This is my book of the year read in 2022, not necessarily newly published. As it happens, one of my absolute faves has won awards, including a Goodreads award, and been picked by several people already. That may be a first for me, and I’m so pleased for the author.
I’ve given up trying to choose one, so I’m listing all those that got 5 stars from me on Goodreads, and putting them into genre-type groups.
Candidates for my Book of the Year
- Ada Lovelace Cracks the Code (MG, novella)
- Solstice Day Gifts (novella)
- HMS Lanternfish (fantasy, later in series)
- Desperate Undertaking (crime, historical, later in series–plus three more in series)
- The Darkness Manifesto (non-fiction, environmental)
- The Empire (mystery, historical)
- Nocturne (gothic, historical, YA)
- Bleeding Heart Yard (crime, later in series)
- Marple: Twelve new stories (crime, anthology)
- He Knew He Was Right (non-fiction, biography, environmental)
- Femina (non-fiction, historical)
- The Shadow of the Great Fire (MG, historical, time travel)
- Looking for Emily (MG, mystery)
- Museum of Ordinary People (henlit)
- Birdgirl (non-fiction, autobiography, environmental, mental health)
- The Raven Boys (fantasy, YA)
- Project Hail Mary (science fiction)
- When Stars are Scattered (MG, non-fiction, refugees)
- Lessons in Chemistry (suspense, historical, science)
- Max’s Royal Adventure (MG, time travel, novella, later in series)
- The Locked Room (crime, later in series)
- The Flames (historical, art)
- I, Mona Lisa (historical, art)
- The Ocean and the End of the Lane (fantasy)
That comes to 27, which is more or less normal for my five-star totals. I’ve read around ten more books than usual, and four were from the same series, (and two more in a different series). So the quality ratings are on a par with previous years, I think. Now to short-list… I find it easiest to do this simply by thinking of the books and how memorable they were.
