I Read 100 Books in 2022, Here Are the Best Five

As I was growing up, I would go to the library every Sunday with my dad. We had an agreement on how to choose which books I would check out. I would pick five books, usually fun mysteries, and my dad would pick out another five. My dad’s choices were eclectic and ranged from biographies to science fiction to classics that I needed a dictionary to get through. But, the best books I have ever read came from those five eclectic picks. The best books we read are often the ones we would not have chosen for ourselves. That surprise is the reason I love to read. Here are five books I read this year, in no particular order, that made me fall deeper in love with books.

1. Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel 

I wanted to read more books written by South Asian authors and this book delivered exactly what I was looking for. Tell Me How to Be documents the South Asian immigrant experience through nuance and introspection without feeling like it tries too hard. Akash Amin’s complex familial relationships and intrapersonal relationship with his own sexuality feel so real that this novel feels like an autobiography. Tied together by the beat of old-school music, this beautiful novel is a stunning exploration of self, heritage, and sexuality. 

2. Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Almost everyone knows the name Brock Turner even if they do not know the details of his crimes. Not enough people know Chanel Miller’s name. Miller’s memoir details her heart-breaking, cruel experience with the American criminal justice system. In a world where our courts fail to bring justice and our universities fail to keep students safe, Chanel Miller’s story reminds us of the harsh realities we face while serving as an inspiration for survivors everywhere. Know My Name should be required reading in schools and we should all know Chanel Miller’s name and believe her story. 

3. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

I have so many qualms with Miss Sally Rooney’s refusal to use quotation marks. However, this book was such an experience to read that I forgive her for her lack of punctuation. Like all of Rooney’s books, Conversations with Friends was rife with toxic relationships and a lack of healthy communication. Yet, this book felt more like a character study than a novel with a uniquely natural plot. I was so immersed in the story and the characters that I was disappointed to hit the last chapter. This is Sally Rooney’s best work yet, and I would be thrilled to see how she could top it. 

4. Educated by Tara Westover

Educated challenged my views of education and religion. Westover grew up in rural Idaho in what she describes as a survivalist, Mormon family. Her father was more concerned with “doomsday” than his children’s education. She grew up without a formal education, modern conveniences, or an understanding of societal proprieties. Her thirst for knowledge and education changed her life as she made her way to college and eventually a Ph.D. Westover’s story, while tragic, is captivating and reminds us all that while education should be a right, it is a privilege. 

5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes some of the most realistic fiction I have ever encountered. Evelyn Hugo feels so real that I can picture her; the plot was masterfully crafted into feeling like a biography rather than historical fiction. I will say that the plot twist ending comes across as a tad predictable, but the novel more than makes up for it. Reid creates a beautiful discussion of sex versus sexuality intertwined with race and gender. 

A well-written book stays with you. These five books stayed with me throughout 2022 and changed my perspective on life and literature. I would like to provide some honorable mentions to The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, and The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley. 

• autobiographical books
• book recommendations
• entertainment
• romance books
• The seven husbands of Evelyn hugo