I realized each time I do an end of year wrap up, I usually fail to mention which books were my favorites of the year. Sometimes I focus too much on the ones I didn’t like, particularly if the last one of the year doesn’t really resonate with me. I figure this is a good time to look back on the reading year before and remember which ones I truly enjoyed.
Home or Away by Kathleen West
This book’s very existence makes me happy beyond words. There is only one other book that has a female ice hockey player protagonist and it’s a YA book (that I still have yet to read – Michigan vs. the Boys), so when I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I finished it January 2nd 2022, so it barely carried over into 2022, but I love it so much.
Corrections in Ink by Keri Blakinger
My first memoir of the year was Corrections in Ink and to say I became obsessed would be an understatement. Keri and I grew up in close proximity in south central PA and bonded over Hershey no longer smelling like chocolate on Instagram. Her memoir of her time incarcerated is enlightening and gut wrenching and should be a new pillar of penology studies.
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
A new Sarah Addison Allen book that I’d been waiting for forever? It delivered on every count. I love Sarah’s unique magical realism, and this started what would be a year of reading more ghost stories than I ever had before.
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
This was my favorite book I read in 2022… and it doesn’t come out until May 2023. I was lucky enough to read it as a manuscript in July and it’s the perfect mashup of short stories and novel. I read it in one sitting and I can’t wait to return to it when everyone else can read it in May.
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
What more can I say that I haven’t already said about this one? Personally moving for me and an overall very enjoyable read, I absolutely loved The Storyteller.
The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
Another 2023 release, this one is out in March so no review for it yet. It is billed as Bake Off meets Agatha Christie and that is definitely an apt description. I’m really looking forward to being able to share it with you all!
Winterland by Rae Meadows
I love a good fiction book about sports and Rae Meadows’ Winterland is set in the high-stakes world of Soviet gymnastics. It was a great read and a beautifully written story of a young girl coming of age in a world that is equally relatable and unbelievable.
House of Yesterday by Deeba Zargarpur
This was a standout young adult debut that I read towards the end of the year in anticipation of doing a Q&A with the author, Deeba. It’s outside of what I normally read, which was a good thing, because I wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise. I really enjoyed it and I hope that Deeba’s follow up middle grade novel is just as moving.
Celebration of Books 
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