Books Read in 2022

Readers

Mar 24

For the last dozen years or so, I’ve kept track of every book I’ve read—and yes, I count audiobooks. If you look down your nose at that, I think you’re misguided. That’s a conversation for another time.

In 2022, I consumed 28 books, just shy of 11,000 pages worth of fiction and non-fiction. Some were not that good. Some were fantastic. Allow me to share:

I knocked out a couple of classics in this stretch, including The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. It clocked in at a whopping 1,300 pages, and I enjoyed it. Dense, and difficult to follow at times. But the story of ultimate revenge is something I think we might all fantasize about.

Another classic: T.H. White’s The Once and Future King. It was a reading assignment way back in high school or college (the two years I went), and I still had the hardback on my shelves after all these years. I dove in again.

I shouldn’t have.

There was a series of ebooks labeled the Forward Collection, a bunch of novellas by some of the biggest names in publishing. Like who? Like Veronica Roth (of Divergent fame), Andy Weir (The Martian and Project: Hail Mary—my favorite book of 2021), and Amor Towles (author of A Gentleman in Moscow).

As you might expect, some of them were good, some . . . well, not so good. I particularly enjoyed Summer Frost, by Blake Crouch.

I watched the first season of Slow Horses, on Apple TV (LOVE it) and decided to try the novel upon which it was based. Mick Herron’s story about disgraced spies was one of my favorites of the year. I enjoy his writing style. Sorry to inject a personal plug, but I found his voice to be similar to my Eric Swan spy series. Maybe that’s why I took to it so easily.

I rarely re-read books, but in 2022 I revisited one of my favorites of all-time. Lamb, by Christopher Moore, is still fucking hilarious. And thought-provoking. Can’t beat that. (Warning: It WILL offend many people of a religious persuasion.)

Several of William Diehl’s novels made my list, including Primal Fear. The movie, with Richard Gere and Ed Norton, was excellent. The novel was a page-turner, too.

I found that I enjoyed the audiobook versions of Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer series while I was out on my walks. I absorbed four of them during the year.

Non-fiction ranged from a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, to Johann Hari’s exploration on our ability (or lack thereof) to focus—and what causes that—to Robert McKee’s classic tome on screenwriting.

The quirkiest read of the year has to go to Jonas Jonasson’s The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. The title alone sucks you in. But what a crazy premise for a story, and really fun to read. Disclaimer: It’s not for everyone, but if you’re looking for a rollicking story, commit to it.

My favorite of the year? That’s tough. But I think I’ll actually give the nod to the last book I read in 2022, one that was recommended by my son.

It’s called The Mountain in the Sea, by Ray Nayler. It’s sci-fi-ish, but gives you a lot to think about. It’s not an easy read, so be prepared to do some work. But it’s worth it.

I’ll post the full list below. And, another disclaimer: Links in this article are affiliate links, which means I receive a very small commission on any sales—but it costs you not a penny more. For the record, I never post links to products I don’t use or don’t fully endorse, and I’ve read every book mentioned in this post.

Enjoy.

Ted Chiang, Exhalation

Andy Weir, Randomize (Forward Collection

Veronica Roth, Ark (Forward Collection)

Paul Tremblay, The Last Conversation (Forward Collection)

Blake Crouch, Summer Frost (Forward Collection)

Tammi Labrecque, Newsletter Ninja 2

Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn

Amor Towles, You Have Arrived at Your Destination (Forward Collection)

Kai Bird/Martin J. Sherwin, American Prometheus

Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

John D. MacDonald, Pale Gray for Guilt