The Best Books of 2022

Reading Instruction

Last year, I shared 22 books to read in 2022. I had a great time reading through my recommendations and choosing which titles to add to my classroom library. As the year comes to an end, I wanted to share with you the titles that stood out from the pack. While this was the year I first read these books, many of these titles did not come out this year.

A white and grey teacup sits atop a stack of books. This image appears under text that reads: The Best Books of 2022

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Personal Favorites: Best Books of the Year

2022 was something of a reading renaissance for me. This year I made the move from reading mostly paperbacks to reading mostly on my phone. I never thought I was make this change, but it has allowed me to cover a lot more ground! For me, the best books are transportive, thoughtful, and well constructed. Check out the 10 best books I read this year:

10. Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian is a classic college campus thriller. The characters were vivid and distinct, and the ending was twisty in all the best ways!

9. A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee is an atmospheric, Gothic psychological thriller. The main character does not know who to trust, and neither does the reader!

8. The Betrayals by Bridget Collins focuses on “the grand jeux” or the great game, which overlaps with propaganda and religion in fascinating ways. The story flashes back and forth between the main character’s school days learning how to “play” the game and the present time as he reels from a series of personal and professional revelations.

7. The Atlas Six and The Atlas Pardox by Olivie Blake are definitely a case of BookTok made me do it. Nevertheless, these books leaned into my love of dark academia. These would also be good titles to add to your classroom library.

6. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey was recommended to me over and over before I finally gave it a try. This is a magic school mystery, but it also touches on some deeper issues. I so wish this book had a sequel!

5. An Unkindness of of Magicians by Kat Howard was something I picked up because the title reminded me of One Tree Hill (IFKYK). However, the magic and social commentary won me over. The sequel, A Sleight of Shadows, comes out next year. This would also be a good title for your classroom library.

4. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern was whimsical, lovely, and enchanting all at once. It had touches of nostalgia without be saccharine. It was also a book I simply did not want to end.

3. Leda and the Swan by Anna Caritj is the book that took me most by surprise. As you can no doubt tell, fantasy is my favorite genre, but my top three books defy that categorization. Leda and the Swan was not what I expected, and I couldn’t put it down either. It is the truest character study on this list.

2. The Orchard by David Hopen caught me off guard. My first thought when I read this book was, “Oh, this is The Great Gatsby but all the characters are Jewish.” That is a gross simplification of this complex, layered, and mysterious read.

1. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio is an English teacher’s dream. Shakespeare allusions are all over this book, and it touched on all my favorite plays and scenes. The mystery, framing, and characterization in this book are top notch. It also had one of the most satisfying conclusions of the titles on this list.

Best Books for Your Classroom Library

Additionally, some of the books I read this year are made for a classroom library. While I don’t often set out to read a book specifically because I know it will appeal to my students, this happens all the time. Call it an occupational hazard. These titles are perfect for the high school classroom library:

The All for the Game series by Nora Sakavic was a total surprise. This series gave me the most powerful book hangover, and I tore through all three books in a weekend. Teenagers are clearly the target audience, but I loved these books anyway. This is the only series on the list I will 100% read again.
The Scholomance Series by Naomi Novik is kind of like Harry Potter, but Hogwarts is trying to eat the students. It’s a fun series with just the right amount of commentary.
The Charlotte Holmes Novels by Brittany Cavallaro were an absolute favorite this year. I tore through these novels and immediately started recommending them to all my students. They have a little mystery, a little romance, and a little action. It’s the perfect combination.
A Drop by Night by Stefan Bachmann is one of the strangest books I’ve read, but it’s also perfect for young adult readers who swear they don’t like to read.
The All of Us Villains duology by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman is perfect for high school students. Personally, this series wasn’t my favorite, but I know it’s the kind of story my students will adore.
The Something Dark and Holy trilogy by Emily A. Duncan had some great lore and mythology. At times I grew frustrated with the characters because they were so inconsistent in their thinking, but I think that is part of their being teenagers. The intensity of the magic, mystery, and romance in this series are a perfect match for the intensity of the teenage experience.

Author of the Year

This was the year I fell in love with the work of Lisa Lutz. I tore through as many of her books as I could get my hands on. Here’s the order in which I read her books. I hope you love her books as much as I have.

The Swallows is a boarding school mystery told from multiple perspectives. It has a clear piece of social commentary at its heart.
The Accomplice is a classic mystery thriller, but it’s the friendship at the heart of this book at made it one of the best books of the year.
Heads You Win (with David Heyward) is a funny mystery romp. The competitive frame of this book makes it one of a kind.
The Spellman Files is like Nancy Drew if Nancy lacked focus, cursed like a sailor, and had a reserved spot at her favorite bar. These are fun mysteries with a colorful cast of characters.

Honorable Mentions

Finally, in my torrid affair with reading on my phone, I read a lot of books that I maybe wouldn’t have if I’d been buying paperbacks. As a result, though, I encountered a lot of books that aren’t going to make my top 10 list but that my students would love.