Author: Johnny Webber

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.

‘Tis the season for “best of” lists. Below are notable lists featuring the best books of 2022.

💯 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.

📖 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.

🍳 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.

🎨 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.