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.
2022: The Best and Worst Audiobook Narrations I Heard
After listening to more than 70 audiobooks in 2022, I can definitively state these are the 10 best and seven worst audiobook narrations I heard.
2022: My Year In Books
This year, I attempted more than 100 books - 102 to be exact - and only abandoned one read (although I should’ve given up on several others). Explore all the books I read in 2022.
“The Glass Menagerie” and the Other Classics I Read This Year
My scope of what is deemed a “classic” has shifted over the years, and it has made diving into the back catalog of literature a lot more fun. Today, I view a classic as any novel published three decades ago that has developed a legacy. The classics I read this year - about 10 percent of my total reading - spanned the genres of science fiction, young adult and literary fiction by some authors well-known and lesser so.
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver
Expectation: An epic journey through the horrors of Appalachia.
Reality: Funny, poignant and utterly engrossing, it’s a blockbuster book that delivers - even if the last third feels a tad trite.
The Art of Fielding – Chad Harbach
Expectation: A “sports bro” book full of men suppressing emotions.
Reality: A contender for the modern “Great American Novel,” I was surprised by the depth of character development and the queer subplot.
The People in the Trees – Hanya Yanagihara
Expectation: A rough around the edges but captivating debut by Hanya Yanagihara.
Reality: Bloated and centered on a main character with zero redeeming qualities, this was a chore to complete.
Replay – Ken Grimwood
Expectation: An exploration of second chances and following your passion.
Reality: A completely underrated, highly influential novel that introduces a wealth of ideas about regret and happiness.
A Man and His Cat, Volumes One - Six – Umi Sakurai
As a whole, I found the series sweet but slight. At times it was repetitive and boring – especially when the human characters were the focus instead of the cats – but Sakurai completely nails the understated joy and endorphin boost of sharing your life with a quirky cat.
Afterparties – Anthony Veasna So
Expectation: The next great coming-of-age collection spotlighting an underrepresented group of people.
Reality: A tonally uneven collection that was not helped by a terrible audiobook narration.
Christodora – Tim Murphy
Expectation: An engrossing, underappreciated modern epic.
Reality: Bloated, meandering and populated with people doing terrible things, I wanted to like this more than I did.
The Winners – Fredrik Backman
Expectation: A crowd-pleasing finish to a beloved series.
Reality: Uneven, but ultimately satisfying, fans of the series shouldn’t skip this one as it is a closer cousin to the first novel than the second.
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
Expectation: Cringe-level disappointment that I found the film so entertaining given the hindsight view of its problems.
Reality: Deeper characterization and discussion of the socio-political realities of the time period made this an excellent, if still flawed, novel.
Trust – Hernan Diaz
Expectation: A layered and nuanced old money mystery.
Reality: A sometimes difficult structure and alternating POVs made it uneven but still engaging, even if the payoff wasn't totally there in the end.
A Darling Obsession – S. R. Murray
Expectation: A supernatural thriller with historical fiction elements.
Reality: The supernatural is only hinted at in this overstuffed police procedural.
The Plague Stones – James Brogden
Expectation: A fast-paced ghost story with a plot akin to “The Fog.”
Reality: At times uneven and ridiculous, the historical elements helped elevate the premise and the last third delivered.
Reprieve – James Han Mattson
Expectation: Teens trying to survive a haunted house where the actors can actually do harm.
Reality: A dark exploration of the horrors that lie within us and around us.
The Halloween Tree – Ray Bradbury
Expectation: A nostalgia-fueled story of what Halloween was like for kids in the 1970s and 1980s.
Reality: A little convoluted, but ultimately an entertaining and family friendly spooky story.
Pearl – Josh Malerman
Expectation: High concept horror drivel, if the incredibly low user ratings on Goodreads are to be believed.
Reality: Uneven but creative, I was entertained throughout.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson
Expectation: An American gothic ghost story set in a small town with evil both real and imagined.
Reality: More mysterious than supernatural, the author keeps readers engaged but the payoff wasn’t there in the end.