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Amazon Books Editors Announce 2022’s Best Books of the Year

Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow named best book of 2022

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, the Amazon Books Editors announced their selections for the Best Books of 2022, naming Gabrielle Zevin’s novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow as the Best Book of the Year. The annual list is hand-picked by a team of editors who read thousands of books each year and share their recommendations on Amazon Book Review to help customers find their next great read. Featuring the top 100 books published this year, the editors’ selections also break out the top 20 books in popular categories, including mystery, memoir, romance, children’s books (by age), history, cookbooks, and more. To explore the full list of the Best Books of 2022, visit amazon.com/bestbooks2022 .

“We’ve had a bumper crop of amazing books to choose from this year,” said Sarah Gelman, editorial director for Amazon Books. “But to get our passionate (read: opinionated!) team of editors to agree on one they loved is almost a miracle. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is that miracle—a simply perfect book about the complexities of human relationships, the importance of human connection, the innocence and optimism of youth, our journey with technology, and the many shades of love.”

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow resonates with readers, too. One of the quotes most often highlighted by Kindle readers is: “What is a game?” Marx said. “It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”

“I’ve loved many books from this year, so it is an unexpected honor for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow to be selected as Amazon’s Best of the Year,” said Zevin. “What a remarkable time to be a writer and a reader!”

“The optimism of a new generation is at the heart of many of our favorite stories this year, not just in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, but also in Solito , Demon Copperhead , Our Missing Hearts , and I’m Glad My Mom Died ,” said Gelman. “We’re also seeing the power of connection and platonic love playing out across the pages of other picks, such as Memphis , Remarkably Bright Creatures, and Now is Not the Time to Panic .”

The Amazon Books Editors Top 10 picks of 2022, as described by the editors, are:

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: “After devouring this novel, you’ll walk with a bounce in your step, a full heart, and the buzzy feeling that this is one of the best books about friendship—in all of its messy complexity and glory—you have ever read, which is why we named it the Best Book of 2022. Gabrielle Zevin has written a novel perfect for this moment, when connection is what we crave and hope is what we need.” —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
• Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora: “Neil Gaiman once said, ‘Fiction gives us empathy…gives us the gifts of seeing the world through [other people’s] eyes.’ Solito is one of those rare nonfiction reads that achieves the same thing, and puts a human face on the immigration debate—that of a 9-year-old child making a harrowing journey from South America to the United States, and the found family who eases his way. A heart-pounding, heart-expanding memoir.” —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
• Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari: “We can’t stop talking about Stolen Focus . It’s vital and mesmerizing, examining why we as individuals and as a collective have lost our attention spans. Suffice to say, Hari’s three-month tech-detox and his findings will make you immediately want to stop scrolling the internet, quit thinking in slogans and 280 characters, and engage authentically in sustained thought so that we can tackle global issues like poverty, racism, and climate change. Deeply satisfying and affirming and full of light-bulb moments, this is a book everyone should read.” —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
• Fairy Tale by Stephen King: “ Fairy Tale’s Charlie Reade joins the ranks of King’s best characters, and the story he tells—of a curmudgeonly neighbor with dangerous secrets, a parallel world ruled by an unspeakable monster, a child-eating giant, and a dog who has lived more than one lifetime—is wonderous. Fairy Tale is fantasy, coming-of-age, friendship, and adventure—it’s good versus evil, a boy and his dog on a perilous quest; it’s King doing what he does best: setting our imagination on fire.” —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
• Horse by Geraldine Brooks: “One of the best American novels we’ve read in years—galloping backward and forward in time to tell a story about race and freedom, horses and art, and the lineage of not just ancestors, but actions. From Kentucky to New Orleans, from the 1850s to present day, Pulitzer Prize-winning Brooks weaves together a story centered on one of the fastest thoroughbreds in history and the Black groom that catapulted Lexington to the front of the track. A heart-pounding American epic.” —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
• Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: “We reveled in Carrie Soto ’s fiery energy—Taylor Jenkins Reid, of Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo fame, has written another book you’ll inhale in a day. Soto is a former tennis champ who returns to the game to defend her title. She’s unapologetic, ambitious, and willing to put everything on the line. This is a big-hearted story about her relationship with her father, taking risks, and standing up bravely in a world that doesn’t necessarily want to see strong women succeed.” —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: “In this mesmerizing novel, Kingsolver peers into the neglected hollers of Appalachia to tell an insightful and razor-sharp coming-of-age story about a boy called Demon Copperhead. Born behind the eight ball of life, Demon faces hunger, cruelty, and a tidal wave of addiction in his tiny county, but never loses his love for the place that claims him as its own. With the soulful narration by this kind, conflicted, witty boy, Kingsolver gives voice to a place and its people where beauty, desperation, and resilience collide.” —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
• Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng: “Celeste Ng joins our Best Books of the Year list for the third time with her most gripping story yet. A mom mysteriously disappears amid a nationalistic movement that feels chillingly close to reality—launching her young son on a courageous quest to find her, aided by everyday heroes in unexpected places. The prose sings as the pieces click. This is fiction as revolution, serving as a warning, a dystopian fairy tale, and a suspenseful thriller with moments of hope that buoyed us as we read.” —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
• The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland: “This is the true story of one of the few people who escaped Auschwitz, but that only touches on what this book is about. Rudolf Vrba set out to tell the world about the atrocities he had witnessed in the concentration camps, but much of the world was not ready to hear it. The author, Jonathan Freedland, paints a vivid, moving portrait of what Vrba experienced, both during and after the war. Vrba was a hero, for sure, but he was human as well. This is a forgotten story that you won't soon forget.” —Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor
• City on Fire by Don Winslow: “Don Winslow ( Power of the Dog trilogy, Broken ) is, without doubt, one of the best crime fiction writers in decades. And in City on Fire , he’s written one of the most immersive, head-turning, and heart-stopping crime family novels since The Godfather . It’s about loyalty, love, fraternity, family, belonging, betrayal, and survival. But no matter how epic its themes, it’s Winslow’s eye for the small, personal details that will sear these characters in your heart and in your memory.” —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor

The Amazon Books Editors Top Children’s pick of 2022 is The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander. Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor shared:

“Inspired by Ghanaian history, Kwame Alexander’s exceptional novel-in-verse flows as easily as the water running through this young protagonist’s dreams. Immersed in family, school, and the excitement of a first crush, Kofi’s world spins upside down when a terrible accident turns a festive occasion into one filled with sorrow and anger—and that’s just a glimpse of what’s to come. The Door of No Return is a brilliant work of storytelling that moves you with joy, fear, sadness, hope, and love for the brave, resilient boy at its heart.”

Authors of the top three books—Gabrielle Zevin, Javier Zamora, and Johann Hari—will participate in an Amazon Live Author Series conversation in celebration of the Best Books of the Year selection on November 15, 2022 at 9 a.m. PDT. To tune in, visit Amazon Live .

For more information about the books featured on the Best Books of the Year list, as well as insightful reviews of new books, author interviews, and hand-curated roundups in popular categories, visit the Amazon Book Review at www.amazon.com/amazonbookreview . You can also follow the Amazon Books Editors recommendations and conversations @amazonbooks on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

Source: Amazon.com, Inc.

These are the 10 Best Books of the Year, According to Amazon Book Editors

Danika Ellis

Danika spends most of her time talking about queer women books at the Lesbrary. Blog: The Lesbrary Twitter: @DanikaEllis

View All posts by Danika Ellis

Each month, the Amazon Book Editors post a list of their favorite books out that month. At the end of the year, this team of nine editors draws from these lists, as well as considering any they may have missed, to choose their top books of the year as a whole. They each have different backgrounds, including authors as well as former booksellers and former editors at publishing houses, but they’ve all spent their careers immersed in the book world. After putting their individual favorites of the year in a spreadsheet and pitching them to their fellow editors, they debate their choices and then finally rank their picks for the year. Those totals become the Amazon Book Editors’ Best Books of the Year list.

I spoke to Amazon Books Editorial Director Sarah Gelman about how this list gets made as well as the trends she’s noticed in publishing this year. Gelman explained that this list is based just on the books editors’ love, without taking into account sales or customers’ ratings — especially since they usually read these books far before publication date. They are especially looking for books that “transcend genre”: that readers will love even if it’s not a genre/format/topic they usually read about. The editors also consider diversity, looking at whether the list includes representation of marginalized groups — including authors of color and neurodivergent characters — both in terms of author and content.

One trend Gelman noticed in publishing this year, especially in their top ten, is books that focus on friendship — as opposed to ones about romantic relationships — especially books that feature messy, complicated relationships with friends and family. In Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow , the main character points out that “Lovers are common,” but “True collaborators in this life are rare.” Our Missing Hearts and Carrie Soto Is Back are two other books on the list that focus on friendships as well as relationships between a parent and child. Gelman added that Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson, a favorite of hers that didn’t make the list, is another book that explores a deep friendship between a man and woman.

While this list is a combination of all the editors’ top picks, Gelman loves each of the top five, and especially recommends pairing Solito , a memoir about a child making a 3,000 mile journey by himself from El Salvador to the U.S., with Our Missing Hearts , a novel about a son searching the U.S. for his missing mother. On Solito , Gelman said, “To call something ‘required reading’ sounds boring, but this is a book human beings need to read.”

Here are the Amazon Books Editors’ picks for the top ten best books of 2022.

#1 Best Book of the Year:

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

“After devouring this novel, you’ll walk with a bounce in your step, a full heart, and the buzzy feeling that this is one of the best books about friendship — in all of its messy complexity and glory — you have ever read, which is why we named it the Best Book of 2022. Gabrielle Zevin has written a novel perfect for this moment, when connection is what we crave and hope is what we need.” —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

#2 Best Book of the Year:

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

“Neil Gaiman once said, ‘Fiction gives us empathy…gives us the gifts of seeing the world through [other people’s] eyes.’ Solito is one of those rare nonfiction reads that achieves the same thing, and puts a human face on the immigration debate — that of a nine-year-old child making a harrowing journey from South America to the United States, and the found family who eases his way. A heart-pounding, heart-expanding memoir.” —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor

#3 Best Book of the Year:

Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari

“We can’t stop talking about Stolen Focus . It’s vital and mesmerizing, examining why we as individuals and as a collective have lost our attention spans. Suffice to say, Hari’s three-month tech-detox and his findings will make you immediately want to stop scrolling the internet, quit thinking in slogans and 280 characters, and engage authentically in sustained thought so that we can tackle global issues like poverty, racism, and climate change. Deeply satisfying and affirming and full of light-bulb moments, this is a book everyone should read.” —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

#4 Best Book of the Year:

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

“ Fairy Tale ’s Charlie Reade joins the ranks of King’s best characters, and the story he tells — of a curmudgeonly neighbor with dangerous secrets, a parallel world ruled by an unspeakable monster, a child-eating giant, and a dog who has lived more than one lifetime — is wonderous. Fairy Tale is fantasy, coming-of-age, friendship, and adventure — it’s good versus evil, a boy and his dog on a perilous quest; it’s King doing what he does best: setting our imagination on fire.” —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

#5 Best Book of the Year:

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

“One of the best American novels we’ve read in years — galloping backward and forward in time to tell a story about race and freedom, horses and art, and the lineage of not just ancestors but actions. From Kentucky to New Orleans, from the 1850s to present day, Pulitzer Prize-winning Brooks weaves together a story centered on one of the fastest thoroughbreds in history and the Black groom that catapulted Lexington to the front of the track. A heart-pounding American epic.” —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

#6 Best Book of the Year:

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins-Reid

“Taylor Jenkins Reid, of Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo fame, has written another book you’ll inhale in a day. Soto is a former tennis champ who returns to the game to defend her title. She’s unapologetic, ambitious, and willing to put everything on the line. This is a big-hearted story about her relationship with her father, taking risks, and standing up bravely in a world that doesn’t necessarily want to see strong women succeed.” —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor

#7 Best Book of the Year:

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

“In this mesmerizing novel, Kingsolver peers into the neglected hollers of Appalachia to tell an insightful and razor sharp coming-of-age story about a boy called Demon Copperhead. Born behind the eight ball of life, Demon faces hunger, cruelty, and a tidal wave of addiction in his tiny county, but never loses his love for the place that claims him as its own. With the soulful narration by this kind, conflicted, witty boy, Kingsolver gives voice to a place and its people where beauty, desperation, and resilience collide.” —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

#8 Best Book of the Year:

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

“Celeste Ng joins our Best Books of the Year list for the third time with her most gripping story yet. A mom mysteriously disappears amid a nationalistic movement that feels chillingly close to reality — launching her young son on a courageous quest to find her, aided by everyday heroes in unexpected places. The prose sings as the pieces click. This is fiction as revolution, serving as a warning, a dystopian fairy tale, and a suspenseful thriller with moments of hope that buoyed us as we read.” —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor

#9 Best Book of the Year:

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freeland

“This is the true story of one of the few people who escaped Auschwitz, but that only touches on what this book is about. Rudolph Vrba set out to tell the world about the atrocities he had witnessed in the concentration camps, but much of the world was not ready to hear it. The author, Jonathan Freedland, paints a vivid, moving portrait of what Vrba experienced, both during and after the war. Vrba was a hero, for sure, but he was human as well. This is a forgotten story that you won’t soon forget.” —Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor

#10 Best Book of the Year:

City on Fire by Don Winslow

“Don Winslow ( Power of the Dog trilogy, Broken ) is, without doubt, one of the best crime fiction writers in decades. And in City on Fire , he’s written one of the most immersive, head turning, heart stopping crime family novels since The Godfather . It’s about loyalty, love, fraternity, family, belonging, betrayal, and survival. But no matter how epic its themes, it’s Winslow’s eye for the small, personal details that will sear these characters in your heart and in your memory”. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor

You might also be interested in Barnes and Noble’s Best Books of the Year as well as The Best Book of the Year, According to Barnes & Noble Booksellers . And watch this space for Book Riot’s Best Books of the Year, coming soon!

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• Best books of 2022, according to Amazon editors

By Carolin Lehmann

Updated on: January 6, 2023 / 12:10 PM EST / Essentials

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms.

If you're ready to cozy up with a good book in January 2023, look no further than the Amazon editors' 20 best books of 2022 list. Their No. 1 spot goes to "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin .

"We loved this story of friendship in all its messy and complicated glory," Amazon Books senior editor Al Woodworth says. "After reading, your heart will swell, you'll walk with a bounce in your step and you'll be reminded of how buzzy the feeling of connection can be."

Check out the rest of Amazon's best books of 2022 below. You'll find fiction, nonfiction, memoirs and more.

Prefer to listen?  Audible  has a $5.95 per month for four months intro offer, or a 30-day free trial available right now.

• "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin ( hardcover, $15 | Kindle, $14 )
• "Solito" by Javier Zamora ( hardcover, $25  | Kindle, $14 )
• "Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention -- and How to Think Deeply Again" by Johann Hari ( paperback, $18 | Kindle, $14 ) 
• "Fairy Tale" by Stephen King ( hardcover, $16  | Kindle, $17 )
• "Horse" by Geraldine Brooks ( paperback, $25  | Kindle, $15 )
• "Carrie Soto Is Back" by Taylor Jenkins Reid ( hardcover, $18  | Kindle, $14 )
• "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver ( hardcover, $20  | Kindle, $16 )
• "Our Missing Hearts" by Celeste Ng ( hardcover, $14  | Kindle, $15 )
• "The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World" by Jonathan Freedland ( paperback, $18 | Kindle, $15 )
• "City on Fire" by Don Winslow ( paperback, $19 | Kindle, $15 )
• "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus ( hardcover, $18 | Kindle, $15 )
• "Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel ( hardcover, $10  | Kindle, $12 )
• "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette Mccurdy ( hardcover, $14  | Kindle, $15 )
• "All the Broken Places" by John Boyne ( hardcover, $24 | Kindle, $15 )
• "Take My Hand" by Dolen Perkins-Valdez ( hardcover, $14 | Kindle, $14 ) 
• "The Door of No Return" by Kwame Alexander ( hardcover, $10  | Kindle, $10 )
• "Butts: A Backstory" by Heather Radke ( paperback, $19 | Kindle, $15 )
• "Memphis" by Tara M. Stringfellow ( hardcover, $12  | Kindle, $14 )
• "The Maid" by Prose Nita ( paperback, $11 | Kindle, $14 )
• "Book Lovers" by Emily Henry ( paperback, $8  | Kindle, $10 )

The bestselling books of 2022 on Amazon

Want more reading recs for 2023? Then check out the 10 bestselling books of 2022 on Amazon below.

'It Ends with Us' by Colleen Hoover

This tale of first loves and domestic violence is thought-provoking and proves things just aren't that black and white.

"Should we be defined by the worst thing we have done?"  an Amazon reviewer asks . "Hoover makes you really think about the gray areas and this book has given me lots of food for thought."

"It Ends with Us" by Colleen Hoover (paperback), $10 (reduced from $17)

"It Ends with Us" by Colleen Hoover (Kindle), $11

2. 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens

Read the book before you watch the movie on Netflix. Can you solve this small-town murder-mystery? It's a tale of isolation and nature.

"What a stunning love letter to the marshlands and suspenseful coming-of-age story,"  an Amazon reviewer says . 

"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens (paperback), $10 (reduced from $18)

"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens (hardback), $12

3. 'It Starts with Us' by Colleen Hoover

The second bestselling Colleen Hoover book? "It Starts with Us," the sequel to "It Ends with Us." Find out what happens to Lily next in this book that switches between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas. 

"This book had the closure that was needed from the first,"  an Amazon reviewer says .

"It Starts with Us" by Colleen Hoover (paperback), $11 (reduced from $18)

"It Starts with Us" by Colleen Hoover (Kindle), $14

4. 'Verity' by Colleen Hoover

Up next is a Colleen Hoover psychological thriller. A struggling writer is hired to finish an injured bestselling author's book series, but she finds her unfinished autobiography in her office which contains chilling admissions. 

"The tale careens to a jaw-dropping conclusion that will keep readers thinking, discussing and debating Hoover's extremely clever and nuanced tale, as well as her deliciously intriguing and morally ambiguous characters (who may prove themselves to be not as ambiguous as originally thought) for a very, very long time,"  an Amazon reviewer says .

"Verity" by Colleen Hoover (paperback), $11 (reduced from $17)

"Verity" by Colleen Hoover (Kindle), $12

5. 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear

Change your habits with the help of this book. The author walks you through building good habits and breaking bad ones with simple behaviors.

"'Atomic Habits' by James Clear is one of those rare books that I immediately read twice in a row,"  an Amazon reviewer says . "It is filled with dozens of science-backed and actionable nuggets of wisdom."

"Atomic Habits" by James Clear (hardcover), $12 (reduced from $27)

"Atomic Habits" by James Clear (Kindle), $13

6. 'Reminders of Him' by Colleen Hoover

This Colleen Hoover romance novel follows a mother who went to prison for a tragic mistake. What happens when she's released?

"I'd suggest this book to anyone who likes quick, deep reads with elements that will leave you tearing up with everything from sadness to sentimentality,"  an Amazon reviewer says .

"Reminders of Him" by Colleen Hoover (paperback), $10 (reduced from $16)

"Reminders of Him" by Colleen Hoover (Kindle), free with Kindle Unlimited

7. 'Ugly Love' by Colleen Hoover

This next Colleen Hoover read is about a friends-with-benefits agreement gone awry. 

"I'm sad I don't have more time with Miles and Tate but I am so glad that I was able to spend one wonderful afternoon/evening in their world with them and I know I will never forget this amazing, beautiful, ugly love story!"  an Amazon reviewer says .

"Ugly Love" by Colleen Hoover (paperback), $10 (reduced from $17)

"Ugly Love" by Colleen Hoover (Kindle), $11

8. 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Read "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" before  the Netflix film  comes out. Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo hires an unknown magazine reporter to write her memoir. Find out how their lives intersect.

"On top of this being a powerful book about race, sexuality, misogyny, and having to conform to societies norms, the true meaning I took from this book is that life is short, so damn short, and we shouldn't spend it pretending to be something we aren't,"  an Amazon reviewer says .

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid (paperback), $9 (reduced from $17)

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Kindle), $15

9. 'The Body Keeps the Score' by Bessel van der Kolk

Trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explains how trauma reshapes both the body and brain and explores innovative treatments.

"The scientific information, the validation and the information on how to heal trauma has made this book absolutely priceless to me,"  an Amazon reviewer says .

"The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk (paperback), $11 (reduced from $19)

"The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk (Kindle), $15

10. 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle

On a lighter note, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" remains a classic. This board book teaches counting and days of the week to little ones.

"I read it as a kid, and now I can read it to my nephew, who loves it!"  an Amazon reviewer says .

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle (board book), $6

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle (Kindle), $9

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Amazon Names Its Best Books of 2022

BY Michael Schaub • Nov. 14, 2022

Amazon has unveiled its list of the best books of 2022 , with Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow  taking the No. 1 spot.

Coming in at No. 2 was Javier Zamora’s Solito , a memoir about the author’s journey from El Salvador to the U.S. when he was 9. Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How To Think Deeply Again  took the No. 3 spot, followed by Stephen King’s Fairy Tale  and Geraldine Brooks’ Horse .

Rounding out the top 10 were Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Carrie Soto Is Back , Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead , Celeste Ng’s Our Missing Hearts , Jonathan Freedland’s The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz To Warn the World , and Don Winslow’s City on Fire .

Amazon also named its top children’s book of the year: Kwame Alexander’s The Door of No Return . Seira Wilson, an editor at Amazon, praised the book as “a brilliant work of storytelling that moves you with joy, fear, sadness, hope, and love for the brave, resilient boy at its heart.”

Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.

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Amazon announces picks for best science books of 2022 — so far

Amazon yesterday announced its picks for 2022 best books of the year so far , including its top book within the general-interest science category, “stolen focus: why you can’t pay attention — and how to think deeply again”..

Amazon yesterday announced its picks for 2022’s Best Books of the Year So Far , including those within the general-interest science category.

How Amazon Books editors made their selections

Amazon Books editor Al Woodworth explains why the Amazon Books editorial team chose Johann Hari's Stolen Focus :  Why You Can't Pay Attention — and How to Think Deeply Again   as the best general-interest science book of the year — so far.

Throughout the year, the Amazon Books editorial team reads thousands of books and recommends their favorites through the Best of the Month program, the Amazon Book Review , and Amazon Book Clubs ; the editors’ selections are curated and independent, and are not sponsored content. The editors also curate celebrity picks , and interview authors as well.

After reading titles released between January through June 2022, the Amazon editorial team has made its selections for best books — so far — across a variety of categories.

Below are the Top 20 picks of 2022 — so far — within the general-interest science category:

By Johann Hari

By Susan Cain

By Carlo Rovelli

By Dan Saladino

By Vaclav Smil

by Galit Atlas

By Todd Rose

By Daniel H. Pink

By David McRaney

By Ananyo Bhattacharya

By Riley Black

By Serhii Plokhy

By Jack E. Davis

By Lindsey Fitzharris

By Neil Bradbury, PhD

By The Carbon Almanac Network , forward by Seth Godin

By Adam Nicolson

By Stephanie Cacioppo

By Lindy Elkins-Tanton

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June 14, 2023

Written by Morgan Jerkins

The 20 best books of 2023 so far, according to Amazon's book editors

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Page overview

Hello Beautiful

by Ann Napolitano

"With gusto and compassion, Ann Napolitano crafts a tear-jerker of a story that centers on the Padavano sisters, who are thick as thieves—until they aren’t. Hello Beautiful offers big emotion, and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful and so page-turning, which is why we named it the Best Book of 2023 So Far." —Al Woodworth

by S.A. Cosby

"This Southern Gothic serial killer mystery comes out of the gate dark, and S.A. Cosby rarely takes his foot off the gas, but his storytelling—lean but vivid, and emotionally intelligent—nails every beat. I couldn’t read it fast enough." —Vannessa Cronin

by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D.

"Mind-changing revelations, fascinating facts—Jean M. Twenge's compulsively readable book will transform the way you see yourself and everyone you know, and finally put all those tired tropes about baby boomers, millennials, and more to rest. You’ll quote it every day." —Lindsay Powers

by Emilia Hart

"Though divided by centuries, three women, who share a unique connection to the natural world and to one another, tell their fascinating stories of persecution, danger, and resilience in a beautifully written novel that is a fierce and dazzling read." —Seira Wilson

by Paul Kix

"This is the best kind of narrative nonfiction: Your heart will pound, your blood will boil, you’ll feel the rush of adrenaline as Paul Kix tells the history—complete with the unsung heroes, villains, and funders—of how Martin Luther King Jr., his team, and thousands of children in Birmingham, Alabama, changed America." —Al Woodworth

by Helen Elaine Lee

"Sorry/not sorry for the simile: This empathy-expanding novel, a sly paeon to the power of great fiction and its ability to be a Trojan horse delivering the truth, is like a pomegranate—open it and you’ll find a treasure trove inside." —Erin Kodicek

by Deepti Kapoor

"Power, pleasure, drugs, and violence collide in this page turner with Crazy Rich Asians , Narcos , and The Godfather vibes. From extreme wealth to extreme poverty, and narrated by a cast of characters on both sides of the spectrum, Deepti Kapoor’s juicy novel centers on a sprawling Indian family that controls—or attempts to control—all that’s around them, at any cost." —Al Woodworth

by David Grann

"Batten down the hatches, this true story of mayhem and murder, adventure, and reckless ambition on the high seas is a thrill to read. You can almost feel the salt spray on your skin as the HMS Wager and its hurly-burly crew fight the elements and each other in pursuit of fame and fortune. David Grann, once again, has made history come alive." —Al Woodworth

by Abraham Verghese

"We didn’t want this book to end—told over the course of three generations, Abraham Verghese weaves a magnetic story of how cultural, social, and racial politics play out in the lives of wives, doctors, and artists who strive to find a home and purpose in a shifting and dangerous world. Filled with characters who love deeply and dream big, this novel will sweep you off your feet." —Al Woodworth

by Emily Henry

"Emily Henry's latest has all the feels! More than your standard second-chance romance, Happy Place is about the beauty, pain, and joy that come with biological families, chosen families, growing up and apart, and how—as adults—we deal with this thing called life." —Kami Tei

by Jonathan Eig

"Eig’s definitive and engrossing portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. is a remarkable feat of writing and research, revealing the gutting hardships and heroics of a man who changed the world. This is biography at its absolute finest." —Al Woodworth

by Lisa See

"I will not soon forget Lady Tan. A historical fiction grounded in women, medicine, and tradition, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is immersive and relatable, and I found myself underlining throughout this absorbing read." —Kami Tei

by Dennis Lehane

" Small Mercies comes in quiet, as a missing-daughter story set in Boston’s Southie neighborhood, but as it picks up steam and readers ride shotgun with Mary Pat Fennessy, a "tough Irish broad," as she hunts for her girl, an explosive story of racism, revenge, and reckoning ignites and leaves readers slack-jawed to the very last page." —Vannessa Cronin

by Jeannette Walls

"A feisty tomboy, bootleggers, wheelin’ and dealin’ family members, quickie marriages, and a shootout juice the pages of Jeannette Walls’ beguiling new novel. Set in Virginia during prohibition, Hang the Moon charts the life of Sallie Kincaid, a young woman with grit and gumption, who wrestles with the legacy of her family—however good, bad, and ugly it may be." —Al Woodworth

by Brendan Slocumb

"Engrossing and heart pounding, this one had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. A cautionary tale about how some secrets can grow and create havoc for generations. A must read!" —Kami Tei

by Angeline Boulley

"Boulley brilliantly weaves together a suspenseful heist thriller about the theft of Indigenous peoples’ ancestral objects and human remains with an eye-opening look at repatriation, injustice, and the lengths one young Native American woman will go to right terrible wrongs." —Seira Wilson

by Rachel Heng

“Coming-of-age story, love story, historical fiction—Heng manages to do it all. You’ll ache for these characters, and the ending will leave you feeling equally satisfied and bereft. The Great Reclamation begs to be a classic” —Sarah Gelman

by Matthew Desmond

“In 200 searing pages, Matthew Desmond lays out a clear explanation of inequality that will make you rage, sob, capitulate, and feel shame. This book may not be the easiest read, but it's one of the most important ones.” —Lindsay Powers

by R.F. Kuang

"Satire at its finest! Yellowface puts a spotlight on the pressure some authors face trying to quickly and consistently produce the next great novel. Challenges around public opinion and cultural appropriation, specifically within the Asian community, are consistent themes throughout. Smart, cheeky, immersive, and thought-provoking." —Kami Tei

by Curtis Sittenfeld

“Sittenfeld shape-shifts her talent yet again in this fun and thought-provoking romantic comedy. A fun summer read that is begging to be made into a movie, Romantic Comedy also proves, once more, that Sittenfeld is a writer who can’t be put in a box.” —Sarah Gelman

Amazon Studios has optioned 'Woke Up like This' and 'The Vibrant Years.' Meet the authors and learn more about the inspiration behind their books.

The 12 best new books coming out in May, according to Amazon's editors — from Selma's Blair's memoir to a 'We Were Liars' prequel

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• Amazon's book editors rounded up the best new books being released this month.
• May's books include high-profile memoirs and can't-put-down fiction.
• For other book recommendations, check out some of  the most anticipated book releases of 2022 here .

There are long, sunny days in our not-so-distant future, and we recommend a new books haul in preparation for peak lounging.

Just like every month , Amazon's book editors have curated the best new titles coming out in May. The top releases range in genre and tone, from evocative memoirs by Selma Blair and Paul Holes (the detective who found the Golden State Killer) to fast-paced fiction perfect for future beach trips .

You'll find the full list of great May reads, plus why they're worth the read, according to Amazon's book editors, below. 

The 12 best books of May 2022, according to Amazon editors:

*Captions are provided by Amazon's Book Editors and lightly edited for length and clarity. 

"This Time Tomorrow" by Emma Straub

"This Time Tomorrow," available at Amazon, $21.99

If you could go back in time and make different decisions, would you? That question is at the center of Emma Straub's big-hearted new novel, "This Time Tomorrow." The protagonist, Alice, drunkenly falls asleep on her 40th birthday and wakes up in her childhood bedroom on her 16th birthday. She's wistful about carefree days with her best friend and the teen boy who got away, but blown away by her youthful, healthy father, and an opportunity to change his life nearly 25 years later. This novel is a sweet take on the passing of time, the power of relationships, the misguided rush to adulthood, and the pressure to achieve arbitrary milestones in life. The time travel never feels gimmicky, and '80s kids will appreciate the references to "Back to the Future." It's breezy, yet smart — check it out for your next book club pick! — Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor

"Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up" by Selma Blair

"Mean Baby," available at Amazon, $22.99

Selma Blair's memoir is more than a gushy celebrity story of bright lights and glitzy parties. It's a story about complicated mother-daughter relationships, how childhood interpretations of experiences can shape you, how the need for attention can drive you, how Hollywood kismet happens, and how the public platform it provides can be a force for good. "Mean Baby" will make you laugh out loud at moments that are at once deeply funny and deeply disquieting. Blair's life is not all roses — booze entered her life at the age of seven and eating disorders and the darkness of depression is a constant — but she recounts the bittersweet events and details of her life with such specific clarity, honesty, and humor that it's impossible to not fall under her spell in this page-turning memoir. — Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

"River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile" by Candice Millard

"River of the Gods," available at Amazon, $26.99

River of the Gods is thrilling narrative nonfiction full of adventure, ambushes, false starts, and the pursuit of conquest. Richard Burton was a consummate explorer, with a penchant for languages (he spoke more than 25), sex, and glory (one of his greatest expeditions was a trip to discover the head-waters of the Nile in 1857). Candice Millard, the best-selling author of " The River of Doubt " and " Destiny of the Republic ," recounts Burton's life and epic journey that not only involved harrowing physical feats but stiff competition and epic clashes with his fellow explorer John Hanning Speke, and also with the man who has been left out of the history books, African guide Sidi Mubarak Bombay. Using diary entries and letters, Millard's story drops you in the middle of the jungle and exposes a world of conquering and colonial exploits. A fascinating portrait of the characters and the era in which they roamed that is an adventure to read. — Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

"Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt

"Remarkably Bright Creatures," available at Amazon, $19.59

What does a misanthropic octopus have in common with Tova, a widowed aquarium employee? Not much, until a friendship develops following a daring tank rescue, and Marcellus McSquiddles happily uses all eight of his tentacles, his three hearts, plus his sharp brain, to solve the soul-scarring mystery of Tova's son Erik's disappearance thirty years ago. Utterly original, funny, wise, and heartwarming (be warned: there'll be tears as well as giggles), "Remarkably Bright Creatures" will have readers falling hard for an acerbic invertebrate whose intervention in his new friend's life sets her up for healing lessons in love, loss, and family. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor

"Sleepwalk" by Dan Chaon

"Sleepwalk," available at Amazon, $27.99

It might take you a few chapters to figure out who Chaon's protagonist Will Bear is and what makes him tick, but the chapters are short and soon you'll have your bearings. Sleepwalk takes place in a near-future dystopia where most of the big problems we have in the world have continued to worsen. Will Bear lives in that worsening world, and he has an unsavory job that keeps him driving around and off the grid, and that sometimes requires him to shoot people — but his humanity and warmth in the face of all that, along with his sense of humor, will win you over. Sleepwalk is a road novel that will make you think and make you laugh. It's fast-paced, literary, and entertaining. There's a lot going for it, but in my view, the book's greatest asset is Will Bear himself. I almost wished I could ride shotgun with him. — Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor

"Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases" by Paul Holes

"Unmasked," available at Amazon, $19.02

True crime fans take note: here is a first-person account of a life spent solving cold cases, told by the detective who found the Golden State Killer. But "Unmasked" is much more than that. First, the Golden State Killer is only one of the high-profile cases Paul Holes tackled. And second, this is a book about more than solving high-profile cold cases. Unmasked describes what it's like to be a forensic detective, to dedicate oneself to uncovering the secrets behind some of life's most brutal acts, day in and day out, and the toll that it takes on the rest of one's life. There is obsession here, but there is also confession. As we read about Hole's life solving cold cases — some famous, some only remembered by a handful of people — an imperfect man with a laser focus and a deep well of compassion comes to life amid all that brutality. This is a special book. — Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor

"The Other Mother" by Rachel M. Harper

"The Other Mother," available at Amazon, $28

"The Other Mother" is a complex story set over 30 years, weaving two families together — whether they like it or not. It opens on Jenry's first day at college, which happens to be the alma mater of his mother, who raised him alone, and his famous ballet dancer father, whom Jenry never knew. The narrative is told via rotating character perspectives, alternating two timelines: present day, and the early years of his parents' lives and relationship. I love the way the author starts with a narrow viewpoint and then widens the lens, immersing you deeper into the story — uncovering facts and questions through each twist and turn. I had big feelings about this book, physically hugging it while feeling all the emotions tingling throughout my body after reading the last words. The journey through the ups and downs of life; love, secrets, growth, and forgiveness, captured me and will leave me thinking about this one for quite a while. — Kami Tei, Amazon Editorial Contributor

"Hidden Pictures" by Jason Rekulak

"Hidden Pictures," available at Amazon, $25.19

Rekulak runs his fingers down your spine with a pulse-pounding thriller, steeped in the supernatural and fueled by alarming twists. In "Hidden Pictures," Mallory Quinn is an ex-drug addict with a chance at redemption working as a nanny for the Maxwell's, a seemingly perfect family living in an idyllic neighborhood. But when her sweet five-year-old charge begins drawing dark, disturbing pictures well beyond his age, Mallory starts looking for answers in a decades-old story of a local artist's murder. Is Mallory's past coming back to haunt her or is there something malignant at play? This horror-tinged tale of suspense will keep you up at night racing to the final shocking outcome. — Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

"Such Big Dreams" by Reema Patel

"Such Big Dreams," available on Amazon, $27

With a whip-smart, funny, and strong-willed woman at its core, "Such Big Dreams" is an absolute pleasure to read. Growing up homeless on the streets of Mumbai, 23-year-old Rakhia is hardwired with a certain grit and skepticism about the world — especially because her best friend on the streets disappeared ten years ago. Now an adult, she's landed on her feet, working as a personal assistant at a nonprofit human rights law organization, and with the encouragement of her boss and a white intern, she begins to dream of a life beyond the slum where she lives and the menial tasks she performs. But dreams are never that easy. There's a lot that Patel tackles in this book — the disparity of wealth in India and abroad, the education gap; the nonprofit world commandeered by celebrity; loss and love — and yet, it's done with such a deft hand that it's impossible to put this book down. Rakhia is a narrator you will root for and want as your best friend — she's got guts, gusto, and dares to dream, and there's nothing better than that. — Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

"Family of Liars: The Prequel to We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

"Family of Liars," available on Amazon, $13.38

If you loved " We Were Liars " then the backstory of the Sinclair family's deeply-rooted rifts and allegiances is the book you've been waiting for. "Family of Liars" returns to idyllic Beechwood Island, circa 1987, a magical epoch of lemon hunts and privilege, of first love, and of shocking events that upend the teenage Sinclair sisters' lives. Lockhart pulled me into the story so thoroughly that I could smell the ocean, hear the clink of ice in a glass, and feel the raw emotions of our (admittedly) unreliable narrator. Old family secrets come to light, and new ones are buried in this spell-binding novel of family and tragedy, love and betrayal, that will sweep you off your feet. — Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

"Siren Queen" by Nghi Vo

"Siren Queen," available at Amazon, $24.29

The glitz of the golden age of Hollywood was never bright enough to hide the darkness behind the scenes, but here Nghi Vo creates a world where the once metaphorical monsters of the studio system drop their disguises. They rip and rend with teeth and claws just as easily as they do with words. Lured in as a child by dreams of stardom, Luli Wei must find what she truly believes in before she's devoured like so many hopeful young actresses before her. Haunting, thrilling, and beautifully told, "Siren Queen" captures a portrait of magic, fear, and love as vivid as any I've seen on the silver screen. — Marcus Mann, Amazon Editor

"The Change" by Kirsten Miller

"The Change," available at Amazon, $19.59

For every woman who's ever been ignored, underestimated, or talked over, you need to read "The Change." Described as "' Big Little Lies ' meets ' The Witches of Eastwick ,'" with, we think, a tiny pinch of " The First Wives Club " thrown in for good measure, this epic, boo-yah revenge fantasy centers on three woman "of a certain age" who find that while their estrogen may be declining, the other "gifts" that arrived with menopause are surging, giving them the kind of superpowers that can take on whoever is killing young women in their affluent neighborhood. Have your highlighter finger ready, because Miller has packed this novel with the kind of pithy, quotable, laugh-out-loud zingers that belong on fridge magnets everywhere. To misquote Dylan, "'The Change' is gonna come, and evil better be ready." — Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor

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Amazon Kindle (2022) review: The e-reader for most

The amazon kindle (2022) gets a refresh worth every penny.

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Amazon Kindle (2022) gets an upgraded 300 ppi display and USB-C charging while staying below $100. While it’d be nice if it was waterproof, this is now the e-reader most readers should choose.

Lightweight, comfortable design

Bright, crisp display

Incredible battery life

Not waterproof

Lacks warm display light options

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Price: $99 Display size: 6-inch Resolution (pixels per inch): 300 ppi Storage: 16GB Battery life: 6 weeks (claimed) Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches Weight: 5.56 ounces Ports: USB-C

Amazon didn’t need to reinvent the wheel with the Kindle 2022 ($99). E-readers can have all the bells and whistles they want, but in the end they have one job: to allow you to read. Well, more accurately, allow you to read a collection of books comfortably, all on one device. 

So it was a pleasant surprise when Amazon decided to refresh the Kindle in a noticeable way. This latest version’s e-ink display got upgraded to a 300 pixels per inch (PPI) resolution and Amazon swapped the old micro-USB charging input for USB-C. 

There are still enough differences to make the Kindle Paperwhite the superior choice. The new Kindle 2022 is still not waterproof and it lacks the softer display lighting options of its more expensive counterpart. It’s also smaller, but whether or not that is better or worse is subjective. If you want a Kindle and don’t care about it being waterproof, the $40 cheaper price point makes the Kindle 2022 the better value for most readers. 

Amazon Kindle (2022): Price and configurations 

If you’re someone who gets overwhelmed by choices, then I have good news. The Amazon Kindle 2022 comes in just a single 16GB model for $99. There are two color options though: Black or Denim. So if you want a little choice you’re covered there too. I tested the Black model and it was nice, though fingerprints did show up on the Kindle where I handled it.

Some may complain that the price went up $10 versus the $89 price point of the Amazon Kindle (2019), but at least you get something for that price increase. Between the upgraded resolution and the switch to USB-C, Amazon did at least make some improvements that could justify a price hike. 

Amazon Kindle (2022): Design 

The Amazon Kindle has always had a relatively simple design, and that has not changed with this latest iteration. The 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32-inch Kindle (2022) is slightly smaller than the Kindle (2019), but you probably wouldn't notice. It remains comfortable to hold, and at 5.56 ounces it’s even easier to bring with you anywhere.

It also remains a no-frills device in terms of extra physical features. Aside from a power button and the USB-C charging port, there’s nothing else. To be fair, there isn’t really a need for anything else. Some people like to have physical page-turn buttons, but personally, I don’t view the lack of those as a negative. 

The only design change I would advocate for is upgrading the chassis for the Kindle to be IPX8 waterproof resistance rated. I think that Amazon could accomplish this without undercutting the more expensive Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, which still offers improved lighting options and a larger size than the base 2022 Kindle.

Amazon Kindle (2022): Display 

One of the biggest complaints about the previous iteration of the Kindle in our review was the mediocre display resolution. While the Amazon Kindle 2019 upgraded the display by adding four front lights, which allow for a better and more energy-efficient reading experience, it still featured a relatively low resolution at just 167 ppi. That's fine for reading, but noticeably below the resolution of the rest of the Kindle lineup.

Now, Amazon is fixing that with the Kindle (2022). This Kindle has an upgraded 300 ppi 6-inch display that felt incredibly comfortable for this former Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (3rd generation) user. The e-ink grayscale display looked fantastic and was easy to read. 

The biggest complaint I had was that I found the light to be a bit harsher than the warmer tones you can get on the Paperwhite. However, I found with a little tinkering — and turning on the Kindle 2022’s dark mode — I was able to land on an enjoyable display experience. 

Amazon Kindle (2022): User experience and features 

The Kindle user experience is pretty simple, and I found it easy to use and intuitive. When the Kindle boots up, you’re presented with a home page that displays some selections from your library and recommendations from Amazon. There’s also a search bar to allow you to just search for content directly from the home page.

At the bottom there’s also a “Library” tab that shows everything you have in your Kindle library. You can filter this library by using the filters icon located directly under the search bar, which is great if you’re in the mood for something you haven’t read yet or searching for an Audible audiobook.

Speaking of Audible, you can listen to your Audible audiobooks on the Kindle using Bluetooth. I found it easy to connect my headphones to the Kindle, but be warned — it may be loud at first. Make sure to set your volume using the Settings pull-down menu (drag your finger down from the top of the screen to access) once you’re connected. The volume slider only appears with Bluetooth connected.

Finally, our past reviews have spoken at length about the awfulness that is Goodreads, Amazon’s widely-disliked social network for recommending books. Unfortunately, it hasn’t entirely gone away. While I’ve had a largely Goodreads-free experience, when you open a new book there is an annoying “About this book” pop-up that appears. While technically not a Goodreads feature, it’s still an annoying distraction that the Kindle could do without. Still, overall Amazon largely didn’t overwhelm me with distractions, so it's a vast improvement over some of the previous Kindles in that regard.

Amazon Kindle (2022): Battery life 

While the 6-week battery life of the Amazon Kindle 2022 is less than the Kindle Paperwhite’s 10-week, it’s more than enough. Amazon claims that the Kindle can hit six weeks on a single charge based on 30 minutes of reading a day with Wi-Fi off and the brightness set at 13. Using the Audible audiobook streaming feature over Bluetooth will reduce battery life below this figure.

While I have not tested the battery life of the Kindle as rigorously as Amazon has (I haven’t even had 6 weeks to try and drain the battery) I can tell you so far I’ve been impressed. I’ve been using it for a while now and still have not had to charge it. While it may fall short of the six weeks Amazon promises, it won’t be by much.

Amazon Kindle (2022): Content

Content is both a major advantage and disadvantage of the Kindle ecosystem. Amazon Kindles, of course, have access to the massive Kindle Store and its millions of books. You also get access to Audible audiobooks, which as mentioned you can listen to using Bluetooth. If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can even download a free eBook a month from a selection of new books curated by Amazon. You even get free cloud storage for all Amazon content.

Unfortunately, alongside offering this wealth of content Amazon does everything it can to lock you out of other ecosystems. The Kindle can download eBooks from your public library through the Overdrive service, but other services (like Hoopla, which works on Kindle Fire tablets) don’t work on the Kindle 2022. And if you have Google Books eBooks, those won’t work either.

Amazon Kindle (2022): Verdict 

The Amazon Kindle (2022) is nearly a perfect device for what it is, and some of its flaws are more down to Amazon than the device itself. Being locked into Amazon’s ecosystem is a drag, but you can’t really knock the Kindle for that.

That’s not to say there aren’t improvements that could be made. The fact that the Kindle 2022 isn’t waterproof is probably the biggest reason that I couldn’t rate it above four stars, and the ability to adjust the warmth of the display light is something I sorely miss from the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2021) — though if you’re fine with using dark mode it’s easy to move past that shortcoming. Admittedly, if Amazon fixed those things there would be no reason to get the Paperwhite, so while I’m disappointed, I’m not shocked.

Ultimately though, the Kindle 2022 is probably the best Kindle for most people, dethroning the Paperwhite when both are at full price. It’s lightweight and comfortable to hold, the display is bright and crisp — a massive improvement — and the battery lasts for ages. Unless you really need a waterproof Kindle, it’s tough to advocate spending more than the $99.99 for the Amazon Kindle 2022.

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.

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Here Are the 12 New Books You Should Read in April

These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.

T he best books coming in April include historian Erik Larson ’s latest nonfiction thriller, former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey ’s meditation on writing, and Salman Rushdie ’s agonizing account of the brutal knife attack he suffered two years ago. Other notable releases include a pair of career-spanning anthologies that celebrate the works of cultural critic Maggie Nelson and historian Nell Irvin Painter , as well as Amor Towles ’ first collection of short stories. Alyssa Cole ’s new mystery features a protagonist struggling with dissociative identity disorder, while former therapist Patric Gagne hopes to recontextualize the term “sociopath” with her debut memoir of the same name. 

Here, the 12 best books to read this month.

The Cemetery of Untold Stories , Julia Alvarez (April 2)

In Julia Alvarez ’s seventh adult novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories, acclaimed writer Alma Cruz inherits a piece of her homeland, the Dominican Republic. After the death of her close friend and fellow author, Alma decides to retire and turn her plot of land into a graveyard for the unpublished tales she’d like to finally put to rest. But just because Alma is ready to abandon her characters, some of whom are based on real historical figures, it doesn’t mean they are ready to go peacefully. Mystical and moving, The Cemetery of Untold Stories shows why some stories must be told no matter how hard you try to bury them.

Buy Now : The Cemetery of Untold Stories on Bookshop | Amazon

Village Weavers , Myriam J. A. Chancy (April 2)

For fans of Elena Ferrante : Myriam J. A. Chancy’s Village Weavers is a wistful look at a complicated female friendship that spans decades and continents. Growing up in1940s Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Gertie and Sisi are the best of friends until a devastating secret that bonds their families tears them apart. The book follows the two women as they fall in and out of one another’s lives amid a violent dictatorship, and struggle with infertility and terminal illness. When Sisi gets an unexpected call from Gertie in 2002, decades after they last spoke, she must decide whether she is ready to forgive—or forget—all that they have shared.

Buy Now : Village Weavers on Bookshop | Amazon

Sociopath , Patric Gagne (April 2)

Writer and former therapist Patric Gagne first discovered she was a sociopath in college. But, in her provocative debut memoir, Sociopath , she admits that there were signs long before she was diagnosed. With incredible candor, she details the violent outbursts she exhibited as a child that would lead to near run-ins with the law in her teens and 20s. “Most of the time I felt nothing,” she writes, “so I did bad things to make the nothingness go away.” Despite her lifelong lack of empathy, shame, and guilt, she has become a loving wife and mother, something she knows doesn’t fit with pop culture’s portrayal of sociopaths as murderers, villains, and monsters. In her memoir, Gagne looks to destigmatize the often misunderstood mental disorder, now more commonly known as antisocial personality disorder , while offering compassion to those, like her, who are trying to change what it means to be a sociopath.

Buy Now : Sociopath on Bookshop | Amazon

We Loved It All , Lydia Millet (April 2)

Lydia Millet ’s first foray into nonfiction, We Loved It All: A Memory of Life, questions what humans lose when they ignore their connection to the animal kingdom. With great passion and indignation, the acclaimed novelist behind 2022’s Dinosaurs takes aim at corporations whose greed has endangered the world’s wildlife. She looks at how the “ Crying Indian” anti-litter campaign from the 1970s allowed big business to place the onus on consumers to clean up the environmental mess they played the largest role in causing. By sharing personal anecdotes about her own childhood, as well as the experiences of raising her son and daughter, Millet shows how caring about the smallest creatures that live among us is tied to the fight for economic justice around the globe. With her mournful yet often hopeful rumination on our current state of existence, Millet reminds us that we are not alone in this world.

Buy Now : We Loved It All on Bookshop | Amazon

Like Love , Maggie Nelson (April 2)

Like Love draws on two decades of Maggie Nelson’s career as a critic of art in all its forms. The collection of previously published work, arranged in chronological order, includes essays on, tributes to, and conversations with creatives the author deeply admires: musician Björk, poet Eileen Myles, fine artist Kara Walker , the late queer theorist Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick , novelist Ben Lerner , philosopher Judith Butler , and writer and theater critic Hilton Als, whose words inspired the book’s title. When examining the art she loves, Nelson uses incisive and analytical prose, but her scholarly style doesn’t take away from the joy she feels for the work. “Words aren’t just what’s left,” she writes of why we need criticism. “They’re what we have to offer.”

Buy Now : Like Love on Bookshop | Amazon

Table for Two , Amor Towles (April 2)

Amor Towles ’ Table For Two is an intimate collection of six short stories that take place in early 2000s New York, and a 1930s Hollywood-set novella that picks up where his 2011 debut, Rules of Civility , left off. The book, which was written while he was meant to be working on his fourth novel , focuses on brief but fateful encounters between strangers, would-be business partners, and estranged relatives. Most of these conversations take place at a table set for two, the perfect place to share a tête-à-tête about forgery or bootlegging or even the blackmailing of screen legend Olivia de Havilland . Table For Two is a smorgasbord of deliciously mischievous tales imbued with Towles’ signature wit and worldliness.

Buy Now : Table for Two on Bookshop | Amazon

The House of Being , Natasha Trethewey (April 9)

In The House of Being, which was originally delivered as a 2022 prize lecture at Yale University, Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey takes readers back to her grandmother’s home outside of Gulfport, Miss., where the author learned to read and write. It was there that her neighbors flew Confederate flags with pride, and her late mother—whose death at the hands of her ex-husband was the focus of Trethewey’s best-selling 2020 memoir, Memorial Drive — took to singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” any time she passed one. It was also where, Trethewey would later learn, formerly enslaved men and women were educated after the Civil War, their stories lost to time because they had not been written down. With The House of Being, Trethewey doesn’t just explore the reasons why she writes. She also offers a compassionate argument for why we must all be the authors of our own stories.

Buy Now : The House of Being on Bookshop | Amazon

One of Us Knows , Alyssa Cole (April 16)

Best-selling author Alyssa Cole ’s latest novel, One of Us Knows, is a paranoia-filled murder mystery full of twists and turns. Preservationist Kenetria “Ken” Nash has taken a job as the caretaker of a gothic castle on a remote island on the Hudson River in the hopes of getting back on her feet. For the last six years, Ken has struggled with dissociative identity disorder, which causes her to, without much warning, “switch” between multiple identities. Lately, Ken has found it harder to keep her “headmates”—precocious toddler Keke, judgy perfectionist Della, and the sophisticated Solomon, to name a few—in check. When a man from Ken’s past is found dead in the historic home, she must enlist her headmates’ help in hopes of clearing her name, all the while knowing she could be the killer she is looking for.

Buy Now : One of Us Knows on Bookshop | Amazon

Knife , Salman Rushdie (April 16)

On Aug. 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was stabbed nearly 10 times while at a speaking engagement in western New York. With his new memoir, Knife, Rushdie writes about the violent attack that left him with PTSD , limited mobility in his left hand, and the loss of sight in his right eye, offering an intimate and often harrowing account of what happened that day and what life has been like for him since. (The trial for Rushdie’s alleged attacker , who has been charged with attempted murder, has been postponed due to the release of this book, since it can serve as potential evidence.) Rushdie has said that writing Knife was an important step in the healing process. “This was a necessary book for me to write,” he said in a statement . “A way to take charge of what happened, and to answer violence with art.”

Buy Now : Knife on Bookshop | Amazon

I Just Keep Talking , Nell Irvin Painter (April 23)

For the past five decades, acclaimed writer, artist, historian, and critic Nell Irvin Painter’s work has felt ahead of its time. I Just Keep Talking, a decades-spanning collection of more than 40 of her previously published essays, shows just how prescient her work really was. The anthology includes a 1982 essay on the effect white educators’ reluctance to teach Black resistance would have on how the history of slavery is taught in America . In other pieces, she examines how Spike Lee ’s film Malcolm X reinvented the activist and breaks down the gender and racial stereotypes that hurt Anita Hill ’s case against Clarence Thomas during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing. A more recent essay from 2022 offers a strong warning to Democrats: If you “jettison voting rights in order to court white voters without college degrees,” she writes, you’ll risk repeating the mistakes of Reconstruction . This insightful anthology shows why Painter, now 81 years old, is still one of the most important voices in America.

Buy Now : I Just Keep Talking on Bookshop | Amazon

Lucky , Jane Smiley (April 23)

As the title of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley ’s coming-of-age novel Lucky implies, protagonist Jodie Rattler has always been more fortunate than most. While attending college at Penn State in the 1960s, Jodie decides she’d like to become a folk singer, so she records a song that becomes a surprise hit. She soon finds herself living like a true bohemian, recording an album in New York, touring the country, and earning comparisons to musical luminaries like Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell . But as the pressure builds for her to leave school and focus on her music career full time, she finds herself questioning her future. Lucky offers a tender look at one young woman’s journey to understand who she has become and who she’d like to be when she finally grows up.

Buy Now : Lucky on Bookshop | Amazon

The Demon of Unrest , Erik Larson (April 30)

After tackling World War II by focusing on Winston Churchill’s leadership during the Blitz with The Splendid and the Vile , one of TIME’s best books of 2020 , Erik Larson returns with a historical nonfiction thriller set before the start of the U.S. Civil War . The Demon of Unrest looks at the chaotic five-month period between the November 1860 election of President Abraham Lincoln and the April 1861 surrender of Fort Sumter , which marked the official beginning of the war. Using journals, slave ledgers, plantation records, and secret correspondence, Larson offers an intriguing look at a young country on the brink of collapse. He reexamines the lead-up to the four-year conflict by putting the focus not only on the rebellion’s major players, but also on those on the periphery: Maj. Robert Anderson, the Union commander at Fort Sumter, Edmund Ruffin, an agricultural reformer and ardent secessionist, James H. Hammond, a senator and wealthy plantation owner from South Carolina, and Mary Boykin Chesnut, the wealthy wife of a lawyer and senator whose diary became an invaluable resource for the author.

Buy Now : The Demon of Unrest on Bookshop | Amazon

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Apple M2 MacBook Air is on sale for $849, its lowest price yet

We're fully into spring, and that means new product launches, announcements on the horizon, and best of all, deals. Case in point: right now, the M2 Apple MacBook Air is on sale for $849, the lowest price I've ever seen for this laptop.

2022's version of the lightweight powerhouse is still a solid machine two years later, with competitive specs that go up against much newer laptops on the market right now. In fact, this laptop was ZDNET's product of the year when it was released in 2022, punching well above its weight in terms of performance and quickly becoming a favorite for professionals looking for power and portability.

Buy the M2 MacBook Air 2022 ($150 off on Amazon)

The 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air has an 8-core, 10-core GPU and an impressive 18 hours of battery life. The 24GB of unified memory can also be paired with up to 2TB of storage, future-proofing a machine that will last for years down the road. 

Apple's MacBook Air series are also perhaps one of the most popular ultraportable laptop families among consumers (and our pick for best overall ultraportable), having set an entirely new bar for performance with the introduction of the M chips in 2020, and only improving since then. If you're looking for a secondary laptop you can take with you for travel or on the go, it doesn't get much lighter than the M2 MacBook Air.

Apple released its M3 MacBook Air lineup only nine months after the 15-inch M2 version was first announced in June of 2023, marking what is likely to be a rapid succession of upgrades in the industry as a whole within the next few years.

Also: Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review: Sleeker, faster - and more expensive

This makes now a great time to spring for a new MacBook Air. Thinner yet with a larger screen than previous versions, the 2022 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air also comes with a vibrant screen with up to 500-nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate, a 1080p FaceTime webcam, two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, and the coveted 3.5mm headphone jack. It also comes in four iconic color tones: Midnight, Silver, Space Gray, and Starlight.

AI-powered laptops are the future, and right now, manufacturers are putting their attention into developing cutting-edge tech that harnesses these capabilities into new machines.

Also: The best Apple deals you can buy right now

But many folks don't need top-of-the-line AI integration just yet. The reality is that day-to-day workflows for most people are still reliant on powerful, reliable laptops that can tackle whatever you throw at it, and the M2 MacBook Air is a machine that fulfills exactly that need, while being light as air. 

When will this deal expire?

Deals are subject to sell-out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We're sorry if you've missed out on this deal, but don't fret -- we're constantly finding new chances to score savings and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com . 

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