Friday, January 13, 2023

The Best Books of 2022

I’m testing the adage “Better Late than Never” with this listing of the Best Books of 2022 coming in mid January rather than in the last week of 2022. Since there’s never a bad time for a good book, I hope these titles find you when you’re hungry for a good book. The illustration atop this post is part of a series I love called “Ideal Bookshelf” by Jane Mount. This one titled “Banned Books” seems especially appropriate this year as book banning increased in schools and libraries across the U.S. Mount’s prints are available at https://www.etsy.com/shop/janemount


All of the books listed below are also listed on my Annual List with complete descriptions of each title.


The Best Fiction of 2022:

Geographies of the Heart by Caitlin Hamilton Summie was the best novel I read in 2022 that was published in 2022.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan was the best novel I read in 2022 that was published in 2021.


The Runners-Up for Best Fiction:

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Lark Ascending by Silas House

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

Recitatif by Toni Morrison (1983, new release with introduction by Zadie Smith 2022)

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka 

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart


The Best Historical Fiction, also known as Pigeon Pie:

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 


The Runners-Up for Best Historical Fiction:

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara 

Cora’s Kitchen by Kimberly Garrett Brown

The Final Revival of Opal and Ned by Dawnie Walton

The Foundling by Anne Leary

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins Valdez

The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West


The Best Debut Novels of 2022:

Geographies of the Heart by Caitlin Hamilton Summie

and 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 


The Runners-Up for Best Debut Novels of 2022:

Cora’s Kitchen by Kimberly Garrett Brown

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton

Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan


The Best Dessert, Happy, Pick-Me-Up Book of 2022:

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau


The Runners-Up for Best Dessert, Happy, Pick-Me-Up Books of 2022:

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt


The Best Mysteries, Suspense, and Thriller of 2022:

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb


The Runners-Up for Best Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers of 2022:

Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara 

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper (2017)

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny


The Best Nonfiction Book of 2022:

Lost & Found by Kathryn Schulz 


The Runners-Up for Best Nonfiction Books of 2022:

Beautiful Country by Julie Qian Wang (2021)

The River You Touch by Chris Dombrowski 

Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley Day (2021)

Up North in Michigan by Jerry Dennis (2021)

Widowland by Rachel Brougham