As per usual, I’m dipping my toes in after several months of silence (mixed metaphors much?). But let’s be honest here, that’s my MO and I’m probably not going to change.
Anywhoo, here is my very brief “best of” list for 2022. This is mainly a Litsy challenge, #12Booksof2022, that I decided to cross post here. These aren’t necessarily all of my favorites of the year, but one favorite per month. I read a lot more than anticipated this year (123 books as of December 28), so this wasn’t actually that easy. But here goes:
January : Murder Book by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell. This was so entertaining. Campbell is a true crime aficionado and the book is a memoir of that obsession. Her artwork is incredible, and the memoir itself is pretty hilarious. It was a great way to start the year, and I immediately purchased a copy for my friend.
February : What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey. Normally I’m very skeptical about celebrities telling me how to make my life better, but this book was co-written by an actual doctor and based on real brain science, so I’ll let it slide. Both Oprah and Perry read the audiobook and it was SO GOOD. I have a much better understanding of peoples’ behavior, especially regarding difficult relationships in my own life. I highly recommend the audio version of this.
March : Ain’t Burned all the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin. A teen illustrated novel in verse, this is another stunning book for young readers. The illustrations are really what sticks out in my memory.
April : Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson. I’m just realizing I have a bit of a theme this year. Or at least last spring. This is another novel in verse, this time for middle grade readers. The main character is a young boy whose father is a professional football player, who is experiencing symptoms of what we now know is CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy). There is no real resolution or happy ending to this book, which would make it brutal for some children, I imagine. However, it ends with hope – the hope that someday we’ll figure out a way to treat brain injuries (this book took place in the 1990s). This book destroyed me. I sobbed.
May : Siren Queen by Nghi Vo. A historical fantasy set in golden era Hollywood, featuring a lesbian MC. Unique story, and unputdownable. I loved this
June : Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin. A speculative fiction novel that poses a fairly straightforward moral query – would you erase a bad memory if you had the chance? What are the implications about using this technology to change human being’s memories? Written from multiple POVs.
July : Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. So. Damn. Good. Death, love, friendship, chosen family, what it means to actually be a good person. Klune’s picture of what happens after death is my new bible. Seriously, it sounds amazing and makes me fear death a lot less. And Hugo and Wallace – so much them! I was not a fan of Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea (or at least I was mostly meh about it), so this was a pleasant surprise.
August : After Lambana by Mervin Malonzo and Eliza Victoria. Beautiful exploration of magic in Manila. The illustrations are phenomenal.
September : Weaving Sundown by Joy Harjo. Oh my goodness these poems are amazing. Heartbreaking and beautiful and just fantastic. Highly recommended.
October : The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras. Magical realism memoir. Her writing style is mesmerizing, even when discussing tragic memories.
November : Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. I can’t believe I haven’t read this before. The story is sad and the narrator isn’t particularly likable, but there’s just something so engaging about the time, the place, and the rest of the people. I will now need to read all of Baldwin’s books.
December : Revenge by Yōko Ogawa. This is a very creepy series of connected stories, some are slightly more distressing than the others. Short stories aren’t my favorite genre, so I particularly appreciated how they all tied in together, loosely.
Fort Bookville 