What I read in 2022

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It’s always interesting looking back on the compilation of what I read in the year. Like, what about my season of life influenced the books I picked up? Notice any patterns? 

Below is everything I read in 2022, who I’d recommend them for or even if I would recommend them!

(A) – Listened on Audible
** – Favorites

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1. Break The Mold: Five Tools to Conquer Mold and Take Back Your Health – Jill Christa

I had just found out I had mold in my body so I went on quite the deep dive. This was by far the easier book on the topic.

2. Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness – Neil Nathan

This book seems to be the authority as most mold experts reference this book. So if you want to go straight to the source, this is a good one but it is much deeper and is not as much written user-friendly.

3. Mold Money: How to Save Thousands of Dollars on Mold Remediation and Make Sure the Mold Is Gone – Daniel P Stih

This book was not as helpful as I originally thought mainly because of the fear tactics. I would recommend talking with Andrew from Mold Authority Live instead! 

4. God’s Chosen Fast – Arthur Wallis

This was a pretty short and easy read on fasting with lots of good, basic information. He focused more on longer fasts (like days or weeks) so if you’re just starting out, I’d probably recommend our blog post here and podcast episode on fasting here, or Ronnie Floyd’s book on fasting. If you have a copy of Pray Confidently and Consistently, there’s a whole chapter on it in there too! 

5. Fridge Love: Organize Your Refrigerator for a Healthier, Happier Life – Kristen Hong

Y’all loved when I shared a photo of my rainbow fridge years ago. The inspiration for it has come out with a book and it was great! She shares everything from getting the most out of your fridge life, increasing the life of your fruits and veggies so you throw away less, and tips for prep as well. I would have loved a few more pics, but her Instagram is chocked full of that if you want more! 

6. Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will (A) – Kevin DeYoung

I picked this book on a whim when I felt very overwhelmed by my tendency to search for the meaning in every little thing! I think being Spirit-led is important, but I often forget to balance it out with knowing that there are things God’s already clearly said in His Word to do. 

7. The Comfortable Kitchen: 105 Laid-Back, Healthy, and Wholesome Recipes – Alex Snodgrass **

I LOVE Alex Snodgrass’ recipes! I have her first cookbook and this is just as good. I love making big batches of her soups and freezing them in individual bags to have for a quick and healthy lunch. She has tons of dairy-free and gluten-free options. 

8. The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World – Brett McCracken

I wrote a whole blog post on the wisdom pyramid that you can check out right here. If you struggle with content consumption and finding a healthy balance (aka less phone more Scripture) you’ll love his approach and finding new avenues of wisdom to explore.

9. The Flirtation Experiment: Putting Magic, Mystery, and Spark Into Your Everyday Marriage – Lisa Jacobson & Phylicia Masonheimer

This is a 30-day challenge for wives to add some spark into everyday life with our husbands. I love Lisa and Phy so I figured I would enjoy the book, but I just love the creative ideas and reminders it gave me. So often I’d like to add more mystery into our 12 year-marriage, but figuring out how is easier said than done. 

10. Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers – Gordon Neufeld & Gabor Mate

I wrote a whole blog post on this book here. Definitely check it out if you’re a parent. 

11. Redeeming Your Time: 7 Biblical Principles for Being Purposeful, Present, and Wildly Productive (A) – Jordan Raynor

Jordan does such a great job on sharing a biblical case for being intentional with our time. That might sound silly because don’t we know that? But it seems we’re always swinging away from “earning salvation” to accepting laziness and I loved this practical motivation. Listen to our convo on the podcast here. 

12. Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World ** – Jennie Allen

This was one of my favorite books of the year! I don’t read a ton on community but this one has so many stories I remember, a dive into the history of relationships, and lots of encouragement.

13. Mystery at the Ski Jump –  Carolyn Keene

I saw Kara from our team had a Nancy Drew on her Goodreads and I decided I needed a good lowkey fiction. It was nostalgic, comforting and a nice way to relax before bed. 

14. The Finishing School – Valerie Woerner

I am working on a revised copy of The Finishing School so I reread it this year! It’s honestly been a while and so many things I wrote were a refreshing reminder that I needed.

15. 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing – Gary Provost

This was a quick read to help hone my writing craft. 🙂

16. Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers – Dane C. Ortlund

This was tough to get through because of the writing style, no anecdotes or stories, but the content was solid and much needed for my perfectionist’s heart.

17.  Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off the Beaten Path (A) – Erin Loechner

If you love a good book on slowing down but like them more story-driven, this is your cup of tea! It’s funny how the idea of slowing down, we can take and make this big task. 

18. Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books – Tony Reinke

I loved this book about books!! As someone who is pretty intentional with what I read, this book inspired fresh ideas and concepts I hadn’t thought about yet. 

19. Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better – Brant Hansen

As I researched for a blog post on taking an offense (find it here) I found this book. There were some good lines but honestly it wasn’t a favorite and I probably would have skipped if it wasn’t for research. 

20. When I Relax I Feel Guilty – Tim Hansel

If you beat yourself up for not accomplishing enough when you fall into bed, I think you’ll love this book! It’s old school and short, written from a Biblical perspective. 

21. Reversing Hashimoto’s: A 3-Step Process for Losing Weight, Ending Fatigue and Reducing Brain Fog – Anshul Gupta MD

Quick read on how to reverse Hashimoto’s which I am working on. 😉

22. French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure – Mireille Guiliano

I love a good book that’s motivating with stories of history or culture. Who doesn’t love an inside look at French culture? 

23. Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation – Nancy Guthrie

I wanted to study Revelation this year and I read two books with differing views. I would encourage  anyone wanting to study Revelation to read at least more than one viewpoint. 

24. Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War between the Windsors (A) – Tom Bower

This was wild to read. I don’t have too strong of an opinion on it.

25. Suffering Is Never for Nothing ** – Elisabeth Elliot

Everyone needs to read this book! I think our world would be a much different place if we responded to suffering the way Elisabeth does. I will reread this book often.

26. Breaking Free from Body Shame: Dare to Reclaim What God Has Named Good (A) – Jess Connolly

This book was unexpectedly encouraging to me. I say that because I don’t feel a lot of overwhelm with my weight specifically but as I struggled with lots of health issues, I thought this could be a message I needed and it was! I shared how it played a part in my healing here. 

27. Total Forgiveness: True Inner Peace Awaits You! – R.T. Kendall

I picked up this book as I was researching on taking offense. It is thorough for sure. Not a favorite. It sounds silly but I’d just read our blog post here. 

28. The Non-Prophet’s Guide to the Book of Revelation: Bible Prophecy for Everyone – Todd Hampson

This is the other book on Revelation that I read. A different viewpoint and very well written. 

29. Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church (A) – Katelyn Beaty

I am always curious about books like this. I have so many thoughts on celebrity Christian culture, but while this had some good info, it wasn’t as good as I hoped. 

30. The 6 Types of Working Genius ** – Patrick Lencioni

Patrick is the king of the easy read!! I fly through his books. This was about our working personalities and why we might have a lot of friction if our teams aren’t balanced. It was eye-opening even in our home to see that because Tyler and I have similar “geniuses” it makes sense while we struggle with some very basic home-related tasks. 

31. The Vision Driven Leader: 10 Questions to Focus Your Efforts, Energize Your Team, and Scale Your Business – Michael Hyatt

I have felt a little off lately with Val Marie Paper. Like I said in my last post, it’s been a weird year. I feel like with my health and then shipping, I haven’t been able to focus on the vision of VMP. This book is practical and organized to help any business owners get out of the weeds and focus on the long game. 

32. Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church ** – Holly Pivec, R. Douglas Geivett

I feel like I’ve heard for years now about the theology of Bethel music and questions of if we should be playing it in our churches. I didn’t have any depth of understanding on what Bethel believed along with other NAR churches. This was so eye-opening and I’m thankful to not be ignorant to this anymore!

33. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living – Dale Carnegie

This was an interesting read. Some things proved that truth and science stand the test of time. Other things have been obviously debunked since it was written. Lots about positive thinking. 

Okay, there you have it!! My books for 2022. And if you’re looking for some more good books to add to your list, here are mine 😉

The Finishing School
Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday
Fresh Start for Moms
Pray Confidently and Consistently
Springboard Prayers

What were some of your favorite reads of the year? Was it a good year for books? Did you quit any half way through? Did any change the way you see the world? Leave a comment for all us fellow book-lovers!! 

COMING UP NEXT: 2022 Lifechangers

MISSED THESE?:
2022 Answered Prayers
2022 Goals Recap