Top 22 Books of 2022

2022 was a good reading year. I read quite a few books that will remain with me for a while. I decided to compile my top 22 books of 2022. A few that could have made this list did not. Also, I am only listing books I read for the first time this year. So Shakespeare and Wodehouse and the like are MiA, but that is because their works I read and/or watched this year were repeats.

So, in order of completion, here are my top 22 books of 2022:

I am late to the Denis Johnson game, with this being my first step into his writing. But better late than never because this collection is overwhelming, in the best way possible. This is another great writer introduced into my world because of Nick Offerman's narration. Superficial? Probably. Providential? Maybe. Awesomely beneficial? Absolutely!! 

A masterpiece. Moving forward, this is the Buster Keaton bio to recommend and reference. And everyone needs to read at least one Keaton bio, so read this one.  

An examination of the influence and presence of Medieval literature and thought in the writings of CS Lewis. Yes, it is just as great as it sounds. If it does not sound great to you, I am so, so sorry. 

I read Station Eleven this year as well and enjoyed it, but I actually thought Sea of Tranquility was even better...I don't all the way remember why though. I remember thinking, "Dang. That was even better than Station Eleven." 
I guess this means I need to reread both books. Worse fates have befallen many, but I'll bear my cross or roll my boulder or whatever misused cliche fits best here. 

Moral philosophy taught by Mose Shrute...seriously, how much more enticing can I make this book?!?
So it isn't actually Mose Shrute...but maybe a second book dealing with these concepts in the voice of Mose is coming. Assuming that book doesn't ever arrive, this one is still quite good. Shur arrives at different conclusions and holds different suppositions to be necessary and basic than I do, but it is an enlightening and enjoyable read.

One of the best plays I read and watched this year. 

So. Very. Funny. If you have any experience in academia, even funnier. If you are a political junkie from the 90s and 00s, even more funnier. If you are the least bit thoughtful and open to a bit of tingue-in-cheek humor, even more most funnier. Seriosuly, Cohen will make you LoL multiple times. 

Michael Horton has been one of the most helpful voices in my life, so I defer to him often and give him a lot of rope when he starts in a direction that I feel uncomfortable with. I have yet to be disappointed in this choice. When Recovering Our Sanity essentially said that "fear is the answer," I was skeptical. When I finished the book, I was convinced. Well-worth a read (and don't let my oversimplified and misleading summary fool you, this is an encouraging and helpful book that goes a long way in remedying out over-fraught existence). 

Epic. Multiple narratives. Sort of a who-dunnit feel. Sort of a Dickens vibe. Modernist/Postmodernist narrative structures with narrators that don't seem all that reliable all the time. The experience stays with you more than the story does, which makes this book one that is perfect for rereading. 

Thank you, Nick Offerman. Saunders may be the best short story writer alive. Full review here.

An absolute treasure this book is. Balanced, challenging, and incredibly encouraging, Noble's work provides such a healthy and helpful perspective on how to persevere in a world where persevering sometimes feels utterly impossible. Full(er) review here.

I read this off and on for over a year. Much of this gets fuller and more academic treatment in other works, but as an introductory volume, Wright and Bird killed it. Even if you don't come down where NTW and MB do on everything, the emphasis on the immediate context of historical writings and the temptation to read our worldviews back into a different culture and thus into writings coming from those cultures are lessons to keep in mind when reading literally everything. 

I am putting Berry's latest collection of short stories together with his essays, not in the same way as McCarthy's books or Lord of the Rings are together but because Berry's fiction is such a representation of his general thinking that he fleshes out in his nonfiction. Berry chose to use 2022 to piss people off about racism, and it didn't matter if you were conservative or liberal, he was coming for you. Berry abhors movements, slogans, and most isms because of how unnuanced, deceptive, and utterly impersonal and impotent they are. His fiction demonstrates the need for personal relationships for the good of the land, for the good of the community, for the good of the world, and for the good of the individual. 

McCarthy decided to change course and release these works (this work) before he died, presumably to get a whole lot of fanboys to stop wishing death on him. And I was one of the ones lined up for this release (after being turned down numerous times for review copies). The wait was worth it and the second reading is already being scheduled. So different in so many ways, but still McCarthy and still a Modern classic.

Undoubtedly his best work yet, Alley brings all of the compelling aspects from his short stories and multiplies them in this full-length work. Full(er) review here.

KB made a name in the Christian rap game, and he is showing that his blessings are not limited to the microphone. Compelling, challenging, and lovingly confrontational, Burgess presents a Jesus that is far from safe but oh so very good. Full(er) review here.

A spiritual reflection on trees...for real. It is more than that, but not less, and it is the worshipful reflection on the majesty of the created order so beautifully displayed through the birth, growth, and death of trees. Peterson's best book.

More of a biography of folk music with Dylan as the central character, this book is exceptional. Maybe imbalanced in places, but overall, this is a fun trip through the history of BD and the history of folk music and culture. 

I tried reading The Hobbit multiple times...I finally did. I see why it is adored, but it missed for me. I read Fellowship of the Ring and fell in love. Volumes 2 and 3 did not diminish this. Epic. Glad I finally read them.

Paradigm shifting...make that "shattering." I will read everything Jamie Smith writes. I will read this volume again. His exposition of "the view from no-when" is profound to say the very least.

To see more books I thought worthy (mostly) to be read from this year, check out my year in books on Goodreads...and add me so I can steal your book suggestions and argue with your reviews.