Tis the season for the ‘Best Of’ lists, and rather than worry about whether I make anyone’s list, I figured I’d make my own. I read somewhere in the region of 150 books this year & so here are my fav reads of 2022 (not all published this year) and recommendations for Christmas presents for all your bookish relations. Enjoy & let me know what your top picks of the year have been.
For the literary darling: They’ve probably read the Booker Prize shortlist already so what do you buy for the reader who loves the conversation-starters and the esoteric? Slight confession – I’ve not read much in this field this year. My spoons have been too low for anything too demanding. That said, I loved these two:
How We Disappeared – Jing-jing Lee
A searingly beautiful story of trauma and family, travelling from war-torn Singapore to the US. This was out in 2020 but I’d not encountered it until this year, and it absolutely broke my heart into shining pieces.
The Dance Tree – Kiran Millwood Hargrave
An intimate story of female friendships and the terrible burden of silence, told through eerie and unsettling events in a small town suffering a terrible heatwave and societal turmoil. This story moved me & resonated with me deeply.
For the gimme-the-darkness goth: They love stabby books and black as hell books, books that make you question their mental wellbeing, and wonder about the author’s FBI file. I’ve read more horror this past year than I have for ages, not sure why. It’s been a stabby kind of year, I guess. Top two were:
Dead Water – C. A. Fletcher
Zombies but in the Hebrides. Bring it on. I loved this dark and creepy tale combining folk horror, small island life and grief; with a cast of very relatably flawed characters and some genuinely shiver-inducing scenes.
HellSans – Ever Dundas
This could have sat under ‘dystopia’ or ‘science fiction’ too, but I’m putting it here for the body-horror. This is a punch to the face of a book, but one of those punches that just makes your blood sing (iykyk). Crip rage is a beautiful thing; I swallowed this book whole & it lives inside me now, all spiky and glorious.
For the ‘we’re all fucked’ eco-worrier. It me. I love a dystopia. We need these narratives as playgrounds for our fears and our desperate hopes. A struggle to pick out just two, but here they are:
Widowland – C. J. Carey.
Ok, more alt history than future dystopia, but dystopian nevertheless. I loved this exploration of the power of stories and the ways in which the holders of power seek to bend narratives to their purpose. Interesting and enticing & I’ve got the next one lined up on my kindle.
Notes From The Burning Age – Claire North.
Gentle, political, subversive and thoughtful, this story is full of dubious morals and twisty characters, and an intriguing take on the future.
For the big-dresses-and-tea person. I love that histfic is basically any genre at all but in the past, just like SF is any genre but in the future. As if time defines and overrides all else. Book marketing is so random. Anyway, these two are actually two of my absolute top-of-everything favs this year, so really, even if you don’t like big dresses (which feature in neither of these books to be fair) go buy!
The Half Life of Valery K – Natasha Pulley.
My god I love Natasha Pulley. She creates such fascinating, immersive worlds with characters that you just want to take home and hug and feed cake. This is her first straight histfic book but this story is equally magical & blew me away entirely. Set around a little-known real life nuclear disaster in Communist Russia, this is one to hurl yourself into and get lost in.
The Winter Guest – W. C. Ryan.
The moment I finished this book I went and bought another by Ryan. It is a murder mystery in post-WWII Ireland, but it is also so much more than that. A study on PTSD and a nation breaking its shackles, ghosts, love, loyalties and family secrets all come together in a deeply atmospheric, captivating story.
For the romantic. We all love a love story, don’t we? For that person who gets mushy at adverts, I have started the astoundingly good You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi, but haven’t finished it so two completed favs this year include:
The Metal Heart – Caroline Lea.
Orkney, prisoners of war and two sisters. The romance in this is lovely, but actually it was the relationship between the sisters that made this book for me. So complex and twisty.
The Awakenings – Sarah Maine.
Sarah Maine always does a good romance & this was no exception. A deft dual timeline story binding together two couples alongside themes of belonging, conflict and family into a truly lovely whole.
For the YA fiend, lover of all the good tropes. And I’m not talking tiktok All Tropes No Story books, oh no, these are for the readers who want depth as well as vibes. Oh man but I’ve read some good YA this year & it’s difficult to choose a top two, but here goes:
Skin Of The Sea – Natasha Bowen.
This is a powerful, deeply sad story told with captivating beauty and flair. A whole new side to the mermaid folkloric tale and one that I think anyone who loves tales of vengeance or the sea should read.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea – Axie Oh.
Huh, bit of a sea theme going on. This was an entirely different tale though – Korean folklore made feminist and captivating and new. Full of characters you fall in love with, this one lingers in the mind after you’ve finished.
For the ‘what day is it today’ fantasist. Too much good stuff in this genre. Just too much. I hate you all, making me choose. My top two at this exact second, although it will change any moment, are:
The Stardust Thief – Chelsea Abdullah.
Fabulous characters, amazing world, enticing narrative. This one hit all the right notes for me & I just loved every second of being immersed in this story of thieves, princes, haunted deserts and powerful djinn.
Nettle & Bone – T. Kingfisher.
What even is this book? Adventure, folk horror, low fantasy? Who knows, all I know is that it is weird and beautiful, gentle and unsettling and utterly memorable. Older protags & romance – yes please. Bone dog – YES PLEASE. Vicious chickens – OMG I love them so much.
For the Greek myth reader. These are not Greek myth retellings (gasp) but they are retellings from other mythologies & honestly it befuddles me why Greek retellings are ‘literary’ whereas all others are ‘SFF’. Anyway, there were some brilliant Greek retellings out this year, but lovers of those will also love these:
Children of Gods and Fighting Men – Shauna Lawless.
An exploration of Irish mythology and history that goes far beyond the stereotypes and male-centered narratives that frankly I’m a little bored of. This one is entirely original, lead by two flawed, powerful, nuanced and entirely empathic women, and setting up for an amazing trilogy. I can’t wait for book 2.
Kaikeyi – Vaishnavi Patel.
A feminist origin story for perhaps the greatest ‘evil stepmother’ villain of Hindu scripture – the step-mother of Rama. This is a beautiful retelling giving voice to a fascinating woman, and I know this author has had a hard time in the face of Hindu fundamentalists so go read this book.
And finally. TO INFINITY AND BEYOND. For your space-faring friends. I don’t actually read much straight SF as I tend far more towards either grounded spec or folklore. But I’ve read a couple this year that were definitely worth all the stars:
Klara And The Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro.
One of my all-time favourite authors, so I guess it’s no surprise this one makes the list. A heart-wrenching, enchanting tale of childhood, AI, innocence and morality. Understated to the extreme but all the more powerful for it.
Sea Of Tranquility – Emily St. John Mandel.
Another of my best-loved authors, so another obvious pick for me. Time-travel, moon colonies and music. I loved this tale of inter-connectedness, rootlessness, identity and transience, told in the author’s inimitable floaty, deft, poetic way.
These books are a teensy, entirely subjective sample of some of the many books I’ve loved this year, I hope I have enticed you to try one or two. I’ve realised that of these 18 books, only 3 are by men, which is a splendid ratio imo. Whereas I think 11 are by authors who identify as belonging to a marginalised group (other than cis women). Not too bad, I suppose, although I do want to read more books in translation next year. Any recommendations for that TBR list would be welcome. Happy book shopping and happy Christmas all.
Shadows on Water 