Author: Johnny Webber
If you’re ever in Sarajevo, take a trip up the gondola.

A website obsessed with mystery books: stopyourekillingme.com.
I published my notes on Florence, Italy.
π Notes on Florence, Italy
I spent the first quarter of 2022 living in Florence, Italy. Here are my notes:
- I recommend visiting in the shoulder or off-season (I was there from January to April). The weather is mild, and there aren’t as many tourists as in the summertime.
- We stayed in the neighborhood of San Frediano. I recommend it for long-term stays. The neighborhood is populated by locals, but still within walking distance of the city center. I also like the Santo Spirito neighborhood, but it’s much more touristy.
- The Mercato Centrale is the place to go if you need a break from traditional Italian food.
- Walk through the Piazza della Signoria after dark. The statues and buildings are beautiful to view in the moonlight. And you won’t have to jostle with tour groups for space.
- The Duomo is the most stunning building I have ever seen. Buy tickets to go up the dome and down to the crypts. Make sure you visit the Opera del Duomo Museum. It’s well worth it.
- My two favorite places to read a book are in Parco di Villa Strozzi and on the Pescaia di Santa Rosa.
- Speaking of books, the trains are a great place to get reading done. Make the time to visit Siena, San Gimignano, Bologna, and/or Cinque Terre while in the area.
- The pasta and pizza are amazing, but I miss the gelato most. Gelateria La Carraia is spectacular.
I’ve compiled a list of best book lists for the year 2022 published here.
π The Best Books of 2022
‘Tis the season for “best of” lists. Below are notable lists featuring the best books of 2022.
π― Best overall books according to publications:
- Amazon on the best books of 2022.
- The BBC on the best books of the year 2022.
- Book Riot on the best books of 2022.
- The Financial Times on the best books of the year 2022.
- Goodreads readers on the best books of 2022.
- Literary Hub on their 38 favorite books of 2022.
- The New Yorker on the best books of 2022.
- The New York Public Library on the best books of 2022.
- The New York Times on the 10 best books.
- The New York Times on 100 notable books of 2022.
- NPR on books they love.
- PBS on the 12 best books to read from 2022.
- TIME’s 100 must-read books.
- Vulture on the best books.
- The Washington Post on the best books of 2022.
π Best books according to individuals:
- Tyler Cowen’s favorite fiction of 2022.
- Tyler Cowen’s favorite nonfiction of 2022.
- Jodi Ettenberg’s favorite books of 2022.
- Mindy Kaling’s favorite books of 2022.
- Austin Kleon’s favorite reads of 2022.
- Barack Obama on his favorite books of 2022.
- Maria Popova’s favorite books of 2022.
- Your favorite authors on the best books to give as gifts.
- The books various business and political readers read in 2022.
- Smithsonian scholars pick their favorite books of 2022.
- Tor.com reviewers on the best books they read this year.
π³ Best books by genre:
- Smithsonian Magazine on the ten best history, science, food, photography, and travel books.
- GQ on the best art books of the year.
- Colossal on the best art books of 2022.
- Audible on the best audiobooks of 2022.
- Bon Appetit on the 27 best cookbooks of 2022.
- Epicurious on the best cookbooks of 2022.
- Food and Wine on the 20 best cookbooks of 2022.
- Nik Sharma’s favorite cookbooks of 2022.
- The best books health experts read in 2022.
- Pitchfork on the 15 best music books of 2022.
- Travel and Leisure on the 13 best travel coffee table books of 2022.
- Wanderlust on the best travel books of 2022.
π¨ Best book covers:
- The Chicago Library on the best book covers of 2022.
- Fast Company on the best book covers of 2022.
- Literary Hub on the 103 best book covers of 2022.
- New York Times on the best book covers of 2022.
If you are looking for suggestions from real people, here is a thread from Hacker News, a thread from the suggestmeabook subreddit (and a second), and a thread from the fantasy subreddit.