Hello everyone,
I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season. Today I am sharing my final post of the year and it is time for THE list – the top 10 books I have read in 2022!
While I have had fewer five-star reads than in previous years, it feels like I have enjoyed most of the books I have read in the past 12 months and given a lot of high ratings, so every single book here is extremely worthy of its place on this list.
The task of narrowing the list down is usually quite difficult, but not so much this year. Some of the books I included are here on the basis of how strongly I invested in them, compared to others. There is a variety of genres and voices here, and I am pleased with the diversity of this list.
Anyway, enough chatter! Here is my list of my top 10 favourite books of the year, in no particular order.
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
I loved this from the very beginning. Whether you are familiar with the mythology or not, the storytelling is so elegant and gorgeous that it takes you under its spell. The two protagonists are extremely well written and throughout this retelling I was totally bewitched by its power and intrigue.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
The excellence in this book lies in the strength of its world building, which is detailed and quite hard-hitting as it creates a dystopia ruled by a merciless patriarchy. I connected with the main character Deka very early on and despite the intense battle scenes and bloodshed, there are some lighter moments too as well as morally grey characters.
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
The best and most original thriller I have read for some time. I am a huge fan of Gillian McAllister’s work and have read all her books, but this one has such an ingenious concept which – even more impressively – is executed to near perfection. It is so clever and there were moments which made me gasp as I was so along for the ride.
The One Hundred Years Of Lenni And Margot by Marianne Cronin
An extraordinary book that was both full of sadness and incredibly uplifting at the same time. The storytelling is just impeccable and I completely fell in love with the two main characters, to the extent that there were moments that made me laugh and others which left me teary eyed.
Review coming soon!
Daughter Of The Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Without a doubt, my favourite book I read in 2022! Pretty much everything about it was just magnificent, from the beautiful, vivid writing to the captivating world-building. The plot was so often thrilling with some really intense moments that had me on the edge of my seat, and also contained a fascinating romance. Meanwhile, the main character Xingyin is one of my all-time favourite protagonists. This book blew me away.
The Smallest Man by Frances Quinn
This book is so engaging and is told from such a brilliant perspective that I just fell in love with it. The narrative conjured a lot of emotions and throughout the story, told by the brilliant character of Nathaniel Davy, it never loses its essence. It had the perfect mix of sensitivity and wit, so I had to award it the full five stars.
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
Before reading this I was incredibly excited but also nervous, as following on from These Violent Delights, which had become one of my all-time favourite books, I wondered if this second part of the duology could live up to that or if I could fall back into the story. But there was no need to fear, as I was transported straight away and awestruck by the intensity of the plot, the continuation of the Romeo And Juliet retelling, and the thrilling ending.
Hostage by Clare Mackintosh
As intense a thriller as you are ever likely to encounter, Hostage brings high stakes, amazing twists, and not one but two life-or-death scenarios. The plot is often unsettling but the way it is written is so clever and my heart was pounding during some scenes. And who could forget the ending?!
I Know You Did It by Sue Wallman
This is the one I thought longest about before including in my top 10, but I decided to go with my heart and say how much I enjoyed reading this young adult thriller. It had a great premise and some really effective red herrings, while the ending was suitably dramatic. The main character was also very impressively depicted.
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
I know that this book widely divides opinion and there are those who seriously disliked it, but for me this was a really enjoyable read from start to finish. I loved the uniqueness of it and reading from Korede’s perspective, and despite a somewhat outlandish plot there was something enthralling and addictive about it, aided by the short chapters and moments of irony.
Honourable Mentions
Here are some of the books that did not quite make it into my top 10, but I really enjoyed all the same!
Let’s Chat
Have you read any of the books in my top 10? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading 🙂
Stephen Reads Books 