2022 Best Books of The Year

Babel
By R.F. Kuang

You will hope, you will love, you will cry. The magic system is elegant and beautiful. You'll leave wholly satisfied and yet yearning for more. It's an instant favorite. - Brandon B.

Crying in The Bathroom
By Erika L. Sánchez

Erika Sánchez has a beautiful style, her self-analysis is poignant & raw, and she writes touchingly about touchy subjects - suicidal depression, multicultural expectations, abortion, being brown in a world built by & for whites, and being loud & female in a world that wants women to quietly shrink into the background. - Jennifer M.

I'm Glad My Mom Died
By Jennette McCourdy

This book is a fascinating and heavy read—and it will make you really think about how you view celebrities. They are just as human as everyone else and the lasting thought this book leaves is: “I wish her the best”. - Makayla R.

Our Missing Hearts
By Celeste Ng

Our Missing Hearts captures the ferocity of nationalism,the depths of a parent's love, and the stories that must be told to keep memories alive. Superb.- Kathy B.

Remarkably Bright Creatures
By Shelby Van Pelt

A charming and bittersweet novel about aging, grief, our material possessions, and a giant Pacific Octopus.- Jeremy P.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
By Gabrielle Zevin
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a story about video games, friendship, love, and creativity. I can't stop thinking about the value and beauty of people being brought together because of something they are passionate about and what that relationship looks like over the course of many years. - Josh C.

Trust
By Hernan Diaz

A story of a woman is told from four perspectives in thisbeautiful novel. The truth is skewed by power, money, sexism and jealously - who can be trusted? - Kate B.

Upgrade
By Blake Crouch

Crouch has made a niche for himself in creating action-packed, mind bending reads. Upgrade explores a realistic, potential future that has believable advancements of genetic engineering shaping much of this future and the impacts of humanity's access to it. - Josh C.

We Are The Light
By Matthew Quick

We Are the Light is an emotionally powerful and ultimately hopeful novel about processing trauma and loss, positive masculinity, and community healing through art. I couldn’t put this book down. - Kathy B.

When They Tell You To Be Good
By Prince Shakur

This memoir of trauma, identity, and race will move you. Move you to tears. Move you to action. Move you to enact change. Shakur’s exploration of becoming a radical activist in college is revelatory. He is the voice for readers forgotten by publishing. - Adam V.

Forever Home: A Dog and Boy Story
By Henry Cole

Told in two voices, this beautiful, mostly wordless book brings a boy and his dog together. The black and white hatchings comprise the art except for the dog's collar and leash which are red - the color of love - they create a warm, warm narrative.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff
By Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Jon Klassen

This is a fabulously retold and drawn rendition of the old Norse tale - the troll and the goats are hairy and funny and everyone gets their due. 

Still This Love Goes On
By Buffy Sainte-Marie, Illustrated bu Julie Flett

These beautifully illustrated song lyrics tell a story of family, home and indigenous traditions. 

Real Dada Mother Goose: a Treasury of Complete Nonsense
By Jon Scieszka, Illustrated by Julia Rothman

Dadaism rejects reason and rational thinking and Scieska applies the theories of this movement to six nursery rhymes - deconstructing them and reinterpreting them in stories, puzzles and comics; bringing kids and adults alike in on the jokes.

Maizy Chen's Last Chance
By Lisa Yee

Maizy and her food-stylist Mom move from LA to Last Chance, MN for the summer because her grandfather is sick. Her grandparents own the Golden Palace restaurant and are a huge part of the community. Maizy meets characters and friends and learns about food and extended family and friends and it is a transformative summer. 

Attack of the Black Rectangles
By A. S. King

6th graders go up against the school board and the community when lines in a classroom required reading book are blacked out. Standing up for personal rights enables the kids to stand up in their day to day lives and also to recognize and acknowledge good mentoring. 

Swim Team
By Johnnie Christmas

Small waves, big changes, the butterfly effect and lots of puns make this graphic novel fun and hopeful. Bree is starting at a new middle school and Swimming 101 is the only elective available. She struggles and gets help and finds herself part of a team and a team community - she even teaches her dad to swim! 

Messy Roots
By Laura Gao

This tender, frank and hilarious memoir stars Laura who is born in Wuhan, China and moves to the States winding up in San Francisco during the pandemic which made Wuhan a known place. Her roots are messy as she navigates her identity, her family and their expectations, systemic racism and political divides. Laura beautifully finds her place in the world. 

All My Rage
By Sabaa Tahir

The title of this book should be 'All My Loves' because it is about parental love, friend love, romantic love, mentor love AND the kindness of strangers. This is a treasure. 

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
By Sonora Reyes

16-year-old Yami transfers to a rich, fancy, mostly white Catholic school and is flummoxed by navigating her desire to keep her queerness under wraps - mom would object, taking care of her younger genius brother - mom's request - and her attraction to Bo, who is also queer and seems perfect. This book is quite honest and quite funny.