Top 5 Reads of 2022

Considering the year is a few weeks shy of being over, this is the longest it’s taken me to get a top reads post out! I got several requests for last year’s top books. Turns out with a newborn AND a toddler around and basically attached to you 24/7, typing out blog posts (let alone planning them) can be trying! I’m not the hustling kind, it turns out.

I’m already excited to share my top 2023 books - though I ended up listening to the majority of them, there were some really great ones that stood out. Let’s knock last year out first though!

(By the way, you can find even more of my favorites on my Amazon page here!)

Affiliate links are used in this post

1. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

Truly the best non-fiction book I’ve read in a while. Reframed my thinking around gatherings of all sorts and helped me start thinking about how to make gatherings more intentional and meaningful. Highly recommend!

2. The Truth About Ben and June by Alex Kiester

Great fiction. The writing style was A++ as I’ve not encountered a book from two perspectives written as well as this was. Excellent writing aside, the story itself was gripping and heartbreaking and I was very satisfied with the ending.

3. The Great Sex Rescue: The LIes You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, Joanna Sawatsky

Finally, a Christian book that offers a healthy perspective on marriage and helps reframe unhealthy ways one may have been raised believing.

4. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

A fun historical fiction about five women running the traveling library in small-town Kentucky. An easy read and very interesting!

5. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Fun read of therapy from a therapist’s point of view. Strong language warning, but still a fascinating book.



I decided not to do a complete 2022 list this year, as these were my favorites anyway! You can check out my past book lists for favorites and I keep my Amazon storefront updated with favorite books as well.

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What were some of the best books you read in 2022? Were any of these on your list?

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Top 5 Reads of 2021

This is the longest it’s taken me to get a top reads post out! I got several requests for last year’s top books. Turns out with a newborn around and basically attached to you 24/7, typing out blog posts can be trying! If you checked out my complete reading list for 2021, you saw all the books I read. I enjoyed most of them, but these stood out. And if you were curious about what I didn’t like, I would not recommend the Baxter series if you aren’t willing to devote yourselves to the fictional family. I felt like I had to read them just because I needed closure - not because I particularly enjoyed them. I saw that a new Baxter book is coming out, but I will not be reading it, in case you were wondering. 

I’m already excited to share my top 2022 books - the year has started out great in terms of books! But first, 2021…

(By the way, you can find even more of my favorites on my Amazon page here!)

Affiliate links are used in this post

1. Counted with the Stars by Connilyn Cossette (Out from Egypt #1)

This was great, though I did feel that some of the storylines should have been more complete. I loved the idea behind this book. If you like Biblical fiction, you’ll enjoy it too. Also, the cover art is just *chef’s kiss*

Get your copy here on Amazon.

2. Until the Mountains Fall by Connilyn Cossette (Cities of Refuge #3)

This entire series is fantastic. I would suggest starting with the first book and making your way through, but I can’t *technically* choose number one to go on this list since I read it in 2020.

Get your copy here on Amazon.

3. Building a Story Brand: Clarify your message so that customers will listen by Donald Miller

An awesome business book that highlights the power of storytelling. Storytelling is near and dear to my heart. I also read Business made Simple by him and it was great. If you are starting a business, both of these books are very practical, helpful, and easy to implement!

Get your copy here on Amazon.

4. Boundaries in Marriage by Dr. Henry Cloud

A branch of the original Boundaries book (you can read my review of it here), but so worth the read. Super practical and offered a lot of food for thought.

Get your copy here on Amazon.

5. Dream Big by Bob Goff

It’s Bob Goff. It’s all good. No more to say other than he always makes my top lists when I read him in a year.

Get your copy here on Amazon.



If you want to see the complete list, check out this blog post here. I’ve enjoyed doing these book posts every year for the past couple of years.

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What were some of the best books you read in 2021? I'd love some recommendations for 2022!

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Books I Read in 2021

Bam. The year started out crazy busy and I thought to myself, “there is no way I’m going to get my reading done this year.” So I set out with a book goal of 30 for the year. Last year, due to stay-at-home orders and being able to work from my home office, reading was easier to get to, but from January to May this year, it was a struggle. However, come July, I realized that I hit my book goal of 30! I am not exactly sure how it happened, but it did.

I’ll be doing more book review-type posts in the future because I read some really great volumes this year, but for now, here is the much-requested book list. Please note that this is just a list of the books I read; I didn’t necessarily find them all great to read...you’ll have to wait for my top reads to find out which ones I loved :)

I use a combination of Libby (free library app - you just need a library card!) and Kindle Unlimited (use this link to try it free for 30 days!)  to read so that I don’t collect more books than I already own and spend more money than I should probably save. I’ll link the books below (affiliate links that help us keep Maple Alps going!) as well so you can grab your copies easily. You can find some other favorites of mine in my Amazon Storefront as well!

By the way, if you want to be friends on Goodreads, you can find me here! I finally updated my account.

This post contains affiliate links

Nonfiction

// 1. “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” by Mindy Kaling (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “Dare to Lead” by Brene Brown (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “What to Eat When You’re Pregnant: How to Support Your Health and Your Baby’s Development During Pregnancy” by Nicole M. Avena (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5.“Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen” by Donald Miller (get your copy on Amazon here) // 6. “Business Made Simple: 60 Days to Master Leadership, Sales, Marketing, Execution, Management, Personal Productivity and More” by Donald Miller (get your copy on Amazon here) // 7. “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth” by Ina May Gaskin (get your copy on Amazon here) // 8. “The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality” by Kimberly Ann Johnson (get your copy on Amazon here) //9. “My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress” by Rachel DeLoache Williams (get your copy on Amazon here) // 10. “Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really Is So Much More” by Courtney Carver (get your copy on Amazon here)

Christian Nonfiction

// 1. “I Dared to Call Him Father: The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Woman’s Encounter with God” by Bilquiz Sheikh (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2 . “Intended for Pleasure: Sex Technique and Sexual Fulfillment in Christian Marriage” by Ed Wheat (get your copy on Amazon here) //3. “Dream Big: Know What You Want, Why You Want It, and What You’re Going to Do About It” by Bob Goff (get your copy on Amazon here) //4. “Boundaries in Marriage” by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend (get your copy on Amazon here) //5. “Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been” by Jackie Hill Perry (get your copy on Amazon here)

Historical Fiction

// 1. “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr (get your copy on Amazon here) //2. “The German Girl” by Armando Lucas Correa (get your copy on Amazon here)

Baxter Family Series

// 1. “Take Two” (Above the Line, #2) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “Take Three” (Above the Line, #3) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “Take Four” (Above the Line, #4) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “Leaving” (Bailey Flanigan, #1) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “Learning” (Bailey Flanigan, #2) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 6. “Longing” (Bailey Flanigan, #3) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 7. “Loving” (Bailey Flanigan, #4) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) //8. “A Baxter Family Christmas” by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) //9. “Coming Home” by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here)

Christian Fiction

// 1. “Shelter of the Most High” (Cities of Refuge #2) by Connilyn Cossette (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “Until the Mountains Fall” (Cities of Refuge #3) by Connilyn Cossette (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “The Truth Seeker” (O’Malley #3) by Dee Henderson (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “Like Flames in the Night” (Cities of Refuge #4) by Connilyn Cossette (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “Counted with the Stars” (Out From Egypt #1) by Connilyn Cossette (get your copy on Amazon here) //6. “Shadow of the Storm” (Out From Egypt #2) by Connilyn Cossette (get your copy on Amazon here) //7. “Wings of the Wind” (Out From Egypt #3) by Connilyn Cossette (get your copy on Amazon here) //8. “Judah’s Wife: A Novel of the Maccabees” (The Silent Years #2) by Angela Elwell Hunt (get your copy on Amazon here)

Non-Christian Fiction

// 1. “Forever Wild” (The Simple Wild, #2.5) by K.A. Tucker (get your copy on Amazon here)
//2.“Everything I Never Told You” By Celeste Ng (get your copy on Amazon here) //3. “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng (get your copy on Amazon here) //4. “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett (get your copy on Amazon here)

Top 6 Reads of 2020

2020 was the year that offered me more time, and in that time, my 24 book goal turned into 75, and I even exceeded that. Since I read so many good books this year, it was EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to narrow it down to the favorites I wanted to share with you. Since I’ve done top 6 reads for the last few years, I’ll take it as a personal challenge to continue the trend.

I’m currently taking suggestions for the reads to start with for this year! In case you are interested in seeing the complete list of books I read this year, I’ve linked the two posts (Part 1 and Part 2) below!

(By the way, you can find even more of my favorites on my Amazon page here!)

Affiliate links are used in this post

1. Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, to Take Control of Your Life By Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

This book opened my eyes to all of the ways I am not setting good boundaries in my life, even though I thought I was pretty good at boundaries! It gave me the confidence to set better lines and non-negotiables, and my favorite part about this book was that it was backed up with Scripture. After the first page, I was totally hooked and resonated deeply with it. I would definitely recommend it because even if you don’t think you struggle with boundaries, you likely do. Hehe.

Get your copy here on Amazon.

2. Living for God: Reclaiming the Joy of Christian Virtue by Frank M. Hasel

 I loved how simple and practical this book was. If someone were to talk to me about “Christian virtue” on the street before I read this book, I would have had a completely different idea as to what that meant. My favorite part of this book were the stories that beautifully illustrated each point in a practical and relatable way.

Get your copy here on Amazon.

3. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton

Wow. After I finished this book, I put it down with reverence, relief, anger, and with a burning desire for justice all at once. The amazing true story about Anthony Ray Hinton, and just the raw thoughts he faced while on death row for 30 years - for a crime he did not commit. This book, by the way, was a great follow up to “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, Mr. Hinton’s lawyer. Honorable mention for that book, by the way, because when I finished it, I wanted to quit my job and go to law school so I could help the falsely accused.

Get your copy here on Amazon.

4. Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst

This book definitely touched me and even though I didn’t agree with absolutely everything in it, it stands out as a top book this year. As someone who has felt rejected, less than, lonely, left out, purposeless, and blinded to the beauty of Christ’s love, this book was such an encouragement. I will likely be re-reading this one.

Get your copy here on Amazon.

5. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

Absolutely a top read and one I recommend having a physical copy of, as it is a great one to refer back to later on. I enjoy practical books, which is why I liked this one so much. As a minimal-ish person, I appreciated the approach to minimalism when it comes to technology and our devices that play such a huge role in our lives.

Get your copy here on Amazon.

6. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Okay, so I honestly did not think I was going to like this one as much as I did but I could not put it down! I don’t generally gravitate toward this time period or even this genre of fiction, but the guy at the book store couldn’t stop raving at it. I picked it up out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it - well, clearly, I enjoyed it because it made my top 6 this year!

Get your copy here on Amazon.

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What were some of the best books you read in 2020? I'd love some recommendations for 2021!

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Books I've Read in 2020 (Part 2)

Here we are for part 2 of the books I read this year (click here to check out part 1)! It became very evident, after passing my book goal in the first 3 months of 2020, that I would need to up my numbers. I went for 75 books, and thanks to being on lockdown quite a bit, I was able to achieve that - or exceed it, really, getting in 82 books. Not going to lie, not all of these books were fantastic, but I’ll be doing a roundup of my absolute favorites from the year soon! You will quickly see that I’m a sucker for a series - I just have to figure out what happens even if I’m not totally into it, hehe.

I use a combination of Libby (free library app - you just need a library card!) and Kindle Unlimited (use this link to try it free for 30 days!)  to read so that I don’t collect more books than I already own and spend more money that I should probably save. I’ll link the books below (affiliate links that help us keep Maple Alps going!) as well so you can grab your copies easily. You can find some other favorites of mine in my Amazon Storefront as well!

I haven’t sent a book goal for this year of 2021 yet, but I honestly do not anticipate reading as many as I was able to this last year! By the way, if you want to be friends on Goodreads, you can find me here! I finally updated my account.

This post contains affiliate links

Nonfiction

// 1. “Walking From East to West: God in the Shadows” by Ravi Zacharias (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World” by Cal Newport (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish And Other Self-Care Rituals from Nature” by Rani Shah (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “Night” (The Night Trilogy #1) by Elie Wiesel (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson (get your copy on Amazon here) // 6. “The Origin of Names, Words, and Everything in Between” by Patrick Foote (get your copy on Amazon here) // 7. “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” by Mary L. Trump (get your copy on Amazon here) // 8. “Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know” by Malcolm Gladwell (get your copy on Amazon here) // 9. “Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir” by Amanda Knox (get your copy on Amazon here) //10. “Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff” by Myquillyn Smith (get your copy on Amazon here) //11. “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams” by Matthew Walker, Ph.D. (get your copy on Amazon here) //12. “The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row” by Anthony Ray Hinton (get your copy on Amazon here) //13. “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by John J. Ratey, MD (get your copy on Amazon here) //14. “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo (get your copy on Amazon here) //15. “The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story” by Hyeonseo Lee (get your copy on Amazon here) //16. “Didn’t See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart” by Rachel Hollis (get your copy on Amazon here) //17. “We Were the Lucky Ones: A Novel” by Georgia Hunter (get your copy on Amazon here) //18. “Why Not Me?” by Mindy Kaling (get your copy on Amazon here)

Christian Nonfiction

// 1. “Living for God: Reliving the Joy of Christian Virtue” by Frank M. Hasel (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2 . “It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered” by Lysa Terkeurst  (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are” by Ann Voskamp (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex” by Michael Todd (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “More or Less” by Jeff Shinabarger (get your copy on Amazon here) // 6. “Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life” by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (get your copy on Amazon here) // 7. “The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God” by Timothy J. Keller (get your copy on Amazon here)

Historical Fiction

// 1. “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” (The Tattooist of Auschwitz #1) by Heather Morris (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “Cilka’s Journey (The Tattooist of Auschwitz #2) by Heather Morris (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “Land of Silence” by Tessa Afshar (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “A.D. 30” (A.D. #1) by Ted Dekker (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “A.D. 33” (A.D. #2) by Ted Dekker (get your copy on Amazon here) // 6. “Becoming Mrs. Lewis” by Patti Callahan (get your copy on Amazon here) // 7. “The Book of Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel (get your copy on Amazon here)

Baxter Family Series

// 1. “Return” (Baxter Family Drama Redemption Series #3) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “Rejoice” (Baxter Family Drama Redemption Series #4) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “Reunion” (Baxter Family Drama Redemption Series #5) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “Fame” (Baxter Family Drama Firstborn Series #1) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “Forgiven” (Baxter Family Drama Firstborn Series #2) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 6. “Found”  (Baxter Family Drama Firstborn Series #3) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) // 7. “Family”  (Baxter Family Drama Firstborn Series #4) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) //8. “Forever” (Baxter Family Drama Firstborn Series #5) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) //9. “Sunrise” (Sunrise Series #1) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) //10. “Summer” (Sunrise Series #2) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) //11. “Someday” (Sunrise Series #3) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) //12. “Sunset” (Sunrise Series #4) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here) //13. “Take One” (Above the Line #1) by Karen Kingsbury (get your copy on Amazon here)

Christian Fiction

// 1. “Till We Have Faces” by C.S. Lewis (get your copy on Amazon here) // 2. “The Last Sin Eater” by Francine Rivers (get your copy on Amazon here) // 3. “Bread of Angels” by Tessa Afshar (get your copy on Amazon here) // 4. “Theif of Corinth” by Tessa Afshar (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “Daughter of Rome” by Tessa Afshar (get your copy on Amazon here)

Non-Christian Fiction

// 1. “The Simple Wild” (Wild #1) by K.A. Tucker (get your copy on Amazon here)
//2. “Wild at Heart” (Wild #2) by K.A. Tucker (get your copy on Amazon here) //3. “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett (get your copy on Amazon here) //4. “Say You Still Love Me” by K.A. Tucker (get your copy on Amazon here) // 5. “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman (get your copy on Amazon here)