A wrenching coming of age novel about a forbidden romance between two men with religious differences.

A memoir about a woman who leaves her marriage because of bad sex.

A poetry collection about grief, pop singers, and being alive at the end of the world.

What do all of these have in common?

While they are all titles featured on NPR's Books We Love Reading Guide for 2022.

The end of the year is a fertile time for reflection to look back on where we've been.

The books we've read and loved in a year can tell us all kinds of things about what we've

learned during the year, how we felt, and how we changed.

You shared some of your favorite books this year with us.

My favorite book of 2022 is called Vagina Obscura by Rachel Gross.

Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.

It's a super compelling book about recent researchers of the anatomy of women that has been ignored

for hundreds of years.

The book that changed my life this year is cured by Dr. Jeffrey Reddinger.

It was a recommendation from my local station.

It's been life-changing because it has cut down everything to have a leak when it comes

to health, spiritual health, mental health, and physical health.

It's also led me to some other books that have been instrumental in my life this year

and as I plan for my future.

So I highly recommend it.

Rebecca and Beatrice, thanks for those messages.

After the break, we round up some of the best books of the year with our panel.

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