Books I Loved in 2022
It’s hard to find time to read for pleasure, so when I have time, I want a guaranteed good read, and these books fit that bill. They weren’t all published this year, but many were. If you’re looking for something to cozy up with during the holidays, these titles all have my enthusiastic thumbs-up:
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz: This page-turner tells the tale of an unsuccessful author searching in vain for an idea for a novel. He turns to teaching to pay the bills and steals an idea from one of his students. When the book becomes a hit, he lives in fear of being found out. With good reason.
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson: This one isn’t a quick read, but it is definitely worth your time. Erik Larson is known for his well-researched non-fiction, and I confess that sometimes I wish he wouldn’t feel the need to share every detail he learned in his research. But if you can skim past some of the overly detailed parts, this recounting of Winston Churchill’s leadership during the London blitz is worth your time. Seeing how Londoners persevered and even partied in between bombings makes you believe there’s nothing you can’t endure.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel: Mandel is best known for writing Station Eleven, about a flu pandemic that wipes out most of humanity. Sea of Tranquility was partly inspired by the experience of being an author known for writing a successful novel about a pandemic that was turned into a movie (Station Eleven was made into a series on HBO) just as a worldwide pandemic sweeps the globe. There’s also time travel. Just go with it. It’s a short book, and the writing is so beautiful yet simple that it’s almost meditative.
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari: If you’re wondering why you might not have the attention span you used to, Hari dives deep to find the answer. It’s not just smart phones and social media. It’s also the industry behind it. Hari is a great storyteller, as well as an excellent reporter. This one is a surprisingly easy read despite the heavy subject matter.
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult: We’re finally getting some great books that incorporate the pandemic, and this is definitely one of them. The protagonist is a woman looking forward to vacationing in the Galapagos with her fiancé, an ER physician, in early March 2020. The trip, as you may suspect, does not go off without a hitch.
How to be Perfect by Mike Schurr: If you were a fan of NBC’s The Good Place, you’ve heard of Mike Schurr. His afterlife-based comedy explored ethics and philosophy and, generally, how to be a better person. Inspired by his research for the show, Schurr saw the need for a non-philosophy major’s guide to the major schools of philosophy for those of us who don’t know our utilitarianism from our existentialism.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I’m glad I didn’t know anything about this book when I started it because if someone had told me it was about video game designers, I would have passed. But it was surprisingly captivating and haunting. If you’re not into video games, don’t worry. I’m not, and I loved it.
Got any great book recommendations for 2023? Drop them in the comments.
Happy reading, and #OnlyJoy!
Kathleen