I’ve enjoyed my reading year, and looking forward to further exploration of the Backlist Territories in 2023. Plus the occasional foray into Lit Prize territory like the Booker, the Caine Prize, the Sunday Times Lit Awards etc.
I have written a detailed account of my 2022 reading year in another post, which will appear later in December.
And so to the Hits of 2022. I no longer list my reading debacles, which I list in my monthly reviews under the DNF tag. I’d rather focus on the triumphs.
What were your favourite reads?
MY FAVOURITE
Tomb of Sand – Geetanjali Shree (translator – Daisy Rockford) Indian novel
THE REST OF THE BEST
The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt – contemporary novel
10 minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World – Elif Shafak
The House of Rust – Khadija Abdalla Bajaber – Kenyan fantasy
Lanny – Max Porter – fantasy
The Music of Bees – Eileen Garvin – contemporary novel
BEST TRANSLATED NOVEL 2022
Tomb of Sand – Geetanjali Shree (translator – Daisy Rockford) Indian novel
BEST SOUTH AFRICAN/AFRICAN
Paradise – Abdulrazak Gurnah – historicAfrican novel
The Woman of the Stone Sea – Meg van der Merwe – fable/fantasy
COMIC NOVEL
Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
SHORT STORIES
The Bloody Chamber – Angela Carter – Gothic tales
WORTH A MENTION
The Thursday Murder Club series – Richard Osman. Romps with Geriatric Sleuths
Impossible – Sarah Lotz. Paranormal romance
NON-FICTION
#1 Light Rain Sometimes Falls – Lev Parikian – Nature writing
These Precious Days – Ann Patchett – essays/memoir
The Bookseller’s Tale – Martin Latham – memoir
THE BOOKSMITH 