The Buzziest of 2022

According to Goodreads, I read 94 books last year -- 31,553 pages, so 84 of them are not going to make this Top Ten List. The ten that do make my year end list come from three different genres: historical fiction, contemporary literature, and psychological thrillers. I would recommend all 10 to my friends without hesitation.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I doubt that I need to say much about this one, but just in case you just woke up from a 5 year nap, this is a psychological thriller that came out in 2018. I just finally read it in June because I wanted to read it before the movie came out. The story is about Kya Clark, known as "the marsh girl". At it's root the story is about how isolation influences behavior. The thriller part of the book has to do with the solving of a murder and although I felt the book was not the most involved thriller I've ever read, the story was intriguing and the writing was beautiful. This was a very good debut book for Delia Owens. And the movie wasn't bad either, as far as movie versions of books go.

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

This psychological thriller was published in August 2022 and I immediately put it on hold at the library. I have to admit, though, it took me awhile to get into it and I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it. The very thing that made it challenging is also what made me fall in love with it. The crime happens in the very first chapter and every day the character wakes up is a day previous to the one they fell asleep in. In this way, the reader is able to uncover what happened one piece at a time alongside the narrator. What a masterfully written thriller!

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

This is another psychological thriller. It was published in 2015 and I don't know how I didn't read it before now. This takes the old "I want to kill my spouse" trope and then throws in twists that I absolutely did not see coming. This one is worth a read for sure!

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

This was my favorite thriller of the year. This book, published in 2018, explores the question: how far will someone go to bury their secrets and hide their grief? And what happens when the past appears in the present? There were so many twists in this thriller about a crime that first occurs when the protagonist is 16 years old. I cannot recommend this one enough!

The Bookwoman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

This historical fiction book came out in October and I thought there was no way it could be as good as its predecessor The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, but I was so very wrong. If you haven't read the first book, do that. And then grab this one. In this book, Honey is the daughter of the famed blue-skinned Troublesome Creek pack horse librarian. When Honey's parents are imprisoned, she must fight to remain free. What she learns along the way is that the women who run the hills and hollers can make all the difference. I loved this book as much as the first.

Homegoing by Yea Gyasi

This work of contemporary fiction was an easy 5 stars for me. It was published in 2016. This one will quickly become a classic. It traces a family over 100 years. It traces generation after generation as they are shaped by historical forces beyond their control. This is Yaa Gyasi's first novel and it delivers unforgettable characters and indescribably beautiful prose. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This book kept showing up on my friends' book lists. I thought it wasn't for me because I really am not into video games and I know pretty much literally nothing about them. In the end, this 2022 release was one of my favorite books of the year. Often I start to feel like writing has become way too formulaic. And then along comes this book by Gabrielle Zevin. I may not know video games, but I do know that I appreciate a unique approach to a story and this is exactly that. This is a well written and insightful novel that explores love and friendship through a video game lens. It is brilliant!

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

This 2020 release is another of my year end favorites. How far will we go to leave our mark on the world? Would we make a deal with the devil to be remembered? And what happens when that deal is no longer worth it? This book is so good. If you haven't done it yet, just read it. I'm sure you'll agree with me.

Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley

This one was released in August, and at first it seemed like just another estranged sisters story. It is about that estrangement and there are plenty of twists in the story of what really happened to leave these sisters estranged, but there are also more important lessons in the story about the importance of learning the truth about our history -- our family's history and our nation's history. This is an important book in our current climate.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Grams

This one gets my vote for the best book I read in 2022. It was released in April and it is a debut novel for Bonnie Garmus. The writing was witty, dynamic, and engaging. I was hooked from page 1. The character of Elizabeth Zott was relatable on so many levels. We need more strong female characters like this one. Garmus did an amazing job interjecting issues that are still a concern for women into her book set in the 1960s, drawing attention to the fact that the battle for equality has gone on for far too long. I cannot wait for Bonnie Garmus's next novel.