?? 2022 Year in Books

In 2021, I set myself a reading target of 50 books and just about managed 43.

In 2022, I read 64 (for which I owe a long commute and two week-long holidays where I spent approximately six hours a day with my nose in a book).??

My previous advice for reading more throughout the year was to always carry a book with you. This year, I advise finding a job with a hefty AF commute and getting comfortable pulling out copious amounts of books on a train full of people staring at their iPhones. I have powered through entire books in one day’s commute (short books that can be read in three hours, admittedly, but still—entire short books in a day nonetheless).

2022 in Books

• Books read: 64
• Did not finish: 0 (!)

My favourite book: ‘Still Life’ by Sarah Winman

One of the most tender, funny, heartwarming novels I have read in a verrrrry long time. I genuinely did not want it to end and dragged the final hundred pages out for over a week. I could have cried when it finally finished. The kind of book you don’t read often and which falls in no particular category either—simply, astonishingly beautiful. A class of its own. A sheer joy.

My favourite book 2.0: ‘The Song of Achilles’ by Madeline Miller

Okay, I struggled to choose a favourite so I’m adding this one for good measure. Recommended to me by an equally avid book-reading colleague, when I say this book swallowed me up and spat me out I am not even close to portraying the depths to which I got invested in these characters. A prime example of why you should never, ever, EVER read the blurb of a book first; the unfolding of this story took me by complete surprise which is why I loved it so f*cking much. It helped that I read it during one of the hottest summers the UK has ever seen, and so the vivid descriptions of sun-soaked Greece were viscerally felt all the way from my sun lounger in Surrey. So thank you global warming for delivering a truly emotive reading experience.

The book I think everyone should read: ‘Invisible Women’ by Caroline Criado Perez

While reading this I had to pause every 30 minutes or so to sit quietly with the desperate misery I felt at uncovering the state of a world built without the fairer sex in mind. My partner got so fed up with me reading sections out loud to him in disgust while we were on holiday that I got put on a book chat ban and had to stew and fester over it alone for the last 50 pages. Women should read it but, much more importantly, men should read it.?

The book that redefined great storytelling: ‘Descent’ by Tim Johnston

This book veered so far from the main action at times but somehow never—not for a single second—let up or lost my interest. Which, given this is not a short book by any means, is a pure lesson in storytelling. I actually ordered this book by accident while looking for something scary to read over Halloween (The Descent by Jeff Long was the original target—an easy mistake to make) and I have never been so happy over a fuck up. Interestingly, I gave this to my mum and she didn’t love it as much as I did, so it’s definitely not a universal hit. But if you appreciate insanely talented writing and intricately detailed narratives, this is honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read. Hauntingly good, in my humble opinion.

The book that made me cry: zilch

Apparently, this is the year my heart turned to stone? Not a single novel I read in 2022 made me cry. My closest contenders were Still Life by Sarah Winman (aforementioned) because I could have cried tears of sadness when it finally ended, and one little line in Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano that caused some light welling up (though no spills). So neither wins the title; it’s got to give snotty, sobbing, heartache vibes to feature here, and nothing quite managed that.?

Previous winners: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (my sobs ricocheted for days), The Fault in our Stars by John Green (cried my eyes out on the Metro in front of plentiful alarmed Parisian onlookers), and Wonder by R.J. Palacio (the happiest tears of all—what a f*cking book).?

My favourite character: Evelyn from ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’?

Okay so I was late to the party with this book, but I loved how compellingly and humanly complicated Evelyn was. So equally full of glamour, ambition, contradictions, vulnerability and guilt. I warmed to her immediately. There’s also something about the way Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story that means you sit down to read for an hour…only to find yourself still there five hours later.

The book that changed my mindset: ‘Time Management for Mortals’ by Oliver Burkeman

A surprisingly refreshing anti-self-help book that teaches you to stop stressing about managing your time because—frankly—you’ll never be able to master it anyway. I usually have to dip in and out of self-help books while reading fiction on the side as they get quite heavy, but I read this from start to finish in three sittings over two days. Such a great book for anyone worried they’re not ‘optimizing’ their time on earth enough—genuinely restorative reading.

My favourite line: From ‘Cassandra at the Wedding’ by Dorothy Baker

I picked this book up for no reason other than the cover was fetching and I liked the typeface, and what a ride it was. Despite being way too long and oftentimes meanderingly pointless with a dysfunctional lunatic and absolute certified weirdo narrator; overall, I’d say I managed to enjoy the ride while simultaneously hoping it would end. It’s quirky, funny and I’m not even sure I’d recommend it but it did serve up some absolutely killer lines, such as;

“The table was made up of seven women and Gavin, the sweetly camp digital guy who more cardigans more than he should, and that is being kind because the correct amount is never.”?

An entirely lawless little novel. Read it at your peril. But I did bloody love that line.

And a secondary shoutout to this killer paragraph from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo:

“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'you're safe with me' - that's intimacy.”

The ‘it’s a no from me’ book: ‘Blood Orange’ by Harriet Tyce

About one of the most far-fetched and unsatisfying little novels I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading. A lesson to never pick up one of my mum’s unresearched library haul holiday books (unless you want to waste eight hours on something which pips Game of Thrones to the worst ending ever award).?

Now, for the love of god, please send me your biggest and best book recommendations because I need to fill up my 2023 To Read list. And while some judge others by shoes or attitude or first impression, I bloody love sizing people up based on their book tastes. Even if they're not my own, I find it endlessly fascinating to learn what books made other people go Kanye West cray-cray. So please (please!) share your faves. ??