Another year of reading has come and gone. Though I only read and review a handful of the book review requests that I receive, each email I receive is like a little package. I always love reading plot synopsis and review pitches because I love stories so much, and I love hearing from storytellers.
This year, I read my usual mix of fiction, nonfiction, audiobooks, YA, middle grade, memoir, paranormal, graphic novels, and picture books. I whittled away at my TBR only to replace them just as fast. And when my schedule got to be too tight, I changed my review policy to picture book, middle grade, and YA books only.
However, my leisure reading remained open to all genres. I went through my usual slumps and started a bunch of books that I just couldn’t, and didn’t, finish. And what I have to show for it is over 80 more books under my “read” list on Goodreads. Below are my top 10 books of 2022 in no particular order.
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Plot synopsis
Author Chuck Klosterman breaks down this decade that feels like it happened both last week and in another lifetime. It’s not told in a linear fashion that touches on major milestones the way a documentary or history book would. Instead, it breaks down the culture in a realistic way that touches on its great moments without romanticizing it the way we tend to and pointing out its low points without overdramatizing them.
Why it’s great
This book subverted my expectations in that I thought it would be a coffee table book full of photos and charts to flip through. So, when I saw it available as an audiobook, I plugged in my headphones and listened to it for hours.
Especially memorable were the chapters about the big blockbusters of the decade as well as how the internet was ironically used to catch the Unabomber. Living through the decade does not make you an expert on the 90’s, but this book will make you more aware of the intricacies of the decade and how we came to regard it with such affection.
Rules of Falling by Leslie Tall Manning
Plot synopsis
Teenager Erica O’Donnell has a condition that makes her prone to fainting. As a result, her overprotective mother won’t let her go anywhere without her best friend, Lindsay Bennett. But when Lindsay begins sneaking around with a local firefighter and the father of her babysitting charges, Erica finds herself on her own and covering for her friend while she herself begins to investigate a string of arsons in the area. The situation tests her friendship, her trust, and her ability to stay conscious in dangerous circumstances.
Why it’s great
Rules of Falling is not your typical YA novel. The story branches out past a typical teenage romance and juggles several topics in seamless storytelling with well-developed characters and dialogue. This book led me to believe that I knew in which direction it was heading and then turned my expectations on their head as it built towards the climax. And Erica is the perfect flawed hero to get the reader there.
You can read my full review here: Rules of Falling by Leslie Tall Manning Book Review and Author Interview
Hello Molly!: A Memoir by Molly Shannon
Plot synopsis
Actress Molly Shannon shares her life story with her readers beginning with the life-defining moment when her entire family was involved in a serious car accident that claimed the lives of her mother and baby sister and how that moment shaped her life. Her close yet tumultuous relationship with her father brought out her desire to be a star and achieve the acceptance and praise that she always claimed. This led her to a decades-long career in which Shannon pulled herself up by her bootstraps, creating one woman stage shows which eventually landed her on Saturday Night Live followed by a movie and TV career and most importantly, a family of her own.
Why it’s great
I tend to get my celebrity memoir recommendations by celebrities who plug their books on celebrity podcasts. When Molly Shannon made the rounds on the podcast circuit this summer, sharing stories from her book, particularly the car accident story, it made me go out and buy a brand new hard copy, something I only do a few times a year. Molly’s narration is simple and enthusiastic, and you can hear her characters in the text as she spouts off her trademark lines and crazy voices. And the final chapters are heartbreaking yet cathartic, making it a satisfying, full circle read.
You can read my full review here: Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon Book Review
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Plot synopsis
Told in a documentary-style transcript, interviewees associated with a famous 70’s rock band recount how they rose to fame and what caused their eventual break up. It all begins when a solo artist is talked into to merging with an already established band of musicians and how this blend created musical gold but personal turmoil.
Why it’s great
I find so many bestsellers not only disappointing, but I’m often unable to finish them. Daisy Jones and the Six was the complete opposite. It was a page-turner that I couldn’t put down thanks to its addictive interview format, distinct characters, and an Almost Famous-esque plot. I’m not a big fan of 70’s rock, but there’s something intriguing about the lifestyles lived by its artists.
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume
Plot synopsis
Sheila Tubman and her family leave New York to spend the summer in Tarrytown. Sheila is not pleased as a lot of her biggest fears await them at her summer residence including dogs, swimming, and spiders. But while Sheila pretends not to be afraid of anything, she’s not good at hiding her fears. And throughout the summer, she learns to face her fears, or at least better express them, without losing her confidence or feisty personality.
Why it’s great
I must have missed this book in the Judy Blume collection I read as a kid. And I really missed out. Sheila and I have a lot in common in that we’re both afraid of everything and don’t want anyone to know about it. But I don’t have the faux self-confidence that Sheila’s able to exhibit, and the humor that comes with it.
This is such a fun summer story set in one of my bucket list places to visit. I found it especially funny that Sheila is afraid of The Headless Horseman after her new friend and town tells her that the story originated nearby. Judy Blume is a writer who I strive to emulate in my own novels, and this has given me a new point of reference when I return to writing my book series.
Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson
Plot synopsis
To escape her rough home life, Cassandra Peterson becomes a showgirl in Vegas and eventually becomes the horror movie hostess we all know as Elvira. Peterson has lived many lives in her 70 years, and she shares her best stories in her funny, candid, and poignant way.
Why it’s great
This is another audiobook that I picked up because I’m a fan of the author’s screen work and love how she’s popped up in various pop culture settings throughout the years. But I knew little about her personal history. Now, I feel like an expert.
I listened to the entire book in a few short days. It made me feel extra productive as I tackled a giant sanding and staining project in my home. My favorite chapters were her stories about the haunted house that she lived in and her experiences making her feature film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. And a few months later I did something that I never do: I listened to it all over again during the Halloween season. Needless to say, I highly recommend it, no matter how familiar you are with Peterson’s work.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
Plot synopsis
On Halloween night, Deja and Josiah start their final shift of their final season after working at the pumpkin patch every autumn for the past four years. The work besties rarely associate outside of the Halloween season, but tonight, Deja encourages to Josiah to skip their shifts so that they can finally sample every food at the pumpkin patch and help Josiah finally talk to his crush. The two go on a wild goose chase through the patch having various misadventures along the way.
Why it’s great
Pumpkinheads reads like a great Halloween episode of a classic TV show. It’s fast-paced, funny, and full of delightful characters. The pumpkin patch is a maze of attractions that you have fun getting lost in with the protagonists. The drawings are bright and colorful with the perfect autumn night hue that makes it feel like an event and have you longing for a film or TV special adaptation. This is a book that I’ll be revisiting every Halloween season to get into the spirit and for a quick and feel good read to help me out of one of my inevitable reading slumps.
The Vanishing by David Michael Slater
Plot synopsis
Sophie Siegel loses everything when the Nazis invade her hometown. But before they are able to discover her, she becomes invisible. Using her newfound power, Sophie spends the rest of the war protecting her surviving townspeople, particularly her best friend, Gideon. What starts out as small gestures to keep people fed soon leads to more drastic measures, culminating in a grand scheme that helps to end the war.
Why it’s great
If you’re going to decide to read a book about the holocaust, you know that you’re committing to an emotionally draining story. It’s so frustrating to hear about these injustices of the past and wonder how humanity let things get so out of control and what you would do to change it knowing what you know now.
The supernatural element of this story gives it hopeful and somewhat satisfying spin. The story doesn’t diminish the atrocities that occurred during this era in this part of the world. In fact, there are many terrible things that happen throughout this story, and Sophie suffers terrible losses. But she learns from them and begins to take more and more selfless risks. As a result, The Vanishing allows us to repeat history through an innocent yet no less complicated lens that shows us how effective we can be in even the smallest ways.
You can read my full review here: The Vanishing by David Michael Slater Book Review
Sheets by Brenna Thummler
Plot synopsis
Thirteen-year-old Marjorie is stuck running her family’s failing laundromat while also dealing with the pressures of high school. Then, she meets Wendell, an actual ghost who disguises himself as a laundry sheet and wreaks havoc at the laundromat at night, inadvertently making things even worse for Marjorie, but whose friendship may be just the thing she needs most.
Why it’s great
Filled with amazing pastel drawings, Sheets has an appropriately ethereal feel to it. It combines my love of lonely characters with my love of ghost stories. It’s both sad and adorable, simple and complex, and scary in how we let some kids slip through the cracks so much so that they only have each other to grip on for support.
In Twilight’s Hush by Laurie Stevens
Plot synopsis
Detective Gabriel McRay is assigned to investigate a cold case from the last 1980’s involving the disappearance of a teenage girl who went missing. A TV psychic, Carmen Jenette, offers to help, but she soon finds herself the victim of a stalker and attacker who is attempting to stop her from getting involved. The two do eventually team up and chase leads, reopening old wounds and putting their lives, their mental state, and McRay’s upcoming marriage at risk.
Why it’s great
In Twilight’s Hush is a great detective novel that has all of the makings of a great true crime story with a slight supernatural twist. I love McRay as a modern man who embraces therapy and his past traumas without losing that gruff cop exterior. I also love how the puzzles pieces unfold in a slow, methodical way that keeps you guessing while still maintaining that classic mystery novel feel. I’m hoping that more mystery indie authors send me their books in 2023.
You can read my full review here: In Twilight’s Hush by Laurie Stevens Book Review and Author Interview
What were your favorite reads of 2022? Leave your answers in the comments below!
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Love the sounds of Rules of Falling and its intriguing storyline!
Thanks! Hope you check it out.