My favorite books of 2022

Every December I look forward to compiling a list of my favorite books. But this year it loomed over me because there have been so many great books! I made my decisions based on some fairly simple criteria:

1. Am I still thinking about it?
•
2. Have I recommended it?
•
3. Did it make me laugh, cry, or both?
•
4. Did it say something important?
•
5. Will I remember it a year from now?
•
And after mulling over the "will I remember it" question, one of my 5 star books was removed in lieu of a 4 star book. Why? Because the 5 star book wowed me, it was a gut punch - and yet already I cannot recall much about it. But the 4 star is one I still think about - especially the ending, which was unexpected to say the least. My point is that reviewing is subjective and sometimes we change our minds! I did not change my mind entirely, but I did change my perspective.
•
I had more fun in my reading this year. A few of these are much lighter than my normal fare (Unlikely Animals) there's a little magic sprinkled in (Babel) and I met some very nice authors! The asterisk next to the title means you'll find my interview with the author either in my Instagram Highlights or my Youtube channel.
Here are my 2022 favorites and my expanded reviews can be found on this blog as well!
•
Trust by Hernan Diaz
I chose Trust because it has modern classic vibes, a unique format, and is ultimately a feminist story. I have recommended it, bought it as a gift, and cannot wait for him to write another book. From page one I knew I was in the hands of a masterful storyteller. Trust is a novel for our times, framed by the past. Diaz's prose is sophisticated; it is sparse enough to never feel overdone but descriptive enough to cause me to read passages more than once.
•
Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett*
I chose Unlikely Animals because I don't laugh enough when I read and this was such an original and fun story. And, despite being animal crazed, I stay away from "animal centric" novels because, in my experience, they only bring pain. But this book is hilarious, full of animals, topped off with a bit of magic, but it is all woven together so perfectly here! The author is also delightful!
•
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A book with an inspirational main character, who defies the role women were supposed to play in the 1960s. Elizabeth Zott is unforgettable, as is her dog SixThirty - I loved the way Bonnie Garmus wove the love of an animal into this book. This book is on just about everyone’s top of the year list, if that convinces you!
•
Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer
This story of female friendship story set in 90s NYC was exceptional. The relationship between the best friends felt authentic, and the setting was done to perfection. This book had everything I look for when I read: thoughtfully crafted characters, a believable progression of plot, a setting that I adore.
•
Babel by R.F. Kuang
And Oxford setting, complete with dusty books and a Harry Potter vibe was pure magic. I don’t read fantasy but there is so little of it here, it mattered not. The buzz about this one is real! If you want to fall into a great winter book, this is a perfect choice.
•
The Long Answer by Anna Hoagland*
Every woman can find themselves somewhere between these pages. This is one intense book, and it’s hard to read at times. It contains the most powerful and moving language about pregnancy and the accompanying emotions and turmoil that I've ever encountered. It illuminates the universal experiences of conceiving and carrying a child, the inability to conceive a child, and the depths of devastation at the loss of a child. Trigger warnings abound.
•
Groundskeeping by Lee Cole
I love a campus novel and Groundskeeping is phenomenal and understated in that regard. It is also about place and home and how we fit in once we leave and begin our own lives. Cole captures the pull, safety and allegiance we feel with our hometowns (and our families) while at the same time wrestling with our need to branch out on our own.
•
Fellowship Point by Alice Eliott Dark*
A beautiful tome about Maine, friendship and aging, done to perfection. Reading Fellowship Point was like falling into another world. The 600 pages contain so many moving plot lines: the love of land and place, the stories of generations of families, the depths of female friendship, the ties of community, the importance of history and the acceptance of aging.
•
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
This is a very hard book to describe and yet I cannot forget it. It is one of the most unique novels I've ever read, both in content and style. The female friendship Li develops for the reader felt very much like The Elena Ferrante Neapolitan books. Li’s prose is in a category of its own - sparse, direct and so powerful.

•

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O'Farrell can write the heck out of historical fiction. After finishing The Marriage Portrait I really never stopped thinking about it because the ending is so unexpected. This is the book that at first I left out of my top reads, and then added it back in and removed another. If Renaissance Italy is your cup of tea, I’d highly recommend seeing it through O’Farrell’s eyes.
•
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
I was fortunate to have an early copy of this book and fell head over heels for it. A campus novel with a side of Serial and a healthy serving of stellar writing. If you loved Makkai’s last novel, The Great Believers, this is better.
Mark your calendar for 2/21
•
NONFICTION

•
The Crane Wife by C.J. Hauser.

My first thought is that I want to put these unabashedly honest essays into the hands of every young woman I know. I want them to experience the way C.J. Hauser takes us into the backstory of her life and loves and tells us to accept ourselves - to live our lives without the weight of others' expectations. Whether that is marriage, or sexuality or the decision to have children, Hauser's meditations will resonate with so many women.
•
Finding Me by Viola Davis
I read this early in 2022 and predicted it would make my top list, and it did. This is one I implore readers to listen to via audio because hearing her deliver her own story of rising from poverty and abuse is incredibly powerful.
•
Also A Poet by Ada Calhoun
Art, memoir and NYC are a beautiful combination. This memoir is much in part the author’s reckoning with her famous art critic father. It is heartfelt, the setting is so vivid and I highly recommend this on audio as the author reads her story.
•
Red Comet; The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark
I've always been fascinated by the life of Sylvia Plath wondered what really happened. I cannot imagine the amount of time that went into researching this birth to death biography that reads more like a thriller than nonfiction. Clark's writing is descriptive and insightful, allowing us to get to know the real Plath via her letters and Clark's research.
•
My 2023 goals are to be more intentional and less rushed in my reading. As someone who loves to review, I do feel pressured to finish and get the review up, and that definitely diminishes the quality of my reading. So, I set the goal to try and slow down! 2022 was a great year for books - thank you for stopping by!