Looking for books to add to your reading list in 2022? Here are 10 titles for your consideration. The list is broken into three categories – General Recommendations, Personal Development, and Business. I’ve also included a list of fun reads if my 10 must reads aren’t enough.
As you dive into the list, keep in mind that my tastes lean towards technology and science fiction, so most of the books on the list are from those genres.
General recommendations
- American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
A middle income woman and her son are forced to flee Mexico to escape the violence around gangs and the drug trade. Although it’s a fictional story, it’s still an interesting portrayal of the challenges people face attempting to migrate to the United States, whether legally or illegally. It helped me understand that the immigration issue is not all or none, and it can’t be solved by a one-size-fits all approach. It’s a nuanced issue with many facets that’s going to take determination and creativity if we want to address it properly. - Lexicon by Max Barry
Language is powerful, but what if there were real power in language? Lexicon will take you on an adventure that might make you consider what you say, what you read, or what you hear. - Delta-v by Daniel Suarez
All the hype these days is about colonizing Mars or setting up space habitats as a means to preserve humanity. What if the real answer lie in a solution that’s rarely discussed – mining asteroids? The story is well written and solid, but it’s the technical details that captured my attention. Suarez put a lot of effort into researching the book and does a deep dive into the space exploration methods currently under consideration. Well worth reading if you’re interested in what could happen in the realm of space exploration over the next 20-25 years. - All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
I’ve read quite a few books on time travel, quantum theory, multiverses, and the ramifications of altering the time-space continuum. I found All Our Wrong Todays to be an entertaining and thought provoking read on the subject. It explores the decisions an individual would face if their time travel changed the course of history and whether they should undo the changes they caused.
Personal development
- The Diet Myth by Tim Spector
Reading diet and nutrition books from many different authors has had a dramatic impact on how and what I eat. The Diet Myth confirmed some things I already knew, introduced a couple of new ideas into my diet, and explained how people’s diet needs differ. A great read if you’re looking to round out your knowledge on food and how it affects us, both good and bad. - Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday
Full disclosure, I’m a big fan of Ryan Holiday’s writings, and Stillness Is the Key is no exception. In this book, Holiday looks at how larger than life figures throughout history have used quiet time, reflection, and introspection to address some of the biggest challenges they faced during their lives. The book heavily references Stoic philosophy, but you don’t need to have a deep understanding of the topic to get a lot out of this book. - Super Brain by Deepak Chopra and Rudolph E. Tanzi
Neuroscience, and the study of the brain in general, fascinates me. I feel like there is so much we have to learn about how our minds work and how our thoughts affect both our self and the world around us. Super Brain looks at how we can harness the power of the brain and our thoughts to achieve our highest potential.
Business
- Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
Creativity, Inc. is the story of Pixar by one of its co-founders and CEO, Ed Catmull. Unlike many business books where the author uses the book to stroke his ego, Catmull takes an honest look at the challenges and difficulties in building Pixar into a business, and the importance timing and luck played in the outcome. He shares concepts which worked for Pixar. These are general principles that can be applied to any creative business. I highly recommend it if you lead or manage a group of any size in the creative field, or if you just like Pixar movies and want to understand more about all the work it takes to make a movie like Toy Story come to life. - Trampled by Unicorns by Maëlle Gavet
Big tech continues to grown in power and influence. Depending on your viewpoint, this could be a good thing or a bad thing. No matter what side of the fence you are on, Trampled by Unicorns will engage and challenge your thinking. I may not have agreed with all of Gavet’s assertions or proposed solutions, which made it feel like I was having an engaging debate while reading the book. Any book that is able to challenge your thinking on this level is well worth reading. - The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
We like to think that great products are built solely on innovation. While that may be true for some products, the greatest products are woven into the fabric of life. They become part of our routine, our habits. Duhigg explores how people develop habits and how marketers have inserted their products into a person’s daily ritual, or created a new one. It’s a book that will change your perspective on how products are developed and marketed.
Fun Reads
I’m not going to get into the details for each of these books. Feel free to click on the link to see my detailed review.
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- Afterparty by Daryl Gregory
- (R)evolution by PJ Manney
- The Fold by Peter Clines
- Nameless: Season 1 by Dean Koontz
- Selected Stories by Theodore Sturgeon
Finally, if you’d like a few more books to round out your 2022 reading list, here’s are the lists from years past.