In the Final Topic of 2022, Take Time to Relax and Enjoy a Good Book

Today’s topic is a list of more than 100 of your favorite reads of 2022!

I am delighted today to share the incredibly diverse, vibrant and entertaining NOVA 2022 Updated Book List and want to thank you for sending in your favorite titles. From current affairs to history, science fiction to mystery—with some young adult and poetry thrown in, your submissions would fill several library shelves.

Oh, and to that point: more than one of you put in a plug for our fantastic NOVA and regional libraries as excellent sources for these titles (in hard copy and e-book or audio, via the Libby app). It’s always a great time of year to support your local library! So, in honor of my overflowing inbox of amazing books, I am making a donation to each of our seven local public library systems (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Manassas Park-City, Mary Riley Styles/Falls Church and Prince William).

As to the “best of” list itself, I split it into fiction/poetry and nonfiction and organized your submissions alphabetically by title (taking the liberty of including only the pre-colon titles of non-fiction books).

I’ve asterisked titles that were submitted more than once. These include the novels A Gentleman in Moscow, Cloud Cuckoo Land, Kindred, Lessons in Chemistry, The Midnight Library and Wolf Hall; and the nonfiction books Educated and The Coddling of the American Mind (an interesting pair). Five authors also appear more than once: Fredrick Backman, Anthony Doerr, John Grisham, Kazuo Ishiguro and Hilary Mantel.

This is the last Tuesday Topic of 2022, and I hope you find many wonderful moments over the holiday break to relax, renew, spend time with family and friends, enjoy all the warmth and grace of the season–and even read a few of these books. Our NOVA star is brilliant because of the light you bring, and I am grateful for this precious gift.

I look forward to seeing you in the bright new year!