2022 Best Books We Read This Year

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven (Nathaniel Miller)

After traveling to the Norwegian Arctic island of Svalbard, I was drawn to this fictionalized account of this man’s incredible life story working in the high arctic. The book follows Sven, an introverted bookworm, as he sets out to make a living in one of the least hospitable places on earth and deals with incredible hardships and privations. Historically super interesting as well.

Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament (Michael Singer)

This book is a follow up to Singer’s first book, The Untethered Soul, and expands his practical and soulful tips for living more fully and freely. It’s so easy to get caught up in our to do lists and ongoing thoughts that can hijack ordinary happiness.  Pick up either of Michael Singer’s books and see what magic might unfold in your life.

Wherever You Go, There You Are (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

With all that we have going on in our world, I’m big on mindfulness these days! This book will appeal to those who are brand new to meditation and also those looking to refine their practice. I love that the author has trained CEOs and Olympians on how to be mindful and truly present in their daily lives. 

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (Ken Liu)

A chat with one of my former students about “snack-sized” fiction reignited my love for short stories this year. Especially for people who, like me, don’t have a lot of time to read, short stories offer a great way to dive into new worlds without making a big commitment to a lengthy narrative. I’ve particularly enjoyed The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu. Each story in the science fiction/fantasy collection is thought-provoking, deeply moving, and often surprisingly sweet.

Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could (Adam Schiff)

We’re living through incredibly historic times and so am fascinated by first-person accounts of the inner workings of our government, especially from someone as smart, clear-eyed, and thoughtful as Rep. Adam Schiff.

The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor–the Truth and the Turmoil (Tina Brown)

This is a fascinating deep dive into the royal family and its history. Especially timely now as we think back on QE2’s legacy. Tina Brown, who has studied the monarchy for decades, is the perfect guide through the past twenty-five years of scandals and power plays and provides thoughtful commentary on the current state of the monarchy. I recommend listening to the audiobook, read by the author.

Women Talking (Miriam Toews)

This bestselling novel offers a meditation on Me Too in a Mennonite colony where, in the aftermath of violence, a group of women must construct their own theology to confront an outside world they know nothing about. Based on a true story and set in the loft of a secluded barn in the form of a Greek tragedy, the novel is by turns provocative, suspenseful, and wryly funny.  Sarah Polley’s film adaptation of the novel premiered at the Telluride Film Festival this September. 

West with the Night (Beryl Markham)

This 1942 memoir of an adventurous life is one of the best I’ve read. Markham describes growing up in Kenya in the early 1900s and her subsequent careers as a racehorse trainer, bush pilot, and aviation pioneer (she was the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west in a non-stop solo flight). At the time, Hemingway compared his writing to an “okay pig pen” in contrast to Markham’s lyrical but not overwritten prose, but her inspiring work seems to have been forgotten undeservedly.

Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women (Kate Moore)

Radium Girls follows the young women who worked as watch dial painters during World War 1 and the Great Depression. Because the factories used luminous paint that contained radium, many of these women contracted radium poisoning, became very sick, and died horrible deaths years later. The book follows them from their delight after landing such a “desired” job to the lawsuits they filed as they tried to gain justice, ultimately changing the course of occupational disease labor law. 

This Tender Land (William Kent Krueger)

“With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an en­thralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.” This Depression-era epic adventure follows four young orphans on their journey to reclaim some of what they’ve lost and ultimately to discover not only themselves but each other and the relationships that bind them.

The World That We Knew (Alice Hoffman)

This mix of historical fiction and fantasy takes place during World War 2. A Jewish mother knows she needs to send her daughter away, and creates a golem to accompany her daughter and keep her safe. The two end up in occupied France, hiding in plain sight from the Nazis, pretending to be Catholic. I love Hoffman’s ability to take serious situations and inject elements of folklore to create something unique. 

A Is For Admission (Michele Hernandez)

TTA Co-Founder Michele Hernandez broke the code of silence to reveal the inner workings of the most highly selective colleges. Grab a copy of her best-selling A Is For Admission.

Don’t Worry, You’ll Get In (Mimi Doe and Michele Hernandez)

This is the perfect gift for bite-sized tips and actionable advice. Mimi and Michele wrote this guide to help students navigate a stress-free college admissions journey.