My Favorite Books List for 2022

Myself 🤨

Please forgive me for digressing too early. I want to express my dissatisfaction that some users on this platform have lately attempted to denigrate people who are sharing their yearly list of favorite books. They are attempting to dissuade individuals from expressing themselves. I have a strong conviction that these folks are unfair in their approach. They should give people the freedom to do whatever they want to do with their lives. If you don't want to share your yearly list of favorite books, that is OK. Nobody is making fun of you because of what you do with your life. As a result, please refrain from interfering in matters that are not your concerns.

On the other hand, I have been posting my list of favorite yearly books for nearly seven years. At the same time, I ask my bibliophilic friends for New Year's book suggestions. I am not the only one who publishes an annual list of his favorite books. You can browse the internet, numerous other people are continuing the same ritual over and over again. Indeed, for many bibliophiles, it has become a tradition. 

Owing to circumstances beyond my control, I have not been able to read as many books as I would have liked this year. Nevertheless, I would want to let you know that I have read some wonderful books that have opened my eyes, amazed me, and thrilled me. Although I must acknowledge that I am a nonfiction devotee, but, this does not imply that I have not read any fiction this year. I read a few of them.

In general, I found new knowledge and mentors in books, and many of them have changed my life. This is why I have always felt that if we make books a part of our companions, we will address a lot of issues by default. Mentorship, for example, is quite unusual nowadays. However, books can provide you with vital guidance that can assist you to advance your personal and professional career.

Furthermore, when aspiring writers like myself practice a constant reading culture, our writing abilities will only improve. If you want to be referred to as an “experienced writer” someday, you must make books a part of your daily life. You should read what other writers have written. The idea is that by reading other writers, you are stimulating yourself to improve your writing prowess. 

Similarly, books are a potent therapy that can heal your heartache. There was a time in my life when I battled an inferiority complex. I had no clue that a book could bring me back into focus. But I was mistaken. Because a lucidly written book by a Mexican author set me free. This demonstrates the extraordinary power of books. Books can help you reconfigure your life. They can assist you in releasing the inner adversary who is keeping you captive. 

Books, once again, can help you develop confidence. They can also help you set achievable objectives — and at the same time help you stay on track every day. For example, when I had an inferiority problem, I told you how a book helped me. In the same fashion, books can help you build confidence and set doable goals at work or in any other situation. And books can teach you the key social coping techniques that would woo you more friends than foes.

Most importantly, you can only reap the advantages of reading books if you put the lessons learned into practice. Because reading books is one thing, but comprehending and implementing the lesson is quite another. Imagine writing on the surface of the water; it is the same as reading but without applying the lesson. For this purpose, you must read, absorb, and apply the teachings correctly.

On the other hand, several of my friends have asked me how to begin reading books. I often inform them that reading books is an adventure. Every bibliophile you may encounter has been reading for a very long time. Through the years, they became stronger. Therefore, everyone interested in embarking on this adventure should realize that beginning small is a terrific approach to getting acquainted with books. For example, after you have determined the genre that is right for you, grab the books and start reading one or two pages from the start. I am referring to people who are beginning from scratch. Do not hurry; after all, even seasoned readers should not rush — and I know they do not. Maintain simplicity. 

Again, I would like to remind us that we should not read books solely for competition or to seek undue recognition; rather, we should consume them to learn something new. This is the only way to not care for what the devotees of trash-talking call you for posting your yearly list of favorites. Admittedly, it does not matter how many books you read throughout the year; what matters is how many books you were able to read from beginning to end.

In no particular order, these are my favorite books in 2022:

The Island of Missing Trees 

(Elif Shafak)

Letter to My Daughter 

(Maya Angelou)

Alice Adventures in Wonderland 

(Lewis Carroll)

The Spirit of Danfo 

(Ugoji Ugbujo)

Economic Diversification in Nigeria 

(Zainab Usman) 

Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa 

(Moyo Dambisa) 

The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man 

(John Perkins) 

Foreign Aid and the Future of Africa 

(Kenneth Kalu)

Blood Oil: Tyrants, Violence, and Rules that Rund the World 

(Leif Weiner)

Writing Prompts for Surprising Creativity 

(Joe Bunting) 

The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need 

(Susan Thurman) 

Writing is Easy 

(Stephen Angbulu) 

NATO 2022 Strategic Concept 

(NATO)

Global Strategy: An Allied Strategy for China 

(Mathew Kroenig and Jeffrey Cimmino)

Perceptions of a Renegade Mind 

(David Icke)

Sapiens: A Brief History of Tomorrow 

(Yuval Noah Harari)

Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes 

(Tamin Ansary)

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck 

(Mark Manson)

The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward 

(Daniel H. Pink) 

Persuasive Genius: 10 Strategies to Instantly Generate Favorable Outcome 

(Ibrahim Dooba, Ph.D.)

Manipulating the Little Manipulators: Quick and Dirty Tricks for Parents 

(Ibrahim Dooba, Ph.D.) 

Political Appointments for Those Who Hate Politics 

(Ibrahim Dooba, Ph.D.)

Tell Don't Tell 

(Ibraheem Dooba, Ph.D.) 

Character: Why Rats Lick Their Babies and to Lick Yours 

(Ibrahim Dooba, Ph.D.)

Umar's (RA) Justice 

(Ibrahim Dooba, Ph.D.) 

The $100 Food Forest: Plant Your Super-Fast Backyard Forest and Start Eating Fruits in Two Years 

(Ibrahim Dooba, Ph.D.) 

The Most Beautiful Love Affair: The Muslim Family Book 

(My Muslim Family, Supported by over 10 Leading Islamic Scholars)

I want to thank everyone who, in one way or another, recommended or shared a book with me. 

Finally, I would like to remind folks who find comfort in trash-talking others who post their yearly list of favorite books that what they are doing is unjust and wrong. Books, on the other hand, can help you be yourself and can provide you with indispensable knowledge and mentors. When you imbibe the habit of reading, your writing prowess will improve over time. You can also heal from physical and abstract wounds when you read. In books, you can rekindle your diminishing self-confidence, and at the same time set attainable goals. Again, treating reading books with intensity, especially for a rookie is suicidal. I hope you would read books for the sake of acquiring knowledge, not for the sake of seeking undue and superficial recognition. What are you waiting for? Swing into action.