Favorite Books of 2022

How did 2022 fly by so quickly? I barely got any reading done (especially in the second half) and DNF’ed more books than ever (my watchlist fared way better!). For better or for worse, here they are, the few books that stood out as my “favorite books of 2022”.

1/ The Throme of the Erril of Sherill by Patricia McKillip

This is a criminally underrated novella (besides the tongue twister title prone to misspelling). A reasonable knight is sent on a wild goose chase by the unreasonable king and meets many fanciful adventures on the way. McKillip passed away in May 2022 and we lost a truly great SFF author.

2/ Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

I’ve generally found Kingfisher’s work to be on the lighter side, but Nettle & Bone hit just the right “darker” notes for me. Marra has to look for ways to assassinate her cruel brother-in-law, and collects a rag-tag bunch of companions for the task. There’s also a very sly joke on witchy godmothers which I just loved and reminded me a lot of Terry Pratchett’s style. Perfect blend of spooky and funny.

3/ IF: A Treasury of Poems for Almost Every Possibility, by Allie Esiri & Rachel Kelly (eds.)

IF you like poetry collections, then do check this one out. I found so many gems here, poems that I had never read before but which just generally lifted the spirits just in time for 2023.

4/ The Stone God, The Night Blade by Erin Kellison

Unexpectedly good! A bunch of alien beings have been chained to earth due to an ancient trap designed to kill them. One of them is the Messenger God who has just woken up from centuries of cursed sleep, and his reluctant descendant must help him take revenge. If you’re running out of Urban Fantasy books, I think this action-packed, tightly plotted Techno-Mythology series would be a very good choice.

5/ Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry

Can’t remember the last time I read about the 1200s – that whole fight for the throne between King Stephen and Princess Maude is retold in a whole new light. If you like Brother Cadfael’s mysteries, this one is a nice (and almost otherworldly) prequel. Also a great choice if you are looking for books starting with “Q” for any reading challenge!

6/ The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo

A little cheating here — I have only seen the movie adaptation directed by Kon Ichikawa, but I can’t stop gushing about it! The patriarch of the Inugami family clan dies, leaving behind several competing successors and a really crazy will. As I said in my review, “It was a brilliant guessing game and there’s a strange eerie, gothic feel to the tale which just gives the creeps.”

7/ Alex Craft Series by Kalayna Price

This often overlooked Urban Fantasy series deserves more praise. Alex is a grave witch, she can speak to the dead and find out how they died. Well, she’s not having a grand time, not with being unpaid, disowning her political parent, chasing grim reapers, being attacked by the fae, getting caught up in ritual murders… You get the idea.

8/ Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

I re-read this Newbery Medal book in 2022 when I learnt that a new movie adaptation was out there. Bit of a hidden gem! Perfect gift for high schoolers trying to figure out medieval history, or for adults looking for a good laugh.

9/ Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

Hmm, not as spectacular as I had hoped but pretty darned good. It was like a cross between Practical Magic & Robert Galbraith’s The Cuckoo’s Calling. It was the perfect Halloween read too. The things that people justify in the name of family heritage and legacy….

10/ The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene

Can the rules of human behavior be summarized across the span of space and time? It certainly seems so, especially when it comes to bad bosses, tyrannical kings and office politics. It’s a bit of a dark book, best read in small doses only. But in hindsight, so terribly accurate.

Phew! This was a tough list to compile. How did 2022 fare for you, and do you have a list of favorite books of 2022? Do leave a link in the comments!