It’s time for my annual roundup of books! I didn’t read a lot of nonfiction or poetry this year, but I had a fantastic fiction year. I rounded up my top ten, but I’m also including some Honorable Mention, because I don’t want them to go unnoticed. Did you read any of these? What were your favorites from 2022?
My Favorite Classic
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset was the very best book I read this year. I started it at the end of January, with a reading plan that took me through the year. Over 1100 pages, it felt like a beast, but once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. I finished it by the end of March. If you read any book in the new year, I beg you to try this one. It made me think about marriage, motherhood, repentance, and forgiveness. I want to re-read it in 2023.
My Favorite Novel About Motherhood
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a close second to Kristin Lavransdatter. I thought it would be a fluffy read when I first heard about it, but it may have been the most thought-provoking book I read all year. The main character, Elizabeth Zott, is a scientist in the 1960s and she finds herself on a cooking show. After reading it, I feel like Elizabeth is a dear friend, and I wish I could invite her over for a playdate.
My Favorite Book About the Power of Words
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams is another book I want to read over and over again. I knew when I chose it I would be reading a fantastic story of the history behind the Oxford Dictionary. What I didn’t expect was the way it told the story of women during the early 1900s; how often words pertaining to women were intentionally left out of the dictionary. It is a fascinating read.
The Book that Made Me Most Angry
The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami had been on my shelf since it first came out several years ago, but I kept putting it off. I knew it would make me angry and sad. With masterful writing, it tells the account of a person sold into slavery by his family in the 16th century, to an explorer of the new world. It is a piece of history we should all dive a little bit deeper into learning about.
The Book I Couldn’t Put Down
I chose The Attic Child by Lola Jaye from Book of the Month in September because the title reminded me of Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, which brought me back to my high school years. The Attic Child has nothing to do with Flowers of the Attic, except that there are children and attics involved. It was heart-wrenching and also so incredibly beautiful.
The Book Everyone Should Read
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez is another book that had been on my shelf for months, but it took me a while to be ready to think about abortion after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I wish I could buy a thousand copies of this and hand it out to everyone I know. It raises so many ethical questions about the medical field and government, as well as shining a spotlight on the history of women’s rights and racial equality. It should be required reading everywhere.
My Favorite Young Adult Novel
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley taught me so much about holistic medicine, indigenous people, and the discipline it takes to be a runner. I read this at the same time I was reading Braiding Sweetgrass, and they complimented each other so well.
My Favorite Book About Marriage
Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith was first book I read in 2022 was and it was a terrific way to begin my reading year. [Smith also wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which I read (and loved) for the first time last year.] Joy in the Morning is an enchanting story about a newlywed couple in the 1920s, the struggles they face, and the way they support each other’s dreams throughout their life together. It’s a fun book and an easy read. I highly recommend it.
My Favorite Poetry Compilation
I started reading The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood edited by Emily Perez and Nancy Reddy sometime in April, but it took me until August to really finish reading it. It hit really close to home and stirred up a lot of emotions I didn’t really want to handle this Spring and Summer. But once I finished it, it met me right where I was, in all of my confusion and despair and wonder if I could really mother and homeschool and write all at the same time. I highly recommend it for anyone wondering how to balance mothering and creating. Or really just motherhood in general.
My Favorite Re-Read
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern was a reread for me this year and I have to say it blew me away this time around. I missed so much the first time I read it. A fantasy about an other-worldly library and the intersection between story and reality, it’s a book that you really have to savor. This is one of those books I loved for the journey it took me on, with every single page.
Honorable Mention:
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier was another re-read for me this year and still stands in my mind as one of the best books to read in October. A little bit spooky, a little bit creepy, and a lot of beautiful prose.
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd was a fabulous book all about maps and the death of a librarian. I devoured this book in less than 48 hours. I simply could not put it down.
Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine J. Chen was probably the most creative historical fiction book I read this year. We studied Joan of Arc in history during the winter so I was thrilled when this book came out.
Of course I have to include Chanel Cleeton’s latest novel Our Last Days in Barcelona. Following the story of Isabel and Beatriz from When We Left Cuba, it’s another fascinating look at international politics in the 1960s.
Perhaps the most surprising enjoyable read of the year for me was Emily St John Mandel’s new book, Sea of Tranquility. I thought it was her best written book yet, and really loved the way she explored time travel.
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