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If you know me, you know I love a good book. I don’t just read any book though; life’s too short for bad books. Before I begin a new book, I visit Goodreads and do a little research. A book needs a rating of 4 (out of 5) or better for me to begin.

Because my criteria is high, I’ve read some OUTSTANDING books this year. It was hard to choose just TEN for my TOP TEN of ’22. But here they are.

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The Top Ten Books I Read in 2022:

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1. I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet by Shauna Niequist

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Review: Though I’ve only met/chatted with Shauna a couple of times – our lives have followed a similar course. We were born the same year and grew up going to the same beach. We both have dads who love to sail on Lake Michigan. We got married the same year, have two sons the same age, and lived in the same part of the country for most of our lives! Maybe this is why Shauna is one of my favorite authors. I own every one of her books. I wasn’t sure I’d like this one as much as some of her others. However, I loved every single page of her newest book.

Shauna and her family moved to NYC around the same time our family moved to Minnesota. Each chapter of this book is a story from her life, and what she’s learning in that story. I deeply resonated with her insights on transitions, starting over, and finding joy. I cried, I laughed, I stopped to think, pray, and express gratitude.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

• Get outside and be on the lookout for beauty, especially in nature, read books for comfort. Fresh air helps everything. The world is still good, still beautiful, still interesting and worth savoring. God is still good, still faithful, still kind.
• Keep walking, keep loving, keep writing, keep praying. Keep learning, keep forgiving, keep apologizing, keep moving forward. Keep inviting, keep listening, keep opening my arms to all of life.
• It doesn’t help to pretend everything is okay. Tell the truth. Allow yourself to be supported by friends and family.
• I’m learning home isn’t singular. You don’t lose one, instead, your world and your heart expand with each new home and new set of experiences. The old ones stay and the new ones make your heart and your world bigger.

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This was my favorite book of the year, and I will go back to it again and again.

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2. Take Back Your Life by Levi Lusko

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Review: This is a 40-day devotional that is PACKED with goodness. It would be an EXCELLENT book to start your year.

Here are a couple of great quotes from the book: 

• Thoughts are like trains, they take you somewhere. Instead of stopping a thought, REPLACE it. You have to actively FEED the POSITIVE and STARVE the negative.
• You will FEEL how you speak and FIND what you seek.
• Public victory comes from private discipline.
• God loves the people in your life so much that He put YOU in their lives. He gave you a means to communicate with them so they could be better off because they encountered YOU!

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3. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

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Review: Part of why I wanted to read this book was because I loved the title. For an Enneagram 7 (the Enthusiast), the idea of “everything sad” being “untrue” just made me smile.

The book tells the story of a family moving from Iran to Oklahoma – written from the perspective of a middle school boy. Because I read it while I had two sons in middle school, I really connected with the author’s perspective and story. It made me laugh, cry, think, and learn. I was filled with joy by the kindness shown by some, and shocked by the cruelty expressed by others.

The book will give a reader an amazing, up-close perspective on what it looks and feels like to be a refugee in America. This book was outstanding, and I recommend it to anyone 14 or older.

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4. Power of Place by Daniel Grothe

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Review: This was the first book I read in 2022, and it was a FANTASTIC way to start the year. If you haven’t read it – I recommend it be your first book of 2023 (with Take Back Your Life)! The author is someone I admire and respect. He’s a great teacher and a fantastic writer. I loved his first book, Chasing Wisdom, and this second book is just as good. 

The Power of Place is about the value of putting down roots and investing in the place you call ‘home.’

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5. Becoming Mrs Lewis by Patti Callahan

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Review: This book shares the beautiful relationship that developed between CS Lewis and Ms. Davidson. They were pen pals, later met and became great friends, and eventually married. I already loved CS Lewis, but this story makes me love him even more. The author did a fabulous job of re-creating their love story. I recommend the audiobook because the narration brings the story to life. It’s free on the Hoopla app.

Here are two quotes from the book that I loved:

God does not love us because we are lovable but because He is Love.

CS Lewis

Sometimes we want to stay and goof off in a mud pit when God has an entire seashore for us to play in. 

CS Lewis 

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6. Hiding in the Light by Rifqa Bary

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Review: This narrative unfolds the captivating journey of a young woman transitioning from Islam to Christianity. Her compelling tale resonated deeply with me, serving as a poignant reminder of the unparalleled freedom we enjoy in America and within our Christian faith, especially when contrasted with the experiences of individuals in other countries and adherents of different religions. Exploring our shared faith from a fresh perspective was truly enlightening. Unfortunately, it’s all too common to overlook the profound goodness of God when it has been a constant presence throughout one’s life.

I recommend this book to anyone on a spiritual quest or those 16 and above who identify with the Christian faith.

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7. Fostered by Tori Hope Peterson

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Review: This memoir delves into the life of a young woman who spent many years in and out of the foster care system. Candidly recounting her experiences, she unveils both the uplifting and challenging aspects of her journey. She is now actively engaged in bringing positive change to the broken system. If you’re interested in hearing a first hand perspective of the foster care system, or hold a genuine concern for the well-being of foster children, this book offers a compelling and insightful exploration.

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8. Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

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Review: I read this book with George, and we both decided that Alan Gratz is a fantastic writer! He pulls you into the story and makes you feel like you are part of the adventure. This is fiction, but gives you insight into what it must have felt like to be in the Twin Towers on 911. Great for any reader age 12 and up who may want to know more about what happened on September 11, 2001.

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9. Home of the brave by Katherine Applegate

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I read this with Clark, and we both loved it. It’s a short book that can be read in one setting. The author writes brilliantly and expresses such beautiful and deep emotion in very few words.

It’s the story of a young boy coming to live with his aunt in Minnesota to escape his war-torn country of Sudan. We felt the wonder, optimism, fear, sadness, and hope through the eyes of the main character (Kek). This would make a great read-aloud for parents and kids ages 8 and up.

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10. The Choice by Edith Eger 

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Review: An outstanding book written by a survivor of Auschwitz. She writes about her escape “physically” from prison, and how she later learned to escape the prison of the mind. She is the female version of Victor Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning). There are parts of this book that are really hard to read, but it’s also a book filled with hope and redemption.

The sign above the entrance to the author’s prison camp in Aushwitz says: Arbeit Macht Frei, meaning: Work Will Set You Free. Dr. Eger writes:

Work has set me free. Not the work the Nazis meant, but the inner work. Of learning to survive and thrive, of learning to forgive myself, of helping others do the same. When I do this work, I am no longer a prisoner. I am free.

Dr. Eger

Here are a few gold nuggets I pulled from the book:

1. You can live in the prison of the past, or you can let the past be a springboard that helps you reach the life you want now.
2. Get the feelings out. Expression is the opposite of depression. You can’t heal what you don’t feel.
3. You can’t feel love and fear at the same time.
4. It’s easier to hold someone or something else responsible for your pain than to take responsibility for ending your own victimhood.
5. Our painful experiences aren’t a liability, they are a gift. They give us perspective and meaning, an opportunity to find our unique purpose and strength.

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You can’t change what happened, you can’t change what you did or what was done to you. You can choose how you live right now. You can choose to be free.

Dr. Edith Eger

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Here’s a video to watch/listen to my reviews:

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2022 Honorable Mentions:

What Happened to you? by Dr. Bruce Perry

Let’s Roll by Lisa Beamer

Daniel Boone by Janet Benge – if you want a great biography pick up any book by Janet Benge. Her books make my list every year.

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Click here to check out my favorite books of 2023 and FOUR to read in 2024!!

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Here’s my favorite books over the years.

Click here for the BEST of 2021

Click for the best of 2020

Click here for the best of 2019

Click here for 2018

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