Another year, another list of amazing reads I got my hands on and the ones I can’t wait to grab! Here, I’ll share the books that shaped me last year, and the 2023 book list I have on tap ahead.
Even if it’s just a page a day, somehow picking up a good book is always a perfect reset button, a spark of energy, or an open door to a new idea.
This past year, I put a good dent into the 2022 book list, while slipping in new recommended titles on the fly as well. The books that I didn’t get to this year will shift onto next year or backups because… hey, sometimes you gotta just go with what’s inspiring in the moment!
You can check out the full 2022 book list here.
There’s some great ‘one day’ books on there, but here’s the lineup of what actually got into my hands.
(* for my favorites!)
WHAT I READ IN 2022
Fiction
- *The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
- The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion
- Finlay Donvan Knocks ‘Em Dead – Elle Cosimano
- The Time Travellers Wife – Audrey Nifenegger
- *The House in the Cerulean Sea – CJ Klune
- *We Are All Welcome Here – Elizabeth Berg
- The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
- The BeeKeeper of Allepo – Christy Leftero
Non Fiction
- *Untamed – Glennon Doyle
- *Mountains Beyond Mountains – Tracy Kidder
- *Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I’ve Loved) – Kate Bowler
- *The Soul of Money (Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life)- Lynne Twist
- Modern Parents Vintage Values – Sissy Goff
- The War of Art (Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles )- Steven Pressfield
Business
- The Coaching Habit (Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever ) – Michael Bungay Stainer
Kids
- 100 days to brave for kids – Annie F. Downs
- Harry Potter and the Camber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Prisenor of Azkaban
- The Wrenly Series – Jordan Quinn
Countless board and children’s books 🙂 Some of my little man’s favorites are:
- Construction Site: Farming Strong, All Year Long
- Goodnight Numbers : Danika McKellar
- The Story of Ferdinand – Robert Larson
- Piggie and Gerald books – Mo Willams
Faith
- 40 days with Jesus, lenten study – Daily Grace Co
- *God on Mute (Engaging the silence of unanswered prayer)– Pete Greig
- *Out of Sorts (Making Peace with an Evolving Faith)- Sarah Bessey
The 2023 Book List
I know this year will be different, and I’m giving myself grace before it’s even required.
With a baby due in April, a toddler and a 1st grader, I’m bracing for the fact that my personal time will be even more difficult to come by and I’m trying to set reasonable expectations.
At the same time, in the hours of nursing my son in 2020, I discovered that reading was much more life-giving way to pass the time vs scrolling or watching TV (though my start to finish binge of Gilmore Girls during my daughters first year of nursing was pretty epic).
I’m hopeful that I can at least commit to one book a month, and want to put a little more focus into business-driven and biography books for my 2023 book list.
Even though I only technically read 1 “business book” in 2022, I gained so many valuable and applicable business takeaways from other genres, so we’ll see what stays and goes depending on how I’m feeling.
Sometimes, a good fiction book is the best medicine.
Fiction
- Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
- This Time Tomorrow – Emma Straub
- All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
- The History of Love – Nicole Krauss
Non Fiction
- No Cure for Being Human (and other truths I need to hear) – Kate Bowler
- The Stories We Tell – Joanna Gaines
- Play : How it Shapes The Brain, Opens the Immagination, and Invigorates the Soul – Stuart Brown
- I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working – Shauna Niequist
Business
- You are a Badass (How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life) – Jen Sincero
- Obviously Awesome (How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It) – April Dunford
- Scary Close – Donald Miller
Faith
- A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal – Sarah Bessey
- Searching for Sunday (Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church)– Rachel Held Evans
I’m already looking forward to diving into all these thought-provoking creations this year. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to connect as fellow book lovers – I always enjoy sharing takeaways when I finish a good book and hearing about yours, too!
