Attack of the Best Lists 2022: Time's 100 Must Read Books of 2022

This post is part of my year end "Attack of the Best Lists" coverage. To see every post in my "Best Books 2022" series [and more backlist best options] you can use the best lists tag. 

In terms of usefulness for you, the public library worker, the very best "best" lists are the ones that think about the average reader and identify titles that are well constructed, engaging, and accessible. They have literary merit, yes, but are not obtuse. They provide new information on a topic or a different perspective, but they are also extremely readable. 

These are titles we can display and suggest with ease. And these are exactly the types of titles Time Magazine gives us each year with their "100 Must Read Books." Here is the link to the 2022 list.

Notice they don't call them "the best," they are "must reads." I love this language. It speaks perfectly to library users. 

This is a list you can display proudly, and quite honestly, having looked through it myself, easily. Easily because you have these books already. Easily because there are mays to promote it via their website, which has a visual representation of each cover that people can scroll through quickly or click on a specific title for an annotation with details. They have both general and specific information with ease.

You can also offer access through your subscription to the magazine itself-- print or digital. In fact, this list provides you with the opportunity to market your magazine access points in general. Many libraries are seeing their magazine usage go way down and while some of it is a larger industry issue, I have also found that when you remind people about the easy Libby access to magazines, they start reading them again.

But wait, there's more. Time has also produced  a video montage that shows each cover. You can click here or on the image below to watch it.

Click here or on the image to see the video

All of these different ways to deliver the list  provides an example of what it means to be truly inclusive. Having a variety of ways for users to take in the information honors all the different ways people prefer to access information. It lets them know that Time cares about them access the list in the manner that is most comfortable to them.

Time is both setting an example of how to be inclusive and providing us the tools we need to follow their example.

Of course, it is not only this list that is a great choice for readers, but also, the backlist of lists. Time has been making this "100 Must Read Books" list since 2019. Here are the backlist links for you to use with your patrons immediately:

• 2021
• 2020
• 2019

Prior to 2019 they did shorter lists, but these "100 books" lists provide you many sure bet options; titles you probably have on the shelf; titles that were labelled "must read" only a few years ago; titles that they surely have not read all 100, but would love if they only knew about them. 

The attack of the best lists have only just begun, and while I will have more updates on some of the most useful lists for our purposes, don't forget to use the backlist options to fill out your displays and add to your suggestions. If something was "best" or "must read" in the last few years, it hasn't lost that status just because the calendar has clicked over.