Another year has almost passed, and it’s time for a bit of reflection and review. 

In general, 2022 was rather challenging. I had big plans to get back on track after the pandemic, but in February, the war in Ukraine dashed my hopes. I’ll skip this part for now.

From the good news, after three great years in Warsaw, we moved back to London this summer. The main takeaway – I think we’re done with changing countries for the next decade. Or two.

So while all my mental energy this year was directed at managing big changes in our lives, I wrote 8 articles and 20 book summaries. Although, I must admit I had to ditch Russian and Polish versions of the blog at some point…

Now books. Guess how many I read from my list? Just 16! But I’ve greatly enjoyed these extra 4 books that I wanted to read (or reread) for a very long time:

 

The Tools by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels 

(get the book | read our notes) 

That’s the book we can’t recommend enough to every human being on this planet, as the tools Stutz and Michels share are really simple and do work. Try them out!

 

Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl 

(get the book | read our notes) 

All-time self-help classic. I reread this book in March, and it was like a bandaid on my soul at that time. Must read for everyone. 

 

Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi 

(get the book | read our notes) 

I listened to this audiobook while packing our stuff for the move and really enjoyed it. Great practical advice on how we can boost our creativity and change our lives by… getting bored!

 

Irresistible by Adam Alter 

(get the book | read our notes) 

This book is a great source to learn how modern businesses use technology to hack our brains and keep us hooked. Listened to it on my long runs along the river Thames ☺

 

And coming back to my 2022 reading list! Below is what I’ve enjoyed the most this year.

The Best Books of This Year

Although I usually carefully shortlist the books I want to read (that means they are all awesome), my top 3 favourite nonfiction books of this year are:

 

12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson 

(get the book | read our notes) 

Peterson’s ideas greatly resonate with our philosophy, and we’ve spent long evenings discussing this book. Brilliantly written and highly motivational. Moreover, Peterson is one of our favourite communicators – check out his YouTube and podcast!

 

Nonviolent Communication by Marshal Rosenberg  

(get the book | read our notes) 

That’s the book we put into practice straight away. And I just keep thinking, “why didn’t I read it before?” I can’t recommend it enough.

 

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman 

(get the book | read our notes) 

That was my first deep dive into cognitive psychology and, in particular, the psychology of judgment and decision-making. It absolutely changes the perspective on how you make decisions. Kahneman’s wisdom is like spraying the cleaning solution on the windshield.

3 Best Parenting Books of the Year

During the year, I read quite a few excellent books on parenting, but my top 3 parenting books this year are:

 

The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabari 

(get the book | read our notes) 

I absolutely loved Dr Shefali’s perspective on the spiritual side of the parenting journey. It is more like a philosophical guide on how we can use parenting relationships for personal transformation and spiritual growth…while raising amazing human beings!

 

Mind in the Making by Ellen Galinsky

(get the book | read our notes) 

This book summarises decades of scientific research in child development and neuroscience. It’s fascinating to learn how simple changes in interaction with children can help them build the essential life skills that last a lifetime. 

 

Help Your Child Deal With Stress – and Thrive by Stuart Shanker 

(get the book | read our notes) 

Such an important book for every parent! Here Dr Shanker helps us understand how stress affects children’s behaviour and moods and how we, parents, can help them deal with this stress efficiently…and thrive in life!

Best Books on the Science of Play

I also immensely enjoyed reading about the science of play this year. So if you want to learn more about why we play, how it affects our well-being and why we need to prioritize creating an environment where our kids can play freely, I can’t recommend these books enough:

 

Play by Stuart Brown 

(get the book | read our notes)

This book brings all the research on play together and tells us that play is more than just fun. It profoundly affects our well-being, and we should take it seriously. An absolutely fascinating read! 

 

Free to Learn by Peter Gray 

(get the book | read our notes)

Drawing on decades of research on play, Dr Gray not only talks about the importance of play for healthy child development but also discusses how we can apply this knowledge to improve the education system. Made me think a lot!

 

3 Best Positive Psychology Books

Positive Psychology was still on my radar in 2022, so here are the best positive psychology books I’ve read this year:

 

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin 

(get the book | read our notes) 

I absolutely loved the “theory into practice” approach in this book. In the pursuit of happiness, Gretchen decided to test-drive the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Full of inspirational ideas!

 

Happy Together. Suzann Pileggi Pawelski and James Pawelski 

(get the book | read our notes)

This book is about how we can apply the principles of positive psychology to create thriving relationships that last a lifetime. Very simple tips with powerful effects. 

 

The Strength Switch by Lea Waters 

(get the book | read our notes)

That’s a great book on how to apply Character Strength research to help our children actualize their potential and flourish in life. The key message here is that by focusing on our children’s strengths rather than always trying to correct their weaknesses, we can help build resilience and optimism and offer protection from today’s pandemic of depression and anxiety. 

The Bottom Line

Thanks for reading! I hope you found it helpful and felt inspired to grab a book (or two) to enjoy next year.

One of my new year’s resolutions is to finish all the books I have on my shelf, Kindle and Audible. 23 books in 2023? Definitely yes!

And while I’m pulling together my 2023 reading list, I would really appreciate if you could leave a comment below to let me know which books you want to see on the blog! 

Happy Holidays!

Loads of love,

Irina