10 best books I read in 2022

2022 has been a good year for reading. At the time of writing, I’ve read 74 books, and I may wrap up a few more during the Christmas break. I also enjoyed my reading: I rated 14 of the books with 5 stars.

Here is my top 10:

10. Work won’t love you back – Sarah Jaffe : A detailed analysis of our tendencies to overwork.

9. Four thousand weeks: time management for mortals – Oliver Burkeman: A memento mori intertwined with time management.

8. This tender land – William Kent Krueger: A great story, a book that is as timeless and winding as the river it is intertwined with.

7. A swim in a pond in the rain – George Saunders: A writing masterclass combined with a reading of classic Russian short stories.

6. Wives and daughters – Elizabeth Gaskell: A classic tale about the relationships that form our lives

5. Transcendent Kingdom – Yaa Gyasi: This book deals with depression and addiction in such a delicate way.

4. Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir: I also want an alien buddy.

3. Bezonken rood – Jeroen Brouwers: A difficult book to read, combining Brouwer’s misogyny with his traumatic experiences in the camps in Indonesia during the war.

2. Matrix – Lauren Groff: I love everything by Lauren Groff. Thanks to this book, I have a mental image of the 12th century.

1. The count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas: I was prejudiced in advance as I thought it would be an old book about a guy finding a treasure. I was pleasantly surprised.