Best Books of 2022 That I Have Read
The year 2022 was very productive year for reading for me, because I managed to read 19 complete books in a span of 12 months, which is definitely a personal record for me. For this reason, I wanted to focus this blog post on those books which personally stood out to me and left a big difference after I have read them. I also wanted to share some of my own advice on how to be able to read more, even when we live busy and time-demanding lives.
Here I hope to share with you some books which you too can find transformative, enjoyable and relaxing, which you can of course implement into your own 2023 reading lists. 😄
I would love to find out what books you read in the past year and which ones were your favorites. Share with me and let me know. I have talked on this platform about reading before and how it is beneficial for our brains, so if you are interested in that, feel free to read more about it here
Wishing you happy reading ahead! 📖
HOW TO READ MORE
I often get asked how I am able to read so many books or how do I fit in the time for reading when there is already so many things to do in a day. My simple answer to that is that the key is really to focus on doing a little bit of reading each day and then sticking to that habit constantly.
Below I have included my main pieces of advice if you want to take up reading more seriously in 2023:
Read 10-15 minutes each day consistently
Pick a time of day for when you will do this (For me it was every day during breakfast)
Make a list of books ahead of time which you want to be reading that year or month, so that it keeps you excited and eager to read on
Make sure to pick books which sound genuinely interesting or useful to you and write down this list in a visually visible place so that you don't forget about it (I used digital sticky notes on my computer)
If reading intimidates you, start reading thinner and less intense books and gradually build your way up
If you start reading a book which you do not seem to enjoy and feel like it is not worth your time, simply stop reading it and move on to something else. There is no need to feel guilty about not fully finishing a book. In fact if you decide to move on to something which will be a better use of your time, you are creating a benefit for yourself. No shame here.
Consider wether you prefer to read paper back books or you prefer a digital format such as a e-reader, which is what I prefer. Either option works here, just choose based on what works best for you.
Find small times in your day when you can fit in some reading, such as during your commute to school or work (if using public transport) or instead of mindlessly scrolling on social media, try reading for 10 minutes.
Consider which daily activities which are not beneficial for you, you could replace with a little bit of reading
Try reading before bed for a little, as it can make it easier for you to fall asleep
Try listening to audiobooks if you feel like your days are seriously busy. This can be a great thing to include during your commutes if you drive or during times you spend cleaning
Join a book club (online or in person) where you can discuss the books you have read or want to read with other fellow avid readers - This can be great if you want more accountability to keep your reading more consistent
When on holiday or vacation, focus on reading during your free time spent lounging around
If you want more motivation for keeping up your reading, make note of all the books you have read within a year, which allows you to keep a record of your reading progress
MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2022
Ikigai (Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia)
This was the first book that I had read in 2022 and although its style was simply written and short, it was actually a useful book. The book discusses a Japanese concept termed “Ikigai” which refers to our reason for being or the reason of why we wake up in the morning. Ikigai is compromised of 4 different core questions which together help us find our core purpose and meaning in life, essentially finding out which path is best for us. Our meaning in life is made up of these 4 questions which are 1) What you love doing, 2) What the world needs, 3) What you are good at doing and lastly 4) What you can be paid for doing.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is struggling to find what they want to do in the life, or for anyone who is lacking direction or clarity about their purpose.
Untamed (Glennon Doyle)
This was one of the best books I had read during my summer vacation this year. The book was almost written in the style of a poem yet its writing was very enjoyable, easy to read and fore-mostly had a lasting impact on me.
This book is written as a memoir of the authors life, which revolves around the notion that the author will not be a mother who slowly dies for her children, but will be a mother who shows her children how to truly live authentically. The book discusses notions such as divorce, becoming part of a new family and about how the wholeness of a family depends on each of its members to fully be themselves and live as their true self. The book aims to inspire the reader to become strong individuals who know and respect their boundaries, make peace with our bodies, acknowledge our pains and heartaches and live as the person we really are meant to be.
The subtle art of not giving a fuck (Mark Manson)
I started reading this book because of the huge amount of positive reviews and recognition it had achieved. Mark Manson had taken a rather comedic approach in this book to explain that we should find meaning in our everyday lives by focusing on what is really important and engaging in values which we can control. The book promotes the view that the point to a meaningful life is not to care about a huge amount of things, but instead to concentrate our efforts and energy to the things which truly matter to us.
The unfair advantage (Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba)
Although this book was very business dominated, I still found it to be greatly enlightening and enjoyable to read, simply because it demonstrates a widely applicable concept through a variety of real life business ventures. The book aims to capture the idea of “unfair advantages” which in a business sense is a leverage or simply and advantage which you have compared to other competitors or individuals. Unfair advantages can come in the form of having relevant insider information, personal authority, a net of existing customers or simply aspects such as where you were born and your level of education/ work experience.
The book explains that each of us is born and given a different set of unfair advantages and that it is our role to recognize them and make use of them in the best way possible, in order to succeed - Essentially reinforcing the view that we already have what it takes to succeed in side of us, we just have to play it to our advantage.
Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Greg McKeown)
I found this book extremely clear in its message and ultimately very useful. The books is based on the premise of essentialism which it reinforces as a lifestyle and way of approaching our work. Essentialism is about choosing to do and focus on the things which are most important to us at a given time so that we can make our highest contribution towards the things which truly matter to us. It is based on eliminating distractions and methods of procrastination which ultimately get us no where and lead us to being stretched too thin with work that is non essential.
Essentialism as a lifestyle, is about consciously choosing to make the most productive and effective contribution towards what really matters to us.
Lessons in chemistry (Bonnie Garmus)
This fictional story was very pleasant and worthwhile to read because the author has an excellent reading style while managing to write a very captivating story line. The story line is based in the 1950’s where Elizabeth, a female chemist who works at a research institute, struggles to be acknowledged for her research work since women's scientific achievements at the time were largely ignored and unappreciated. Throughout the story she falls in love with a fellow researcher who happens to also be very famous and they develop into a stable and loving relationship. The story is grounded in feminism while being coupled with humor and brilliant plot twists along the way.
The island of missing trees (Elif Shafak)
This book blew me away because it was one of the most memorable fiction books that I read in 2022. This story is set in 1974 on the island of Cyprus where two teenagers from opposite sides of the then divided land meet at a tavern in the city they both call home. The teenagers who live in Cyprus are Defne who is Turkish and Kostas who is Greek. The two are in love yet they have to meet in secret as a war was breaking out on the island causing it to be split into two parts (This actually happened). At the core of the story is a fig tree which grows in the middle of the tavern, where this tree witnesses all the conflicts, moments of love and when the capital of Cyrpus (Nicosia) is reduced to rubble.
Decades later the two have a child, Ada, where she lives with her dad in London, England, as sadly her mother had passed away in between. Ada is struggling to understand her families past and history, but the only connection she does have to the island of Cyprus is a fig tree which her father brought from Cyrus and now grows in her back yard.
The story switches between three perspectives: Ada’s perspective who is trying to understand her parents history, the time on the island which Defne and Kostas shared as well as the viewpoint of the fig tree who talks and ponders to itself.
Imperfect: The gifts of imperfection (Brené Brown)
I initially started reading this book because I was struggling with my own perfectionistic tendencies, where the book in a light hearted way really solidified the idea that we are perfect the way we are and that we should genuinely embrace all of our “imperfections” whichever we may have. What is imperfect or perfect is all subjective and depends across individuals, which is why we should starter living for ourselves on our own terms, instead of constantly moulding ourselves to the expectations of others and feeling like we are not enough.
I hope that with this blog post I gave you some more ideas and inspiration about the books which you could potentially read in 2023 and the books which I feel that most people could gain something useful from.
Within the next post, I will be sharing with you the list of books which I will aim to be reading in 2023, so stay tuned for that if that sounds interesting to you.
If you have wanted to make reading a more consistent habit for yourself, I hope that the advice above will be useful for you in helping to establish reading as an enjoyable part of your life. Reading should not be seen as a chose or something that takes time and energy away from us, look into the books which interest you and focus on starting with those.
Thank you again for reading this today 😄
