Before I discuss the books I truly loved, was touched by, deeply affected me, etc., I need to list the books that came out, made my TBR list, and I simply didn’t get to in 2022. In no particular order, I suspect you will see reviews for some of these in this blog in the weeks to come. There are not enough hours in a day! If not, seek them out, as I believe they will be well worth your time:

The Candy House, by Jennifer Egan
Trust, by Hernan Diaz
The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi (love Scalzi)
This Time Tomorrow, by Emma Straus
Goliath, by Tichi Onyebuchi
Now is Not the Time to Panic, by Kevin Wilson (loved his last book, reviewed here, https://www.margueritereads.com/home/nothing-so-see-here-by-kevin-wilson )
Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

Starting at the Honorable Mention level, these are books I think were worth my time to read and review here, that would be worth your time as well. Not the very best of the year, but offered enough to be memorable, lingering in my mind with good observations and images. Those include:

Termination Shock, by Neal Stephenson. An interesting cautionary tale of rogue efforts to “fix” climate change by well-meaning gazillionaires. (Think Bill Gates.)
Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel. Big questions, time travel, climate change. I so looked forward to it, but it didn’t move me as much as her previous novels. Her average is pretty darn good, though.
The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles. Wonderful historical fiction, delightful tale of two brothers surviving tragedy, pulling together to choose the way forward.
When Women Were Dragons, by Kelly Barnhill. She handles such an outrageously original idea with great ability. It could have gone badly wrong, but she made it thoughtful and fascinating.
Upgrade, by Blake Crouch. Hacking our genome to make us smart enough to think our way out of global warming? Isn’t Bill Gates working on that now? I love sci fi that shows the dangers of our great ideas.

On to level two, or those books that came so close to the best of the year, they are must-reads in their own right.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton. You must read this. Great historical fiction.
Unlikely Animals, by Annie Hartnett. Funny, heart-warming, loving story.
Missionaries, by Phil Klay. Disturbing, important novel about war, media, and the price of human trauma in our time.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Gentle, sensitive stories of hope. I will be sure to read the rest of this series, and you should, too.
Helltown, by Casey Sherman. This was the one nonfiction book that stayed in my mind this year. The serial killer was unusual psychologically, and the involvement of Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut gave the book greater depth.
Carrie Soto Is Back, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Carrie Soto is an excellent character, Reid’s descriptions of tennis are amazing, and the development of character is strong. Reid does it again!
Lucy By the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout. Frequent readers of my blog are probably sick of reading about how wonderful Elizabeth Strout is. Just read the Lucy Barton books, in order. If I had to guess, there will be one more—I think Strout will need to take Lucy into old age, to the grave. Yes, I wish I could write like Strout!

This brings us to the best books of the year, in my humble opinion. I wish I could pick just one, but these three books each deserve the highest accolade, in equal measure:

Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus. Elizabeth Zott is an unforgettable character, but so is Tracy Flick, so why is this one of the best of the year? Garmus writes a tightly-plotted, thoughtful and daring book about workplace sexual issues that will be talked about for a long time. All in a debut novel! I’m so jealous! I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin. I think Zevin has been developing her craft to finally take on a book of this scope. She has always written interesting, convincing characters, but she has finally dug deep and delivered a more thoughtful, complex book. It has her characteristic whimsy, but uses the metaphor of video games to say much about life. This is a gem.
The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O’Farrell. I never thought I’d pick a book set in 16th century Italy, until I read what O’Farrell does with the material. Following the life of Lucrezia, a creative girl who does not fit in to the expectations of her position, until her position becomes life threatening, you cannot put this one down.

This was a great year for fiction, not so much for nonfiction. Some years are like that. Many great stories, reflective of the crazy times we have lived through, and continue to move through. Thanks for following me, and please feel free to leave a comment, suggest a book, or start a discussion. Happy New Year!