You know I read …and read, and read, and read.
I sit in the chair next to the window and read minutes after I wake up. I read on the Elliptical, on walks with the dog, while doing the laundry, and beside the pool. I set the timer, as reading is a part of my job; I read aloud to the boys, nearly every day, and I read on laboriously long road trips.
Reading is my happy place. Book clubs are my people. Libraries are nothing short of magical.
As such, today I offer my favorite books of the year: 5 fiction books and 10 nonfiction books (which you’ll see tomorrow). I tend to read more nonfiction than fiction, but perhaps I tend to be pickier about fiction, in general. I’m not sure. And because this is Grown-Up Dead Week, I don’t have it within me to sit down and analyze the data right now.
Instead, I offer you my five favorite fiction books from 2022:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Well, this was a delightful surprise. Originally hailed as “the book about a woman who fell in love with an octopus,” it’s not exactly about a woman who fell in love with an octopus, but also, there’s a lot of love between an octopus and a woman. Bonus points for those of us who live and/or have lived in both California and Washington state. You can find it here.
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
Perhaps the exact opposite of the above recommendation, Nightcrawling is not for the faint of heart. But it makes for rich discussion, both about the reality of what is, in particular for young Black girls and communities of color, in general, and of what it could be. Seeing as we also live in the part of Oakland where much of the novel takes place made it all the more real. You can find it here.
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
You’ll soon discover that not all of the books listed here were published in 2022, in fact, far from it. As such, Two Boys Kissing came out in 2015. This YA read absolutely made it to the top because of the way in which the story was told, which is to say from a plural perspective of the elders, of those who had gone before, and of those who are forever cheering them on. It was beyond gorgeous. You can find it here.
It’s the End of the World and I’m in my Bathing Suit by Justin Reynolds
Hands-down, this was the favorite middle grade novel the boys and I read together this year. It’s fun and magical, employing realism, imagination, and characters that look like all of us (and then some). I’ve never heard them utter the word “cliffhanger” so many times, nor has any other book prompted them to keep reading, “for just a few more minutes.” You can find it here.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Perhaps you should know this about me: I tend to not know much of anything about a book until I actually read it, nor do I tend to read Time Travel Fiction. So it went with The Midnight Library, but it did not disappoint. From the back cover: “Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality.” You can find it here.
Well, there we have it! Which of these fiction books have you read? Did any of my favorite books of the year make you shudder in horror? Otherwise, what should I add to 2023’s list of things to read?
Happy reading!