Before we get too far into the new year (it is already really too late but not yet 2024), here is my reading roundup from 2022. Being a voracious reader is as much a part of my identity as being a writer. For many years I’ve wanted to reflect on and share the stand-outs from my recent reading life.
All the links in this post are from Goodreads, where I have tracked and reviewed books for many years. Starting in 2023 I’m going to try StoryGraph as well (here’s why). I read for three reasons: Escapism, Learning, and Research. I read across genres and often get into a groove and stay there. When I was a kid, reading Guy Gavriel Kay and Piers Anthony taught me to find out whether or not a series was FINISHED before starting it so that I wouldn’t be disappointed when I ran out of books.
Based on the images of books from 2022, last year was heavy on escapist fiction.
I read several entire series of books because the first one was cheap or free. An excellent author strategy is to write a long series of decent books, give the first one away for free, and make it easy for a reader to stay with the characters, the plot, and the world.
I’m a member of a Cozy Mystery Bookclub and A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Bookclub, both of which furnish me with free e-reads once a month. That keeps me from spending a LOT on books, because I read every day, even if it is only a few pages in bed before drifting off to sleep.
As long as a book is entertaining enough to hold my interest, I’ll probably just move from one story to the next until I run out. Following characters I would want to have as friends into new adventures, defines the 2022 highlight of my escapist reading, the Magic Market Mysteries* by Erin Johnson.
Featuring a down-on-her-luck investigator who can talk to animals, this series was fast and funny, with enjoyable plot twists and a deep thread of social commentary running through them. I consistently gave them four stars. The romantic elements, threats, and comedy in the world were interesting enough that I read the second, longer series, Spells and Caramels, set in the same cleverly constructed, alt-modern-day world.
Also in the paranormal fantasy realm but specifically in the “midlife” genre, I enjoyed Over the Faery Hill and The Fae Side of Forty–Books 1 & 2 of Magical Midlife Misadventures. Both books got four stars from me and I was inspired enough that I even wrote a review.
The best straight-up, half-naked-man-on-the-cover romance of 2022 was Kissing Books. When an actual romance author is the main character, and she has to negotiate a small-minded small-town that considers romance both dangerous and synonymous with garbage, you’re in for a good time.
Since I know plenty of romance writers and readers personally, I relished this book that took on the stigma associated with romance and addressed it head-on as a fun aspect of the plot.
In the historical genre (with minimal romance), I loved the novelty of Hattie Glovers Millinery. There’s romance, but the book is actually about women seeking independence and the right to vote in an era that discounts them.
I enjoyed the intrigue, the language, the characters…and yes, the hats! I intend to go back and read the sequels in the series this year–I must not have been in the mood for more historical after finishing Hattie, but I would happily re-read before tackling the rest of the series.
The most gripping book I read in 2022 was written by Lisa Manterfield, a new author acquaintance who I met in an editing workshop. Quoting my own review, The Smallest Thing, “is about how to love deeply. There is a fulfilling romantic thread, but at its heart, the book is about loving who you are and the small choices that make up a satisfying life.”
Inspired by the true story of the plague village of Eyam, this book captured everything we all went through during the 2020-2022 COVID pandemic, even though it was published in 2017!
The final fiction reads I want to highlight are a few more books from my ongoing attempt to read everything written by P.G. Wodehouse. To be clear, I probably won’t be able to do this in my lifetime because 1) I don’t keep track very well and 2) they blend together. Of course, story similarity in no way lessens the enjoyment of a Wodehouse romp. Re-reading is not only not a problem for an escapist reader, it is the favorite ratty bathrobe pulled from the back of the closet because the new one hasn’t been through the wash enough times to be comfy.
This year I read three works by Wodehouse, and my favorite was The Girl on the Boat, originally titled Three Men and a Maid. I wrote a review about The Coming of Bill, and A Wodehouse Miscellany, but I didn’t have much to say about this hilarious and cheerful romance set in a time when society was far “nicer,” but people really weren’t.
Over in the non-fiction world, it was an affecting year in books.
Year of Yes was a pick from the Carefully Curated Life Bookclub, as was Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The contrast between these books that both address how to be a successful woman could not be more stark.
Lindbergh’s book was on beach time: Slow, paced to dispense deeply philosophical advice from time of yore, like waves from a calm summer sea.
Year of Yes was the flashy modern equal and opposite, and the audiobook, read by the author, is absolutely the way to go. In a book about personal transformation, where the listener is learning lessons right alongside the author, Rhimes’ voice added an extra dimension for me. I came away with a huge amount of affection and respect for this woman who tells her stories with humor and dispenses no-bullshit wisdom with a scoop shovel.
With absolutely no disrespect to Kasia St. Clair, I’ve been turning to The Secret Lives of Color for over a year and finally finished it. Mostly that was because I would read about only one color at a sitting.
This was a good non-fiction book and I learned a lot, but it did not live up to the promise of telling me “secret” things about the lives of color. Other than a few surprises, it was just a beautifully designed delivery method for the plain old history of where various colors came from. Many stories I knew from art classes back in the day, but it was nice to revisit and be occasionally startled by stories about what different colors are most famous for. I will definitely shelve the book in our non-fiction section as a color reference.
After an equally long time, I finally finished The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 11. Full of short stories and essays from and about solo women travelers, this was a research resource recommended to me while I was drafting the first full version of what may become my Douglas Adams Travel Memoir.
In order to get through the collection, I had to make myself experience it academically. I underlined and summarized each essay after finishing it. Some essays went fast and I laughed or cried…but not most.
One reason I am so hesitant to begin the next re-drafting of my Adams books is that I’ve been given feedback that it is a memoir and I am not convinced I actually enjoy the genre. I’m loathe to sign up for writing something I would never want to read.
By far the book I most enjoyed in 2022, and the one I’m most grateful for, is Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.
This book was kind and funny and actionable. I listened to the audiobook with my husband on a long driving trip and it sparked plenty of happy discussions about our lives. I love it when an author reads their own non-fiction work aloud because it adds depth and meaning to the words.
Well, having decided that reading is a non-negotiable activity that I choose to make time for (and increase the time year-over-year), now you know what I allocated some of my 52 weeks of 2022 toward.
Hopefully, The 2023 reading roundup won’t be forgotten in the list of drafts for a half-year.
- Please note that links in this post are affiliate links and I may receive a commission that supports my writing work if you decide to use a link to make a purchase from Amazon.
What do you think?