2022: The Best Books I Read
My tradition has been to post an overall favorite book — year agnostic — and a favorite book published that year. For the first time in “Please Read It To Me” history that book is one and the same. In fact, even the runners-up were also published in 2022 making it a banner year in publishing overall.
I read a lot of great books this year, so I forced myself to narrow down the list to 10 favorites and 10 honorable mentions. These two lists comprise less than 20 percent of my overall reads, so they really were the cream of the crop.
Two writers make both the best and worst lists this year: Hanya Yanagihara (best: “To Paradise;” worst: “The People in the Trees”) and Ann Patchett (best: “Commonwealth;” worst: “Bel Canto”).
We also have a few authors that are repeat “best of” honorees: Sarah Winman, Emily St. John Mandel and Ann Patchett. Plus, a few that were previously “best” but made it on the “worst” list this year: Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ocean Vuong and Andrew Sean Greer.
This proves that in reading, as in life, sometimes you’re up and sometimes you’re down. What was your favorite book of 2022?
Overall Favorite Book
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin (2022)
Dates read: August 3 – August 9, 2022
“Tomorrow” is the type of novel that if you ask people what they liked best about it, everyone will likely say something different. For me, it was threefold: 1) the boomerang nature of Gabrielle Zevin’s storytelling, meaning she references an idea or situation briefly in the present tense, but later flashbacks help the reader fully understand the impact it had on the character(s); 2) How our main characters, Sam and Sadie, never had a romantic relationship but were far closer and more intimate with one another than most spouses; and 3) The balance of world building, and buzzy tech experiences, paired with small details and quiet gestures that made the novel feel wholly real.
I also love it when a specific chapter is so strong it could be a standalone novella. Zevin includes two of those sections in “Tomorrow”: “Part VII: The NPC” and “Part IX: Pioneers.” Each contained some of the finest writing I’ve heard all year. I’ll admit that it did drag a little in the middle (but the last third makes up for it in spades), some of the ancillary characters are grating and there were occasions where Zevin went too deep into the process of video game development. Still, the sum of its parts — yes, even the plot twist that divided several readers — created something truly special. I haven’t been able to shake it, and I doubt that I will for years to come.
Runners-up: “The Town of Babylon” by Alejandro Varela (2022) and “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel (2022)
My Other Favorite Reads
Still Life – Sarah Winman
Dates read: January 11 – January 22, 2022
There have been a handful of novels, where upon completion, I’ve sat in awe of the author’s intelligence and creativity. Sarah Winman is quickly becoming one of those authors after “Tin Man,” the nuanced tale of love and loss, and now “Still Life” a celebration of art, friendship and chosen family. Seamlessly weaving together fictional and factual events, Winman transports us through a half-decade of life for our main human (and animal) characters, and the true star of the novel — Florence, Italy. This novel is so much more than the description will lead you to believe, and while it felt a little long at times, the journey is worth it.
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance – Hanif Abdurraqib
Dates read: February 9 – February 21, 2022
Go into this collection of excellent and impassioned essays knowing one thing: you’re going to leave with a list of performers and performances — some well-known and others less so — that demand attention. With “Devil,” Hanif Abdurraqib seamlessly weaves personal anecdotes with historical fact and cultural observation. It’s something that many nonfiction writers and essayists try to do, but I’ve yet to come across a writer that does it as brilliantly as Abdurraqib. In a single essay, I could be laughing out loud or dabbing away tears, all while compulsively scouring the internet to hear the songs, view photos or watch videos of the people he spotlights.
Commonwealth – Ann Patchett
Dates read: February 28 – March 5, 2022
I was hooked from the first chapter through the last and often created tasks for myself just so I could listen. Following the lives of the blended Keating and Cousin families, Ann Patchett presents a realistic — if still a bit bourgeoisie — portrayal of how different people react to the same secrets and trauma. Keeping 11 main characters interesting is not easy, but Patchett makes it look effortless. My main complaint is that maybe Franny and Leon got too much page-time, whereas interesting characters, like Teresa, Jeanette and Holly Keating, only got a single chapter.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup – John Carreyrou
Dates read: April 9 – April 19, 2022
A surprising benefit of reading “Bad Blood” is that even after a terrible day at work, there’s comfort in knowing it could be worse. Theranos, quite possibly one of the most unprincipled organizations in recent history, has set the bar high for toxic culture. John Carreyrou clearly invested a lot of time and energy into telling as robust a history as possible without the contributions of Holmes, Balwani and other senior leaders. Is there bias based on who participated? Likely so, but most readers will find this to be a well-balanced and engrossing too strange to be true American crime story.
Sea of Tranquility – Emily St. John Mandel
Dates read: April 19 – April 21, 2022
Upon finishing “Sea of Tranquility” near its publication date I assumed it would become the love it or loathe it book of the year, due to its non-linear structure, sci-fi sensibilities and ambiguous answers to questions central to the plot. I was wrong. Almost everyone I know who has read it has loved it (my husband being the lone exception). It's difficult to talk about the plot without giving away the secrets that make it such a wild and satisfying ride, but I will say this: Emily St. John Mandel is a dystopian storytelling genius.
Edinburgh – Alexander Chee
Dates read: April 30 – May 11, 2022
“Edinburgh” is an incredibly well-written and engrossing novel, but it’s also a really f*cked up story that won’t be to everyone’s taste. It featured the most surprising plot twist I read all year, which completely upended the story and propelled it to a tragic and frustrating conclusion. This isn’t a light reading, but Alexander Chee presents one of the most honest, complex and raw depictions of guilt, shame and self-discovery I’ve ever read. It still haunts me.
The Town of Babylon – Alejandro Varela
Dates read: August 29 – September 5, 2022
I can’t accurately describe why “The Town of Babylon” hit me so hard, because it’s more about how it made me feel rather than how it was written. It’s part love letter and part condemnation to the American way of life. It’s a fascinating exploration of race, class and health inequities while also being an intimate love story. All told, Alejandro Varela delivered a simple, character driven story that I found incredibly relatable — and you will too, if you have a complicated relationship with your hometown, aging parents and often find yourselves the lone blue dot in a sea of red.
Reprieve – James Han Mattson
Dates read: October 8 – October 12, 2022
In the immersive and compelling “Reprieve,” James Han Mattson continues the legacy of horror as a haven for social commentary, with a story that makes a nice pairing with “Get Out” and the January 6 committee hearings. Yes, there’s some gore and violence, but the horror here is a product of environment and circumstances. It’s small and repeated injustices left to fester that ultimately poison our characters, creating a chain of events with deadly consequences. While set in 1997, it could’ve as easily taken place in 2022 when gender and racial politics and a cult of personality are on the ballot and stunts masquerading as policy dominate headlines.
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver
Dates read: November 26 – December 12, 2022
Barbara Kingsolver’s modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ “David Copperfield” is a blockbuster in every sense of the word. Every type of reader will find something to enthrall - whether you’re a fan of humor, family drama or social commentary. It’s a challenging, but wholly entertaining, exploration of life in modern Appalachia. Written as Damon (aka Demon) recounting his life (from birth until early-20s) in a somewhat stream of conscious narrative, it brought the character to life in vivid detail — curse words, local dialect and all — that made him one of the most likable and fully realized characters I spent time with in 2022.
The 10 Next Best Reads (My Honorable Mentions)
At one point or another, each one of these books was in contention to make the top 10 list, so consider them “must reads” for 2023.
The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
Don’t Cry For Me – Daniel Black
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
Kindred – Octavia E. Butler
Marrying the Ketchups – Jennifer Close
My Policeman – Bethan Roberts
A Place for Us – Fatima Farheen Mirza
Several People Are Typing – Calvin Kasulke
To Paradise – Hanya Yanagihara
Explore more of my 2022 reading and listening:
