Five Books I Loved in 2022 | July to December
In July, I wrote about how disappointed I was feeling with my reading life. I had been in a rut and was picking up one bad book after another. I had hoped that the second half of the year would be better for me, and, wow, was it. I had a hard time choosing my favorites because there were so many good ones. If you missed that post about my top five books from the first half of 2022, you can check that out here.
This is the first year since I started tracking my books or creating a master reading list that I am close to finishing all my reads for the year. I have a few that I’m still waiting for library holds to release, but usually, I have twenty books remaining that I have to take the first part of the following year to read. This was exciting for me to realize, and I can attribute it to the fact that I’ve been reading more instead of watching television or scrolling.
I’m the type of person who enjoys listening to audiobooks while I’m cooking or doing something tedious like folding laundry. Audiobooks have been a game-changer when it comes to increasing the number of books that I read in a year. If I’m doing something that doesn’t require a lot of thought, but my hands are busy, I can click “play” on a book and often finish it in a day or two. One of my favorite resources for getting all the books that I listen to is my local public library. If you have a library card, you can go on their website and usually find a huge selection of books for listening. They also have a lot of free Kindle books to borrow. I’m a big fan of the library!
I could chat books all day long, but I want to get to the point of this post. Below are my five favorites from the second half of the year.
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century edited by Alice Wong
What a wonderful collection of stories about disability, told first-hand by the contributors of this book. It was heartbreaking to read about the atrocities that so many people with disabilities have had to endure, but by sharing their stories, they are both raising awareness for their conditions and being advocates for equal rights and accommodations for disabled people, as well as helping to break the stigma that surrounds those who are or look different.
Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell
This is a necessary resource for anyone who is drafting a novel, especially their first novel. Bell shares so many wonderful tips for his own novel-writing process and it would help organize the drafting stage so much easier than just winging it. This was a Kindle version of the book, but I need a hard copy to keep on my writing bookshelf.
Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen
This beautiful epic novel follows a Vietnamese family from their mother's homeland to New Orleans where they settled. It was heartbreaking to read but I appreciated the grit with which Nguyen writes. I really enjoyed reading Huong's sections and wanted more on her, but also getting to see the kids grow up and figure out who they were was amazing.
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
This is one of the most emotionally gripping novels I’ve ever read. It was heartbreaking but also so full of love and joy. I connected deeply with each of these characters and could have lived in this world forever, despite the horror of what was happening. If only everyone could have a circle of friends as close as Yale’s. Simply beautiful.
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt
I was blown away by this book. Initially, I was intrigued and expected it to be informative, but I learned much more than I thought I would. There are two narratives that happen simultaneously here. One is the story of Nicole and the other is about transgender legislation that has been and is happening across the country. The author weaves back and forth between the two without losing momentum in the story and I appreciated that. A section of the book talks about the scientific difference between gender identity and biological sex that involves chromosomes, brain development, and hormones. It was enlightening to me because I had never seen it explained in such definitive terms. One thing that surprised me, and I don't remember if there was an author's note that addressed this or not, but in the earlier part of the book, before Nicole begins the actual transformation to living and presenting as a female full time, her deadname and former pronouns are used. I know this is often done to keep the reader following the appropriate timeline, but it might be triggering to some readers. I thought this was a superb book that provides a lot of helpful information along with a personal story and will aid in the dialogue about what it means to be transgender.
If you are interested in reading my reviews for all the books I read in 2022, visit my Goodreads page.
