2022 was a weird year for #sophreads. This is mostly the result of grad school and falling down the Emily Henry rom-com rabbit hole. Though I didn't meet my Goodreads goal (cry) I still read a number (16) of largely great books that I'm happy to share. I'm going to pull the "i-had-to-read-500000-academic-articles-this-year" card excuse while I can 0:)
First, I'd like to note this post is heavily inspired by one of my dearest friends, Audrey White, who writes over at audreykwhite.com. She's a gifted writer, designer, photographer, and home improvement aficionado. Audrey is one of my biggest sources of reading inspiration, and every year I eagerly await her "ALL I read in [insert year here]" posts.
Without further ado, here are my 2022 Reads in Review! You'll find my top favorites starred (*). Please check out my Goodreads for more detailed ratings & reviews.
Memoirs (and Memoir-Adjacent) Sophie's memoir era continues. What can I say? I just love hearing people recount their lives (or others' lives)
After the Last Border by Jessica Goudeau*
If I could make everyone in the English-speaking world read this book I would. Hands-down my favorite of the year. It tells the real-life stories of Mu Naw, a Burmese woman, and Hasna, a Syrian woman, in their experiences of displacement and resettlement in the United States. It also chronicles the history of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement program & sentiment. A MASTERPIECE. So well written, so readable, such incredible subjects. My family had relationships with Burmese refugee families during my childhood, and as an adult I've worked with Syrian refugee communities, so it really, really hit home. I could go on and on about how amazing After the Last Border is but all that to say please do yourself a favor and pick it up. And thank you to Emily G. for recommending it to me!
In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park
While I disagree pretty profoundly with the direction Park’s politics have taken in the US, I nonetheless found her (controversial) story really interesting. Listened via Audiobook.
We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu
I got this on Audible on a whim and it exceeded my expectations. The ever-charismatic Simu narrates the audiobook (my favorite) and I loved how much emotion came through his narration. Although I think there is an unavoidable partialness in memoirs written in an author's thirties, the inclusion of Liu's parents' stories made up for what would have been otherwise lacking, I think. Laugh-out-loud funny too!
Fiction
My fiction this year was all over the place. Combo of super heavy political fiction and more lighthearted rom-com. I really enjoyed both, though for obviously different reasons.
Human Acts by Han Kang*
I know now what it means to be haunted by a story. Kang's Human Acts is brutal and brilliant -- it follows the death of a boy during the 1980 Gwangju Massacre in South Korea and the way the tragedy reverberates in the decades that follow. It shines an unforgiving light on the violence of totalitarianism and the beauty and barbarity of humans. Translated from Korean. Absolutely recommend but not for the faint of heart.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry*
SO fun and so well done. I searched for Book Lovers at the local library after being influenced by #booktok and happened to get a lucky line-skip copy of the ebook. Henry hooked me from the first page, I read the whole thing in a sitting or two because it was that gripping (and also because the due date was looming). The romance storyline was definitely enjoyable but I was most struck by the relationship between the protagonist and her younger sister. Eldest daughters everywhere wept. Anyways -- Henry is hilarious and Book Lovers was a delight.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
I read this and the above Henry novel while traveling in Europe during the Great Heat Wave of the Summer of 2022. So, the protagonists being stuck sweltering in an A/C-less Airbnb struck a little too close to home. Definitely enjoyed.
The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk
The Eid Gift: An Adam and Zayneb Story by S.K. Ali
This is a novella that takes place between Ali's Love from A to Z and Love from Mecca to Medina. I read the former a few years ago (more Muslim fiction recs please!!), and came across the novella recently. Really sweet story of the protagonists' nikah ceremony.
Poetry
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman*
Absolutely obsessed with Amanda Gorman and this whole collection. So incredibly timely and rich. Highly recommend!
Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
I didn't enjoy this but maybe it's because I'm just too dumb for poetry
Faith I started a few but haven't finished many books on faith this year.
Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good by Amy L. Sherman
Read for work. Fresh angle and unique contributions.
Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do by Jordan Raynor
Not recommended. I really did not like this book, and I wrote a long review over on Goodreads, but the TL;DR is -- poorly written, poorly argued, and has all the hallmarks of bad books written by evangelical men. Read for work.
Art and Faith: A Theology of Making by Makoto Fujimura
I would have liked this a lot more if it was a memoir, tbh.
Academic New category this year! These were both courtesy of a course I took from the brilliant Dr. Nora Haenn.
The History of Development by Gilbert Rist*
Paradigm-shifter. Tackles the murky history of international economic development sector and I haven't stopped thinking about it. I won't bore you with the details -- here's the link to my full review if you're interested in a summary!
Give a Man a Fish by James Ferguson
Really interesting anthropology of cash transfer programs in southern Africa. Basically examines the question "what happens if we just give people in poverty cash?" Ferguson also lays out a really interesting philosophical framework for these cash transfer programs (think universal basic income type things), and discusses "dependency" among other things. Great primer. This is a topic picking up a lot of steam, so I hope to revisit it! Here's the link to my full review/summary.
I hope you've enjoyed this 2022 Reads in Review! If you have any hot takes on these books, recommendations, or other commentary for me, please shoot me a message and/or add me on Goodreads.
xo Soph