Shannon's Best Reads of 2022

Hello, and welcome to Shannon’s Reading Recap of 2022.

This year, I read over 60 books: some re-reads and some first time reads. From all of the books I read this year, there were about 15 five star reads. And from those five star reads, 11 of those were top-tier, brain altering, consume your mind, wish there were more stars available on Goodreads type of books. Without further ado, may I present to you the best 11 books I read in 2022!

PS… these books are listed in the order in which I read them, not in order of my favorite!

1. Little Weirds by Jenny Slate (2019)

Jenny Slate’s memoir, Little Weirds, is a perfect book. It’s witty, raw, funny, heart-breaking, and quirky in just 300 pages. Slate, often known for her comedy, opens her heart up in the book and displays what I found to be a really beautiful version of womanhood. There is a chapter that wakes me up in the middle of the night and haunts my every thought, and it is Slate describing why she is not made to be on dating apps. It is not written in this “woe is me” “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” type of description I think we often see when women write about their love life; she just says it’s not in her personality. How can she boil herself down to these stupid prompts and four photos when she is a whole person with unique quirks and interests? She writes, “I can’t wait to find the person who will come into my kitchen just to smell my neck and get behind me and hug me and breathe me in and make me turn around and make me kiss his face and put his hands in his hair even with my soapy dishwater drips. I am a lovely woman. Who will come into my kitchen and be hungry for me.” I am tearing up just thinking about it. Slate also writes about her haunted home, what more could you want?

1. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (2019)

The Nickel Boys had been on my TBR for a while, but I finally picked it up for a class I was taking during my final semester of college. This novel is based on true historical events from an all “reform” boys school in Florida in the 1960s. It does, however, also have a modern plot that is set in 2016. Whitehead’s novel reveals the horrors of American segregation in the 60s while also revealing a forgotten piece of history. In 2012, a student at the University of South Florida discovered around 55 graves on the school that the fictional Nickel School is based on. The school was infamous for allowing beating and rapes to its students — and it stayed open until 2011. And while Whitehead is writing a fiction book, his work shines a light on a very important fact — history isn’t as far away as we like to think. This book is engaging and beautifully written with a huge plot twist at the end. I really encourage you to pick up a copy if you haven’t yet!

1. Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors (2022)

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is Coco Mellors’ literary debut about a young woman, Cleo, and her older partner, Frank.. It is akin to novels like Normal People and Exciting Times (so you can guarantee it’s written by a young woman who is from the U.K. and has characters who have trouble communicating). I really can not give you a specific answer as to why I loved this book; I just did. The characters are horrible to each other and often mean, but that made me love them even more. Also, the cover is stunning — whoever designed it should really design all book covers for the rest of time. I look forward to what's to come from Coco Mellors and will definitely pick up her next book!

1. Book Lovers by Emily Henry (2022)

Book Lovers is the third book Emily Henry has put out in recent years about an overworked, highly dedicated literary agent, Nora, who finds herself in North Carolina for a month of “relaxation.” But instead, she runs into her long time work enemy, Charlie. Henry is adored by “BookTok” for her romance novels, and to me, she is worth the hype. Her novels don’t feel cheesy and poorly written like I think a lot of romance can be (and I say this with love, because I am always down to read a romance!) Henry’s previous book (People We Meet on Vacation) was generally seen as a let down compared to her debut (Beach Read), so I was a little nervous going into this one. And let me tell you, my expectations were not only met but surpassed! Book Lovers was everything to me and a very close second to the adored Beach Read. It is everything a good romance novel should be and would be one of my top recommendations for someone wanting something romantic to read.

1. Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake (2020)

I will admit, I picked up this book because BookTok told me to! There, I said it! I am not without fault! Alone With You in the Ether is a self-claimed love story, as noted on the cover, but it is written with a very imaginative and poetic prose that sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. Blake chose to focus on the flaws of these characters and give the reader every reason why the relationship should not work out while they are actively trying to make it work. I found it incredibly beautiful and a very realistic portrayal of characters with prominent mental illness in relationships. Highly highly recommend this one!

1. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf (1929)

What is there to say about A Room of One’s Own that hasn’t been said before? It is truly a work of art, and I have started referring to it as my Bible. Woolf so perfectly describes the female journey in an academic world in the 20th century. It emboldened me to continue through a world dominated by the patriarchy with power as well as grace. I think people are often turned off from Woolf’s works of nonfiction for two reasons: because of how her life ended and because she was a radical feminist. Her suicide and depression is how we have chosen to remember her. But, Woolf has such an incredible brain, and once one reads her biographical or non-fiction works, a whole new world opens. I think that every young woman should read this book — it is empowering to women without having content that is simply dragging men which so many people see feminists as. I truly wish this book was taught in schools or introduced to me earlier in life, but better late than never!

1. The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner (2020)

The Yellow Bird Sings was definitely the book I read the fastest this year, which I didn’t expect, because it is a very heavy historical fiction. I picked it up after owning a copy for years because I was in the mood for historical fiction. But once I started this book, I couldn’t set it down until I had finished. It tells the story of a mother and daughter during World War II, and it is so beautifully haunting. There is an element of music that is in this book that really sets it apart from others in the genre. Music theory genuinely saves these two (which is a sentence no one says).I swear I read it in about nine hours.

1. The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah (2016)

The Nightingale is a wonderful work of historical fiction! Kristen Hannah has written a lot of historical fiction, but this one is by far her best. It is set during World War II during the German occupation of France. The story is that of two sisters who see the war and their part in the war differently. It is a book that will most certainly end with you crying. It’s also being made into a movie starring Dakota and Elle Fanning as the two sisters, so you should definitely read it before that comes out!

1. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell (2022)

I originally picked up The Marriage Portrait when I was in McNally Jackson because the cover looked pretty. And it is — beautiful work by Knopf. It is a semi-fictional novel that retells the tragic death of a young Italian princess in Italy in the 1500s. The 15-year-old main character, Lucrezia, is forced to marry a much older Duke, and only two years into their marriage, Lucrezia is found dead with all fingers pointed to her husband (not a spoiler — that is the real history of this story). However, O’Farrell takes this tragic story and fleshes it out. She turns the story of a misunderstood young girl who is far too young to be a bride into one of triumph and adaptation. It is a beautiful depiction of girlhood, and it will keep your eyes glued to every page.

1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992)

I know, I know, I am late to the party. But here's the thing — the prestige surrounding this book always made me a little too chicken to read it. I do this to myself a lot with classics but I was certain that I would not understand this book and it would be “too smart” for me… whatever that even means. But, with the constant pressure from Julie, I finally decided this would be the year that I started The Secret History, and I am so glad that I did! It is a book I was ready to dedicate weeks to reading and then finished it in five days. The story follows a group of Classics students at a university in Vermont. The newcomer (and quite obsessive) Richard wiggles his way into this elite friend group and learns that maybe it wasn’t his best idea after all. It is a satire on elitist academia, and in some moments it is quite absurd. You really never know where it is going to go; I certainly didn’t. You will become completely entranced in this world and these insane characters. It is the perfect “dead of Winter'' book so go get a copy!

1. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (2022)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a tale of friendship, albeit complicated friendship. It follows Sam and Sadie, to friends and work partners through the majority of their lives. The novel spans over 30 years of friendship between these two characters. There is a clear point in this novel when the book turns from a good book to a great book, and I can’t tell you what it is because that’s a huge spoiler. But it is pure literary genius. There is a callback to an earlier plot point that had me audibly gasp out loud. Gabrielle Zevin takes risks with her writing of this novel and the prose form and she did it so well. And if the idea of a book about video game creators maybe turns you off because you don’t care about video games… don’t let it. I also do not care much for video games but Zevin makes you so intrigued by their creation that you really gain a new appreciation for video games. Please pick up a copy of this book at your local bookstore.