2022 Reading Wrap-up
My friends, we’ve reached the end of 2022! What a year for reading! I don’t know about you all, but I feel like all I did this year was read: Being a Literary Scout TM has its pros…and its cons. In total, I read over seventy books this year, thanks to my job, my sweet book club group, and the Brooklyn Public Library. Can you believe? It was a year of consumption with reckless abandon, and I got to return to YA and Middle Grade, and find some unexpected gems that reminded me of being young. I, of course, also read some books that made me feel 100 years old and ailing, but hey, you win some you lose some.
I uncovered the power of audiobooks (I know, I’m late to the party), read a lot of books coming out in 2023 and 2024, and generally, widened my horizons. Last year, I don’t think you would have caught me recommending a thriller or a graphic novel, and this year I feel like I can suggest something for readers in both of those categories. I was hoping, after graduating college, to challenge myself to return to reading, but I never expected to widen my horizons/interests this late into my reading career.
Alright, enough of all that.
Here are my Top 5, my Mid-Tier 3, and my bottom two books, as well as a few titles that I’m looking forward to seeing on shelves next year!
Top Tier
Smile: The Story of a Face Sarah Ruhl (5/5)
With a play opening on Broadway, and every reason to smile, Sarah Ruhl has just survived a high-risk pregnancy when she discovers the left side of her face is completely paralyzed with Bell’s palsy. For a woman, wife, mother, and artist working in theater, the paralysis and the disconnect between the interior and exterior brings significant and specific challenges. So Ruhl begins an intense decade-long search for a cure while simultaneously grappling with the reality of her new face—one that, while recognizably her own—is incapable of accurately communicating feelings or intentions.
my thoughts:
Sarah Ruhl is one of my favorite playwrights, and her prose has been on my list for a while. Honestly, I avoided it because I’m so anti-nonfiction, but because I was pushing myself to read more varied genres this year, I picked it up. As you can tell by my rating, this was hands down my favorite book of the year. Ruhl’s writing is unmatched: she is intimate, witty, kind, and thoughtful. I especially was impressed by the dexterity of her writing. Often I dislike non-fiction because it doesn’t narratively flow the same way that fiction does. Ruhl, however, moves from themes of motherhood, death, creativity, illness, and legacy without giving the reader an ounce of motion sickness. I was blown away by the emotion, and the audiobook is narrated by Ruhl herself.
Heartstopper Series, Alice Oseman (4/5)
Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
my thoughts:
While this isn’t the most grown-up book on this list, it is a whole lot of fun and an easy read with substance. As you might know, I’ve spent a lot of time this year reading YA and middle-grade, and it’s taught me that a truly good story doesn’t have an age limit. I’ve read many books for 10-year-olds that have bored me this year, but a few of them were truly and honestly great. The perspective YA books offer, and the power they have to build hearts and minds, make them such an interesting genre. YA has had a huge resurgence lately, especially with Tiktok readers/people who are new to the activity. YA is usually filled with more excitement and self-realization than its adult fiction counterparts, which makes it an enthralling genre to start with.
If the BookTok girlies haven’t put you on this graphic novel series yet, let me be the one to tell you about it. It’s a simple, joyfully illustrated graphic novel series that will take you maybe two days to read, and reminded me of the unbridled excitement that I had for reading in middle school. You know when you would pick up a book, finish it by the evening, and feel that end-of-book glow in your chest throughout dinner? That’s how I felt while speeding through this sweet teen love story on my lunch breaks. The books not only have sugar, but substance. Oseman touches on the challenges of understanding the self, and sexuality, facing eating disorders, bullying, social pressures, and of course, first love. (my fave). Worth a read, especially if you’re looking for a quick and easy escape.
Exiting Times, Naoise Dolan (4/5)
A millennial Irish ex-pat (Ava), is newly arrived in Hong Kong from Dublin, and spends her days teaching English to rich children. She becomes entangled in a love triangle with Julian, a banker, and Edith, a Hong Kong-born lawyer. Julian likes to spend money on Ava, but when she asks whether he loves her, he cannot respond. Edith is striking and ambitious, takes Ava to the theater, and leaves her tulips in the hallway. Ava wants to be her—and wants her.
I won’t say too much here, since I wrote a full review on this book pretty recently, but I made one of my favorite playlists of the year to accompany your reading. Exciting Times had me laughing in recognition, and curling my toes with stress as I watched Ava navigate the world and turn down self-destructive relationship paths, hoping that in the end, she would treat herself well, and follow her brain, not her heart for once. Dolan is compared to Sally Rooney often, and I found the comparison apt—and thought that Exciting Times built a strong addition to Rooney’s foundation/style. It’s one of those books that you don’t think you’ll remember reading, and then find yourself thinking about often.
Harlem Duet, Djanet Sears (4/5)
Harlem Duet could be the prelude to Shakespeare's Othello, and recounts the tale of Othello and his first wife Billie (yes, before Desdemona). Set in contemporary Harlem at the corner of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X boulevards, the play explores the space where race and sex intersect.
This is a play, and a re-read, but it still wins its spot at the top of the list—yet another story you can read in an afternoon and think about for the rest of your life! I originally read this play in college and wanted to revisit it, alongside a large handful of other plays. Since I was reading so much for work, I found that the best way to get in “personal reading time” was to pick something short and impactful, and plays fit that niche exactly. This one, which is a twist on Othello, explores love, sex, race, power, and yearning in a way that I continue to think about. The moments that Sears creates are striking and heartbreaking. Consider this my recommendation that in 2023 we pick up more plays: they are a masterful way to tell stories, and Harlem Duet is no exception.
Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell (3.5/5)
England, 1580: A young penniless Latin tutor falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman. Agnes is a wild creature who becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is just taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to the Black Death.
my thoughts:
Yet another title that I wrote a review on in 2022, Hamnet is about the plague, family, love, and loss, but mostly it’s a retelling/re-imagining of the death of Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son. Although not much is known about Hamnet, we do know, that “Hamnet” and “Hamlet” were pretty interchangeable names, which gives a little more spice to Shakespeare’s most famous play.
The book follows a non-linear storyline that dips, dives, and weaves around Agnes’ marriage to her husband and the birth of her children, and then shifts to the sickness and death of Hamnet and his surviving twin, Judith.
What stood out to me most was the depth and spirituality of familial love. Agnes’ love for her children and her connection to motherhood was beautifully described, and the relationship between Judith and Hamnet made me tear up–the bond between them, and the subsequent guilt and grief that Judith has after Hamnet dies was striking. I also appreciated that Shakespeare (throughout the entire novel) was never referred to by his given name. It was an exciting book to read for book club, and I’m looking forward to reading O’Farrell’s newest book, The Marriage Portrait.
Mid Tier
Cult Classic, Sloane Crosley (3.5/5)
One night in New York City's Chinatown, Lola runs into a former boyfriend. And then another. And . . . another. What would normally pass for coincidence becomes something far stranger as the recently engaged Lola must contend not only with the viability of her current relationship but with the fact that both her best friend and her former boss, a magazine editor turned mystical guru, might have an unhealthy investment in the outcome.
my thoughts
Originally, I read this for work and thought it fit in with a lot of the dry, witty, and depressing books that seem to be all the rage right now. I thought that it captured some classic New York moments and ex-relationships in a way that will make readers laugh—I thought Crosley created an exciting premise. Does anyone else feel like having a boss who uses meditation and psychology to create a twisted type of closure…a little close to home? Anyway, while I was reading, I was particularly drawn to Lola’s anxiety about choice, finding it an interesting commentary on the way people view “true love” and commitment (or lack thereof). CULT CLASSIC is, ultimately, a story about nostalgia, closure, and the complexity of endings, which uses a suspense/sci-fi premise to draw readers in. I found the ending a little clunky, and thought that Crosley bit off a little more than she could chew—but still had a great time reading it. I think readers of Rooney, Moshfegh, and the rest of the literary TikTok girlie cannon will enjoy this one.
Beach Read, Emily Henry (3.5/5)
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romances. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They're polar opposites. The only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block. One thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.
my thoughts
Okay. I too was convinced to pick up not one, but two Emily Henry books this year, and I have to say…color me thoroughly satisfied!! It might not be the most literary book of the bunch, but when I say this was an absolute joy, cover to cover, I mean it. It truly is an excellent beach read. Like a rom-com in book form, this title delivers on the yearning, sexy, and anxiety-producing fun as we wait for January and Augustus to get together (they do, in fact, fall in love,). Happily, the characters were trope-driven, but they weren’t tropes themselves, making for deep-enough characters and a believable enemies-to-lovers story. If you’re looking for a book to get you back into reading, or one to take you on a rom-com adventure, this is the one. Also, did I mention, “‘I lied’…I have read all your books’”?!?! Drool.
Educated, Tara Westover (3.5/5)
Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. When one of her brothers gets himself into college, Tara decides to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge took her to Harvard and to Cambridge University, Where she wonders if she's traveled too far to return home.
my thoughts
I know…I’m a little late to this one. As you might be able to tell, I got on an audiobook-memoir kick, and this has peppered the bookshelves and review lists of so many that I decided to add it to my TBR list. It was enthralling and intriguing to understand Tara’s family and made me think a lot about the hold family can have on all of us, and the power our worldview can have on us. It does sort of feel like a horror story and made me think about what we have to give up to become the people we are. It reads like narrative fiction, and I tore through it in days. Ultimately, it didn’t stand up to the lyrical prose of Ruhl’s memoir, and although it was an incredible story, it wasn’t exactly in my top tier, mainly because I enjoyed a few other titles better.
Bottom Two
The Good Lord Bird, James McBride
Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1856--a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces--when legendary abolitionist John Brown arrives. When an argument between Brown and Henry's master turns violent, Henry is forced to leave town--along with Brown, who believes Henry to be a girl and his good luck charm. Over the ensuing months, Henry, whom Brown nicknames Little Onion, conceals his true identity to stay alive. Eventually Brown sweeps him into the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859--one of the great catalysts for the Civil War.
my thoughts
Honestly, this was a great book, it just wasn’t for me. I often struggle with historical fiction, especially because I don’t like to get bogged down in the details. My favorite types of books are those that focus on character shifts, and Good Lord Bird seemed focused on capturing the essence of the years between 1856-1859, rather than giving readers a tangible story. For me, the pace was too slow at the beginning, so by the time our protagonist, Onion, reached the climax of the story, I felt like he had been spinning his proverbial wheels for about 200 pages. McBride is clearly a fantastic author: he imbues his story with a lot of voice, pinpoint focus, and layered world-building. If you’re a historical fiction fan, don’t let me dissuade you, but I found it dry and slow.
How to Break Up With Your Phone, Caroline Price
Award-winning journalist Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up--and then make-up--with your phone. The goal? A long-term relationship that actually feels good.
my thoughts
Ah yes, my first foray into the self-help genre. As you might know, I feel like I’m constantly at war with my phone. In an attempt to disconnect, I picked this book up, hoping that it would give me the impetus to stop scrolling for hours and take my time back. I appreciated the way the book was laid out, with lots of actionable items and tips…but it wasn’t mind-blowingly helpful in any large way. Sure, you might say that it’s my fault for not disconnecting from my phone, despite reading a whole book about it. We won’t talk about that. Truthfully, skimming this book was all that was necessary to break down Price’s tips, and although a lot of the information was interesting, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of a nonfiction book about the way phones are destroying our brains, rather than a chipper set of self-help instructions.
Next Year:
Here are a few titles that I read, ahead of the curve (and most of the population) thanks to work. A few of them are already published overseas, and all of them are coming to the USA sometime soon. Keep your eyes peeled!
Greta & Valdin, Rebecca K. Reilly (4/5…it’s available, kind of, in New Zealand)
Valdin is still in love with his ex-boyfriend Xabi, who used to drive around Auckland in a ute but now drives around Buenos Aires in one. Greta is in love with her fellow English tutor Holly, who doesn’t know how to pronounce Greta’s surname, Vladisavljevic, properly. From their Auckland apartment, brother and sister must navigate the intricate paths of modern romance as well as weather the small storms of their eccentric Māori–Russian–Catalonian family.
my thoughts
This was such a delish book to read. The novel follows siblings as they handle adult life, racism, unrequited love, and yearning. In the tradition of many of my other favorite novels, which celebrate early 20’s uncertainty, this had me laughing out loud and occasionally holding back a tear. Heartfelt, hilarious, and a celebration of love and dysfunctional family at its finest, I am dying to have a physical copy of this book on my shelf, so if any of you have a New Zealand connection…let me know!
Orpheus Builds A Girl, Heather Parry (4/5…this one is also sort of available, in the UK)
Based on a true story, Orpheus Builds a Girl follows both German doctor Wilhelm Von Tore as he shares with the reader the story of his one true love Luciana, and Luciana’s sister Gabriela, who watches as Wilhelm destroys her sister and her life. When Wilhelm emigrates to America, he meets, a beautiful and terminally ill young woman, Luciana, Despite his efforts, the sickness takes hold and his beloved slips away from him. Wilhelm sets about attempting to restore his love to her body so that they might be together forever. From between the cracks in Wilhelm's story, Gabriela recounts her own memory of her sister, a fiery and difficult young woman, and the madman who robbed her from her grave.
my thoughts
This book haunts me, in an “involuntary shivers” kind of way. As I’ve mentioned, I’m not a fan of thrillers, so when I began reading this for a client, I was not in the best mood. The novel starts out with Wilhelm's perspective and makes it clear that he’s a pretty despicable person, while still giving his point of view credence. I couldn’t help but think: why would someone choose to write this book? By the end though, that question was more than answered. Parry uses allusions to Shelly’s Frankenstein to both horrify and intrigue the reader. She also asks deep questions about truth, power, and who gets rights to their bodies, their thoughts, their lives, and their stories. It’s not for the faint of heart, and has extreme imagery of sexual abuse…and I don’t know if I could ever read it again. If you’ve got a steel stomach, though, and are looking for something to make you feel like people may have felt about Frankenstein in 1818, check this one out.
House in the Pines, Ana Reyes (3.5/5, January 3, 2023)
Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank with whom they’d been spending time all summer. Seven years later, Maya is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, but her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. At her mother’s house, Maya excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin.
my thoughts
A more palatable thriller, this one was easy to read, but had topical commentary on brainwashing and gaslighting, and an unexpected twist, that for me, worked excellently. Reyes captures the unease of being a victim of gaslighting, the strange feeling of being manipulated, and had me jumping a little the next day, but she didn’t drive me to sleep with the light on. We are seeing, across media, a resurgence of interest in cults or cult-adjacent communities (from Don’t Worry Darling to Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey), and I think House In The Pines fits well in the genre while offering a focus on redemption and building suspense, and well rounded and thoughtful characters.
The Glow, Jessie Gaynor (4/5, June 20, 2023)
Jane Dorner, account manager at a flashy New York public relations firm, is drifting through mediocre workdays and lackluster dates while paralyzed by her crushing mountain of medical debt. Enter the gorgeous Cass, whom Jane discovers scrolling through Instagram, and her unassuming husband, Tom, the proprietors of a “wellness retreat” based out of a ramshackle house in the New Jersey countryside that may or may not be giving off cult vibes. Jane realizes that if she can transform Cass herself into a high-end wellness brand, she will unlock the key to all three of their futures. Jane reckons with her own long-dormant ambitions and the trade-offs that come with power and influence. Once you become a girlboss, can you ever go back?
my thoughts:
Speaking of cults, my last (but certainly not least) recommendation takes on the world of the influencer and asks questions about authenticity, power, and what it means to betray trust. This book had the perfect balance of reliability, humor, and thoughtfulness. The novel hooks you in immediately with Jane’s bitter understanding of the world, but her character’s depth will endear readers to her, even as she begins to destroy her friends and herself in order to achieve success. This book was full of weird and vulnerable sex scenes, silent meditations, and kelp meals. The Glow captures the hypocritical and cultural need for consumption, and I expect it will be a big one this summer. If you’re the type of person who follows a few influencers, the type of person who hates what influencers do and stand for, or somewhere in the middle, you should pick this up when it comes out this summer.
TL;DR:
Well, we’ve made it to the end, both of 2022, and of this yearly wrap-up. I’m so happy to have found some life-changing stories this year, and I hope that a few books on this list make it to your TBR in 2023! Happy New Year and even happier reading!!
