Best Books of 2022

Would you believe I've never even TRIED to rank the books I've read? If you asked me to choose my favourite book of all time, I couldn't. I have a selection of old favourites but could I pick just one? Absolutely not. It would be like asking a parent who their favourite child is*.

*I'm aware that most parents have a favourite child whether they publicly admit it or not.

So setting this task for myself was awful. I could easily disregard a few, of course. Some just didn't hit the mark for me.

And then I disregarded the books that weren't due out until 2023 because, after all, that would be unfair right?

So then I'm left with a decision; if I'm not including my pre-release reads, do I only rank the ones I've read this year that were RELEASED this year?

Nah. That would be a step too far. I rarely read books in line with release, mainly because the reviews need time to trickle through. Until I set myself up with Net Galley, I didn't track what was due out and when!

So my list is based on all books I've read this year, regardless of when they were originally released.

So my criteria looked something like this:

Did I enjoy it?
Did I enjoy it enough to own it in its physical form?
Is it a re-read? (I excluded these, it goes without saying that would be a favourite)
Was it a 5* read for me?
If I had to re-read between Book 1 and Book 2, which would I prefer.

And that's how I came to my Top 10 Books of 2022.

Strong contenders were Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, All The Light We Cannot See, A Merry Little Meet Cute and The Idea of You.

If I *had* included 2023 releases, then Lady Macbethad and The Last Tale of The Flower Bride would DEFINITELY be featuring in the Top 5.

I know the suspense is killing you... here are my Top 10 Books of 2022.

10. The Passenger - Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz

9. The Lamplighters - Emma Stonex

Review here

8.11.22.63 - Stephen King

7. My Policeman - Bethan Roberts

Review here

6. The Lighthouse Witches - C.J Cooke

5. We Are Not Like Them - Christine Pride & Jo Piazza

Review Here

4. They Both Die At The End - Adam Silvera

3. Once Upon A Broken Heart - Stephanie Garber

I'll be re-reading this in the NY ahead of starting The Ballad of Never After so expect a review soon!

2. A Court of Silver Flames - Sarah J Maas

1. Orphans of The Storm - Celia Imrie

Review here

Comments

A Merry Little Meet Cute - Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

What a bloody lovely Christmas beaut this was! If you're venturing into spicy romance books and have been on Instagram or TikTok recently, it's likely that you would have seen this little gem doing the rounds. Bee is a content creator for ClosedDoor (think.. OnlyFans) and Nolan is an ex-boyband bad boy that are both cast in a Hope Channel (think... Hallmark) Christmas movie, Duke The Halls. Nolan is reinventing his career and trying to rid himself of the bad boy image whereas Bee is brought in last minute because the Lead Actress has been taken ill. The best part? Bee was a massive fan of Nolan in her teenage years and Nolan has been following Bee on social media for a while. And they're getting paid to get to know each other. I adored this book. It was everything I wanted it to be and is perfect for those of us who love a Hallmark Christmas movie but wished there was a bit heat in the romances. the positive message around Bee's work is brilliantly handled, not to me...

Looking Out for Love - Sophia Money-Coutts

Looking Out For Love is the latest novel by Sophia Money-Coutts and promises a laugh-out-loud and heartwarming read. We follow Stella, unlucky in love and searching in all the wrong places until she meets mysterious Fitz. Falling head over heels in lust, she has unanswered questions whilst doing her best to support her best friend Billie, who is going through the worst time imaginable. Is Fitz everything she wants and needs him to be? For me personally, Stella’s quest for Mr Right was totally relatable but she came across as extremely one dimensional and selfish. So much more could have been down with the story and characters - Billie’s storyline could have proven an opportunity for Stella to grow and develop, but instead she acted with only herself in mind. I loved Jez - he was exactly what you'd expect the boyfriend of your best friend to be - irritating but worthy. He could have provided a lot more comic relief especially in the more sensitive parts of the plot As an easy r...

The English Fuhrer - Rory Clements

There's something about an alternative Second World War or a "What If?" that intrigues me. After my somewhat disappointing experience with The Man In The High Castle a few weeks ago - I was hesitant that this would also miss the mark slightly but thankfully - it hit all the right spots. A few months after the end of the War, Tom Wilde is back from his OSS placement and is settling back into academia at Cambridge. But a visit to a sick friend lands him in the midst of a biological attack on British Soil and he's called up on by his previous colleague to investigate. I really enjoyed this story. I didn't realise that it was part of a series of novels based on the central character, Tom Wilde but that didn't stop my grasp of what was going on. The departments and fractions of military were easy to pick up though there are a likely a few backstories that would have been useful to piece things together quicker. My only criticism is that Clements' writing s...

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