2022 “Best Books” lists abounded in December and continue into January. Here’s my annual reading retrospective. Use the comments to talk about your favorite reads for the past year or friend me on Goodreads so we can really discuss best books of 2022!

Book Data in 2022

I like to keep records, and I’ve got books and audiobooks well documented on Goodreads. I consume story on other media, too, but those records aren’t so good (aiming to address that in 2023). However, this year I listened to a wonderful story via podcast based on a comic, Dash, and want to include it in my best of list for the year.

I’ve recorded on Goodreads that I read or listened to thirty-one published books or audiobooks. Since I write editorial book reviews (Independent Book Reviews), I read many unpublished or pre-published books. As best as I can tell, fourteen of those were published in 2022, so they count toward my thirty-one total reads for this retrospective. Eight of my total books consumed were non-fiction.

What Media are Eligible for My Best Stories?

• For this retrospective, I’m going with stories I experienced in 2022, regardless of when they were published.
• The books’ format could be e-book, print, or audiobook. For ease of sentence structure, I declare the word “read” to mean “consumed the media.” 
• The work was available to the public in 2022. 
• While I love all story forms, by “book” I mean a length of at least 7500 words (novelette length).
• Mostly, I’m talking about fiction here, but did make an exception for Making Comics.

How The Books Found Me in 2022

I’m aware a book’s provenance might affect my expectations: Do I prejudge a book published by the author versus one from a publishing company? A related question is how I learned of the book’s existence in the first place. Publishing companies, especially large ones, spend money on ads, book reviews, feature articles, and interviews, all of which catch readers’ attention. Promotional messages impact the book’s impression on a reader before they encounter the words on the page. And, of course, I learn about many books for my job, either as a book reviewer or part of the Montag Press community. 

Of the thirty-one published books I experienced last year:

• Nine were from large, medium, or university publishers
• Twenty-two were from small press/author’s own imprint

I consumed three stories during my walks (and am almost through a fourth, as I write this blog—Wrinkle in Time) via audiobooks. These were all checked out of the library’s random array of whatever was available when I needed an audiobook. 

I Need Books More Than Ever

Beyond the obvious need for books to entertain, distract, and inform me, I have several goals for my reading list. 

            Learn The Writing Craft and Business—While a writer learns something from everything they read, I read two books about writing and social media presence. I’ll review these in future. Sell More Books at Live Events and How to WRITE When Things Go Wrong.

            Widen My Horizons—I’m finding creative nourishment in visual arts these days and worked through two (and part of another!) books about making arts and other creative endeavors: The Artist’s Way and Wreck This Journal.

            Lift Up Other Storytellers—I received an ARC or purchased twenty-two books published independently by their author or by a micro/small press. I make a point to review the indie books I liked and buy a paperback copy if I loved the e-book. 

            Promote My Own Writing Business—I write for Independent Book Reviews, which gets my byline and website address before a new audience. These titles are all micro/small press or author published.  Fourteen of these reviewed books were published in 2022. 

The Stories That Most Touched Me in 2022

Winter Tide

Ruthanna Emrys. Tordotcom

Winter Tide re–introduces us to the Lovecraftian Deep Ones, a society of amphibious fish-frog-human entities residing off the New England coast. These mysterious, hostile villains of The Shadow Over Innsmouth  become the misunderstood, persecuted protagonists in this imaginative novel. If you’ve found the Cthulhu mythos intriguing but…not so accessible (there; I’ve said it), check out this tale. Such modern takes on Lovecraft, such as Lovecraft Country and The Ballad of Black Tom, are a welcomed trend.

Personal Demons: Hopeless, Maine #1A

Tom and Nimue Brown. Outland Entertainment

This is a beautiful graphic novel with engaging characters and an interesting story. I’m glad to see more magical orphanage adventures are available! Fans of gorgeous art, subtle eldritch horror, and all around creepy good times will enjoy this hardback, full-color book.

The Kraken Imaginary

James M. Wright. Montag Press

Secondary world (but with strong similarities to our world’s ancient history) fantasy stories which interweave amongst each other. Hilarious and entertaining while philosophically exploring the nature of, well, everything. Strong character development and well-crafted storytelling. Good for fantasy fans, especially role-playing gamers and history buffs. (Disclosure: I have a financial arraignment with the publisher, Montag Press.) I reviewed it here.

Making Comics

Lynda Barry. Drawn & Quarterly

Art instruction. Self-help. Creative manual. Life Guide. And so much more. I’ve been working thorough Making Comics since May and now approach the end. Between this book and Wreck This Journal I’ve opened up my attitude about creativity in general and visual art in particular. I’m still sorting out the implications for writing stories but feel that good things are coming. I reviewed it here.

Dash

Dave Ebersole & Delia Gable. Podcast based on the graphic novel, Dash: The Case of the Mysterious Zita Makara by Dave Ebersole et al. Northwest Press. 

1940, Los Angeles. Openly gay private eye Dash Malone, combats a society that rejects him, a lover who isn’t honest with him, and a rash of brutal murders that are somehow connected with his new prospective client, the mysterious Zita Makara. As the bodies stack up, Dash discovers the seemingly unrelated parts of his life are really pieces of a larger puzzle. Can he conquer the monsters of the past to stop a terrifying future from occurring? I reviewed it here.

Check out my best reads of 2020, here. And 2021, here.

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor

Check out my new release from Montag Press, The Big Cinch, a supernatural noir adventure by Kathy L. Brown. Order today. Sean Joye, a fae-touched young veteran of 1922’s Irish Civil War, aims to atone for his assassin past and make a clean, new life in America. Until he asks the wrong questions. . . 

Reviews, even a line or two, put the books you enjoyed in a more prominent position on Amazon and are vital for independent and small-press books to find their audience. Remember your most recent read? Leave a review for it on Amazon or Goodreads today. The direct link to review Wolfhearted on Amazon is here, The Resurrectionist, here , and Water of Life, here, or visit my Shop off the landing page menu to review at Barnes and Noble. Thanks in advance. Reviews put the book in a more prominent position on Amazon.

Like the blog? Subscribe (form at the bottom of my website) to never miss an issue. Want more? Subscribe to the monthly newsletter for exclusive content. And, of course, I’m selling books. Last year St. Louis Writers Guild published Love Letters to St. Louis. This adorable letter-shaped volume of short stories, poems, essays, and illustrations included my first science fiction story, “Welcome to Earthport Prime: A Self-Guided Tour.” A perfect gift and profits benefit the guild’s young writers’ program. 

Check out all my stories at Amazon.com. Order my YA fantasy novella, Wolfhearted, or from Barnes and Noble if you prefer, here. It is also available as an audiobook, here.