Not one book recommendation posted in 2022. What is up with that? I have no idea. Bet you thought I wasn’t reading! I read 40 books last year, but I did not make notes nor did I make any posts. Maybe I was just getting back to living a normal life again or maybe I just wanted to read for, you know, just to read. I had planned to make this post in January, but the drive to do so just wasn’t there (perhaps because I was sick – all better now, but it took a bit).
I am going to list and give a brief comment on my favorites books from last year. (If you want more, check out these other recommendations.) I keep track of what I read on Goodreads. I have read several via ebook format and some not. My goal is 55 this year, and I count audio books in that total as well.
Historical Fiction
My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton
by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
I gravitate toward historical fiction, and this one might be my favorite of the entire year. What a remarkable woman – a general’s daughter and a founding father’s wife. Truly worth the read. I will be reading more books by these two authors.
The Second Mrs. Hockaday
by Susan Rivers (2017)
The structure of this book is written primarily in the form of letters, diary entries and reports. A love story, a story of racial divide, and a story of the South, the novel reveals how this generation – and the next – began to see their world anew. Again my draw to historical fiction as this novel is set during the Civil War.
Fiction
Golden Girl
by Elin Hilderbrand
I will admit, I shed some tears at the end of this one. It really hit home for me. I did mark a couple of quotes from this one. It is about family, friends, betrayal, hurt, experience, all the things in life. It grabbed me from the first page.
“Having a sister doesn’t always mean an automatic best friend.”
“The question Vivi was asked most often at her events and interviews was Do you base your characters on real people? Do you write about events from your own life? Vivi often felt like her readers wanted the answer to be yes; they yearned for the fiction to be true. Vivi explained that she used details from her real life…”
War Dances
by Sherman Alexie (Reprint Edition 2010)
Sherman Alexie stayed on my list while I was teaching, but I never quite made it around to reading his work. He weaves together a collection of stories that “takes us to the heart of what it means to be human” (Goodreads). While reading the very first story, I had to double check to see if this was fiction or nonfiction because I couldn’t believe what was happening and yet, I could. It is a short book, well worth the read. I will absolutely read more of his work.
by Toni Morrison (1977)
When teaching AP Literature, students read Beloved which is one of my favorite novels. I had this one on my shelf for several years and finally read it. Told from the point of view of a male narrator, it is a coming of age story embedded within a cast of characters as only Morrison can create.
The Madness of Crowds
(Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #17)
by Louise Penny (2021)
If you know me at all or have read any previous recommendations, you know I love this series. Gamache is asked to help police a speech being given by a professor, a charismatic personality promoting an economic agenda that tears at the country’s moral fiber. Gamache confronts the thin line between free speech and hate speech. “Ca va bien aller. All will be well.” Or will it? Quite interesting and reflective of our contemporary realities.
(If you haven’t found it yet, Amazon Prime has a series called Three Pines. Took me a couple of episodes to decide if I like it or not, but I do. As is usually the case, not as good as the novels.)
The Midnight Library
by Matt Haig (2020)
The examination of that desire when we sometimes wish to go back and do things differently so that the outcome of a situation or our life would change. Would we really do it if presented the opportunity? I also appreciate the connection of the library as Goodreads notes, “Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices…”
Nonfiction
Greenlights
by Matthew McConaughey (2020)
I actually listened to this one which I think made it better. McConaughey reads the audiobook, so he adds his own emphasis and inflection making it even more impactful. As Goodreads notes, “it is an unconventional memoir.” An examination of life filled with stories, lessons, and humor. Well worth the read.
Untamed
by Glennon Doyle/Glennon Doyle Melton (2020)
This was my first read of 2022. Game changer. I recommended it to both my daughters right after I read it. I read the ebook, and I still want to get a hard copy to read again and mark up. The book obviously came to me at the point I needed it, and I am glad it did. She is honest, open, insightful, and encouraging. One of the best memoirs I have read.
Wrap Up
Please chime in on any of these books if you have read them. I would enjoy hearing your thoughts and perspective on them. Just post a comment here. Thank you for reading!