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Mayde’s Top 15 of 2022

Hi, everyone! Mayde here, and today, I'm sharing the 15 best books I read in 2022!

Hi, everyone! Mayde here, and today, I'm sharing the 15 best books I read in 2022!

(I planned to do a top 10, but just couldn't narrow it down!)

These are not all new releases, but they’re books that I personally read and loved this year. So, in no particular order, here are my favorite books from the last 12 months:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V. E. Schwab (Low Fantasy / Contemporary Fiction)
In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a bargain with the "devil" to live forever, and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Fantasy meets romance in this gripping novel that's both dark and twisted, yet still sweet and charming. By far my favorite book of 2022!

~

The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides (Mystery / Thriller)
Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect, until she murders her husband and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander. When a new criminal psychotherapist gets the opportunity to work with Alicia, he's determined to unravel the mystery of her motive.

This psychological thriller has one of the best endings I've ever read! Definitely a must read!

~

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman (Contemporary Fiction)
A bank robbery gone wrong leads to a hostage situation unlike any other. Each of the hostages carry a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over, and none of them are entirely who they appear to be. By the end of the story, all of them, including the bank robber, desperately crave some sort of rescue.

Funny, heartwarming, and clever writing got me hooked on this wholesome story of strangers trapped together in a less-than-ideal situation. Backman has a unique writing style that may not be for everyone, but I absolutely loved it!

~

Educated, by Tara Westover (Memoir)
An unforgettable memoir about a young girl who grew up in a survivalist family, isolated from mainstream society. There was no one there to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty, and of the grief that comes from severing one's closest ties.

A beautifully written memoir about a tragic life story. I loved it so much, I recommended it to everyone in our book club!

~

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas (High Fantasy / Romance)
A spicy, action-packed retelling of Beauty and the Beast. When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows little about, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly the beast she thought he was. As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for her captor transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae.

This is not my typical genre, but I gave into the hype and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! I read through all five books in the series (each one better than the last!) and am desperately waiting for more by this author.

A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles (Historical Fiction)
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel's doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

I loved the main character of this book, and can't wait for Ewan McGregor's adaptation. Count Rostov was funny, witty, charming and seemed to take everything in stride while discovering who he really was after everything he knew was stripped away. I always enjoy a good character study, and this one definitely hit the mark.

~

The Maid, by Nita Prose (Cozy Mystery)
Sweet and innocent Molly the Maid gets caught up in a murder investigation at the Regency Grand Hotel. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different.

I loved Molly, and my feelings about the main character usually dictate how I feel about the entire book. This was my first introduction to the cozy mystery genre, and I'm already looking forward to reading more!

~

The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley (Mystery / Thriller)
When Jess goes to visit her half-brother Ben at his posh new apartment in Paris, she finds the apartment empty and Ben missing. The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother's situation, and the more questions she has. Ben's neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it's starting to look like it's Ben's future that's in question.

I expected this to be just another typical murder mystery, but there were a lot of twists and turns I definitely didn’t see coming! I’ve read other books by this author, but this is her best by far!

~

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, by Matt Cain (Romance / Contemporary Fiction)
A love story with an unconventional protagonist. When sweet and unassuming Albert is forced into early retirement from his job at the post office, his simple life unravels. Without his coworkers, he has no one to share his life with, so he forms a brave plan to start truly living, to be honest about who he is, and to find George — the man with whom he spent one perfect summer long ago.

I love love, and this is one of the best love stories I’ve read in a long time!

~

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, by Akwaeke Emezi (Romance / Contemporary Fiction)
It's been five years since Feyi's husband was killed in a tragic accident, and she's finally ready to start living again. Feyi isn't ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined. This new life is a lot more complicated than she expected, and Feyi must begin her search for real answers. Who is she ready to become? Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love?

I did not know what I was walking into when I started this one, but it made me feel all the feels! The author's poetic writing style and honest dialogue really made me love this book. It’s a must read, especially if you’ve ever dealt with loss, grief, or finding yourself again.

Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel (Science Fiction)
A novel of art, time, love, and plagues that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon three hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space. When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the futuristic Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

I always love a good time travel story, especially when it makes you question the workings of the universe and why fate happens the way it does. A must read for any sci fi or philosophy fan.

~

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr (Historical Fiction)
Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History. When the Nazis occupy Paris, she flees with her father to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo. With them they carry what might be the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel. In Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up enchanted by a crude radio he finds. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another in troubling times.

I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction, but I read this with our book club and loved it so much more than I expected! It's a long read, but worth it.

~

The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune (YA Fantasy / Romance)
As a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, forty-year-old Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. When Linus is unexpectedly given a curious and highly classified assignment, he must set aside his fears to determine whether or not the children at Marsyas Island Orphanage are likely to bring about the end of days. The children's caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

A sweet and funny love story that’s also about family and self-acceptance. This is the perfect book about being true to yourself, no matter what the anyone else thinks.

~

The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner (Contemporary meets Historical Fiction)
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell is spending her tenth wedding anniversary alone when she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders of eighteenth-century London. Two hundred years earlier, a secret apothecary shop is jeopardized when a new patron makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

This book is a love letter to women everywhere, and their strength to overcome obstacles no matter what time period they’re in. On the surface, it’s a fun mystery novel, but the underlying themes of the story make it worth the read!

~

The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig (Contemporary Fiction, with a philosophical sci fi twist)
What would you do if you could explore alternate versions of your own life? Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Through the experience of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, or undoing old breakups, she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Last, but certainly not least! This is another one that will make you feel all the feels, and may make you question all of your life choices. Another good read for fans of philosophy or ethics.

Honorary Mentions

Here are a few others I read and enjoyed this year (in no particular order):

Have you read any of these titles? What did you think? What were your favorite books of 2022? Stop into the store and let’s chat, or share your books with me on social media, and remember to tag @wellwornbooks.inc on Instagram!

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2022 Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

Featuring over 100 of our favorite new releases from 2022!

Well Worn Books' Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

Here it is, our ultimate holiday gift guide, featuring over 100 of our favorite new releases from 2022!

No matter who's on your list, you're sure to find something for everyone! Check out the list below for our best recommendations. (Or, skip the guide and just start shopping.)

Fiction - for the literature lover

  • Hester, by Laurie Lico Albanese - People magazine calls it: A hauntingly beautiful--and imagined--origin story to The Scarlet Letter

  • Other Birds, by Sarah Addison Allen - an enchanting tale of lost souls, lonely strangers, secrets that shape us, and how the right flock can guide you home

  • Shrines of Gaiety, by Kate Atkinson - a spellbinding tale of seduction and betrayal that takes place in restless London following the Great War

  • Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus - Chemist Elizabeth Zott's career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in the 1960s

  • Afterlives, by Abdulrazak Gurnah - a sweeping, multi-generational saga of displacement, loss, and love from the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature

  • The Hotel Nantucket, by Elin Hilderbrand - an immensely satisfying page-turner about a summer of scandal at a storied Nantucket hotel

  • The Last Chairlift, by John Irving - a ghost story, a love story, and a lifetime of sexual politics, from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time

  • The Night Ship, by Jess Kidd - an epic historical novel about the lives of two characters that wind up on the same island 300 years apart

  • Fairy Tale, by Stephen King - a supernatural, suspenseful fantasy thriller from the master storyteller himself!

  • Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver - a young hero's unforgettable journey to maturity set in rural Appalachia

  • Lessons, by Ian McEwan - an epic and intimate story of one man's life across generations and historical upheavals

  • Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng - an inspiring new novel about a mother's unbreakable love in a world consumed by fear

  • The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell - the world of Renaissance Italy comes alive in this unforgettable fictional portrait of a captivating young duchess as she makes her way in a troubled court

  • Mad Honey, by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan - a soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past and what we choose to leave behind

  • Carrie Soto Is Back, by Taylor Jenkins Reid - a retired athlete comes back to reclaim her record in this vulnerable and emotional story

  • Poster Girl, by Veronica Roth - experience the search for a missing girl after the collapse of an oppressive dystopian regime

  • Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St John Mandel - a charming sci fi novel of art, time travel, love, and plagues

  • Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout - a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown, from a Pulitzer Prize-winning author

  • Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt - a charming and witty exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

  • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin - two friends come together as creative partners, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality

Mysteries & Thrillers - for the voracious reader

  • No Plan B: A Jack Reacher Novel, by Lee Child and Andrew Child - when another homicide is ruled an accident, Jack Reacher is relentless in making things right

  • Daisy Darker, by Alice Feeney - a family reunion leads to murder in a delightfully twisty and atmospheric thriller

  • All Good People Here, by Ashley Flowers - a must-read for fans of the Crime Junkie podcast!

  • The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley - a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide

  • The Boys from Biloxi, by John Grisham - two sons of immigrant families grow up as friends, but ultimately find themselves on opposite sides of the law

  • Wrong Place Wrong Time, by Gillian McAllister - a mother witnesses her teenage son stab a man and seizes on an unconventional way to try to save him

  • The Prisoner, by B. A. Paris - a woman marries into a family with deadly intentions

  • Run, Rose, Run, by James Patterson and Dolly Parton - a young singer-songwriter is on the rise and on the run, and determined to do whatever it takes to survive

  • A World of Curiosities, by Louise Penny - the latest addition to the ongoing Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series

  • Killers of a Certain Age, by Deanna Raybourn - Golden Girls meets James Bond. Enough said.

  • The House Across the Lake, by Riley Sager - a woman suddenly vanishes, but there's more to the story than meets the eye

  • Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, by Lisa Unger - a weekend getaway at an isolated luxury cabin in the woods quickly turns into a nightmare

  • The It Girl, by Ruth Ware - a woman goes searching for answers a decade after her friend's murder

Horror - for the macabre

  • Leech, by Hiron Ennes - a surreal and horrifying debut that defies our understanding of identity, heredity, and bodily autonomy

  • What Moves the Dead, by T. Kingfisher - a new retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic The Fall of the House of Usher

  • Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films, by Nina Nesseth - a pop-science look at fear, how and why horror films get under our skin, and why we keep coming back for more

  • The Vessel, by Adam Nevill - a routine job soon becomes a battle for a woman's sanity and the control of her child

  • The Butcher and the Wren, by Alaina Urquhart - a thrilling debut novel told from the dueling perspectives of a notorious serial killer and the medical examiner following his trail

  • Little Eve, by Catriona Ward - a heart-pounding tale of faith and family, with a devastating twist

Romance - for the hopeless romantic

  • Book Lovers, by Emily Henry - a cutthroat literary agent meets a bookish brooding editor in this enemies-to-lovers rom com

  • It Starts with Us, by Colleen Hoover - the highly-anticipated sequel to Hoover's bestselling novel, It Ends with Us

  • I Kissed Shara Wheeler, by Casey McQuiston - a young adult romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need

  • A Merry Little Meet Cute, by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone - a steamy holiday rom-com about an adult film star who is accidentally cast in a family-friendly Christmas movie

  • The Dead Romantics, by Ashley Poston - a ghostwriter who falls in love with a ghost? Yes, please!

  • Love in the Time of Serial Killers, by Alicia Thompson - one woman learns how to give love a chance when she's used to suspecting the worst

Fantasy - for the escapist

  • The Atlas Paradox, by Olivie Blake - the long-awaited sequel to the New York Times bestseller and dark academic sensation, The Atlas Six

  • Babel, by R F Kuang - an alternative fantastical history that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire

  • Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before a Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin - perfect for fans of the show!

  • Ordinary Monsters, by J. M. Miro - journey to the Victorian era, as children with mysterious powers are hunted by a figure of darkness in a battle of good vs. evil

  • The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik - saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the conclusion to Novik's bestselling trilogy

Young Adult - fiction for teens and pre-teens

  • The Door of No Return, by Kwame Alexander - a novel in verse about a young boy's fight for his life after his world is turned upside down

  • This Blood that Binds Us, by S. L. Cokeley - the first in a series that explores the true meaning of family, making peace with the past, and finding friendships in unexpected places (plus, vampires!)

  • Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, by Shea Ernshaw - read Sally's story in this companion to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

  • Foul Lady Fortune, by Chloe Gong - an ill-matched pair of spies pose as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai

  • The Weight of Blood, by Tiffany D. Jackson - a suspenseful YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom

  • Cursed, by Marissa Meyer - the sequel and conclusion to Gilded, a haunted fairytale

  • I Was Born for This, by Alice Oseman - from the bestselling creator of Heartstopper, a deeply funny and deeply moving exploration of identity, friendship, and fame

  • Gallant, by V. E. Schwab - a dark and original tale about the place where the world meets its shadow, and the young woman beckoned by both sides

  • The First to Die at the End, by Adam Silvera - a prequel to the New York Times bestseller They Both Die at the End

  • How to Survive Your Murder, by Danielle Valentine - a terrifying stand-alone horror novel for young adults

Biographies & Memoirs - for the inspired

Cookbooks - for the family chef

Juvenile Fiction & Children’s Books - for the youngest readers in your life

Don’t forget your Well Worn Books merch and gift cards - for yourself or others!

  • Hoodies, t-shirts, mugs and totes are now available on our website! (Holiday order deadline is December 12th.)

  • Visit us in-store to pick up a gift card for any amount that can be used in our Middletown, NY location.

  • If you prefer to shop online or aren’t local to Middletown, buy a gift card from our partners at Bookshop.org, where you can shop online and have books delivered directly to your door while still supporting your favorite indie bookshop.

  • If you prefer audiobooks, make the switch to Libro.fm. Gift cards and purchases made through this link directly support our store.

Need a more personalized recommendation? Visit us in store or send us an email at hello@wellwornbooks.com and we’d be happy to help!

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