your best & worst reads of 2022
we laughed, we cried, we all hated john grisham
Friends! Foes! I hope your holiday gatherings were well-attended; if you were apart from loved ones, I hope some steamy end-of-year gossip and hot cocoa sustained you.
Today is, of course, the most important seasonal gathering: we’re here to discuss your best and worst reads of 2022! While last year we had several overlapping selections for a “best” read, this year we seem to all dislike the same stuff. My stupidest wish also came true: someone listed one of my best reads of 2021 as one of their worst reads of 2022! I am humbled!
A note that I haven’t linked to any books here since you can simply Google the ones that interest you, and that if your submission was omitted, I am deeply sorry to have probably screwed up looking at my own submission form. If you do Google something herein that is particularly unhinged (say, perhaps, a bonkers romance novel) and you find yourself with more questions than answers, please direct those queries to anyone other than me. The internet is vast.
Without further ado, here are your selections. Enjoy this holiday luncheon.
We’re starting out strong with a submission from Steven Rodas, patron saint of the newsletter, who selected The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories by Jamil Jan Kochai as his best read of the year:
This entry was like the SZA album for me: something I came across at the tail end of 2022 and simply blew away all my other favorites of the year. Propulsive and intimate, The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories captures the Afghan diaspora in America through vivid characters plunged into harrowing places (or frames of mind) and makes you eager for what JJK — only two releases in! — drops next.
As usual, Steven’s recommendations make me toss out all my reading plans to move his picks up on my list.
Besides that, I’d like to honorably mention Novelist as a Vocation, a writer’s guide of sorts by Haruki Murakami. I recommend you pick this one up after you’ve read (at least) Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore.
And for his worst, we have:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. A solid premise that will undoubtedly spur a so-so blockbuster that will pale in comparison to The Martian and come out on Paramount+. Why? Because the book got middling by the half-way mark and was too impressed by its own science.
Boo hiss.
And if I can, my favorite re-read of 2022 was For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Forgot how much I liked that dynamiter. S/o to my fellow readers!
Shoutout to YOU, king <3
Kat’s best read of the year was East of Eden by John Steinbeck: “I was dumbstruck by the scope, the depth, and the heart of this novel. The last line did exactly what it was supposed to: it made me bawl like a newborn.” Kat’s worst of the year, on the other hand, was Falls Boys by Penelope Douglas. “I've read some exceedingly questionable things from this author for the titillation, but this was too boring to inspire any questions at all. I only have myself to blame...” Don’t we all, Kat. Don’t we all.
Emily was so mad about suffering through The Maid by Nita Prose that she submitted it as her worst of the year before she sent me a seperate submission for her best. The Maid was “absolutely awful and had a stereotypical portrayal of Autism that is never named as such and the twist at the end is stupid.” Keep this passion alive.
Her best of 2022: “It’s so tough but I’m going to say Uprooted by Naomi Novik! (This may turn out to be a lie but it’s the answer today).” I respect that.
I read the first two Scholomance books this year and was honestly not super impressed (they’re good, not great imo) but then I read this and I totally understand why the people stan [Novik]. The magic in Uprooted is totally unique and makes this more than just another fairytale retelling. I absolutely devoured this despite telling myself to savor it more. It’s from 2015 so I don’t think I’m telling too many of your hardcore fantasy readers anything they don’t already know but I was truly delighted by this book.
I am the last of the group chat to read the Scholomance books, so I look forward to comparing notes on Miss Novik! And Emily has one extra book to share:
I do want to give a secondary shout out to How To Fake It In Hollywood by Ava Wilder, which struck the ideal balance between emotional and spicy for me this year. I love romance and I love this book.
Mel’s real favorite of 2022 was the Wayward Children series, “but since Anna's written about that a ton I'm going to plug Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin. A really great survival horror book centering trans characters. It's definitely gory and you should definitely look up tws before reading, but it was really well done and unique.” Thrilled to have gone on the Seanan McGuire journey with you this year. Shocked I haven’t read Manhunt yet honestly.
Mel’s least favorite of 2022 was The Measure by Nikki Erlick. “An incredible premise, absolutely wasted on the book equivalent of the infamous Oscar-winning movie Crash (2004). The writing was so cheesy, the social commentary never went beyond surface level and it was just bad all around. It felt like an AI was tasked with writing a book for a book club filled with middle-aged white ladies.”
They also shouted out an honorable mention for Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky, “a retelling of Lord of the Flies set at a knockoff Fyre Festival, featuring a character named Hella Badid and a plot about boar poop being used as foundation.” HELLA BADID!!!!!! Miss her.
Kayla, who referred to herself as “the only important Kayla in [my] life,” started her submission by saying she simply does not KNOW what her favorite book of the year was. Here’s her quick list: The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley, Babel by “the queen” R.F. Kuang, Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour, the Nghi Vo novellas (“yes yes shut up,” she says to me, like I didn’t spend the year begging her to read them!!) and Little Thieves by Margaret Owen.
Then, it appears, she thought of one:
K so since i have to pick one i'll go with one that isn't as popular as the others. i really enjoyed The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska. A standalone novel that features two "monsters"/girls who steal princes' hearts. They give them to their baba yagas-esque characters, who eat the prince hearts to gain power. Eventually, the two monsters realize they want more!! And each other!!! Big fan of a standalone novel that delivers everything important: interesting plot + good romance + satisfying ending.
Really came in with a ringer here! Love this for my 2023 bookshelf.
I think it will be impossible for Kayla to ever beat her itemized explanation of her least favorite read of 2021, but she did pretty well for 2022 as well:
Long Story Short by Serena Kaylor. The main character, Beatrice, is Autistic-coded, and yet every single person spends the entire book trying to "fix" her. The way she eats (her unchanging meals), the way she dresses (her mother calls it "her uniform," polos and khakis), the way she attacks problems (a big white board with red or blue marker, depending on if she has the solution), not understanding social cues, sensory processing issues, etc. Her parents and her (new) friends at summer camp seem to want her to change almost every aspect of her personality! And by the end of the novel she does!!! She ends up making out with someone by the end, when at the beginning (simply 4 weeks earlier) she can barely hug people!!!! Anyway she also falls in love with her very mean bully, who also loves her. The end.
Tied for worst, Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert. Thankfully it was a novella but the 112 pages was still 112 friggin' pages. Every character was unlikeable, the author was incredibly fatphobic in the narrative, the plot was riddled with holes (and points that felt important were never actually explained), and the ending was SO bad it made me physically violent.
Karl Ramoutar’s best read of the year was Fairy Tale by Stephen King: “The imagination of worlds with magical princess and princes and supernatural beings without the urge to explain how it all works was refreshing to this reader.”
His worst read, however, was The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro: “This was a slow-plodding walkabout of a fabled countryside setting. Seemingly to do something monumental. But everything comes to a strangely abrupt. (End)!”
Sarah Rosenblatt’s favorite was The Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers, because its (space opera-y) world was “so fun and clever. The series is more about character development than driven by plot. I was really sad when I finished the series.” I can confirm that Chambers’ worldbuilding is a gift, as I’m excited to finally get off the waitlist for the next novella in her Tea and Monk series. Sarah also loved The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.
While Sarah thinks that calling this her worst read of the year, she “didn't love The City We Became by NK Jemisin. It was an interesting premise, but parts of the plot felt very underdeveloped, especially the big end battle scene, which was disappointing.”
Olivia, whose substack brings me glee, highlighted The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monae (and others) or Severance by Ling Ma (“tardy to this, but devoured this and Bliss Montage in a matter of days”) as her best reads of the year.
Monae BROUGHT it with their collaborators, and the world-building is so rich and varied. Honorable mention for Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, which is an incredible book about finitude with an awful grindset-esque title/branding. I reference it constantly and cited it heavily in my Index Space class.
She also blasted Upgrade by Blake Crouch as her worst of the year. Can’t blame her, it sounds like it sucked!
I hated Upgrade by Blake Crouch so much. I wrote about it here, but basically all his male "heroes" are the same person, and then every woman is also the same person. It's a straight-to-Netflix movie starring Chris Pratt, but in book form.
I regularly slide into Olivia’s dms at Poorly Done Book Reviews and she even has a Notion organizing her thoughts on books, so heed her advice.
Martin, who presumptuously submitted under the pseudonym “love of your life,” picked The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson as his best book of the year. He loved it so much he gifted it to several people.
In a time when climate news can feel overwhelming, this near-future cli-fi book offers some semblance of hope for the future. The style in which it is written (tons of fictional eye witness accounts, interludes to discuss economic theory, a brief chapter from the perspective of the sun itself) moved me along at a much faster clip than I would have expected for a book of its size and subject matter. It’s one of those books I think anyone and everyone should read.
He also enjoyed the audiobook of Normal People by Sally Rooney, particularly the high school sections while I was also in the room to react aloud. I like to yell!
His least favorites were Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge, which he did not finish, and Upgrade by Blake Crouch, which he grudgingly did. We love to see TWO people mad at Blake Crouch back-to-back.
Rachel Fogarty’s best read of the year was The Uncontrollability of the World by Hartmut Rosa:
Rosa argues the driving cultural force of the modern world is to make the world controllable. As modern people, we encounter the world as a series of objects that we must conquer, master or exploit, which in turn makes the world feel muted and often leads to frustration and despair. Rosa suggests a solution where we open ourselves to encounter the world through a process of resonance which requires us to be open to that which extends beyond our control. Embracing the uncontrollable allows us to experience the world as it really is--all of it's wonder, meaning, and beauty.
I found this book really hit a nerve with me; I was struck by Rosa's description of my need for control in order to feel secure. My desire for bringing my world under control didn't provide the meaning I thought it would but instead disenchanted the world around me and often left me more anxious and frustrated. This book was a really beautiful way of encouraging me to be open to the surprise of beauty in everyday moments.
This LA Review of Books article includes a great discussion of this one.
Zoë adored The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, which “has the best take on the pandemic that I've ever encountered.”
I’m pleased as punch to bring you Amanda Theodorou’s review of her favorite read of 2022, In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, because I am obsessed with her brain and good taste:
I literally cannot recommend this book enough. It was my first five-star read of the year, and it's already on my re-read pile for next year.
As a simple summary: In The Dream House is a memoir about the author's experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship while she was in school receiving her MFA. However, actually reading this memoir is anything but straightforward and simple.
Many reviews of this book include readers talking about how much they cried while reading it. I may have had a totally different reading experience than everyone else, but although I was deeply and passionately moved, I didn't cry. Instead, I found the vulnerabilities and writing to be so sincerely emotional, and there's this theme of storytelling and fairytales/folklore that I felt created a little bit of a buffer between the events of the memoir and the author's retelling. There are footnotes referencing engravings and illustrations in an academic text on folklore, as well as in-line allusions to common folklore rules and tropes.
Machado doesn't pull her punches when it comes to illustrating scenes of abuse, and the frankly horrific things her ex (“The Woman in the Dream House”) would say to her, but she's also just as interested in her own processing of her worth as a human being and highlighting these often undiscussed issues that can plague a queer relationship in the same way they can a heterosexual one. The scenes of her relationship are broken up by scenes from other periods of her life, and so the reader is not sitting in just the worst parts of this relationship for the entirety of the memoir, either.
But ultimately, what made this book such a triumph for me was the writing, and I was really often just struck by how clever and witty and frank and self-assured the prose was. She knows what she wants to say, and how to say it to its greatest effect. That, tied in with the structure of the book is fascinating: each vignette/chapter focuses on a trope, or a storytelling device, or a genre (i.e. Dream House as Bildungsroman, Dream House as Romance, Dream House as Time Travel), and cycling through all these different aspects of this relationship provided such an immersive understanding of Machado — why she fell in the love with "The Woman in the Dream House," why she stayed, and why she eventually left. It's an absolute work of art.
I’m thrilled to have found a copy of this book on a stoop this summer so I can finally get into it. What a review!
As for her least favorite, Amanda would like to have a word with “every single fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi indie romance series that was stretched to 4, 5, 6 + books. Each installment was worse than the preceding books, and completely flattened any magic (pun intended) that made the initial plot fun or entertaining. I finished none of them, and I haven't lost a wink of sleep over any.” The truth will set you free, folks.
Maddy Kessler loved Other People’s Clothes by Calla Henkel because “the descriptions of events were so imaginative, yet accurate enough that I could understand what she was describing.” She did not love The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont and does not recommend it. “This book is not about Agatha Christie. It is a Magdalene House book in disguise. Read Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None instead for a satisfying time.”
Chelsey S. had a tie between Babel by R.F. Kuang and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin as her favorite of the year, which is basically exactly how I feel as well. “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow made me feel seen as a female gamer like I've never seen before in fiction. Babel was a perfect combination of the tropes of some other favorites (The Secret History and Jonathan Strange) but done in such a clever way that also made me think about the flaws of those other books. Also, the linguistics nerd in me was thriving.” Aforementioned links are to both of her reviews, which I obviously agree with.
Her worst, tragically, was The Firm by John Grisham... “The most 90s straight white male fantasy I've ever read lmao.” Yes but please watch the movie it’s so bad it’s good!
An anonymous Queen Bee (AKA my mother, for the uninitiated) noted Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe as her favorite read of 2022, which was a “well-written, riveting and horrifying true story.” I felt the same way when I read it over the summer.
Her least favorite read was Gray Mountain by John Grisham: “formulaic and uninteresting plot.” Johnny boy is not having a good year on our list (though my mother and I definitely watched The Firm adaptation many times throughout)!
Kasey would like to recommend selections from CODE LIT Magazine, a a digital publication that puts out “stories and poems that can ONLY be published digitally. It's genius and beautiful and more people need to read it. I think the best example is BETWEEN THE LINES by Kelly Luce, a story told by an email being written in real time. As in, you read the words the protagonist types, deletes and debates about. Other stories take a few moments to figure out, it's almost like a puzzle! EAT ME (ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN) by Allegra Hyde is interactive and EPHEMERAL by Matthew Baker plays with time in a way you've never read before, probably. CODE LIT reminds me of digital art installations in story or poem form. It's the future of storytelling.” She notes that it works best on desktop computer, as it doesn’t work propertly on a phone. I adore this whole concept.
Meredith’s best book of the year was Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed With Alcohol by Holly Whitaker. It’s “nonfiction about sobriety and the effect of alcohol on our culture, and was very interesting!”
Her least favorite, The Layover by Lacie Waldon, prompted an all-caps response.
I READ THE LAYOVER BC SOMEONE RECOMMENDED IT AND IT WAS THE ONLY BOOK I BROUGHT TO GUATEMALA AND I HATED IT SO BAD THE CHARACTERS SUCKED THE PLOT SUCKED THEY KEPT TALKING ABOUT HOW TINY THE LEAD GIRL WAS oh my god i'm so mad about it i read like 3 books that weren't ao3 this year and this one was a waste
Speak your truth! You’re right and you should say it!
Steph, aka stephgetslit, says her favorite read of 2022 might very well be Middlemarch by George Eliot, which “feels wild to say lmao.”
I think it’s just honestly incredible that this book written in the 1800s is still so relatable and relevant. Such a great reminder that humans are and have always been the exact same. It was so long and the language is different than ours today and it still never got boring. The context made the book better too, with it being a feat that Mary Ann Evans was able to publish anything, let alone an encyclopedia-length novel that had to be published in 8 parts, even if she was pretending to be a man!
I just got a gorgeous Penguin Clothbound Classic copy that I plan to read, so I’m thrilled to read this review! In the “worst” column, however, Steph has three selections to warn against:
As far as like, literary books, [my worst] was Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler. But WORST worst are always romances for me (sorry) and this year, Pride & Protest by Nikki Payne and Angelika Frankenstein Meets Her Match by Sally Thorne are tied.
Fake Accounts simply did not do what it thought it did. It’s wild when there’s so much self-awareness that there’s actually a lack of it? Pride & Protest was not only written poorly but was kinda racist/homophobic/fatphobic/misogynistic, a feat in 2022! Angelika Frankenstein idk what to say, it was just incredibly fucking stupid and I should have known considering the premise is that she reanimates Frankenstein’s monster for sex doll purposes, but it doesn’t even lean into being like monster smut — it pretends to be a cute high-brow romance AND it feels weirdly religious.
SEX! DOLL! PURPOSES! I’m unwell send help I must away
Ash, or the artist formerly known as Al, has forced me to announce their favorite of the year as Lola and The Millionaires by Kathryn Moon. “She writes writes such excellent consent-driven romance where the healthy boundaries make me swoon even more than the actual (top tier) smut. This two-part why choose? ABO romance (Google ABO again this year for a lil refresher) was by far the most memorable book I read all year and the one I recommend most often (much to Anna’s dismay.)” Please reflect on your choices.
JB, who had the nerve to recommend Kathryn Moon LAST year, has picked a favorite no less wild this time around: Yours, Insatiably by Aveda Vice, "a succubus/fey steamy office romance where the main character has Autism and it is both delightfully filthy and extremely sweet.” I too love when an abominably smutty book has a lot of heart! JB also said that “the representation of Autism is something important to me, and the ‘hero’ constantly thinking to themselves how sexy [the main character’s] thought process was... chefs kiss.”
However, they did note that Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher is “boring as sin. It’s the last time I let TikTok recommend me a book that isn't monster smut. Terrible!” My spirit has left my body entirely.
Lisa’s here to save us with a recommendation for The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, and honorable mentions of My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell and The Turnout by Meg Abbott (“Love me some Meg Abbott!!!!!!”) She also said “Three Women by Lisa Taddeo was pretty good too (also, THIS NEWSLETTER).”
She knows her audience and is a woman of taste. She’d also like to warn you against reading White Ivy by Susie Yang, which had “unlikeable characters, a silly plot, and a disappointing take on a good premise.”
Another Amanda submitted their favorite read of the year as Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, which sounds like it checked a lot of boxes. “Important issues presented sensitively but in full force, BIPOC own voices, solid plot twists, a wild ride mixing romance and mystery and drama and sports and some really tough topics. I was so pleasantly surprised and I think this book deserves all the hype it gets and more!”
She did not, however, enjoy The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas.
Characters lacked depth and motivation, chemistry was meh at best. Wayyy too much filler and then after it all, it ain't how still felt like insta love. Cringeworthy dialogue, especially in the spicy scenes, but elsewhere too. Weird third act breakup and the ending felt rushed after the beginning dragged on and on and on. And to be quite honest the MMC gave stalker vibes. And I was SO SICK of hearing how tall and big and enormous he was and how oceanic his eyes were. Honestly I still can't believe just now much I disliked this book LOL
Betty Jo Harris’s favorite read of 2022 was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, which was a “great story, funny and timely.” The Trojan Women by Anne Carson was her least favorite.
Another Olivia’s favorite read of 2022 was Body Work by Melissa Febos, which I am THRILLED to hear as a lover of her essay collection Girlhood. “I rarely read nonfiction, but this book is so good I reread it immediately after finishing it so I could could annotate and write my own reflections on her thoughts. Febos essentially uses her life experiences as a vehicle to explain her writing process. It’s a masterclass in personal essay/memoir and a reflection on sex and feminism. I adored it and will probably continue to reread it forever.” For a taste, here’s her latest writing in the NYT.
The only book Olivia simply could not finish last year (with apologies to her colleagues at Berkeley), was The Roughest Draft co-written by Emily Wibberly and her husband, Austin Siegemund-Broka. “Just atrocious and it wasn’t because of the emotional cheating. A romance novel that is trying so hard to be ~deep~ and broaching literary fiction without any deftness, engagement, or redeeming qualities.”
Ashley’s best read of the year was Becoming by Michelle Obama, which was “so fascinating and engaging. It made me miss the Obama presidency that I 100% took for granted while it was happening.” She did not feel the same about The City of Brass by S.A. Charakbordy: “I know I am in the minority here (don't @ me) but I have never met a set of more insufferable characters in my life.”
Abbey Hendrix’s best read of the year was These Precious Days by Anne Patchett. “I just love Ann Patchett so much. I learn more about myself with every story of hers. She makes me cherish my relationships more and give me the lens to clearly evaluate my world.”
She did not enjoy The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans, though, which breaks my little heart. “Listened to the first two chapters and I didn't care for any of the characters at all.” I genuinely think you’d prefer this one in print because I have a hard time listening to short story collections as audiobooks! I think it’s harder for me to connect to characters in such a short period of time. But what do I know!
Madison’s best read of the year was Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou. “It was funny (satire), moving, and gave a lot to reflect upon! If you are interested in academia, female friendships, m*n who fetishize East Asian culture, and yellowface, you will find this book fascinating.”
Nicole’s best read of the year was Poster Girl by Veronica Roth because she hasn’t read anything like it before: “post dystopia, from the POV of one of the ruling class.” Neat!
Her worst of the year, however, was a bait-and-switch of sorts: One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey. “Thought it would be lesbians, at the very end she falls in love with the male dragon instead and THEN ON TOP OF THAT they don't even keep him a dragon, he magically turns into a handsome man. Disgusting.” DISGUSTING is right.
And that’s it! Lots of bigtime reviews this year, and LOTS of passion, which I love. Let me know if you have strong feelings about any of your fellow reader submissions, but do not tell me if I erroneously included any typos or bad takes. Kisses!
Incredible as always