Top 22 anticipated books I want to read in 2022
On Goodreads, for 2022 I declared that I will read 52 books. So essentially, I am declaring (close to) half of my To-be-read (TBR) pile for 2022, right here, right now. At the end of the year, dear reader, do remind me to come back here and check how many of these I kept my promise on.
But let me tell you that it’s February now of 2022 as I’m posting this and I’ve already read 4 of these 22 anticipated books. That certainly looks very promising, right?
If there is a specific book that you would like me to read and share my thoughts about, do send me a message or mail.
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Some of these books are also available for free on Audible.
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The books I'm most excited for in 2022
Set in Ghana this is an award-winning book that has been praised and acclaimed by many to be a path-breaking book. I need to discover this and another book by the author – Homecoming.
I always think books about books are fun. Not too heavy, with a touch of humor and romance and some witty banter. And of course, so very relatable. And this particular book was a very sought-after ARC on Netgalley.
The original work of this book is in Tamil. And in Tamil literature, this author and his writing are considered legendary. The premise is based on a very age-old system in India – the caste system.
An Indian Booktuber I watch – Smriti Sant gushes about this book based on a gay relationship in India. In December 2021 a movie based on the book was also released on Netflix. So now I’m all the more eager to read this supposedly heart-breaking story.
Winner of the Booker prize in 2021, this is a promising novel by a South African novelist. A book based on a family drama where an unhappily married woman with twins ends up cheating on two husbands.
The family story about playwright Will Shakespeare and his wife Agnes. It follows their relationship and about how they handled their grief after the loss of their only son Hamnet to the plague. It won the women’s prize for fiction in 2020 and the National Book Critics award for fiction in 2021.
Books on my Shelf I plan to read in 2022
An underdog of the 2021 releases. This book is believed to be a gripping story with a touch of romance and some family drama. It focuses on making a difficult choice – a childhood love or husband and children.
Rewind to months back and almost every other person on Bookstagram (Bookish version of Instagram) was talking about this book. Many even declared that they cried their eyes out for the central character in the book. The Song of Achilles is the retelling of a Greek Myth based on a gay relationship.
As a child, I loved reading Harry Potter books. And now as an adult whenever I’m looking for magical books like Harry Potter for adults, The Night Circus gets recommended every single time. Not kidding.
Once in a while, we all want to read books that are devoid of the complexity of twisted plots and unpredictable characters. All we want was a story that makes us feel good, that makes us smile as we turn the last page.
Well, this is one such book I’ve been told and I’m super excited to read it. I have reserved especially for when I slip into a reading slump. Hopefully, this book shall be my savior.
Award-winning YA dystopian novel. Imagine a world devoid of crime and sadness. The book won the Newbery medal and was adapted into a movie.
If there is ever a list of the best memoirs to read, whether it's 50 books or 10 books or 2, you will always find this life story of Trevor Noah. Believed to be a moving, touching book that portrays the realities of growing up black in today’s world it is also a book that will tickle your funny bones. How would I miss it?
Historical Indian novel set in Bengal, Burma, and Malaya that spans a century. It focuses on the struggles during wartime that shaped countries and the citizens of Burma, India, and Malaya.
This one is a thick book so I might read it towards the end of the year.
This book is by an author based in China and is also set in Beijing. It follows a young woman, the protagonist through a series of very strange incidents. She is trying to find her feet in urban China.
I’ve never read a Chinese book and wanted to make a start to my diverse reading challenge. This book sounded very interesting.
A man is sentenced to lifelong house arrest in a luxurious hotel in Metropol. The scenes in this novel are touted to be brilliant.
Another book to add to my diverse reading challenge list, this one set in Russia.
This memoir by Amy Poehler is humorous and begins with her childhood and takes us through her career. Amy Poehler is an American writer and actress.
Smart and inspirational this book is on my topmost must-read before the 2023 memoirs list.
Written in the form of a letter to his illiterate mother this is a semi-autobiographical work by Ocean Voung. It focuses on a queer and interracial tale of love.
Compared to literary wonders Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, the mountains sing is the story set in Vietnam against the backdrop of war. It follows a girl and her grandmother across Vietnam it portrays the culture of the country and gives us a hopeful message filled with kindness.
I want to make my official foray into the sci-fi genre using this book. The main reason I picked this book is that I’ve heard this book is a thriller (my favorite genre) in addition to being science-fiction.
A man returning home to his family is kidnapped and transported to an alternate world where all the choices he sacrificed in his life have come true and his professional life is a success but without his family.
Another science-fiction favorite on my TBR, I have a Kindle copy of this book. And I have to admit this one book where I’ve already watched the movie (because hubby made me do it) before actually reading the book. I hope I love the book as much too.
I had to have some non-fiction selections on this list because I love reading them. The brain also needs to learn new ways of doing things better other than just being entertained. So I picked this book and the last one on the list.
An Almanac is like a diary/journal and this one, in particular, is very inspiring I’ve heard.
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Atul Gawande is a surgeon. And he says he has a very simple method of getting the complex procedure right every time. It is by using checklists. And he believes that whether you’re doing a complex surgery or building a skyscraper, the use of checklists will ensure an unbelievable success rate in your work.
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