Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Books We Loved in 2022

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It's the time of year for the BEST OF lists, and as SOME of you kept track of what you read in 2022, I thought it would be fun to share some favorites. Because we all need more books to read, right?

I don't mean for this to be a BEST NOVEL list, but just books that we really enjoyed, and these are a (big) handful that jump out as I flip through my planner. Mine is also NOT a FAVORITE MYSTERY list, as it's obviously very eclectic, and I'm also excluding books by fellow REDs because we all know they are ALL fabulous and they'd take up the whole list! And, because I'm going first, I reserve the right to get carried away. Some of these I read in print, some I listened to, some I did both.


Love and Saffron, Kim Fay

The Windsor Knot and All the King's Men, S.J. Bennett

The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, Richard Osman

Darmin's Armada, Ian McCalman

Amongst Our Weapons, Ben Aaronovitch (my most anticipated read of the year!)

A Shadow of Memory, Connie Berry

Bloomsbury Girls, Natalie Jenner

The Year of Miracles, Ella Risbridger

The Right Sort of Man, Allison Montclair

The Drowning Sea, Sarah Stewart Taylor

The Ink Black Heart, Robert Galbraith

A Rogue of One's Own, Evie Dunmore

A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny

The Reading List, Sara Nisha Adams

Bleeding Heart Yard, Elly Griffiths

Thank You For Listening, Julia Whelan (big five stars for this one!)



JENN McKINLAY: I don’t really keep track, but a few standouts for me are…


The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

Allow Me to Retort by Elie Mystal

Five Decembers by James Kestrel





I’m listening to Thank You for Listening right now and I’m struggling because while it’s brilliant there’s so much about the publishing industry that she nails that pisses me off - lol - specifically, the misogyny that makes it a tough listen (much like Lessons in Chemistry). 


LUCY BURDETTE: Lots of good ones this year, including from Hank, Debs, Rhys, and Jenn! Here are a few others:


THESE PRECIOUS DAYS, essays by Ann Patchett

THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE, Richard Osman

MY LIFE IN FRANCE, Julia Child

THIS PLACE OF WONDER, Barbara O’Neal

WE ARE THE LIGHT, Matthew Quick

EMOTIONAL INHERITANCE, Galit Atlas



And here’s my full Bookbub report–I don’t include duds:). https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lucy-burdette?list=reviews


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, gosh, okay.  Leaving out the Reds, of course. And I know I will forget something. But I’ll fix in the comments.


THE TWIST OF A KNIFE   Anthony Horowitz

WRONG  PLACE, WRONG TIME  Gillian McAllister

MORE THAN YOU’LL EVER KNOW Katie Gutierrez

THE APPEAL Janice Hallett

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS Janice Hallett

ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME  William Landay

THE MAID Nita Prose

THE TWYFORD CODE Janice Hallett (yes, truly, every one of hers is brilliant)

THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY Brendan Slocumb





DEBS: I am really fascinated by how these lists are SO different. I have Project Hail Mary on Audible, I think, so pushing to the top of the LISTEN list.


Lucy, I read Julia Child's Life in France a few years ago--that one deserves a reread, for sure.


RHYS BOWEN:

Why is my mind a blank?  Maybe because I read a lot of old favorites.

But I did like:


Lessons in Chemistry: Bonnie Garmus

Bloomsbury Girls: Natalie Jenner

Widowland: C.J. Carey

The Jane Austen Society: Natalie Jenner

The Keeper of Lost Things: Ruth Hogan



There were probably more but I’m not good at keeping lists, and I can’t check my bookshelf in California because I’m back in Arizona.

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: As I said yesterday, this wasn't a great reading year for me, although I'll agree with Andy Weir's HAIL MARY. He definitely reclaimed his mojo after his second book, which was... not so great. Some oter faves:

 

CHILD ZERO by Chris Holm. My favorite reading experience of the year.

THE MADNESS OF CROWDS by Louise Penny, who gets better with every book, and how is that even possible?

MAN AT THE HELM by Nina Stibbe - laugh out loud funny.

THE DAMAGE by Caitlin Wahrer, which I went into knowing nothing about - I didn't even read the dust jacket - and I'm so glad I did it that way.

OUR OWN WORST ENEMY: The Assault From Within on Modern Democracy by Tom Nichols. I highly recommend for anyone wondering how the heck we got where we are right now in the US.  


DEBS: Jenn, keep going on Thank You For Listening. It's so good. You won't be disappointed.


I love how varied and eclectic all our lists are, and now I want to read the books suggested that I HAVEN'T read. I gave my daughter Lessons in Chemistry for Christmas, in hopes that she would loan it to me when she'd finished it. (I wanted to give her a book that wasn't "pre-read" :-))

And now I'm off to look up all these other tempting titles. We're going to get ourselves in big trouble here!


Readers, over to you!




99 comments:

  1. Of course, all the wonderful books written by the Red ladies . . . .
    And here are some others that I particularly enjoyed . . .
    DEVIL’S WAY by Robert Bryndza . . . WHAT HAVE WE DONE by Alex Finlay . . . THE CABINET OF DR. LENG by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child . . . NEVER PANIC EARLY: AN APOLLO 13 ASTRONAUT’S JOURNEY by Fred Haise . . . THE STAR IN THE EAST: A WINTER TALE OF ANCIENT MYSTERY by John Adcox . . . THE BOYS FROM BILOXI by John Grisham . . . DESPERATION IN DEATH by J.D. Robb . . . THE FERRYMAN by Justin Cronin . . . OVERKILL by Sandra Brown . . . THE LAST ORPHAN by Gregg Hurwitz . . . CHILD ZERO by Chris Holm . . . .

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  2. Perfect timing. I just compiled and posted my list various places yesterday. Here are the books that really stood out to me in 2022.

    Singing in the Dark by Ginny Owens (non-fiction)
    A Nun in the Closet by Dorothy Gilman
    The Shadow of Memory by Connie Berry
    Murder at Blackwater Bend by Clara McKenna
    The Lessons We Learn by Liz Milliron
    Muddled Through by Barbara Ross
    Movieland by Lee Goldberg
    Death in the Aegean by MA Monnin
    Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves by Liz Ireland
    Spy School: Project X by Stuart Gibbs (Middle Grade mystery/spy/action)
    Cry Wolf by Annette Dashofy
    The Counterfeit Wife by Molly Becker
    Rum and Choke by Sherry Harris

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    1. Mark, A Nun in the Closet is on my keepers shelf--laugh out loud moments!

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    2. Mark, Movieland was on my list as well. And I just got my copy of Rum and Choke which I'm really looking forward to reading.

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  3. Amazing lists everyone has, and I haven't read any of them except Connie Berry. I was thinking writing down my list was too much work, then I looked behind me at the stack of books I haven't shelved yet (partly because I have to clear some shelf space). Yep, those are favorites from last year (excluding Reds books)!

    Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg
    Muddled Through by Barbara Ross
    When the Plot Thickets by Julia Henry (aka Julie Hennrikus)
    Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron
    The Alchemist of Riddle and Ruin by Gigi Pandian
    Peppermint Barked by Leslie Budewitz
    Blind Faith by Alicia Beckman (aka Leslie Budewitz)
    Long Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen
    No Strangers Here by Carlene O'Connor
    In Place of Fear by Catriona McPherson
    Fatal Reunion by Annette Dashofy

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  4. Hmm. This will be an incomplete list, as our shippiing won't arrive until next month. But, between books I have here and my Kindle library, and excluding books by Reds, here goes:

    Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (brilliant; just brilliant)
    The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
    The Lies I Tell by Julie Clarke
    The Riddle of Foxwood Grange, a Sherlock Holmes Mystery, by Denis O. Smith
    Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone (so full of surprises)
    The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett
    Sheamus Heaney 100 Poems (collected across previous anthologies by Faber & Faber
    Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews
    The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
    Birthdays Are Murder by Cindy Sample
    Panic Attack by Dennis Palumbo

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    1. Elizabeth, I thoroughly enjoyed Two Nights in Lisbon--one of the books I managed to read through early in the year. So good, I basically read it through a second time.

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    2. Flora, my husband and I both enjoyed Two Nights in Lisbon so much. We just moved to Braga, Portugal in February of 2021 and have yet to go to Lisbon, but once we got into the story, the storytelling was so engrossing. Such a good book!

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    3. I liked Dennis Palumbo's Panic Attack as well.

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    4. Also loved Lisbon!
      Lisa in Long Beach

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  5. My list was posted on January 1st. And I shared it on social media as well. If anyone is interested you can check it out here: http://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/forum/topics/my-favorite-mysteries-thrillers-of-2022

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  6. Great lists! I had compiled & posted my fave reads of 2022 on FB in late December:
    DEBUT MYSTERY
    Shutter, Ramona Emerson
    Devil's Chew Toy, Rob Osler
    The Maid, Nita Prose
    CRIME/MYSTERY
    Going to Beautiful, Anthony Bidulka
    Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder, VM Burns
    Like A Sister, Kellye Garrett
    The Woman in the Library, Sulari Gentill
    A Dangerous Breed, Glen Erik Hamilton
    Slow Horses AND Dead Lions, Mick Herron
    Blackmail and Bibingka, Mia P. Manansala
    Anywhere You Run, Wanda Morris
    The Bullet That Missed, Richard Osman
    The Runaway, Nick Petrie
    Secret Identity, Alex Segura
    Disappeared, Bonnar Spring
    Poison Lilies, Katie Tallo
    Fogged Off, Wendall Thomas
    2023 PUBLICATION EARLY READS
    Hide, Tracy Clark
    The House Guest, Hank Phillippi Ryan

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    1. Grace, I just ordered that Tracy Clark book the other day. So many people have been talking it up that along with reading the book synopsis I just had to check it out myself.

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  7. Favorite books I read in 2022, many of which were written a few years back:
    Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
    The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fanone Jeffers
    Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kemmerer (non-fiction)
    Como Agua Para Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (for Spanish class)
    The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
    There is Nothing for You Here by Fiona Hill (non-fiction)
    The Sign for Home by Blair Fell
    Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
    The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
    The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
    Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
    Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
    At First Light by Barbara Nickless

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    1. Braiding Sweetgrass is so beautifully written. I listened to the author narrating it, and her voice is mesmerizing.

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  8. So many intriguing titles! I tend not to read the newest books, mostly because I have so many unread books already, so many of these are older. Just some of the more memorable books I read last year.

    Mr. Flood's Last Resort, Jess Kidd
    Me & Patsy, Kickin' up Dust, Loretta Lynn
    The Midnight Library, Matt Haig (book club, one of the best discussions we've ever had)
    West with Giraffes, Linda Rutledge (thanks for this suggestion on past lists!)
    The entire Watchmaker's Daughter series, CJ Archer
    Palm Beach Finland, Antii Tuomainen
    Redemption in Mariposa Beach, Teresa Michael
    The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles
    The Locked Room, Elly Griffiths
    The Last Bookshop in London, Madeline Martin
    No Grater Crime, Maddie Day
    The Last Rose of Shanghai, Weina Dai Randel

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    1. Karen, I'm still trying to get to West with Giraffes. I will eventually.

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    2. Karen, I love both of Edith's Maddie Day series but and seriously behind on the Country Store mysteries. They are all sitting here waiting for my attention!

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  10. OK, this is the third rabbit hole this morning and it is only 9:15! First it was a list of a 7 day food planner – oh look this one has good recipes – and more planners… Then I was reading (in the bathroom ((TMI))) and thought I should spend some time learning to make a good pie crust – that would make Jack happy – my blood sugar not so much. Now a book list! The five library sites are now open, and I wonder how soon my holds list(s) will fill up. My tops of 2022:
    All the Richard Osman books – so readable and so funny and true!
    Louise Penny – always good though I waffled a bit through Madness of Crowds
    Joy Ellis – British author who writes three series. Start with DI Galena. Her portrayal of the fens is a large part of the atmosphere
    Bobbi French – The Good Women of Safe Harbour – may be too Canadian to make it on to the US Book shelves – I loved it.
    Book Club was The Lovesong of Miss Queenie Hennessey – gave it a 10/10 for enjoyment in spite of the subject
    War stories - Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch’s Stolen Girl – Ukrainian girl stolen by the Germans to be a perfect German child – finding her memory of the happening.
    For more war, try Ruta Sepetys. She writes juvenile fiction, but is very good and tells more stories than just WW2
    And I thought I was going to wash a floor…!
    (Thanks for the new list!)

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    1. Thanks for the Joy Ellis rec, Margo! Have you read any of Marion Todd's Scottish series?

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  11. I hadn't made a list of favorites, so I just spent an hour looking through those notebooks I mentioned yesterday. Most of these I read, but some at the end are audiobooks. Jungle Reds, I loved your books and they would be on this list for sure. Also, many of my selections are from series and I just mention one book from a series even if I devoured the whole thing. I will star those. By the way, it was really difficult to choose which books belonged on this list because I enjoyed almost all of the ones I read this past year.

    New Girl in Little Cove by Damhnait Monaghan
    The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler *
    Beach Read by Emily Henry
    The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich
    The Grim Reader by Kate Carlisle*
    The Impossible Imposter by Deanna Raybourn*
    Inherit the Shoes by E. J. Copperman*
    Fatal Reunion by Annette Dashofy*
    From the Shadows by James R. Benn*
    The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
    Framed in Fire by Iona Whishaw*
    Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
    The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
    Should I Fall by Scott Shepherd*
    A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman*
    The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair*
    Bombay Monsoon by James Ziskin
    Audiobooks:
    The Duke of Manhattan by Louise Bay*
    The Night Fire by Michael Connelly*
    Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore*
    Now You See Them by Elly Griffiths*

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    1. Judy, I want to read that James Ziskin book. I was hoping to go to a book signing he's doing on January 25th but it looks like I won't be able to make it.

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    2. I have the James Ziskin and must get to it!! Judy, I love your star notation. Some of the books I listed, like the Evie Dunmore and the Allison Montclair, I read the entire series but couldn't list them all!

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    3. Like Gigi, in some cases, once I found book #1, I just read or listened to the entire series. Allison Montclair was one, Sarah Morgenthaler, Dianne Freeman, and also Kate Carlisle, Evie Dunmore, Louise Bay and Elly Griffiths, too. If there are only 5 or 6 books it is doable, but Kent Krueger will take a while.

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  12. *When I am snuggled in bed on a rainy night I love to re-read anything P.D. Wodehouse for a good laugh and feel good.
    *I have ignored the push in all my favorite bookstores for the #1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alex McCall Smith but read one in the series and am now hooked. His characters are warm, kind and interesting. You want to join the main character for tea every morning in Botswana!
    Guncle by Steven Rowley
    The bookstore mystery series by Valerie M. Burns
    The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama
    Oxford Wild by Laura Bradbury
    Death in Provence by Serena Kent
    A Woman of No Importance (the life of the famous spy Virginia Hall) by Sonia Purnell

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    1. Alexander McCall Smith was the international guest of honor last year at Bouchercon. He was delightful, as sweet as his characters.

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    2. I love the Ladies' Detective Agency books but am so behind. They are wonderful to listen to.

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    3. There is one for sale on Chirp today!

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  13. Like many of the other commenters, many of the books I read in 2022 were not new titles. Still, here's my best-of list:

    Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

    The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

    My grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry by Fredrik Backman

    The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh

    Becoming by Michelle Obama

    The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

    Iron Lake by William Kent Kruger

    The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag

    Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

    Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

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    1. Susan, I love William Kent Krueger's series and have gotten several other readers hooked as well.

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    2. Susan, I so enjoyed Michelle Obama's "Becoming."

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    3. Flora --it was all the excitement about the newest Kruger book on this site that motivated me to start the series. Reading book 2 right now!

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    4. Susan, I reviewed The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh when it came out and it is definitely a good read!

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    5. Susan, we have started the Krueger series, too and are on book 3 or 4 now. They are terrific!

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    6. I love Kent's books but am so behind. Ack!

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    7. I'm on book 10 of Krueger's series and love them.

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    8. Love WKK, both Cork series and stand alones.
      Lisa in Long Beach

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  14. I had a lot of issues to deal with over 2022, so when I read I wanted to just escape to someplace familiar and comforting. As a result, I dove into a number of different mystery series and just read the books one after another. Because I really enjoyed Amy Pershing's Cape Cod Foodie books, I looked around for something similar and found Barbara Ross's Maine Clambake Mysteries. I followed those with Liz Milliron's Laurel Heights Mysteries, then spent a few blissful weeks catching up on Rhys's Lady Georgie books. Debs insisted that I read Allison Montclair's The Right Sort of Man, which is delightful, so that series went down in one big gulp. Other series I enjoyed included Paige Shelton's Alaska Wild novels, and a new cozy series that has had a promising first two entries, Diane Kelly's Mountain Lodge mysteries. I can recommend them all.

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    1. I started the Alaska Wild series recently as well, and am loving it!

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    2. I love Amy Pershing's series, too, Gigi. I want to read Paige Shelton's Alaska series but know when I start it, I will need to read right through it.

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    3. Amy Pershing's book should have gone on my FAVE list. And also Francine Mathew's Nantucket book.

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    4. I just read Francine Mathews' latest book, which is fantastic, but in 2023.

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    5. Gigi, I enjoy the Alaska Wild series by Paige Shelton, too. I'm starting to be more and more interested in books set in Alaska. And, I am determined to start reading the Allison Montclair books and get caught up, too.

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    6. You really should read Allison Montclair, Kathy. They are so much fun, as are the Alaska books. I love Amy Pershing's books. She just doesn't write them fast enough. And it was a delight to go back to Nantucket with Francine Mathews' latest book as well. All good reads!

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  15. THE TWIST OF A KNIFE by Anthony Horowitz
    THE OCEAN IN WINTER by Elizabeth de Veer
    BLEEDING HEART YARD by Elly Griffiths
    THE BULLET THAT MISSED by Richard Osman
    THE MAID by Nita Prose
    Still catching up with the PETER DIAMOND series by Peter Lovesey
    THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE by Alan Bradley
    THE WEED THAT STRINGS THE HANGMANS PURSE by Alan Bradley
    (I have said before how much I love these books. The author has such a gift for language as you can tell by the titles. And no one, I mean no one, does 'show don't tell' better than Alan Bradley. I've copied so many beautiful passages from these books. You'll love these stories if you remember long ago unfettered childhoods and that you were smarter than adults gave you credit for)

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    1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie has been in my Kindle forever. I must get to it this year.

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    2. Oh, so good, Judy. I envy you reading the first one.

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  16. I'm so glad to see others are reading non-2022 books as well. I swear, all I ever read are books that haven't been published yet, or that came out two years ago (which is when I finally become aware of them.) I'm particularly bad at books by friends, which is so embarrassing. This past summer I went to a book signing/ get-together for Paula Munier's THE WEDDING PLOT and thought it was her third book. Spoiler alert: it was her fourth. I had missed one, and I really like her Mercy Carr series!

    Debs, the next recommendation blog we need to do is WHERE do you hear about new and upcoming releases.

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    1. Actually, it's my turn at the helm next week - I'll do it!

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    2. Great idea, Julia! And I LOVED The Wedding Plot, that should have gone on my list, as well.

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    3. I'm surprised that my list contains only 2022 books. I usually have some carry-over books to add. I have a ton of carry-over books from 2022 to try and read this year. I'll be happy if I get to ten of them.

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  17. I'm squirreling away these lists... I've been playing catch-up all year and doing a lot of rereading. Thanks, everyone, great shares.

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    1. I have copied all of your lists into a master list. Now, I need to borrow Mark's time-turner.

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    2. Pass the time-turner on to us when you're finished, Judy!

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    3. Hallie, that's a great idea, doing a master list. I am going to post my list below that I ran on my Reading Room blog.

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    4. Judy, I apologize. You are the master mind behind the master list. Great idea!

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  18. My favorite lust would be lengthy but two authors immediately come to mind:
    Mick Herron
    I read every single book in the Slow Horses series plus all the short stories and novellas. He outdoes LeCarre in LeCarre-ness And the TV series follows the books precisely.

    Maggie O’Farrell
    The Marriage Portrait, fiction, sort of, based on one of the Medicis My 2023 goal is to read everything she ever wrote. Not quite Hilary Mantel but knocking on the door

    I’m sure there are more I loved but these two stand out.

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    1. The Mick Herron's should have gone on my list, too. I read straight through the series up to the last two books, which I have but just haven't got to yet. His mastery of language is just amazing. And he does outdo LeCarre in LeCarre-ness, but so much fun which I'd never have said about a LeCarre novel.

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    2. Ann, it's ironic that I'm behind of Maggie O'Farrell's books because I discovered her in her early book The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, published in 2007. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is still one of my favorite reads ever.

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    3. Mick Herron is amazing, I keep laughing out loud and sending snippets of the text to my husband.
      Lisa in Long Beach

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    4. Kathy, thanks for the rec. MOF is mind blowing I think. HAMNET, what can I say?

      Lisa, I used to live in Long Beach. First in Bixby Knolls and the in Belmont Shore, on the sand

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  19. I'm taking the fifth on this, but let me say my list would include the Reds, hands down.

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  20. Some favorite reads in 2022,
    SHARPE'S ASASSIN Bernard Cornwell
    BURIED IN SECRET Vivian Sten
    AMERICAN CANOPY Eric Rukow
    WHEN BLOOD LIES C. S. Harris
    A CHANGE OF CIRCUMSTANCES
    Susan Hill
    SAVING YELLOWSTONE Nelson
    FACTORY SUMMERS. GUY DeLisle.
    SECRET MISCHIEF Robin Blake
    DEATH AND HARD CIDER Hambly
    CARNIVAL BLUES Damien Boyd
    CROOKED IN HIS WAYS Goodwin
    THE UNEXPECTED INHERITANCE OF INSPECTOR CHOPRA Khan
    SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE TWELVE THEFTS OF CHRISTMAS Tim Major
    THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS. Andy Weinberger
    THE TREELINE Ben Rawlence
    ...& many others
    Marjorie

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    1. Ooh, ooh, I LOVE Damien Boyd, and didn't know there were other US fans! His books are way up there on my British police procedural list, and Carnival Blues was great!

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    2. Deborah, I read Boyd on your recommendation and binge read the whole series during the last 1 1/2 years. My husband and I are both eagerly awaiting the next in the series. Marjorie

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  21. So many wonderful novels! My favorites in 2022 include books by all of the Jungle Reds. I think I may have mentioned THE SIGN FOR HIOME by Blair Fell as one of my favorites in 2022.

    More favorites:

    THE MAID by Nita Prose
    THE LOST BOOK OF ELEANOR DARE by Kimberley Brock
    THANK YOU FOR LISTENING by Julia Whelan
    THE IMPULSE PURCHASE by Veronica Henry (can be ordered from Hatchard's London)
    A SONG OF COMFORTABLE CHAIRS by Alex, McCall Smith (ordered from Edinburgh Book Festival)
    THE SWEET REMNANTS OF SUMMER by Alexander McCall SmITH
    SECRETS OF THE SPRAKKAR by Eliza Reid
    A SUNLIT WEAPON by Jacqueline Winspear
    THE IRISH HOSTAGE by Charles Todd
    MUFFIN BUT THE TRUTH by Ellie Alexander
    TRUTH AND OTHER HIDDEN THINGS by Leah Geller (reminded me of chick lit that I loved in 90s)
    GOING THERE by Katie Couric
    mysteries by Ellen Byron
    children's series by Amy Ephron
    Christmastown mysteries by Vicki Delany
    Romance novels by Makenna Lee, Eva Devon, Erica Ridley and Kristen McKanagh
    mysteries by Ellery Adams

    THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX, AND THE HORSE by Charlie Mackesy
    THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig


    There are many more! I had more and I remember posting it to IG and I think IG removed it without my knowledge (eye roll)

    Diana

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    1. Diana, I bought The Sign for Home but have read it yet. I will get to it!
      And can you share your Instagram handle for those who don't know it?

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    2. DIANA: I did not include any non-fiction titles on my list but I also enjoyed reading SECRETS OF THE SPRAKKAR.

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    3. Deborah, my Instagram is all lowercase. IG: wonderwomandbookish

      GRACE: thank you! I would love to go to a book conference in Iceland!

      Hope everyone here is safe from the storms.

      Diana

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  22. I read so many good books this year! I hate to leave any off my list but I payed it down to 20.
    Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
    The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
    The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman
    The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
    The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
    The Woman With the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff
    The Missing Piece by John Lescroart
    Finlay Donovan is Killing it and Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano
    What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline
    Falling by TJ Newman
    Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon
    The Last Flight by Julie Clark
    Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
    The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
    The Edge of Summer by Viola Shipman
    The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
    The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris
    And for its total absurdity that just made me feel happy, The Twelve Topsy Turvy Very Messy Days of Christmas by James Patterson & Tad Safran

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    1. Brenda, I'm especially glad to see The Overnight Guest and Remarkably Bright Creatures on your list. I loved these books so much. We also have the Richard Osman book out last year in common, and I enjoy that series, tool

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    2. My daughter just told me she loved Remarkably Bright Creatures! Waiting for her to pass that and Lessons in Chemistry to me!

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    3. Debs, I love stories where animals and humans form a bond, and that's probably what touched me so much in Remarkably Bright Creatures. I'm hoping to read Lessons in Chemistry soon, too.

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  23. Here are my favorites from 2022 as listed on The Reading Room, my blog. https://www.readingroom-readmore.com/2022/12/my-favorite-reads-of-2022-reading-room.html

    Here is the list:
    The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian (2022)
    Locked Room (Ruth Galloway #14) by Elly Griffiths (2022)
    The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf (2022)
    The Water’s Dead (DI Nyree Bradshaw #1) by Catherine Lea (2022)
    The Companion by Lesley Thomson (2022)
    A World of Curiosities (Armand Gamache #18) by Louise Penny (2022)
    Forgotten Country by Allan Eskens (2022)
    Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King (2022)
    Bleeding Heart Yard (Harbinder Kaur #3) (2022)
    Still Waters (F.B.I. K-9 #7) by Sara Driscoll (2022)
    Murder in Immunity (Doyle and Acton #15) by Anne Cleeland (2022)
    The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club #3) by Richard Osman (2022)
    Bricks and Bones (Sin City Investigations #5) by J.D. Allen (2022)
    Widow Land by C.J. Carey (2022)
    A Three Dog Problem/All the Queen’s Men (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #3) by S.J. Bennett (2022)
    Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pat (2022)
    Fatal Reunion (Zoe Chambers #11) by Annette Dashofy (2022)
    The Girl Called Justice: The Spy at the Window (Justice Jones #4) by Elly Griffiths (2022)
    Peril in Paris (Her Royal Spyness #16) by Rhys Bowen (2022)
    A Dish to Die For (Key West Food Critic Mystery #12) by Lucy Burdette (2022)
    Mother Daughter Traitor Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal (2022)
    Murder at the Jubilee Rally (Samuel Craddock #9) by Terry Shames (2022)
    The Case of the Disgraced Duke (WISE Enquiries Agency #5) by Cathy Ace (2022)






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  24. Wow, what a variety of titles. I read a lot this year but my favourite was Lessons in Chemistry. My favourite mystery discovery, thanks to JRW was Sulari Gentill.

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  25. Having discovered Ben Aaronovitch and the Rivers of London series, I'm thrilled that you also like his work! But horrified to find there are three more I haven't read yet.

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    1. No, no, you are so lucky to have more to look forward to! His novellas and short stories are great, too. I absolutely adore this series.

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  26. So many great titles! Yes, we are going to get ourselves in trouble - or buried in books! LOL.

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  27. Read more sci-fi this year (although I devoured the Herron and Osman series):
    THE GALAXY AND THE GROUND WITHIN by Becky Chambers (excited to go back and read the previous 3, more character driven than techy)
    LEGENDS & LATTES by Travis Baldree (cozy as a latte)
    THE SPARE MAN by Mary Robinette Kowal (The Thin Man is Space, so great for mystery lovers)
    THE HIGH SIERRA by Kim Stanley Robinson
    ASPECTS by John M Ford (even though is was unfinished, I still loved it, felt like spending time with friends and the story would continue even if I wasn’t present for it)
    THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Weird. And wonderful. )
    CARTOGRAPHERS by Peng Shepherd
    HENCH by Natalie Zina Walschots (recommended by the Biblioracle - superhero stories from the perspective of the henchmen).
    UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by TJ Klune

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  28. I read 6 books (according to Goodreads) that were new for me.
    They were:
    The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson (5 stars)
    Surviving Savannah, by Patti Callahan (3 stars)
    Mercy Street, by Jennifer Haigh (3 stars)
    The 1619 Project, by Nikole Hannah-Jones (5 stars)
    Landmark Supreme Court Decisions, by David Hudson (not rated)
    The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah (4 stars)

    I read 12 other police procedurals (novels), that are not listed, because I had read them before in previous years.
    David Squires

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  29. Deborah! I'm on a list with Richard Osman, Robert Galbraith, Louise Penny, and Elly Griffiths??? NO WAY! Thank you so much for mentioning THE SHADOW OF MEMORY! All my favorites are mentioned in the blog or comments.

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    1. You made more than one list, Connie! Can't wait for the next book!

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  30. I'm thrilled about that. Working hard on Book 5!

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  31. Deborah, I just ordered THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! My top ten for 2022 are as follows: THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY - Amor Towles, SOMETHING TO HIDE - Elizabeth George, THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS - Pip Williams, RACING THE LIGHT - Robert Crais, A HISTORY OF LONELINESS - John Boyne, HOUSE ON ENDLESS WATERS - Emunah Elon, KINDRED - Octavia Butler, THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES - Elif Shafak, WEST WITH GIRAFFES - Lynda Rutledge, YEAR OF WONDERS - Geraldine Brooks.

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  34. I'm excited to check out the "Books We Loved in 2022" list. As for improvement men
    , Meri Sehat's online medical services are a game-changer for people who have limited access to healthcare. It's inspiring to see organizations like this making a positive impact on people's lives.

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  35. Jungle Red Writers is an excellent blog for book lovers, especially mystery and crime fiction. They provide their readers with a great collection of book reviews, author interviews, and publishing news. It's a fantastic resource for those who love to read and stay informed about the latest happenings in the publishing industry. With the help of temporary internet options, readers can easily access this blog and indulge in their love for books.

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