Best and Worst of 2022

[Anita]

It's that time, members! Share with us your favorite reads of the year, your biggest regrets, your let downs or your surprising 5 star reads. If you share a year end review, go ahead and post the link for us. What did you love, or hate, reading this year?

[Lindsey]

I had a surprising number of 5-star reads this year, but narrowed it down to my favorites:

1) Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention- and How to Think Deeply Again
I loved this one - every chapter is broken down into a different way in which our focus is "stolen" and how we can make changes to regain it. It's super non-judgmental and the science behind a lot of what he discusses is really interesting.

Mornings in Jenin
This was such a heartbreaking, emotional story of displacement, immigration, family, and more. The author creates a sense of empathy for both "sides" of the story (Palestinian & Israeli) and the story is just beautifully written.

Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever
This was a surprising favorite of the year. It's the story of a kid and his brothers & friends who grow up in Philly and become the first all black national polo team. It's an amazing story and wonderful memoir.

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
Another non-fiction + social science read. I really liked this one. Great for anyone interested in growth mindset-style non-fiction, or just interested in understanding how our brains & human nature work together.

I only had one 1-Star review for the year:
The School for Good Mothers
Some people seemed to really enjoy this one, but I just couldn't get into it. It's supposed to be a dystopian take on motherhood. I found it so depressing and unfortunately just not believable.

[Isabelle]

Hello, for me it has been a year of disappointments starting with Interview with a vampire, the biggest one of all. Looking back and looking desperately for a five-star read, that particular book you cannot stop reading because it whirls everything inside you, well, I did not have that exact pleasure but I had one that I enjoyed very much, which is by Tatiana de Rosnay, Her name was Sarah. After reviewing, there was one five-star read from the group readings but which did not sadly trigger further discussion, Tale from my heart: true stories from my childhood by Maryse Condé was a real eye-opener on her style and writing. Thank the group for that discovery!

[Hannah]

Hi everyone. My 3 favourites of the year:

Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. A really astounding first novel and a great companion to The First Woman by the same author which I loved even more

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Such a beautiful work, thanks to the group for pushing me to finally pick it up. I took a long time to get through it but I loved reading a chapter at a time and then pondering upon it for a good while.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. This touched close to my heart and I was surprised by how much I loved it. In glad to have found a probable new favourite author.

I generally don't finish reads which I can tell will end up as a 1 or 2 star (life's too short!) But my biggest disappointment which I did get to the end of was Lonely Castle in the Mirror. I liked it most of the way through but then the ending just ruined it for me

[Misty]

I read so many good books this year! It was a good year for reading. :)

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta - this book is one of my favorites of all time. I loved this book. It was so well-written, and even though it was sad and frustrating in places, it was just a very good book.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor is a young adult book that I wish I would have read when I was young. It was a very powerful book.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a post-apocalyptic novel, and I really liked her take on the "end of times" and after. Unfortunately, she was a big part of the TV adaptation, and it was disturbing enough that I am uncertain of reading any of her other work.

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a fictionalized account of a true story, and it was a fabulous and sad book.

Sisters & Husbands by Connie Briscoe is a story about sisters and their lives. I loved every minute of it.

Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear is the second Maisie Dobbs book. She is a PI after WWI in Great Britain. I want to read more of the stories because I find them incredibly fun and entertaining.

Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck is translated from German is about a retired professor who has his eyes opened to the plight of refugees and his country's lack of empathy toward them.

Roseanna by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo is a Nordic Noir and the first in a series. It is translated from Swedish. The book does not feel dated at all. I love Nordic Noir, and this book did not disappoint.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - the whole trilogy is great. I really enjoy fantasy by women. My daughter has me watching the Netflix show, and I think it falls far short of the books.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis - this is my second book to read by her, and I loved it as much as the first. She lives about an hour north of me in Colorado, but this book reads very much like dry, British humor. It's great.

The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna is a West African-inspired fantasy book. It's book 2 of the series, and you really need to read book 1 first. She packs a lot into these books.

All the Things We Never Knew: Chasing the Chaos of Mental Illness by Sheila Hamilton - this book is a very raw look into mental illness and all the lives it effects.

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas - this is the second book of the series, and I love everything she has written. Her stories are fascinating, her characters are rich, and I highly recommend her books.

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe - I love the mysticism and tie to witches and witchcraft in this book.

Singing in the Comeback Choir by Bebe Moore Campbell - I love the the family ties and friendship connections in this book.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - this book is sweet and heartbreaking. I was bawling at the end.

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson - honestly, this book infuriated me at the way she was treated. It is a fascinating book though.

Abigail by Magda Szabo - it took me a bit to get into this book, but once she hooked me - I was hooked until the end.

Passing by Nella Larsen - This book had a twist at the end that I did not see coming!

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak - This book was so beautifully written - again, it was also incredibly sad though.

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo - In a similar vein to Animal Farm by Orwell, this book tells the story of revolution, dictatorship, the after effects of colonialization, and humanity.

The Widow by K. L. Slater - this book kept me guessing until the very end - and I like that! :)

[Stef]

I read more good than bad books this year. I gave 5 stars to all of these books and honestly every single one of them deserves a read:



I'll highlight three:
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler was a hard hard read in terms of you know awful stuff was going to happen (and it did) but it was complex and reflective and deserves to become a classic that everyone reads.

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells was by contrast a very easy and therapeutic read. The Murderbot series is oddly human and ethical but for the pathologically cynical.

Biketopia: Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction Stories in Extreme Futures edited by Elly Blue is just a really creative collection of short stories to make you think and rethink.

I won't put my worsts but I here are the most disappointing (as in I expected to love them and didn't:

[Lindsey]

Misty wrote: "I read so many good books this year! It was a good year for reading. :)

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta - this book is one of my favorites of all time. I loved this book..."

I just added so many of these to my TBR! Thanks for sharing!