Top Reads for 2022
It’s hard to believe we’re already closing out 2021! It has been an eventful year of diverse virtual and in-person programming, and of course, great literature. LA County Library cardholders enjoyed a vast selection of books this past year.
Our expert staff curated a list of the most frequently checked-out titles of 2021 and their most anticipated titles of 2022. If you’re looking for a great book to read, check out our roundup below!
Most Anticipated Books of 2022
Books for Adults
- A Ballad of Love and Glory
Reyna Grande
Fiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 3/15/22
I first heard about St. Patrick’s Batallion — the San Patricios — thanks to a program hosted by LA County Library’s Chicano Resource Center. I thought it was a fascinating story: motivated by solidarity with their fellow Catholics, as well as the poor treatment they had endured at the hands of their Protestant officers, a couple hundred soldiers — many of them immigrants from Ireland — defected from the U.S. Army to fight on behalf of Mexico during the Mexican-American War. In A Ballad of Love and Glory, Reyna Grande tells the story not only of John Riley, the founder of the St. Patrick’s Batallion, but also that of a gifted young healer, Ximena Salomé, who becomes a nurse on the frontlines of the battlefield. I am looking forward to reading this epic historical novel, which sounds like it will be thought-provoking, suspenseful, and romantic. - Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
Fiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 7/12/22
I read a lot of Gabrielle Zevin’s YA novels when I was a teen services librarian. I really admired her writing; it was creative, intriguing, and generally pretty unputdownable. Then I read her adult novel The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, and it became one of my favorite books to recommend to, well, pretty much everyone. I’m loving the publisher’s description of the themes of her upcoming novel Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: “the multifarious nature of identity, games as artform, technology and the human experience, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love.” Sign me up! - Bake: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics
Paul Hollywood
Nonfiction
Anticipated Publication Date: June 2022
The formidable judge of the Great British Baking Show shares his take on the great classic recipes in this sumptuous volume of delicious, accessible and challenging bakes for the home baker. - The Secret to Love, Health and Money
Rhonda Byrne
Nonfiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 2/1/22
In this in-depth master class you’ll discover how to achieve personal happiness, wellbeing, and success by applying the law of attraction with this collection of lessons, advice, and case studies from the author of the groundbreaking bestseller The Secret, Rhonda Byrne. - River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile
Candice Millard
Nonfiction
Anticipated Publication Date: May 2022
From the author of RIVER OF DOUBT and DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC, the stirring story of one of the great feats of exploration of all time, and its complicated legacy. Candice Millard has written another peerless story of courage and adventure, set against the backdrop of the race to exploit Africa by the colonial powers. - Life Force: How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love
Tony Robbins
Nonfiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 2/8/22
Transform your life or the life of someone you love with Life Force—the newest breakthroughs in health technology to help maximize your energy and strength, prevent disease, and extend your health span—from bestselling author Tony Robbins. - Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron
Julia Quinn
Adult Graphic Novel
Anticipated Publication Date: 3/22/22
A madcap romantic adventure, Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron has appeared in several Julia Quinn novels and enthralled some of her most beloved characters. Now this delicious tale of love and peril is available for everyone to enjoy in this wonderfully unconventional graphic novel. - Eye
Victor LaValle
Adult Graphic Novel
Anticipated Publication Date: 3/22/22
A powerful dystopian adventure about the world we leave behind… and the price that must be paid to restore life to a dying planet. - Jurassic World: Dominion
Anticipated Publication Date: TBA
I am eagerly anticipating the June release of this film. I have been a big fan of this dinosaur film series from the beginning. The special effects wizards are great at making bigger and toothier dinosaurs with each film. All the better to chase the wise-cracking humans! Spoiler Alert: A certain trio of doctors will be returning to deal with the latest people-eating dinosaur dilemma. The DVD release date is TBA. - Invencible: Cómo Descubrí Mi Fuerza a través del Amor y La Pérdida
Chiquis Rivera
Adult Nonfiction in Spanish
Anticipated Publication Date: 2/8/22
In this highly anticipated memoir, Chiquis picks up where her previous memoir Forgiveness left off. She talks about her mothers’ tragic death, raising her younger siblings, meeting and marring Lorenzo Mendez, who she thought was the man of her dreams – and reveals the dark secret that damaged their relationship. - Violeta
Isabel Allende
Adult Fiction in Spanish
Anticipated Publication Date: 1/25/22
The epic and exciting story of Violeta, a woman whose life covers the most relevant historic moments of the twentieth century. Her life will be shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women’s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics.
Books for Teens
- The Final Gambit
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Teen Fiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 8/30/22
The Inheritance Games trilogy, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, started off with a bang: a teenager who has recently had to start living in her car inherits the vast fortune of a bilionaire she’s never met. Both the first and second book were full of twists, turns, puzzles, riddles, and a dash of romance. I can’t wait for the 3rd book to arrive in hopes that it will finally answer all of my burning questions: Is Hawthorne House hiding any more secrets? What new dangers will try to separate Avery from her inheritance? Did Tobias Hawthorne really intend for Avery to be his heir, or will he play a final card from beyond the grave? - Coming Back
Jessi Zabarsky
Teen Graphic Novel
Anticipated Publication Date: 1/18/22
This gorgeous graphic novel is an LGTBQ+ romance about young love and how it can grow into something strong no matter what obstacles get in the way. - An Unreliable Magic
Rin Chupeco
Teen Fiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 5/3/22
Wicked As You Wish, the first title in Chupeco’s Hundred Names for Magic, was one of the most interesting YA fantasy novels published in 2020. Set in an alternate reality where magic exists — although the story begins in the Royal States of America, where magic is outlawed — the novel features a teenage curse breaker, a prince in exile from a cursed kingdom, and references to legends and myths from all over the world. The worldbuilding was phenomenal, the action was exciting, and I very much want to see where Chupeco will be taking the story to in this 2nd volume. - Pixels of You
Ananth Hirsh
Teen Graphic Novel
Anticipated Publication Date: 2/8/22
In a near future New York City of cyber augmentation and artificial intelligence, Indira and Fawn, two competitive interns in an art gallery, work together on a photography project, turning a rivalry into a friendship and perhaps something more.
Books for Kids
- Falling Short
Ernesto Cisneros
Children’s Fiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 3/15/22
From the author of Efrén Divided which was one of my favorite books from 2020. I can’t wait to see what Ernesto comes up with next. - Tales from a Not-so-Posh Paris Adventure
Rachel Renée Russell
Children’s Fiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 11/9/22
This is the highly anticipated book #15 in the Dork Diaries series with the original publication date of October 13, 2020 which was then pushed to 2021 and now next year. - Packing for Mars for Kids
Mary Roach
Children’s Nonfiction
Anticipated Publication Date: 4/5/22
Packing for Mars for Kids, by Mary Roach is the young reader’s edition of her bestseller, Packing for Mars! I’ve always loved Mary Roach and I’m very excited that she has made this book accessible to middle graders. All of the fun, gross, and interesting aspects about traveling to space and being an astronaut is cleverly presented in this slim volume to be published on April 5th! - Cat Kid Comic Club 3: On Purpose
Dav Pilkey
Children’s Graphic Novel
Anticipated Publication Date: 4/5/22
Riding on the coattails of the series’s big brother, Dog Man, Cat Kid books are now just as hard to keep on the shelves! In this third installment, each of the baby frog Comic Club members will get to showcase their own unique styles in the mini comics. With the second title just released in November, fans won’t have to wait long for their next dose of this cute bunch. - Encanto
Children’s DVD
Anticipated Publication Date: February
A delightful musical from Disney Studios that tells the story of ordinary girl trying to find her place in a magical family. I love how the story shows how the magically- gifted members of the family have their own problems and pressures. The beautiful animation is enhanced by original songs by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. Also, Pico the Toucan is the best. The film will be available on DVD in February.
