Top 5 Books I Read in 2022

1. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This is hands down the best book I read in 2022. I finished this 400-page novel in less than 48 hours, which is very quick for me. I was so absorbed in the characters and the story that I couldn't stop reading. Check this one out if you like video games (or if you don’t), '90s nostalgia, Japanese culture and influences, academic settings, grandiloquent language choices, Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson, a character-based narrative, friendships that define and consume you, and love in all its many forms. Read my full review here. 

2. A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

This standalone prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree completely blew me away. I loved it even more than the first one, which is also one of my favorite books. This novel features multiple POVs, dragons, political intrigue, sapphic romance, motherly love, snowy adventures, hard decisions, and lifelong friendships. Read my full review here. 

3. Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang 

This book has one of the best dark academia settings I've ever read. I loved this story. It was slower-paced but very rich and full of incredible characters. If you like history, linguistics, translation theory, Oxford in the 1800s, magic based on words' meanings, language etymology, very academic settings, and discourses on colonization, then you should check out this tome. Read my full review here. 

4. The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson 

The concluding novel to the Wax and Wayne era of Mistborn books was the most cosmere-aware novel to date, full of so many cross-references and easter eggs to Sanderson's other stories. I flew through this book and loved the ending. If you like magic based on different kinds of metals, western fantasy settings, intricate worldbuilding, unrivaled humorous banter, heists and adventures, and incredible characters, then read the Mistborn series, but definitely start with book one, not this one! Read my full review here. 

5. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah 

I came to the realization this year that I love Arabian-inspired fantasy adventure stories set in the desert and full of djinn magic, and that's all thanks to this novel. This is a debut adult fantasy about a journey across a sea of shifting sands to find an ancient relic in a hidden jinn city. I loved the story and I loved the characters and I loved the magic and political intrigue and setting. It was all so much fun, and I recommend checking it out if you enjoy the desert fantasy genre. I can't wait for the sequel to be released. Read my full review here.