Your Top Ten books of 2022

Cafe Society
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Last year’s thread: Your Top Ten books of 2021

As ever, doesn’t matter when they were published, but you read 'em and loved 'em this year. And please tell us, in a sentence or two, why you liked 'em.

I’ll post mine a little later.

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Hey, my favorite thread of the year! I’m not ready to post, but looking forward to reading.

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I see from my notes that I read 53 books this year, just over one a week. Here are my Top Ten, in no particular order:

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci - The actor/author/cook talks about his lifelong long of cooking, eating, movies and travel. Charmingly conversational, it made me want to go over to his place for dinner!

Churchill: An Illustrated Life by Brenda Ralph Lewis - A good, concise, well-illustrated short bio of the great WWII British leader.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - A classic whodunnit, often adapted for the big screen, and the first Christie book I’ve ever read. Intricately plotted and quite engrossing.

American Sails the Seas by J. O’H. Cosgrave II - A beautifully-illustrated history of important ships in American history. I loved this book as a boy and was very pleased to find it offered in a library used-book sale after so many years.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - Novel about a near-amnesiac man who finds himself in a vast marble palace swept, from time to time, by the sea. Dreamlike, memorable, haunting and bittersweet.

The Hundred Days by Patrick O’Brian - One of the last in the author’s masterful Napoleonic naval adventure series, with Capt. Aubrey and Dr. Maturin trying to prevent a shipment of gold from reaching the French emperor’s mercenary allies in the Mediterranean. A wonderful mix of character study and historical yarn.

What I Didn’t See by Karen Joy Fowler - A very interesting, diverse, well-written collection of short stories, including two touching on the Lincoln assassination.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi - Good sf fun, about a secretive nonprofit group studying and trying to protect Godzilla-like creatures on an alternate-dimension Earth.

Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon - A schlub of a hitman/courier/fixer goes on the run in a near-future dystopic America, searching for what may be his daughter or just may be the bad guys’ AI. Darkly comedic and all too damn plausible.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - A very funny collection of the author’s early short stories; the ones about him learning to speak French from an abusive teacher are particularly good.

Honorary mentions: Hitler’s Empire by Mark Mazower (nonfiction about how the Nazis actually governed); Travels with George by Nathaniel Philbrick (a historian, his wife and dog retrace the routes of President Washington’s travels across the early republic); Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke (sf classic about humanity’s first contact with very powerful but apparently benevolent aliens); The Trials of Harry S. Truman by Jeffrey Frank (a brisk, warts-and-all bio of the President who ended WWII); and The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson (an interesting look at Churchill, his family and staff during the Blitz).

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Top Ten, Nonfiction:

  1. Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape (Cal Flyn) Best book I read this year. Ecology of life in areas after humans left.
  2. Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America (Craig Childs) Archaeology. Pairs interestingly with above, since it’s about how humans first affected on North America.
  3. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire (Jack Weatherford) History. Brilliant description of these rulers.
  4. Population: 485—Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time (Michael Perry) Memoir. Small-town first responder with powerful true stories and setting.
  5. The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another (Ainissa Ramirez) Science and history. Wonderful descriptions of social development.
  6. How Carrots Won the Trojan War: Curious (but True) Stories of Common Vegetables (Rebecca Rupp) History and Botany. Fascinating anecdotes.
  7. Voyage of Mercy: The USS Jamestown, the Irish Famine, and the Remarkable Story of America’s First Humanitarian Mission (Stephen Puleo) History. Wonderful story.
  8. A Divine Language: Learning Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus at the Edge of Old Age (Alec Wilkinson) Math. It actually made me interested in the subject.
  9. Medic!: How I Fought World War II with Morphine, Sulfa, and Iodine Swabs (Robert “Doc Joe” Franklin) Memoir. Thrilling descriptions of the people and places then.
  10. Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America (Firoozeh Dumas) Memoir. Humor.

Top Ten, Fiction:

  1. Machine Man (Max Barry) For the character development. Outstanding SF.
  2. Piranesi (Susanna Clarke) For its setting and originality. Fantasy.
  3. Sci Fi (William Marshall) For plot and humor. Funniest book I read this year. Mystery.
  4. All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault (James Alan Gardner) Worldbuilding.
  5. Clash of Eagles (Alan Smale) For plot. One of the best alternate histories I’ve ever read.
  6. Nettle and Bone (T. Kingfisher) For language. Fantasy.
  7. Going for the Gold (Emma Lathen) For the plot and humor. Mystery.
  8. The Kaiju Preservation Society (John Scalzi) For worldbuilding. SF
  9. Spare and Found Parts (Sarah Maria Griffin) For characterization and worldbuilding. SF
  10. How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It (K.J. Parker) Plot and characterization.
    #4 is fantasy/SF and #10 is literary fiction but it reads like fantasy—like Discworld, actually.

This year’s best opening sentence: “Once upon a time, twice upon a time, all the way up to six, and I am seven.” Anthropocene Rag (Alexander C. Irvine)

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This is my favorite thread of the year, too.

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My list:

  1. Piranesi - I agree with @Elendil_s_Heir . Just a terrific book and the first book in awhile to completely have me from beginning to end. I loved it.

  2. Harry Potter 1-7 - Re-read the series for the first time in awhile and it is terrific.

  3. The Mailman by Bentley Little - My first book by Bentey Little and it was quite good. I had some issue with the ending, but it was a reallu solid book. I prefer it to any recent Stephen King…who is actually the one out the recommending Bently Little to everyone.

I highly recommend Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, a book I read every year as a teacher and love it not just for students, but for anyone.

Again, agreed X100!

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I got my second book, That Guy in Our Women’s Studies Class, published in 2022. I’m egotistical enough to recommend it. It’s autobiographical and socially relevant and all that shit, but I think it’s genuinely entertaining, at least for folks of an intellectual bent who’ve done the grad school thing.

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My Top Ten, in reverse chronological order of when I read them:

  1. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
  2. Righteous Prey by John Sandford
  3. Fairy Tale by Stephen King
  4. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
  5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
  6. The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly
  7. The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly
  8. Ocean Prey by John Sandford
  9. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
  10. Crime Scene by Jonathan Kellerman
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See the OP, and please tell us a bit about why those stood out for you, Railer.

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Okay, I’m a little bit shocked.

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My Top Ten, in reverse chronological order of when I read them:

  1. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King. An interesting and varied collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors
  2. Righteous Prey by John Sandford. The latest installment of the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers series by a fine author. I thoroughly enjoy anything written by Sandford.
  3. Fairy Tale by Stephen King. Albeit a bit lengthy, this book held my attention from page 1. One of the best he’s written in some time.
  4. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. Part adventure, part travel tale, part family dynamics; overall, a good book with a lot of interesting characters
  5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Finally picked up this book after reading all the hoopla, and I’m glad I did. A good tale with a very surprising plot twist at the very end.
  6. The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly. Another legal thriller in the Mickey Haller series. Connelly is another author who I read religiously.
  7. The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly. See previous explanation.
  8. Ocean Prey by John Sandford. See #2.
  9. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Found this book via an online review, and I found it to be engrossing and entertaining. Another thriller with a surprising twist at the end.
  10. Crime Scene by Jonathan Kellerman. I’ve been a Kellerman fan for years, but haven’t read much lately. I picked this up for a two-day road trip and found it to be another fine Alex Delaware mystery, with a whole lot of unexpected turns.
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Yes, it’s true. :: shrugs ::

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I have Piranesi and Fairy Tale in my to-read section.

My list:

  1. The Life and Riotous Times of H. L. Mencken by William Manchester. Lovely biography, with many wondrous snarky quotes by him and his contemporaries.
  2. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. Actually, I’ve read almost everything she’s written in book form this year. More snark, this time with a personalized historical bent, as she and her twin sister and nephew go out to explore the sites of all the presidential assassinations.
  3. Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell, who makes it clear what she thinks of the U.S.'s takeover of Hawaii.
  4. Sapiens: a Brief History of Humanity by Yuval Noah Harari. My introduction to anthropology; an eye-opener.
  5. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell, sharing her love for the Mayflower Pilgrims.
  6. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I only thought I knew something about apartheid.
  7. Genesis For Normal People by Peter Enns. A light commentary on the first book of the O.T., taking the standpoint that it (and all of the O.T.) was redacted during the time of Ezra & Nehemiah, and making sense of the discrepancies because of that standpoint.
  8. Lafayette and the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell. She snarks her way through the American Revolution.
  9. Mindfuck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America by Christopher Wylie. How a gay Canadian, working for an English data company, unwittingly came to help Steve Bannon and Donald Trump twist social media to insure his presidency. Nonfiction.
  10. Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman. Obviously going to be a bit here-and-there, but it gives a sweet insight into the actor’s life and personality.
  11. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. A hilarious cozy mystery. There are two sequels so far.

I read 112 books this year. It was a good year.

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Well, I’m envious that you have so much ahead of you to enjoy. I think I’ve exhausted her.

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I attempted to read 63 books this year, though that includes books that I did not like enough to finish them. My top ten:

  1. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - I liked how the author could pack social commentary into such a quirky, quick, and enjoyable story.
  2. A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold – The author did a fantastic job of tackling a sensitive topic in a raw, respectful, and accessible way.
  3. The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon – McMahon is great at building suspense and a spooky ambience.
  4. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari - Hari is one of the best non-fiction writers out there. Few writers can do such a great job of turning educational books into relaxing and enjoyable reading experiences.
  5. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Hannah really knows how to grip the reader emotionally. This book brought me to tears.
  6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - The author is a master of character development. The characters in this book were intriguing and complex.
  7. The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis - All the mysteries, secrets, and scandals in this book made for great story.
  8. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover - Her unusual childhood was fascinating to read about.
  9. The Perfect Wife by J.P Delaney - All of J.P. Delaney’s thrillers are fun and suspenseful, but this one in particular had a unique premise that made for a creative story.
  10. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink - I find it so impressive when someone can tell me stuff I didn’t realize about my own preferences and behavior that’s absolutely true.
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I strongly recommend “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck” by Mark Manson. Not only did I enjoy the entire book, it is a real “self-help”* book. I think about it all the time even applied it to my work. I’ve hardly recommended a book to more people.

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I read this as well and I have tried, to only middling success, to implement it in my classroom as a teacher. Great book, though. Every manager should read it.

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Yes, I read that book and liked it enough to re-read again on audio book.

I agree, and I’m not surprised that it was hard to implement as a teacher. My greatest criticism of the book is that it is so narrowly focused on business. I wish the author had explored how motivation can be improved in one’s personal life and other areas besides business. As is, this was a great handbook for business owners and managers but far less helpful to people outside of corporate culture.

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In no particular order:

  1. Nettle & Bone. A fairy tale by one of the best living fantasy writers, T.Kingfisher. I’d like to read more of these characters!
  2. What Moves the Dead. Horror by the same lady. A retelling of Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher.
  3. The First Day of Spring, by Nancy Tucker. Now this was truly disturbing, all the more so because I found out it was based on a true story of a child who kills another child.
  4. Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments, by T.L. Huchu. Second in a series called Edinburgh Nights, about a girl who communicates with the dead and solves mysteries. I would think anyone who likes Harry Potter would like these also.
  5. Blitz, by Daniel O’Malley. Third in a series about a secret supernatural organization, this one set partly during WWII.
  6. Old Country, by Harrison and Matt Query. A young couple goes off-the-grid, moving to a haunted valley which manifests different challenges each season.
  7. Our Crooked Hearts, by Melissa Albert, some nice meaty witchcraft.
  8. The Hazel Wood, by Melissa Albert, about a girl named Alice who finds her way into another world to rescue her mother.
  9. The Wide Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies, by John Langan. Short horror stories, terrific writer. I’m going to read all his stuff forever.
  10. Little Eve, by Catriona Ward. Story of a tiny cult and a ritual gone awry.

These lists are funny. I’m looking at my ratings over at Goodreads, and am surprised to find that some things I gave high ratings to are gone from my head, while things I may not have liked so well are still with me. I gave 5 stars to a couple of things just because they were fun, fewer stars to other books that were really excellent but had a few flaws.

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My top ten, in no particular order:

  1. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells. Murderbot is getting terribly snarky and I love it. I also love the way Wells is challenging the definition of personhood and what it means to be sentient.

  2. Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. I’ve only read one other Scalzi book, but this makes me curious enough to want to read more. The book was great fun and I loved the core characters.

  3. Mrs Pollifax on the China Station by Dorothy Gilman. This one is the point where, I feel, that Gilman is comfortable with the series and really starts to develop the side characters.

  4. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. I wish it could have been longer but it was engrossing (and occasionally gross) with interesting characters and great conclusion.

  5. Stick and Poke by E.M. Lindsay. One of her Irons and Works series, it’s a feel good romance between a head injured man and a blind man. This book is comfort food for me.

  6. Other than Honorable by Parker St John. I love the plotting, the pacing, the characters, and in spite of the blood and killing this is a comfort read too.

  7. Jack of Hearts by L.C. Rosen. Apparently a favorite on “Ban these books” lists, the book has a lot of teenage drinking, sexing and a lot of common sense advice. Not to mention a stalking plot that went darker than I expected in a YA book.

  8. The Mystery of the Spirits by C.S. Poe. The conclusion of her Snow and Winter series, the book was well paced, well plotted and I love Sebastian with all my heart.

  9. Smash and Grab by Maz Maddox. The first book in her dino shifter series. The book is exciting, heart stopping and heartbreaking, with wonderful characters and non stop craziness.

  10. Natsume’s Book of Friends Vols 22-25 by Yuki Midorikawa & SpyXFamily vols 1-4 by Tatsuya Endo. The first is a fantasy about a boy who sees spirits, yokai in Japanese, and his relationship with them and with the non seeing people he lives around. I always cry, at least, once a book.
    The second is a goofy espionage series about a spy who has to create a family for his mission and quite by accident he picks an assasin for his wife and a telepth for their child. Serious farsical adventures ensue…