Delaney’s Top Ten 2022 Releases

Hello everyone! I am taking a break from studying for finals to bring you a blog post! As you may have noticed, we are rapidly approaching the end of the year. As a way to celebrate and wrap up the year, I wanted to share my top ten books that were released in 2022.

As a disclaimer, you will notice this post is very specifically titled. These are simply ten of my favorite releases of the year out of the ones that I read. There were many many books released in 2022 that I have not yet gotten the chance to read that I am sure are amazing. Nor are these the only 2022 releases I read this year, these are just the ones I thought were the best/were my personal favorites/I highly recommend you read. And of course, if you need gifts for anyone this holiday season, these are all great options! So without further ado, in no particular order, here are my top ten 2022 releases.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

This should definitely not be a surprise to anyone who follows me on Goodreads or has just been around here for a while. I absolutely adore Emily Henry and her most recent book, Book Lovers, was everything I could have hoped for! I loved it so much I actually read it three times this year. If you like romance books, you absolutely have to read this one!

Babel by R. F. Kuang

It took me a bit longer than most of my bookish friends to get on the Babel train. I was definitely put off at the idea of reading a 600 page fantasy novel. But once I actually started reading it I was totally hooked! If you want to hear me gush about it more, you can read my review.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a book that held a lot of my obsession this year. Chloe Green perhaps reminded me a bit too much of my high school self. I was super grateful to read an advanced copy, which I wrote a review of here!

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Black Cake has stuck with me every since I read it back in March. A multigenerational family saga with a mystery element to it? I just thought it was absolutely phenomenal. I also listened to the audiobook of this one, which was excellent!

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

Ophelia After All is one of those young adult books that not only did I love, but it made me feel so grateful that books like this exist and that hundreds of teenagers will get the chance to read such a beautiful story about figuring out who you are.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Even though I loved Station Eleven, I did not go into this expecting to love it as much as I did. I wasn’t sure what to expect and it was unlike anything I have ever read before. Sea of Tranquility blew me away, and if you are looking for a short literary fiction book, I would definitely recommend it!

All my Rage by Sabaa Tahir

Talk about a heavy hitter. All My Rage is a young adult book about grief, abuse, addiction, and poverty. It is also about two incredibly resilient young people as they fight for themselves and each other. It is not an easy book to read, but it is so good. Just check the content warnings first.

True Biz by Sara Novic

This is another audiobook I loved this year. Yes, I do realize the irony of listening to an audiobook that is about deafness. However, it was so good. Like a surprising amount of the books on this list, it is a character-driven novel that also has a bit of a mystery subplot.

When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

I have been an Emma Lord fan since I fell in love with her debut, Tweet Cute, two years ago. When You Get the Chance totally played to my theatre-kid heart. It was such a good book about friends and family and finding who you are. It managed to be both incredibly fun and make me cry.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is probably the most basic book on this list. However, this is my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book so far. This is probably mostly due to the fact that I love tennis, but also because I really related to Carrie. Plus, I always love a book with good character development, which this definitely has.

Thank you so much for reading! I am not sure how much more I will post this year, so if I don’t post again before the end of the year I just want to wish you a happy end of 2022!

What were your favorite books of this year (either published this year or that you read for the first time this year)? Have you read any of the books on this list? Are you planning on reading any of these books in 2023? Let me know in the comments!