Well, I got reacquainted with reading fiction for really the first time in my adulthood, and 56 books may very well be the most I ever read in a year. So why not do a little thingy and list my faves - the books that made me think 'ok yes this is why I read'. I'll generally spare the plot summaries since they can easily be found on the books' web pages, and focus more on my own feelings.
My favorites ranked-ish:

Come Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant: This is now my favorite book of all time and my go-to comfort read. It is, to quote my SO, "like Cream of Wheat for the soul", and I would recommend it to literally anyone. It may sound like YA from reading the plot synopsis, but it isn't. I want to go door-to-door and offer 'the word of Jessica Grant' to my friends and neighbors. I love it that much. I have never laughed out loud more while reading a book, and I would sometimes find myself hugging the book to my chest. Unlike what I usually gravitate toward, this book is wholesome, endearing, and ultimately about the power of found family (to me anyway). The world building is amazing. The focus is really on the characters and humor at first, but the subtle plot points start to emerge and create a quaint little mystery of the MC's life. I plan to re-read the shit out of this throughout the duration of my lifetime.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller: Yes this one is difficult to get immersed in at first, but as I (finally after years) stuck with it, the reward was magnificent. I always knew I'd like the absurdism, humor, and satire aspects, but the things I loved about this book that surprised me came from what I came to see as the brilliant, unique storytelling structure and the interesting approach to the character development of the protagonist. The way it starts, we think we understand Yossarian, but we come to empathize with him and attribute what we think we know about him more and more to his situation. Every plot component is in exactly the right non-linear spot like a brilliantly conceived and exquisite puzzle. This one will also reward re-reads.

Negative Space by B.R. Yeager So if 'Come Thou Tortoise is one that I can recommend to everyone I know, 'Negative Space' is the book that I could recommend to almost no one I know lol. Horror is my go-to genre. This is the only book that has ever scared me. There are books that creep us out, gross us out, disturb us, but this book fucking scared me. It was the equivalent of me peeking through my fingers during a movie. I almost put it down because it was such an onslaught of awful, but it was also good and so I kept going and didn't regret it. There was a sliver of light or two that kept this from being pure misery and expanded it into a mysterious and interesting landscape. It is kind of like a Larry Clark movie about the most disaffected youth you can imagine, infused with some of the best cosmic horror I've ever come across.

Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo Now back to our regularly programmed non-niche reading. Stay With Me was my favorite 'mystery/thriller' of the year, even though it isn't marketed that way (and perhaps that's why it was so successful at blindsiding me). I was so impressed at the pacing of this debut novel and how it was able to pull more of a punch than most books in such a short time (I believe this is under 300 pages). I already liked the premise of a monogamous Nigerian couple trying to navigate the familial and societal pressures of a polygamous culture. It delivered even more than I could have hoped.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell The premise is tailor-made for me: "In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet that will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question what it means to be "human".
This novel had perhaps the best writing and characters that I have ever come across. I felt that the end was a little rushed but this is likely due to the fact that there is a sequel that elaborates more on what happened. I haven't read the sequel yet but probably will one day. Also, this book is about Jesuits but it is not Christian Fiction. It gets a little freaky.

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata I don't want to say much about this one because it is best to go in blind! It isn't one that I was so enthralled with during the journey, but one that when it was all said and done, I was still thinking about days after I finished it. Content warning for sexual/child abuse.

Honorable Mentions/favorite non-fiction:
Gone to See the River Man by Kristopher Triana (extreme horror)
Russian Journal by Andrea Lee (non-fiction)
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse (non-fiction)
The Twilight World by Werner Herzog (non-fiction with flourish)