Favorite Books of 2022

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

☃️ Favorite Books of 2022 ❄️

Instead of doing my top 10 favorite books of the year, I decided to do my top 15 because I couldn't narrow it down. Here are my top favorite books from the 192 books I read in 2022. 

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott- My favorite book of the year by far. I read this book back in March, and it instantly became my favorite book of the year. It is absolutely wonderful. This novel made me laugh, cry, and just completely and utterly happy. It was one of the best books that I have ever read in my life, and I cannot wait to read it again. I don't think that I need to recommend this book to anyone at all because it is so well-known. But I will anyway. It is definitely worth the read, and I cannot recommend it enough. I only wish that I had read it before I did. 

“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”

Little Women Review

2. A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna- This wonderful book had everything I love in a story, witchy vibes, found family, quirkiness, a cute romance, and a warm cozy feeling. I went into this book knowing that I would love it. 

It was just an enjoyable experience reading every single page of Mika's story. I adored her as a character and the family that she grew to love. Ian, Ken, Lucie, Jamie, Rosette, Terracotta, and Altamira were such great characters, and I loved how close Mika grew to all of them.  Their little family was perfection. Truthfully, I did not want this book to end, though I will say that the ending fit so well with the story. It was absolutely hilarious and beautiful.

“The thing is, being a witch is extraordinary,” she said. “It might seem sometimes that all we are is odd and different, but the truth is, we’re amazing.”

A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Review

3. Little Thieves by Margaret Owen- This was a phenomenal fairy tale retelling of "The Goose Girl". I loved every single page of this book, and I especially loved the main character, Vanja. Going into the book I knew the basics of the original fairy tale, but I have never read it myself. I really love where Margaret Owen took this story. Vanja does a lot of terrible things, but I just loved her so much. Her narration was perfect. I loved the little stories she told throughout the entire novel and how they were interspersed in the entire story. It was great to get little pieces of her past and to learn more and more along the way.

Cannot wait for the sequel this year!!!

“You’re what happens when an encyclopedia wishes on a star to be a real boy, if that encyclopedia was also an absolute prick.”

Little Thieves Review

4. Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett- I adore the Death subseries books, and this was a great last book to the subseries. Susan's scenes as a teacher were great! She's a strict teacher in some aspects but uses her powers in ways that make her class one of the most interesting ever. Her class is so popular that parents are fighting to get their kids in it. I would have loved to have just a book of her teaching. It made me think of the Magic School Bus also when she took the kids on their "fields trips." This had such a great Discworld twist to it that I absolutely adored.

“Sometimes I really think people ought to have to pass a proper exam before they're allowed to be parents. Not just the practical, I mean.”

Thief of Time Review

5. Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan- I adored the story in this book and learning even more about C. S. Lewis than I knew before this. This book is a beautiful story about the love between a sister and a brother and the lengths she will go to for him. Megs' little brother George falls in love with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and wants Megs to find out where Narnia came from for C. S. Lewis. Megs goes to meet C.S. Lewis (who goes by Jack) to find the answer to her brother's question. Throughout the novel, Jack tells Megs about his life, and she tells her brother the story. I adored this novel with all my heart and soul.

One of the most beautiful books I read in 2022.

Once Upon a Wardrobe Review

6. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune- This was one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read, and I adored every little bit of it. I originally planned on reading it in 2021 right when it came out, but I never felt like it was the right moment to pick it up. I knew that this would be a heavy-hitting book, and man was I right about that. 

I highly recommend this gem of a book. It is one of the best that I have ever read.

“The first time you share tea, you are a stranger. The second time you share tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share tea, you become family.”

Under the Whisper Door Review

7. North Wind by Alexandria Warwick- One of the first books I read in 2022, and I still adore it. I love how it was a mixture of Greek Mythology with the gods of the wind, a bit of Beauty and the Beast, and also a Hades and Persephone retelling. This was a perfect slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance. 

North Wind Review

8. The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton- I absolutely adored the world and characters in this book, especially Twain and Quinta. It was so much fun reading about their adventure and romance. Also, the magic system with the starlight was intriguing, and I loved how we discovered more about it as the story continued. 

This book is a highly entertaining read that I adored from Twain’s first perspective. I liked seeing the story from both his and Quinta’s point of view. The Vermilion Emporium was such an excellent idea with a shop that moves from place to place. I won’t spoil anything about the inside, but I know that I would love to be able to go into a shop like that. Such a neat idea! This fantasy world was a favorite that I know I will return to again and again.

The Vermilion Emporium Review

9. Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross- I have fallen in love with Rebecca Ross's writing style in this book and also in Sisters of Sword and Song. This book was absolutely incredible. I love the feeling when I start reading a book, and by page 20 you know that it is going to be a new five-star favorite book of all time. This was one of those gems that I became obsessed with so quickly.

Dreams Lie Beneath Review

10. The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander- I loved reading the entire Chronicles of Prydain series in 2022. Besides the first book, I adored the rest of the series. I grew up watching and loving the Disney movie The Black Cauldron. It was interesting to see how different these books are from that. I wish that this series would have got a much more loyal adaptation. This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it and following books in the series so much more than the first. I loved watching Taran grow throughout the book and become a leader. 

The Black Cauldron Review 

11. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett- I loved following Sam Vimes as he traveled back in time and mentored his younger self. This book was a wonderful time, and I loved seeing Sam's growth throughout. I will always be a sucker for a great time travel story. It was great to get one from Terry Pratchett. 

Night Watch Review

12. Secrets of the Looking Glass by J. Scott Savage- I loved the first book in this series, so I was excited to see that there was going to be a sequel based on Through the Looking Glass. The plot in this book was very enjoyable, and it was great getting to follow along with Tyrus and Celia again in a new adventure.

This zany adventure was a great follow-up to the first book, with lots of riddles, wordplay, and characters that I was looking forward to seeing Savage's take on. I am not as big of a fan of the original book Through the Looking Glass as I am of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but I will say that Savage's version of this story was awesome. I'm glad that the adventure for Tyrus and Celia was unexpected, especially the ending.

Secrets of the Looking Glass Review

13. My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows- This book was one of my most anticipated books of last year, and I was lucky enough to get an ARC of it. I have read every Lady Janies' book and have loved almost all of them. Their sense of humor is some of my favorite in books. This book was the one that I was looking forward to the most because I love Mary Shelley and Frankenstein. The fantasy and science fiction elements were some of the best aspects of the story.

My Imaginary Mary review

14. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle- This book was phenomenal. I have heard a lot of great things about it over the years, but I did not ever expect it to be this great. Beagle's writing is beautiful and I loved this world so much. 

The Last Unicorn review

15. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge- 2022 must have been the year of Mary Shelley for me. Throughout the year, I wrote multiple lessons for work on Frankenstein, I read and adored My Imaginary May, and then read this beauty. This book is one of the best biographies that I have ever read. I love how it was written in verse and also the stunning illustrations. 

Mary's Monster Review