I started 2022 with optimism and hope that, after two long pandemic years, we would be 'back to normal' and the worst was behind us. How naive! In many ways this was the worst year, as Covid took hold, draining my last reserves of resilience, and finally catching up with me in August. But I managed to leave my fortress of solitude and venture out in the world, attending the Sydney Writers' Festival for the first time since 2019. In the end however, it wasn't the pandemic that disrupted my reading, but the FIFA World Cup as the late night and early morning matches gave me little time for reading.
My reading goal for 2022 was 30 books, which I achieved, reading 31 titles this year. When planning for 2022 at the start of the year, I did not really name any specific titles, which served me well as I roamed wherever my interests took me. Instead I used the reading bingo card I created to help me diversify my reading and my achievements are highlighted below.
20th century
modern classic | Retelling of
another story
| Novel in
Translation | Poetry
Collection | Women's Prize
Longlister
|
|---|
First Nations
author/issues | Essay
Collection
| New to me
author | Biography
or memoir | Book on the
1001 list |
|---|
Debut
Novel
| 19th Century
Classic | Published
in 2022
| By a favourite
author | Non-fiction
bestseller |
|---|
Short Story
Collection
| Australian Literary
Prize Longlister
| Current Affairs
/ Politics
| Protagonist
is over 50 | LGBTQIA+
Author/issues |
|---|
Pre-19th Century
Classic | Non-fiction
history | Book in my
To Be Read pile
| Booker prize
longlister | Novella in
November |
|---|
So here's what I read in 2022:
Fiction
I wanted to read some classics this year. I had chosen several to read but somehow didn't go further back than the 20th century as there was so much contemporary fiction to enjoy. I am so pleased that I was able to read two modern classics I had been longing to read but had a hard time tracking down. Evan S Connell's
Mrs Bridge and
Mr Bridge companion novels tell the story of a marriage in brief vignettes from the perspective of a wife and her husband. I waited until I had both volumes before I began and absolutely loved spending time with the Bridges.
I continued my interest in feminist retellings of ancient myths which I started with Madeline Miller's Circe in 2020. I read two more Miller's this year - her award winning The Song of Achilles and her short story Galatea. I also purchased two books by Jennifer Saint, and read her novel Ariadne this year. I really enjoyed these books and have lined up Saint's Elektra and Natalie Haynes' Stone Blind for next year.
I love a good crime/mystery novel and this year I read plenty. As planned, I read Chris Hammer's Treasure and Dirt, a welcome departure from the Martin Scarsden series. I also enjoyed Jane Harper's latest novel, Exiles, the third (and perhaps final) in her Aaron Falk series. A new addition to the Australian noir genre is Matthew Spencer and his debut novel Black River, set in Sydney. Finally, after hearing Garry Disher speak at the Sydney Writers' Festival, I started his Hirschhausen series with Bitter Wash Road. I really enjoyed this novel and have acquired the next novels in the series. I also enjoyed Robert Galbraith's latest Cormoran Strike novel, The Ink Black Heart.
I pre-ordered books by some favourite authors. I love Tara Moss' Billie Walker series and inhaled her second instalment The Ghosts of Paris. She is currently writing the third book so I have that to look forward to. Likewise Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait arrived upon publication and I have been a huge O'Farrell fan throughout her career and enjoyed her tale of Lucrezia de' Medici's brief life. Jennifer Egan did not disappoint with The Candy House, a follow up to her incredible A Visit from the Goon Squad. Emily St John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility was a marvel, weaving complex themes and timelines
to craft a wondrous
tale of a time travelling detective in search of a rupture
in time. Each of these titles is highly recommended.
Award longlists provide me with much reading inspiration. I always hope to read the nominated books before the award winner is announced, but I never manage to get through more than a few. The
Stella Prize Longlist and the
Women's Prize Longlist are both announced on International Women's Day. From these two lists I was introduced to new authors: Miranda Cowley Heller (
The Paper Palace), Meg Mason (
Sorrow and Bliss), Jennifer Down (
Bodies of Light) - each of these titles are among my favourites for the year. From the Miles Franklin Award Longlist I purchased Claire Thomas'
The Performance which I have not yet read, and started Michael Winkler's
Grimmish, which I had to return to the library before I finished. Jennifer Down won the Miles Franklin for her incredible novel
Bodies of Light. The
Booker Prize Longlist included many titles which I have, but not yet read. I did manage to read Graeme Macrae Burnet (
Case Study) and Claire Keegan (
Small Things Like These) before the winner was announced.
This year there were a handful of incredible novels which made a lasting impact that I have most often recommended or gifted to friends. Douglas Stuart's
Young Mungo is a heartbreaking story of young love in Glasgow that I could not stop thinking about. Julie Otsuka's
The Swimmers was a surprising little novel about a mother/daughter relationship and the sanctuary of a swimming pool.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was a riot. Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel about a reclusive movie star was so enjoyable. Before I had even finished it I ordered a copy for a friend. One of the books I have long had on my shelf is Frank Moorhouse's
Grand Days - the first in his Edith trilogy about a young Australian woman working for the League of Nations. I look forward to Edith's adventures.
Of all the novels I read this year it is really hard to pick a favourite. But if I had to select just one, it would be Jennifer Down's
Bodies of Light a truly magnificent novel about a woman who reinvents herself time and again after trauma. Unforgettable.
Non-Fiction
This year I didn't read as much non-fiction as I had planned to. There were just too many great novels clamouring for my attention!
Most of the non-fiction I read had to do with Australian politics. Amy Remeikis'
On Reckoning is a pocket-sized book of rage about the treatment of women particularly in light of the rape allegations by Brittany Higgins and the Kate Jenkins review into sexual harassment in Parliament House. Katherine Murphy's Quarterly Essay '
Lone Wolf - Albanese and the New Politics' was a fascinating dissection of the 2022 election. Nicki Savva's recently published
Bulldozed explores the downfall of Morrison and the rise of Albanese. The only Australian non-fiction book I read which was not on contemporary politics was
Elizabeth Macarthur's Letters, as edited by Kate Grenville which I wanted to read having enjoyed Grenville's novel
A Room Made of Leaves.
While I really appreciated all the non-fiction I read this year, if I had to choose one favourite, without hesitation I would select Dave Grohl's memoir The Storyteller, about his life and music. I am a huge fan of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, and loved reading about Dave's life.
Other Genres
I didn't get around to essay collections, short stories or graphic novels this year, but I did read a play and a collection of poetry. Zadie Smith's play The Wife of Willesden was written for the Borough of Brent, London's 2020 'Borough of Culture', a modern take on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Maxine Beneba Clarke is a gifted poet and her collection How Decent Folk Behave is magnificently thought-provoking.
Best of 2022
I read so many great books this year. I loved and highly recommend:
