A Year in Books
The Books I Loved (and one I did not)
Last time: What Comes Next For My Book
“Being alone is helpful for the creative process but we need to know we are loved, too, and not entirely alone in this world, that when we emerge from the creative cocoon there will be someone there waiting for us.” -Jami Attenberg, “Music Opens the Door”
Let me start by saying I love every single “best books of the year” list out there. It’s one of my favorite parts of this otherwise stressful and sometimes grief-filled time of the year. I also know that authors with published novels tend to have conflicted thoughts about these book lists.
As Lincoln Michel says over on Counter Craft, “‘Best of’ lists are always suspect to begin with, but especially so for books because there are simply so many published each year and so little time to read them all.”
I keep this in mind when I look at book awards and book lists. So many amazing books aren’t on any list at all.
You’ve probably already heard of some of favorite books published in 2022 like Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I don’t want to repeat myself too much. All year long, I’ve been championing my other favorites, the books that may not be on your radar but deserve the recognition.
A quick list of some of those other favorites:
(Note: I am a Bookshop.org affiliate and may earn a small commission if you order a book through my links.)
Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place by Neema Avashia
The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak
Here’s a link to my Bookshop “store” for a bigger list of my favorites.
I hesitate to make any kind of “year in review” because the year isn’t over yet, and I still have reading plans for the last few weeks of the year.
Either way, I’m too much of a book nerd not to participate. As of December 8, 2022, here are my bookish stats for the year (mostly from Goodreads and The StoryGraph):
Books read: 63 (I think I’ll get a few more before the end of the year)
Fiction: 65%
Nonfiction: 35%
My biggest genres: Thriller and Mystery
Format: 86% print
My Reading Moods: Reflective, Emotional, and Dark (which sounds accurate)
While looking at these kinds of stats are fun (or horrible depending on who you ask), it helps me get all Reflective and Emotional about the reading I want to do next year.
I want to be more deliberate in my reading next year, more intentional with my choices. I read a lot of mystery and thrillers because I’m writing in that genre and I don’t want big knowledge gaps about what’s being published (also because I love to be scared).
Next year, though, I want to read more poetry and more nonfiction. I want to read some absurd humor, which is my favorite kind of funny. I might even try to make some room for more romance in my life. Mostly, I want to find more books that aren’t on every “Best of” list and share them with the people I love most.
Current Mood: My brain is too mushy from final exams to write anything poetic here, so I’ll make another list.
Books that changed the way I think (mostly nonfiction, mostly related to creativity and teaching):
The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop: How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom by Felicia Rose Chavez
How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
Each of these books should be on your own TBR list. I’ll probably write more about them in the near future, but I can at least say I’m so thrilled that these books exist and are in the world. There are the books I will remember most after 2022.
And the one book I didn’t like!
I always hesitate to leave bad reviews or share books that weren’t for me. More about that in a future post. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney is clearly a best-selling favorite thriller of 2022 and if you love it, I can understand why.
I’m reading this book for a book club, but probably wouldn’t have finished it otherwise. I tend not to keep reading if I’m not feeling it. It may just be that I’m in the mood for nonfiction and history lately (very off brand for me) and that my brain is really crowded with thoughts about teaching and pedagogy.
If you loved this book, though, I get it (whispers: “I think Agatha Christie did it better.”)
Thoughts on your favorite books of the year? I love hearing what other people loved and weren’t into. Fire away below!
This is the part where I ramble on about how much I love Substack and hope you’re enjoying it, too.
A few other Substack newsletters I have recently fallen for:
Malaka Gharib’s A List of Beautiful Things
It’s been a great year writing on Substack and I have big plans for 2023. I’m so thankful for everyone who subscribed and keeps reading, even as I figure out this platform.
Please consider becoming a paid subscriber here on Mourning Pages so I can continue to share more in the new year.