My 2022 Books – Ranked – Ruth Marie Paterson

I read 41 books in 2022, see the list below for the full list – ranked in order of my favourites (with mini reviews for my top 5).

My reviews are not very polished, so please ignore the lack of eloquence – I didn’t have a lot of time but still wanted to get the list out there:)

Love’s Executioner – Irvin Yalom (reread)

I first read Love’s Executioner in college, as some of the required reading for my counselling classes. It tells the stories of ten clients that Yalom has worked with as a therapist, with some parts fictionalized and some details changed in order to protect the identity of the clients. Yalom’s writings gave me an insight into what it would be like to be a therapist – and it helped me understand a little more about the inner workings of people. And – the stories are page turners. I was racing through each chapter, wanting to know if the client finds healing, how they find healing, and what secrets would they reveal about their lives on the way?

2. The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro (reread)

This was also a reread this year. The brilliant thing about this novel is it is told in first person, in journal entries, yet somehow the main flaw of the character is his own lack of self-awareness. Stevens is seemingly unaware of his own emotions as he deals with the illness of his aging father, as he falls in love with a woman but doesn’t tell her, and as he is complicit in Nazi conspiracies because he believes it is none of his business to intervene. As readers, we can see the truth, and Stevens is blissfully ignorant of the deeper regrets he may have later – instead he is immersed in his work, his whole identity lies in the dignity, calling, and purpose he feels in being a butler. A review on the cover of this book calls it “quietly devastating” and that is most accurate. I love a quietly devastating book :)

3. Through Painted Deserts – Donald Miller

An alternate title for this book could be “Don being rude to retail workers” 😆 But those parts of the book aside…

I love don miller, and all of his books are so good. This is his first book, and what I love most about it is that he can make anything interesting – a whole book about a road trip across 7 states is a bit presumptuous. A good writer can write about anything – even mundane, normal things – and make it sound amazing. Don does that in this book. I had to laugh when he acted like 4 hours of hiking in one day was the most dire and dramatic thing, the athletic feat of the century lol…but it did make me want to plan a hike to the grand canyon so I can see if it’s really as difficult as he described.

4. Anxious People – Fredrik Backman

This was my first Fredrik Backman novel, and it did not disappoint! The book tells the story of eight people stuck in a hostage situation. It’s funny, sad, and deals very tenderly with topics like suicide, depression, poverty, and loneliness. Backman has an endearing style as an author, and I will certainly be reading more from him!

5. Macbeth – Shakespeare (reread)

I have been spending quite a bit of time in Shakespeare lately, since I am teaching a class on Shakespeare for my little sisters’ homeschool. The Scottish Play is special to me because I studied it in highschool, during the year when I truly fell in love with English literature (thanks Mr. G!). Now it is extra special because I got to teach it to my sisters, and hopefully open up for them the same world of literature that was opened up for me.

A Gentle Answer – Scott Sauls
Romeo and Juliet – Shakespeare
Searching for God Knows What – Donald Miller (reread)
My Body is Not a Prayer Request – Amy Kenny
The Way of Kings – Brandon Sanderson
Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott
To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Let Be What is – Anna Michal
Know What You Believe – Paul E. Little
A Tapestry of Light – Kimberly Duffy
A Study in Scarlet – Arthur Conan Doyle
The Act of Marriage – Tim and Beverly LaHaye
If Only They Could Talk – James Herriot
When We Were Young – Alanna Rusnak (reread)
The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan
Waymaker – Ann Voskamp
Red Stuff – Mike Bonikowski
Every Body’s Story – Branson Parler
On the Road – Jack Keroac
The Whole Life – Eliza Huie and Esther Smith
The Sun and Her Flowers – Rupi Kaur
The Inimitable Jeeves – P.G. Wodehouse
The Lost Jewels – Kristy Manning
The Dark Between Stars – Atticus
The Edwardians – Vita Sackville West
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
The DIY Guide for Building a Family that Lasts – Gary Chapman
North or Be Eaten – Andrew Peterson
The Memories We Painted – Caitlin Miller
The Sunshine Box – Millicent Moss (reread)
I’m Still Here – Austin Channing Brown
Know Why You Believe – Paul E. Little
The Holman Old Testament Commentary
You Can Trust God to Write Your Story – Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Robert Wolgemuth
Capturing God – Rico Tice
My Man Jeeves – P.G. Wodehouse