 |  |  |  |  |
I hope you all received lots of books for Christmas! At my house, books have always been some of the best presents, ones that last and that give us all an excuse to relax after the crazy days leading up to the holidays.
I remember how my children used to stack up their new books on Christmas morning and take them to their rooms, where they would delve into them and escape into whole other worlds. That’s the real beauty of reading. It allows us to experience things beyond our own lives.
There were many wonderful books that were published in 2022. Lists of the best of the best of last year have filled publishers’ trade magazines for several weeks, so I thought it would be interesting to mention some of the most touted ones that we have here in our own Library.
Here are brief reviews of books chosen as memorable in 2022 by The New York Times, Lit Hub, and a few other sources, and they are ones which our readers have and continue to enjoy. Even if they may not have made the top of the bestseller lists, they are considered worthwhile reads by critics.
“The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan is a sequel to the popular “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” which debuted in 2010 and has been hailed as the Egan’s best yet. The book examines consciousness and identity and creates a world where social media plays an important role while characters explore their own and even others’ memories.
“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver is the esteemed author’s much-awaited book, set in today’s Appalachia. It tells the story of a boy in his own voice and how that boy makes his way through poverty, addiction, and the pitfalls of contemporary rural society. Rich with detail and drama, it is a contemporary “David Copperfield” that will hold readers spellbound.
“The Furrows: An Elegy” by Namwali Serpell is the author’s sophomoric effort and follows the story of a young woman who loses her 12-year-old brother and how his death colors her life well into adulthood. “I don’t want to tell you what happened,” the narrator says. “I want to tell you how it felt.”
“Trust” by Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer finalist, offers four different accounts of a 1920s Wall Street tycoon and his wife, and it’s up to the reader to ferret out the truth and decide ultimately whom to trust. Diaz’s beautiful prose will enlighten and surprise readers. It “glints with wonder and knowledge and mystery,” writes author Rachel Kushner.
“The Marriage Portrait” by Maggie O’Farrell follows the author’s much-lauded “Hamnet” and introduces readers to Lucrezia de’ Medici. Set in Renaissance Italy, the novel focuses on the life of Lucrezia, who is catapulted into an elaborate and often devious life when she marries Alfonzo, ruler of Ferrara, Modena, and Regio, after her older sister, who was supposed to marry him, suddenly dies. A surprise ending makes this fascinating book truly worth reading.
“The Disappearance of Josef Mengele” by Olivier Guez is a chilling and compulsively readable novel based on Mengele, the “angel of death” of Auschwitz. After his escape from Germany, Mengele lived undetected in South America for 30 years, never recanting his allegiance to Nazi principles. Based on painstaking research and recovered papers, the book is a true thriller.
“The School for Good Mothers” by Jessamine Chan became popular early in 2022 when it landed on the Read with Jena Book Club list, plus it was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. It tells of a mother, Frida, who has a lapse in judgement and then is subjected to scrutiny by the government for not caring properly for her young daughter. Publishers Weekly calls it “a powerful story, made more so by its empathetic and complicated heroine.”
Most Check-Outs
You might be surprised to know what were the most popular adult books at the Signal Mountain Library during 2022. We certainly were!
In the fiction category and in order of their popularity are “The Maid” by Nita Prose, “The Paris Apartment” by Lucy Foley, “Verity” by Coleen Hoover, “Shadows Reel” by C. J. Box, and “Dream Town” by David Baldacci.
Our most checked out nonfiction books were “Small Batch Baking” by Saura Kline, “I Left My Homework in the Hamptons” by Blythe Grossberg, “The Bucket List: 1,000 Adventures Big and Small” by Kathy Stathers, “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear, and “Fridge Love: Organize Your Refrigerator for a Healthier, Happier Life - with 100 Recipes” by Kristen Hong.
I remember how my children used to stack up their new books on Christmas morning and take them to their rooms, where they would delve into them and escape into whole other worlds. That’s the real beauty of reading. It allows us to experience things beyond our own lives.
There were many wonderful books that were published in 2022. Lists of the best of the best of last year have filled publishers’ trade magazines for several weeks, so I thought it would be interesting to mention some of the most touted ones that we have here in our own Library.
Here are brief reviews of books chosen as memorable in 2022 by The New York Times, Lit Hub, and a few other sources, and they are ones which our readers have and continue to enjoy. Even if they may not have made the top of the bestseller lists, they are considered worthwhile reads by critics.
“The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan is a sequel to the popular “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” which debuted in 2010 and has been hailed as the Egan’s best yet. The book examines consciousness and identity and creates a world where social media plays an important role while characters explore their own and even others’ memories.
“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver is the esteemed author’s much-awaited book, set in today’s Appalachia. It tells the story of a boy in his own voice and how that boy makes his way through poverty, addiction, and the pitfalls of contemporary rural society. Rich with detail and drama, it is a contemporary “David Copperfield” that will hold readers spellbound.
“The Furrows: An Elegy” by Namwali Serpell is the author’s sophomoric effort and follows the story of a young woman who loses her 12-year-old brother and how his death colors her life well into adulthood. “I don’t want to tell you what happened,” the narrator says. “I want to tell you how it felt.”
“Trust” by Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer finalist, offers four different accounts of a 1920s Wall Street tycoon and his wife, and it’s up to the reader to ferret out the truth and decide ultimately whom to trust. Diaz’s beautiful prose will enlighten and surprise readers. It “glints with wonder and knowledge and mystery,” writes author Rachel Kushner.
“The Marriage Portrait” by Maggie O’Farrell follows the author’s much-lauded “Hamnet” and introduces readers to Lucrezia de’ Medici. Set in Renaissance Italy, the novel focuses on the life of Lucrezia, who is catapulted into an elaborate and often devious life when she marries Alfonzo, ruler of Ferrara, Modena, and Regio, after her older sister, who was supposed to marry him, suddenly dies. A surprise ending makes this fascinating book truly worth reading.
“The Disappearance of Josef Mengele” by Olivier Guez is a chilling and compulsively readable novel based on Mengele, the “angel of death” of Auschwitz. After his escape from Germany, Mengele lived undetected in South America for 30 years, never recanting his allegiance to Nazi principles. Based on painstaking research and recovered papers, the book is a true thriller.
“The School for Good Mothers” by Jessamine Chan became popular early in 2022 when it landed on the Read with Jena Book Club list, plus it was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. It tells of a mother, Frida, who has a lapse in judgement and then is subjected to scrutiny by the government for not caring properly for her young daughter. Publishers Weekly calls it “a powerful story, made more so by its empathetic and complicated heroine.”
Most Check-Outs
You might be surprised to know what were the most popular adult books at the Signal Mountain Library during 2022. We certainly were!
In the fiction category and in order of their popularity are “The Maid” by Nita Prose, “The Paris Apartment” by Lucy Foley, “Verity” by Coleen Hoover, “Shadows Reel” by C. J. Box, and “Dream Town” by David Baldacci.
Our most checked out nonfiction books were “Small Batch Baking” by Saura Kline, “I Left My Homework in the Hamptons” by Blythe Grossberg, “The Bucket List: 1,000 Adventures Big and Small” by Kathy Stathers, “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear, and “Fridge Love: Organize Your Refrigerator for a Healthier, Happier Life - with 100 Recipes” by Kristen Hong.
RSS Feed