Of all the books of 2022 I'd like to call out the ones I enjoyed the most or consider important enough to mention
Best Fiction of 2022
(notice that this are books that I read in 2022, it doesn't mean the book was *published* in 2022)
Patternist Series by Octavia Butler
Octavia Butler is probably the most under-rated science fiction writer of all time. Every thing she has written is freaking good.
Seed to Harvest starts out with two immortal beings that meet in the plains of Africa in the 16th century, then they travel to America before the Revolutionary War. The first book of the series starts as the story of a power struggle between our two protagonists. The thing that stands out is that as the series progresses the books and characters start to change in a way where each book could stand on its own until the end where it all comes together.
My favorite thing about this book is the depth of the characters, there are no good or bad people, just people who act according to their views, goals and fears. It's an excellent exploration of power and gender.
Billy Summers by Stephen King
Reading Stephen King is like watching a movie, you sit back, relax, grab some popcorn or a snack and let him take you on a ride. The main character was a Marine that was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq in the year 2004 and for some weird reason I can relate to that. The plot and people are good, and yeah, I cried at the end of the book, don't say I didn't warn you.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
This is a story set in America in the 1950's two boys go on a road trip in search of their mother. This is like reading the classic Odyssey but it's in the States instead of Ancient Greece. Gorgeous writing, good characters, the plot is okay but the point is the journey, not the destination.
Most Thought-Provoking books from 2022
The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah Jones
A collection of different essays that expands on the NYT series. This book caused conservatives to lose their shit because it dared to question the established myths that we tell ourselves about America. 1619 explores the legacy of Slavery in the United States and explores how much it shaped our country, our history, our culture.
The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power
Who is Peter Thiel? That's the question this book attempts to answer. It does a good job at it, but what makes it thought provoking for me is that Silicon Valley has this reputation of being run by a bunch of hippie bleeding-heart liberals and the truth is quite the opposite.
How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going
This book confronts the current big issues of our time and offer the reader a sober look at reality. Where does the energy we consume come from and where does it go to. What does concrete and steel production have to do with climate change (spoiler: a lot)
I must say that this book is a bit depressing, there are a lot of complicated problems with no easy solutions. This is the stuff that doesn't get talked about as much on the daily news because it doesn't have catchy sound bites, but it's worth knowing about. I'm sure John Oliver in HBO does a good job of covering these type of things. Anyway, this is an important book, if you want to be an informed citizen, you should know what's in this book.
Most Useful books of 2022 (For me anyway)
Peak Mind: Find your Focus. Own Your Attention.
How to pay attention and be present in the moment. The answer: A tried and scientifically proven way to improve mindfulness: Using Meditation.
Fun fact about this book, I picked it up on impulse when I was at Chicago O'Hare Airport, the opening paragraph caught my eye and I bought it and did not put it down until I was done with it. I really liked the author's voice, it's like she's having a conversation about this stuff with you.
I must say that I can struggle with paying attention and being in the moment, but without this book I would be much, much worse.
Success Under Stress: Powerful Tools for Staying Calm, Confident and Productive When the Pressure's On.
This is one of those self-help books, so I got this book for free, there was like a big stack of them at the Blackfoot building in Seattle back when it housed the EC2 team (back when I worked for EC2) I picked it up, started reading it, went like, meh, and moved on. However, I picked it up again after reading the book on paying attention. I started to slowly read it and do all the exercises in the book. There are a lot of sections that I still think are BS, but there are some gold nuggets in there disguised as tautologies. I like the section about having clarity of purpose and understanding one's own Horizon point.
