2022 in books + some favourites
Happy Solstice! December is swiftly approaching its end, the days are short and dark, and most of the garden is fast asleep.
With such chilling and grey days, it feels as if there is a stillness all around us, and maybe there is, but it’s mostly apparent. Underground, other-than-human species continue their never-ending dances, relationships and exchanges, ready to emerge once again come the warmer days.
But I follow the lead of the visible world, and become slower this season, living mostly indoors, keeping warm by the wood stove and fueled by cups of foraged tea. I read a lot, too. As if I needed the winter excuse to curl up with a blanket and become an armchair traveler…
As the (gregorian) year nears its last days, I thought it could be fun to share my favorite reads from this year. I don’t remember ever not being a prolific reader, ever since I learnt how to read (I grew up without a television and, as a child and young teenager, as my friends discussed the last episode of whichever soap opera was in at the time, I was most likely with my nose stuck in a book in-between classes!). However, only recently I started listing all the titles I read throughout the year, as a way of looking back months later and keeping track of the authors and literary works I’ve invited into my world over the years.
I’ve read many novels in 2022, but here are my absolute favourites, many of which I know I’ll be revisiting in years to come. If you’re looking for something new to read next season, I hope this small list inspires you
(Note that this list is chronological, and not by order of preference)
Frenchman’s Creek, by Daphne du Maurier.
This was such a fun read! My neighbour down the hill lent me her copy, and I knew it had to be either very good or taken with a pinch of salt, as she has an impeccable taste in books. Well, this book is both. Daphne du Maurier has written some terrific fantastic novels (yes, The Birds and Rebecca, both adapted to cinema by Hitchcock, were written by this author). However, this is a totally different genre. Pirates, a forbidden love, a scandal, and a witty and bored strong female character? Gosh, I’ll gobble that up anytime.
The Bear and the Nightingale series, by Katherine Arden.
Deep winter, Eastern European folk tales, magic, and a character with an astounding evolution throughout the series. Did I mention the magic? There’s romance, too. To be honest, 2022 was the year of the fantasy romances for me, and these three books were the beginning of it. And what a beautiful beginning. Absolutely enchanting.
This first book is followed by The Girl in the Tower, and The Winter of the Witch.
An African in Greenland, by Tété-Michel Kpomassie.
This autobiography is a travel record, which is usually not my favorite genre. But maybe it’s not my genre when it centers the European gaze. Written by a Black man who, in the 1960s, left his home village in Togo as a teenager to travel to the far North all alone after being inspired by a book found in a small bookstore… This start alone is enough to make you fall in love with this inspiring, bright, and humbling story.
The Circle, by Dave Eggers.
I’ve mention this dystopian novel here on the blog before, so I won’t repeat myself. This is the book I keep bringing up with my friends, and the one I would recommend if I had to pick only one book to recommend as we share time and space with each other in the Anthropocene, in the 21st century.
A Court of Thorns and Roses series, by Sarah J. Maas.
Yes, my friends. I fell to the spell. If The Bear and the Nightingale opened my way to fantasy romances spiced with some passion, A Court of Thorns and Roses was my undoing. I absolutely devoured the first book of the series, and then the second, the third, the small extra book between third and fourth, and finally the fourth. And I want to go back. The only down side of this series is that, once it’s over, it’s hard to pass on to something else. Any other fantasy book seem mediocre after this, so I suggest following this series with something else entirely.
The following books in the series are, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames.
The Shining, by Stephen King.
I know, I know. I’m a big Stephen King fan, and yet I’d never read this absolute classic of his. This author is outright enthralling to me not because of the chills, or the creeps, or the creepy-crawlies, but because of his magnificent ability to create a parallel psychological world where nothing is quite impossible, in which you just fall right in, head first, and where mental details are relatable in unsettling ways. The Shining is probably my favorite piece by this author now, but I’m still not sure wether I'll want to watch the film.
Ibéria Esvaziada, by Carlos Taibo.
I’m still reading this one, so technically it shouldn’t be in this list, but I already know it’s going to be a favorite on so many levels. This is a rich essay around this bioregion I inhabit, diving into the themes of demographic desertification, collapse, degrowth and alternative models of coexisting. I highly recommend this work to anyone living in this area (interior portugal + spain).
For a small change of leaves rustling here, I’m finishing this list with four more books from a different category. The first in this list was a gift from a dear friend across the ocean, a book which I keep getting back to over and over. The last three are books published by friends this year, and I’m just so proud of them. It’s a joy to have their book babies in my little home, inspiring me daily.
The New Wildcrafted Cuisine: Exploring the Exotic Gastronomy of Local Terroir, by Pascal Baudar
Forest + Home: Cultivating an Herbal Kitchen, by Spencre McGowan
Gardening for Everyone: Growing Vegetables, Herbs, and More at Home, by Julia Watkins
The Garden Apothecary: Transform Flowers, Weeds and Plants Into Healing Remedies, by Becky Cole
This year was accompanied by many more books, but those are the ones that marked me the most.
I’d love to hear your book recommendations below! Or, if I’m keeping you company in your inbox today, you can reply and share your favorite titles this way.
Happy reading, happy solstice!