Best Reads of 2022 + List for 2023

It has been a second since I shared about books I’ve been reading. In part because I’ve been reading a lot less (remember 2018 when I read 100+ books?). In part because I’ve been writing less (can I blame pregnancy and having a newborn?).

For 2022 I totaled around 40 books. Of those I read one physical book cover to cover. One! I started a handful of others but I really struggle making time to sit down and just read. All the other books I listened to on audio using either the Libby app through my library, Scribd (paid subscription like Netflix for books), or Audible.

Favorite reads of the year 2022:

Good Inside by Dr. Becky: This has replaced “Peaceful Parent, Happy Child” and “No Drama Discipline” as my very favorite parenting book. I wish I could gift this to everyone I know. I finished it and immediately started it again. I love the premise that children are good inside and need us to know that and teach them that. I also love how Dr. Becky uses stories to illustrate all of her points (stories are easier for our brains to remember and so this book is so easily applied).

Mary Magdeline Revealed by Meggan Watterson: I just finished this one and it was so interesting (and approachable). It has me excited to dive in into some more on early Christian literature in 2023. We’ll be studying the New Testament at church (and I help lead the discussions in Sunday School for the adults). So far I’ve added “The Gospel of Thomas, The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus” and “When God Had a Wife” to my list.

12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson: I am ALMOST done with this one but we’re counting it. This is a book I’d like to read about 4 more times. I usually listen to audio on double speed but I need Jordan Peterson on about half speed to digest everything he says 😛

The Self Driven Child by Ned Johnson: This was my top parenting book in a long time until I read “Good Inside” but it still makes the list. I love the emphasis on teaching independence and letting rewards take a backseat. One thing I’ve been doing differently since reading this is not giving any extrinsic reward for something I want my kids to value (ie: not rewarding them for reading because reading is the reward).

Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown: I think this is one of Brene’s very best works. I love the dive into emotions and wish it were required reading to become an adult.

All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything Inbetween: My love of the Givvens runs deep and this recent book from them is incredible. It has helped shape a lot of my religious perspective and is reframing the way I view sin and repentance.

Mountains Beyond Mountain by Tracy Kidder: This is the one book on the list I read as a physical book in the early weeks with baby Rosalind. I’d read through feeds and naps. It is well-written and insightful as it follows the life of Paul Farmer and his advancements of medicine and aid in Haiti (and worldwide). My one caution is it will make you reevaluate how you’re spending your life and might make you want to quit everything and go to medical school to help save the world.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn: A great historical fiction following the women who helped crack German code.

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict: I loved this insight into the possible life of Albert Einsteins wife (whom I had never heard of prior to this book).

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kid: I had no idea what I was getting into with this one. At the beginning it felt a bit heretical (a Jesus that doesn’t know He’s divine?) but I ended up really loving it.

Atomic Habits by James Clear (a re-read): This is a great one I like to put on in January as I think about new habits for the year. We are still taking things very slowly around here with a 3 month old who still wakes up a few times a night so I’m not very ambitious with goals these days (shower a couple times a week, drink lots of water, snuggle with each of my kids at some point throughout the day).

Other things I read this year:

This list is mostly for personal documentation but I’ll star anything I really enjoyed or would recommend.

1. How to Do The Work by Dr. Nicole LePera
2. The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle
3. Make It Happen by Lara Casey
4. The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel
5. Summer Island by Kristin Hannah
6. We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers
7. The Husbands: A Novel by Chandler Baker
8. Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist (reread)*
9. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
10. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles*
11. The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan
12. Made for This Moment by Madison Prewett*
13. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
14. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before by Julie Smith*
15. Clean by James Hamblin (before you spend another dollar in the beauty industry, read this one) *
16. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (didn’t think this lived up to the hype)
17. Think Again by Adam Grant *
18. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
19. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
20. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
21. The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha*
22. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown *
23. Expecting Better by Emily Oster (the one book on pregnancy people should read) *
24. Friends and Strangers by j. Courtney Sullivan*
25. The Dilemma by B.A. Paris
26. That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
27. Normal People by Sally Rooney*
28. The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt*
29. Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist (reread) *
30. Well Matched by Jen DeLuca
31. When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron (powerful)*
32. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (didn’t finish this but lasted 6+ hours so I’m listing it)

Looking forward to 2023:

My reading goals for 2023 center around being a bit more intentional about what I read. I’d like to read a handful of books in the following categories:

• Biblical apocrypha
• Parenting (specifically emotional intelligence, education, or motivation)
• Psychology (relationships, motivation, and/or neuroplasticity)
• Business (mindset, marketing)

A few books on my list for 2023 that I’ll add to throughout the year:

• The Only Woman in the Room
• The Girl With 7 Names
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• The Appeal by Janice Hallett
• The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
• Upstairs at the White House by J.B. West
• The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
• Happier Hour by Cassie Holmes
• I guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet by Shuana Niequist
• The Gospel of Thomas by Jean-Yves Leloup
• Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong by Steve Magness
• Love Does by Bob Goff
• The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines
• Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

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