I always find it enjoyable at the end of each year to look back and see which books I most loved during the previous year.
Below are my recommendations from 2022!
I gave FIVE STARS to all of the following!
Caption titles beneath each book image link to my reviews.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Humorous look (with substance) at a smart woman with modern feminist sensibilities pitted against the male-dominated scientific research world of the 1950s.
The Steel Beneath the Silk by Patricia Bracewell. The conclusion of a three-novel series about Emma of Normandy, twice-queen of England.
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester. Strong women, espionage, and fashion surrounding Paris during World War II.
The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. A different take on Poland during World War II, looking at how people hid and survived in the forests.
Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. Inventive and believable back story to an American classic: THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathanial Hawthorne.
The Lost Town: Bringing Back Trochenbrod by Avrom Bendavid-Val. One man’s desire to know his father takes him on a multi-year search for a lost Jewish town.
Right from the Start: A Practical Guide for Helping Young Children with Autism by Karin Donahue. Specific and practical help about how to support and encourage a young child on the autism spectrum.
Tin Man by Sarah Winman. Deeply moving account of love, loss, and the power one individual can have in another’s life.
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. Wonderful story of a woman involved in the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary.
The Orphan Keeper by Camron Wright. The young adult version of a novel about shady overseas adoptions.
Aging with Wisdom: Reflections, Stories, and Teachings by Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle. Inspiration from a thoughtful older woman about the grace of aging.
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman. Based on a true story, a terrifying glimpse inside a real mental institution that was forcibly closed.
The Teacher of Warsaw by Mario Escobar. Based on the true story of a Polish physician-educator who risked his life to save Jewish children during World War II.
Toby A. Smith 