I had a slow start to reading in 2022 and remember wondering if I would even find five new books to strongly recommend by the end of the year (as is my tradition).
But by early fall I was finishing one really good read after another, and I had to give some thought before narrowing it down to five of my favorites (published in 2022). Some of these books I finished so recently that I haven’t had a chance to post about them individually.
My favorite books of 2022 are:
You can click on the images or titles to view these titles on Amazon, for your convenience. But I strongly support buying from your local bookstore or borrowing from your local library.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
I hesitate to tell you this book is “about video games” because that may keep people from reading it who don’t care about video games (which would also be me; last video game I played was Super Mario.) Oregon Trail is also mentioned a lot, so the time frame matched with my age.
This modern novel (though set from 1990s through pre-pandemic) follows the lives of video gamers as they meet, go to college, create games, have relationships, make a bunch of money from what they create, have successes and failures, fun, and heartbreak. There is a lot of Macbeth intertextuality, including the title (from a Macbeth soliloquy). As in many of the books I love, there are many layers to the story as it is told.
Here are two passages I can’t forget:
“If I’ve done the work in the scenes before I die, if I’ve made a real impression, they’ll feel me in the scenes I’m not in anyway.”
“Memory, you realized long ago, is a game that a healthy-brained person can play all the time, and the game of memory is won or lost on one criterion: Do you leave the formation of memories to happenstance, or do you decide to remember?”
Thank you to Megan for recommending!
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
This is very new (December released) climate fiction that I wrote a more extensive post on before – read my previous post here.
Florida is no longer sustainable; the people who stay have to learn to survive in this new world. Unfortunately, it does not read as unbelievable.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
This is renaissance historical fiction set in Italy within wealthy, ruling families who arrange marriages. I found myself strongly rooting for the main character and still thinking about her!
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocum
This was a selection from my University of Illinois alumni book club that I want to recommend. This reads as a family drama and mystery – who stole the violin worth millions – and an insight into the world of classical music, especially how hard that world is for a black musician to navigate.
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
This book was a highlight of my year in reading; it’s historical fiction about a real bookstore in Paris where James Joyce (and other famous authors, various expats, etc.) regularly visited that is owned by a bookseller/editor who helped him publish Ulysses. I’ve written a lot about Ulysses on this blog because I did my Master’s work on it. Why you should read Ulysees. (Actually, you probably shouldn’t, but at least know why you should!)
I may have enjoyed this more than the average reader would due to my relationship with Ulysses, but if you like Paris, bookstores, historical fiction, you will still enjoy it!
I wrote a longer post on this book here.
As is also my tradition, I like to link to my five most popular posts of the year. Here they are (actually none of these were written this year but they are still getting the most hits):
When Literature and TV collide
Books inspired by Hemingway and His Wives
Historical fiction about the San Francisco Earthquake
Sweet Pickles – My favorite Childrens’ books
Finally, my travel posts for the year – my other hobby besides reading is planning vacations:
My trip to Memphis and Graceland
Michigan and Wisconsin via the SS Badger
I wish my fellow readers a happy holiday season and a happy new year. I will be back in January with new recommendations.