My Favourite Reads of 2022
My reading slowed down a bit this year as I was pretty busy launching my debut novel and a podcast but I still made time for some incredible books. Here are just 20 of my favourite reads this year (or 2022 books I read last year) with some extra recommendations at the end. There’s a real mix here, including non-fiction, something for everyone. Links to buy are affiliated so I may earn a small commission from any purchase.
So in no particular order:
Orpheus Builds a Girl – Heather Parry
An exceptional novel based on a gruesome true story, which questions just who a woman’s body belong to. I don’t want to give too much away but a German doctor becomes obsessed with a young Cuban woman. Twisted, compelling and heart-breaking, this is an unforgettable story with all the hallmarks of a gothic classic. I cannot recommend this more.
The Pharmacist – Rachelle Atalla
If you know me, you’ll know I am completely obsessed with this novel. The perfect dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel, leaving just enough to our imagination. It was everything I love about dystopia – bleak, full of morally ambiguous characters, unlikely relationships, ordinary situations with high stakes. I’ve already read Rachelle Atalla’s second novel Thirsty Animals and it’s just as good, so I will be fangirling forevermore.
Quite simply, a masterpiece. I am awed by Hyde's ability to create such complete, complex characters in such beautiful sparse and lyrical prose. I was so moved by the novel's ending that I had to swallow the lump in my throat and wipe my eyes
Notes on an Execution – Danya Kukafka
Exceptional and addictive, weaving the story of Ansel Packer on Death Row, living out his final hours, with the women whose lives he impacted. It's everything you want a novel to be, a gripping story, characterisation so strong even when you meet them for a brief amount of pages, and on a line level, the writing is stunning.
Our Wives Under the Sea – Julia Armfield
A haunting, lyrical horror story. Like Armfield’s short stories, this debut novel is exquisitely written with beautiful, precise prose that makes you want to cry with how good it is, and it also has a strange and compelling narrative. Leah went on a research trip on a submarine that went horribly wrong and when she returns to her wife Miri, she's a different person, scaring Miri and causing her to confront her grief about her dead mother.
Much like the brilliant Shuggie Bain, this is a bleak read in parts with intense content that some readers will find triggering, but like its predecessor, it's not without hope. The love story between Protestant Mungo and Catholic James gives it a different tenderness to Shuggie, one you spend the whole novel hoping will survive, despite the odds.
The Nothing Man – Catherine Ryan Howard
My first read of 2022 and WOW! The epitome of a perfect thriller! The Nothing Man reads like a great true crime podcast, where the sole survivor of a murdered family, Eve Black, writes a memoir about the tragedy. But, this novel adds an extra level, we get the killer's POV too as he reads Eve's book and obsesses about her and trying to get away with a crime he's been hiding for over 20 years. I devoured this and then read 56 Days which was just as good!
Hare House – Sally Hinchcliffe
A gothic, witchy delight. A masterclass in atmospheric, unnerving fiction, with a protagonist you can't always quite trust. Hinchcliffe's writing makes the isolated rural setting come alive and every page crackles with a spooky tension.
Welcome to Your Life – Bethany Rutter
A super satisfying, truly enjoyable read that I could not and would not put down. If you want an uplifting, fun novel about a likeable, slightly insecure fat woman finding her place in the world, falling in love with London and dating her way around the city then this is for you!
Single Bald Female – Laura Price
When I think of this novel, I think of the happy glow I felt reading it. The characters, the disastrous dates, the tragedies of life. Despite those emotional moments, it’s truly uplifting, funny and deals with cancer diagnosis authentically, in the midst of worries every single 30-something has. I really loved this.
I loved this book, a romcom with a brilliant sci-fi twist. An imaginative premise executed perfectly. Nick and Bee’s lives intersect with a stray email. They’re the perfect match BUT they soon realise their meeting in real life is actually impossible. Why? Trust me and read it.
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? – Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
A warm, hug of a book. A novel full of humour, wonderful characters and believable friendships. Yinka feels the pressure of her Nigerian family to settle down with a man but in her quest to find a boyfriend, she learns to love herself. Yinka is one of those characters you can’t help but root for on every page.
A beautiful, unique novel that blends island folklore with themes of infertility and what makes a woman. After Scottie realises she might never be a mother, she escapes to St Hia to learn about her past and hears the myth of Thordis, a woman once called a witch. This novel swept me up in its atmosphere and longing, offering a fresh and much needed perspective on what it means to be childless, not by choice.
All the Living and the Dead – Hayley Campbell
A fascinating and eye-opening study about attitudes to death and the practicalities of what happens when a person dies. I left this book feeling like I had learnt a lot and explored my own feelings about death too. Writer Hayley Campbell's interest in death and the death industry shines through in an engaging and heartfelt way
Say Nothing – Patrick Radden Keefe
As someone who knows very little about the Troubles or Northern Ireland this was a route in. Understandably, dense and complex, but a compelling account of Jean McConville's abduction and murder alongside personal stories of those affected by and caught up in the conflicts of the Troubles. Patrick Radden Keefe's writing paints a vivid picture of the main figures in Northern Ireland's history and conveys the events with poignancy.
A captivating story about repression and longing and trauma, alongside stunning lyrical writing. I knew little about being a Jehovah’s Witness before reading this book so it was illuminating and absorbing to read Millar’s experiences and struggle. She’s a beautiful writer so I can’t wait to read more of her work.
About a Son - David Whitehouse
This is a book about grief, the loss of a son from a family and a father’s resolute quest for justice and truth. I’ve never read an account of a family’s grief that is so impactful and deep. Journalist David Whitehouse has taken Colin Hehir’s diaries and written an arresting, raw account of how a murder can shatter a family.
When the Dust Settles – Lucy Easthope
An incredible book about death and hope from a woman who is a leading authority on disaster recovery. Lucy Easthope was shaped as a child by the Hillsborough disaster and in her career has played a part in almost every major disaster you can think of. It’s fascinating to hear how these events are dealt with on both a human side but also practically. It shows you the compassion of humanity vs heartless bureaucracy and government.
Get Rich or Lie Trying – Symeon Brown
A compulsive read about the rise of influencer culture and the scams and lies involved in selling an image. From get rich quick scams that have lost people thousands, individuals who have had extreme and botched surgery so as to appeal to the Instagram algorithm. We all know that social media distorts reality but this book really examines the frightening depths of its dark side and does so in a fascinating way.
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea – Barbara Demick
A fascinating account of several North Korean lives through the eyes of defectors who managed to flee. I went into this book with no knowledge of North Korea and found the history and details of everyday lives shocking and horrifying, leaving me wanting to know more. The audiobook wasn’t narrated well so I’m definitely going to pick up a physical version.
Other Recommendations
Romance: Make You Mine This Christmas – Lizzie Huxley-Jones; Love, Loss and Little White Lies – India Rigg;
Historical: The Flames – Sophie Haydock; Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter – Lizzie Pook; That Green Eyed Girl – Julie Owen Moylan
Contemporary/Literary: My Phantoms – Gwendoline Riley; Okay Then That’s Great – Susannah Wise ; I’m Sorry You Feel That Way – Rebecca Wait; The Measure – Nikki Erlick; Isaac and the Egg – Bobby Palmer; Hush – Kate Maxwell; Careless – Kirsty Capes; I Who Have Never Known Men – Jacqueline Harpman; Wet Paint - Chloë Ashby
Non-Fic: Cult Following – Bexy Cameron ; Savage Appetites – Rachel Monroe; Hungry – Grace Dent; 8 Deaths – Mark Watson