Top Books of 2022
This year was not my best reading year in terms of number of books read, but of course the reading is never just about getting through as many as possible. Even just one book can spark an idea that can actually, truly change your life! My grand total for this year was 39 books completed, which doesn’t take into account some that I started and didn’t finish (including an excellent biography of Frederick Douglass that I had to return to the library too soon) and some that I am still reading through at the moment.
In no particular order, however, here are the ones that stuck with me in some way – the ones I was most glad to have taken the time to read.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I’ve enjoyed a few books by Dickens in the past but I don’t think I’ve ever been old enough (experienced enough? smart enough?) to truly love him until this year. It makes me wonder what other gems I will discover as I grow up! I realized this December that I had never read the original Christmas Carol, so I did – was surprised by how readable and beautiful it was – and then broke open my copy of Oliver Twist (which I had labored through before but never loved). It is hilarious. How did I never see this before? I foresee that I will be revisiting other Dickens novels in 2023.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
This book is written to people with a career outside the home, yet I found many truths and applications in it for parenting and family life. It challenged me to be more intentional about how we use our time and to take time to really think about what is most important – essential – for our family.
Different by Sally Clarkson
I’ve read other books by Sally Clarkson and enjoyed them all, but this one was particularly encouraging to me this year as she (together with her son) shares her journey of parenting an “outside-the-box” child, as she puts it.
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
I loved this book and will definitely be revisiting it soon. With this many children in our home, simplicity is inherently appealing, and he made it feel both doable and worth doing.
The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch
I honestly never expected a book about technology to be tear-inducing – and perhaps this was only because I was in the throes of pneumonia when I read it and my emotional and physical reserves were at a record low – but the vision that he set forth of what family, technology, and life could be, should be, was beautifully moving. I’d call it an encouraging and uplifting view of technology in the home.
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
The only biography this year that I finished but it was such a good one! I wrote a little about it here and it definitely sparked an interest in the man and his art.
Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
Lewis is always a favorite, and it had been so many years since I read this one that I had forgotten how good it is. It’s my personal opinion that he has a gift for giving us soul-stirring glimpses of the joy and splendor of heaven and the glory of God, through his fictional writings, like no other author.
Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom
This book solidified my conviction in the importance of free outdoor play and encouraged me to make it a priority for all of us. She details the physical, mental, emotional and educational benefits to outdoor time and they are mind-blowing!
What did you read in 2022? I’d love to hear what you enjoyed, and add it to my list for 2023!
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
– Frederick Douglass
Originally written January 6 2023
