Good morning Reader! I recently shared my best books of 2022, which you can read here, and today I want to share some of my favorite books that didn’t make that list. These are books that I gave 4 and 4.5 stars and they didn’t make the 5 star mark for one reason or other but I quite liked all the same. I’ll link reviews for those I have reviewed so far.

So here are 21 books I quite enjoyed and recommend in no particular order

  • Pleasantview by Celeste Mohammed

A novel told in short stories. Read my review here

  • Sula by Toni Morrison

A mad book. My jaw was on the floor all through. Read my review here

  • Verity by Colleen Hoover

Such a suspenseful read. Read my review here

  • Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller

Such a bleak read yet I couldn’t put it down

  • When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

Such a beautiful book. Read my review here

  • The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak is an all time favorite, and I fear she has no bad books. Read my review here

  • The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell

A multigenerational story that is both engaging and evocative

  • The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

A conspiracy told so well!

  • Beloved by Toni Morrison

What a book. Raw, mad, haunting, horrific, harrowing. Read my review here

  • Seven Days In June by Tia Williams

Romance done so well.

  • Here Comes The Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn

An explororation of familial relationships and how they inform our choices and decisions.

  • The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

What a provocative book. Read my review here.

  • Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Twice read and twice loved. Read my review here

  • Things They Lost by Okwiri Oduor

A coming of age story filled with magical realism. A beautiful slow burn book. Read my review here

  • It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Honest and raw

  • Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

A vivid book that is quite immersive

  • Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan

Love explored in humor and great banter

  • Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne

An adventure packaged as a book

  • From Scratch by Tembi Locke

A story on love, loss and grief

  • Higher Love by Alexandria House

One of my favorite black romance of all time. Beautiful and steamy!

  • Beach Read by Emily Henry

Believe the hype!

There goes my list. Books that I didn’t have physical copies of I read on Scribd, a bookish subscription service with unlimited access to ebooks and audiobooks and if you use my link, you will get 2 months free when you first sign up.

See any favorites?