper whose family is struck by tragedy. With her daughter in mortal danger, Tessa goes to extreme lengths to save her. The book also features Detective D.D. Warren, one of Gardner's well-known characters who already has an established book series. Detective Warren is compelled to track down Leoni after she becomes a person of interest in a puzzling double murder. Figuring out whether Tessa is guilty or not is one of the most thrilling parts of this book.
Genre: Thriller
Initial release year: 2019
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner! Sandra Brown is another popular author I'm a big fan of...even if my reading history doesn't make it obvious. She writes excellent mysteries and thrillers. Outfox is the one I've enjoyed reading the most so far. It's about Drex Easton, an FBI agent who goes undercover in an attempt to finally catch a cunning serial killer he's been after for ages. Drex is as tenacious and hotheaded as his name is flashy. He best knows the man he's after as Weston Graham, a con man who's evaded the law for years. Drex is determined to catch the man once and for all. But Weston's newest, beautiful wife could become a serious complication. As Drex falls more and more for her, he must figure out whether she's innocent or whether she's in cahoots with Weston.
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Initial release year: 2019
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner! This is the first book in a new duology set in the Grishaverse. Given Alina Starkov's fate in Ruin and Rising, a supporting character takes up protagonist status. He's Nikolai Lantsov, the former privateer who's stepped up as the King of Ravka. He shares the spotlight with Zoya Nazyalensky, one of the most powerful Grisha, and with Nina Zenik, a Heartrender who debuted in the Six of Crows spinoffs. Together, these three must rebuild Ravka after the war against the Darkling nearly tore it apart. Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina also tackle challenging missions of their own. King of Scars ended up being better than I expected. If you were left wanting after reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy, this book more than delivers.
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
Genre: Contemporary romance
Initial release year: 2019
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner! With such a compelling title, I bought a copy of American Royals after coming across it in the Kindle store. This is a contemporary romance/alternate history novel that asks an intriguing question: what if the people of early America made George Washington king instead of president? Fast forward into current time, and the House of Washington is still in power. American Royals has several protagonists, each of whom have chapters in their first-person POVs. The most important protagonist is Princess Beatrice, first in line to the throne. With her approaching adulthood, Beatrice is expected to marry a worthy suitor soon. But she is in love with someone else. And this isn't the only troubled romance in this entertaining book. I seriously enjoyed it.
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
Genre: Fantasy, romance
Initial release year: 2016
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner! This book is part of one of the most popular series I read this year. It follows from A Court of Thorns and Roses. The protagonist, Feyre Archeron, is now a fairy. She lives with Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court. Feyre is still mentally recovering from the ordeal she faced Under the Mountain. She was able to defeat villain Amarantha, but it came at a high cost. Now, Feyre must adapt to her new life as a High Fae. And the struggle is going to be harder than she--or perhaps even the reader--anticipated. The book also takes the story in directions I didn't see coming. But I like how this story continues, and what becomes of Feyre. ACOMAF definitely tops its predecessor.
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Initial release year: 2018
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner! I was super hyped to read this book after hearing--and reading about online--book bloggers raving about it. Riley Sager seemed to be such a talented author, so I was eager to read one of his books. The Last Time I Lied is the first I picked up. The main character is Emma Davis, an acclaimed New York artist. Her first successful collection of paintings have a darker origin than most people would guess. Fifteen years ago, Emma was involved in a mysterious tragedy at a summer camp called Camp Nightingale. Now, the owner of the camp is reopening it for the first time since then, and wants Emma to be an instructor there. But it may not be a good idea for Emma to return to the place that greatly altered the course of her life. And seeking answers to her lingering questions may prove deadly.
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
Genre: Fantasy, historical
Initial release year: 2020
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner! Yet another book I learned about from perusing book blogs. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue sounded like it was highly popular, so I got myself a copy. The main character intrigued me the most. She's the titular Addie LaRue, a young girl from 1700s France. The world was extremely different back then. For one, women didn't have the kind of freedom they do today. This is part of what drove Addie to a crossroads and into a fateful decision: to live forever. It's another element that drew me to this novel. Characters who can or have lived for a long time are super interesting. And Addie's life is certainly extraordinary. She lives for centuries, until she finds herself in our time. The caveat? Addie was cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. But at last, the unlikely happens one day: a man remembers her.
My rating: 4.5 stars – A fantastic page-turner!
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Initial release year: 2016
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!! I may be a seasoned reader, but sometimes thick books still intimidate me. I've had the hardcover of Orphan X on my shelf for a while. This year, I finally decided to tackle it...and felt a little foolish. Orphan X was awesome, and most definitely not a challenging read. The main character is Evan Smoak, a highly trained hitman. He used to be part of a secret black ops group. When his handler was killed, Evan was forced to go dark. Since then, he's been using his, um, very particular skill set to save those who can't protect themselves. Evan's role as the Nowhere Man has been successful so far...until things start to take an unexpected turn. There's someone out there who has finally located the elusive Orphan X. And this person seeks to take him out. Will Evan be able to stand against someone who's every bit as skilled as he is?
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!!
Genre: Science fiction, thriller
Initial release year: 2016
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!!
1. THE HIT by David Baldacci
Genre: Thriller
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!!
After finishing Recursion last year, I looked forward to reading another Blake Crouch book. He seems to be popular with fans of thrilling sci-fi novels. Dark Matter is another of his hits. This book centers on a man named Jason Dessen, a physics professor. He has a wife and a young son. One night, something inexplicable happens to Jason. He wakes up to find that the world--or at least his world--has completely changed. And there seems to be no way back to how things used to be. This is all I'll mention here to avoid spoiling anything. In the end, Dark Matter was as stunning as I thought it would be, and more. Some of it felt rather similar to Recursion, but otherwise, it was awesome.
Genre: Thriller
Initial release year: 2013
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!! I have been looking forward to reading this book for a while. Ever since I first saw the cover art, I thought it looked compelling. The characters got a rather impressive pose there. This is the second book in the Will Robie series. The titular protagonist is a highly-trained assassin. He works for an uber-secret division under the CIA. Robie is so good at what he does that he's now considered the best. And his latest assignment is going to require all that expertise...and then some more. It turns out a fellow assassin, Jessica Reel, has gone rogue. She's already got a trail of bodies behind her by the time Robie learns about her. And what's more problematic is that Reel is the only other operative who's as good as Robie, maybe even better. No one knows why she's started targeting her own people. Robie will have to use every bit of his skills to track down Reel before she kills anyone else.
My rating: 5 stars – Absolutely must read. It’s outstanding!!!
There you have it. These are the books I most liked reading in 2022. It was particularly hard to pick them this time around. I feel like I read better (um, more up my street) books this year than in previous ones. Perhaps that's why only books I rated 4.5 stars or higher ended up on this list. There were so many great potential entries.
This post also wraps up my blogging year. I'm still on hiatus until January. Until then I'll be working on touching up this site. It's due for a facelift, if you ask me. So, Merry Christmas, everyone! And, happy New Year as well!
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