Like many bibliophiles, my ‘to be read’ pile of books only seems to grow taller even as I cruise through some great reads, discard a few that didn’t hold my attention, and dip in and out of others.
I thought I’d share what’s currently topping my list, and highlight at least couple of books that surprised and delighted me in 2022. And I’m ALWAYS looking for more recommendations, so please list your faves in the comments (especially in fiction, where my list is a little light so far this year).
2022 Surprise Winners
Benjamin Dreyer: Dreyer’s English. This book is funny, useful, and I kid you not, utterly delightful. You will want to read this book even if you have no particularly pressing grammar question. And if you do, I’m guessing Dreyer will surprise you with the answer.
Two books in a similar vein: Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. Neither of them sound like an especially jolly read, especially 4000 Weeks, in which Burkeman points out that if you’re lucky enough to live to 80 years old, that’s the measly total of weeks you have. But, I found both of them incredibly liberating in the way that they clearly broke down all the ways we conflate ‘productivity’ with ‘priorities’, and why the latter is the only focus we really need (and usually lack).1
Yet-to-be-Opened in 2023
In the category of ‘I can’t believe I haven’t read these yet’ are a few titles that have been published for a while, but haven’t yet made it to my bedside table:
The book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer has been recommended to me so many times and I can’t believe it’s still sitting in my pile of unread books. I’m genuinely looking forward to reading it! I suspect that this book will be on my year-end favorites and I hope it will deepen my relationship with all that is green and leafy.
Ann Patchett (a favorite author of mine) says about The Overstory by Richard Powers: “The best novel ever written about trees, and really just one of the best novels, period." I think that’s all I need to know.
The Harry Potter books. Yes, I know there is a chance that my British-card will be revoked by admitting this, but I have never read the Harry Potter books and I know that my life will be better when I do. That’s all.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – Yuval Noah Harari
I have been trying to start this book for a while, and for some reason , keep getting derailed by other reads, but I’m on it for January!
One of my favorite authors has a new novel out, which I’m excited to start:
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s had great reviews, which I’m happy about because the last couple of her books haven’t quuuiiiite lived up to her amazing standard (for me, at least). It’s a modern twist on Dickens’ David Copperfield apparently. I’m intrigued.
A few books on improving my skills or productivity (or not, in the case in the first one!)
The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging, & Postponing
I’m really looking forward to this one. Then again, I might not get around to it.
The Law’s Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws. This is a good one to kickstart the New Year, since I might be needing a boost of these skills in my naturalist training! But of course, it’s more than that - it’s about learning how to notice.
Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century. Not only do I want to improve my writing and storytelling skills, but I want to improve my thinking and synthesizing skills. Despite the emergence of Artificial Intelligence and writing bots, I remain convinced that each of our unique perspectives and skillful illustration of that perspective on the page is of the most enduring means of evolution and influence. I want to go a little deeper.
Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall. This has also been recommended by several people. Trish Hall is the former New York Times Op Ed editor. If you feel yourself being more compelled by these posts, it might be because I finally read this book…?
A few books about life and how to approach it.
I am just starting From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks. This is about acknowledging that what you were good at in your 20s is not necessarily going to stay with you, and instead of pretending that you will always be on top of your game, start capitalizing on the new strengths you acquire instead of trying to prop up the former ones. It’s an interesting (and also sobering) approach that might be timely for me! I’m looking forward to learning and pondering this more. One fun(?) paragraph I read so far:
“By the time you are fifty, your brain is as crowded with information as the New York Public Library. Meanwhile, your personal research librarian is creaky, slow, and easily distracted. When you send him to get some information you need—say, someone’s name—he takes a minute to stand up, stops for coffee, talks to an old friend in the periodicals, and then forgets where he was going in the first place.”
Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness – Ingrid Fetell Lee
So, that’s my list so far, and I have no doubt that a whole other stack will also be added and will distract me as well. Tell me what’s on your list!
By the way, Dreyer’s English absolutely gives me permission to start a sentence with a ‘But’. So there.
I agree with Sara about both "The Overstory" and being grateful for this post. I've added a couple of these to my "want to read" list on Bookclubs. I'm also a big Kingsolver fan (did you know she has Kentucky roots?) and would agree with your take on her last couple of books AND I'm also looking forward to reading her latest. I recently finished "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi and had cold chills at the end.
Fabulous list of books, Anne…just put “Sense of Style” on my library hold! I agree with Ann Patchett 110 percent, btw… “The Overstory” is one of THE most beautiful books written! Grateful thanks for these excellent recommendations!! 😍