Top Books You Need To Read in 2022

Reading lists begin as a shelf full of “meaning to’s” until the year flies by, and you find yourself flooded with procrastination as you don’t know where to start.

Cheers to the wide range of books at Waterstones, we’ve collated a list of some amazing 2022 releases that should not be missed; whether you like fiction, non-fiction, or if you’re wanting to get your kids reading and off of their phones – they have it all!

Fiction:

To Paradise – Hanya Yanagihara

Traversing three centuries and three alternative versions of the American experiment, the author of A Little Life returns with a spellbinding chronicle of love, the meaning of family and the excruciating cost of unattainable dreams.

Elizabeth Finch – Julian Barnes 

Charting the story of a remarkable teacher through the recollections of a former student, this stunning novel from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Sense of an Ending is both a breath-taking testament to the power of human connection and a deeply-felt love letter to philosophy.

Pandora – Susan Stokes – Chapman

A must for fans of historical fiction, this addictively readable debut merges the Greek myth of Pandora with the milieu of Georgian London where a frustrated young artisan and an ambitious antiquarian scholar find their futures enmeshed with the discovery of an ancient vase that holds secrets as dangerous as they are tempting.

Non Fiction

Burning Questions – Margaret Attwood 

From big tech to breakfast cereal, the iconic author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments dissects the 21st century so far in a series of impish and insightful essays.

His name is George Floyd – Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa 

Reclaiming the life of the man from the political totem that his name has become, Washington Post reporters Samuels and Olurunippa’s definitive biography of George Floyd shines an urgent light on systemic racism and inequality in modern America.

Fix the System, Not the Women – Laura Bates 

Unequivocally debunking the myth that acts of violence towards women are merely ‘isolated incidents,’ the ground-breaking author of Everyday Sexism and Men Who Hate Women lays bare the patterns of systemic misogyny that result in shockingly high numbers of women losing their lives.

Children 

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief – A.F Steadman

Already building up a formidable reputation as THE new children’s fantasy series of 2022, prepare to experience a magical world full of courageous heroes and warrior unicorns perfect for all fans of Harry Potter and Dragon Realm, as young Skandar takes to the skies to battle a deadly enemy.

Like a Charm – Elle McNicoll

The acclaimed winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize returns with a typically imaginative and compassionate story of an Edinburgh full of magical creatures – and the only girl who can see them.

The Breakfast Club Adventures – Marcus Rashford and Alex Falase Koya

The third title in the Marcus Rashford Book Club marks the fiction debut of the international footballer and food poverty campaigner himself, as a group of self-styled Breakfast Club Investigators take the twelve-year-old Marcus under their wing.