Best Books of 2022
I don't know why I'm always surprised, but the lists of the best books of the year are coming out already. I've compiled some of them and will add more as I see them.
Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2022 - has best books in a variety of categories
Esquire's Best Books of 2022 (So Far)
Good Housekeeping's 50 Best New Books of 2022
Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2022 - in a variety of categories
Book Browse's Best Fiction Books for Book Clubs in 2023
Added 11/17/22: Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2022
Added 12/9/22: MORE “BEST OF” LISTS:New Yorker – Best Books of 2022
Time – 10 Best Fiction Books of 2022
People – 10 Best Books of 2022
Slate – Best Books of 2022
Entertainment Weekly – Best Books of 2022
Fresh Air – Maureen Corrigan's 10 favorite books of the year
NYT – Best Historical Fiction of 2022
L.A. Times – 5 Best Novels of 2022
The Guardian – Best Fiction of 2022
Financial Times – Best Books of 2022 list
BookRiot – Top 10 Best Historical Fiction Books of 2022
LitHub – Best Reviewed Fiction of 2022
She Reads – Best Literary Fiction of 2022
Apartment Therapy – Reshares the NYT Top 10 Books of 2022
October 24 - Mystery of Mrs. Christie
I almost forgot to give a wrap-up of September's meeting! We discussed The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. This was a substitute for Where the Crawdads Sing which still had too many holds to secure enough copies for the group. Everyone attending book group loved The Forest of Vanishing Stars. This is the fourth book in a row to receive excellent ratings!
Our next book club meeting will be Monday, October 31st at 3pm in the library's large meeting room. We will be reading The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict. Copies of the book are available for pickup at the front desk and the discussion sheets are available for pickup or online. At this meeting we will also start picking titles for 2023, so be sure to attend!
Summary of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict: "December 1926: England unleashes the largest manhunt in its history. The object of the search is not an escaped convict or a war criminal, but the missing wife of a WWI hero, up-and-coming mystery author Agatha Christie. When her car is found wrecked, empty, and abandoned near a natural spring, the country is in a frenzy. Eleven days later, Agatha reappears, claiming amnesia. She provides no answers for her disappearance. That is...until she writes a very strange book about a missing woman, a murderous husband, and a plan to expose the truth. What role did her unfaithful husband play? And what was he not telling investigators? THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE explores one strong woman's successful endeavor to take her history into her own hands."
September 2022 - Forest of Vanishing Stars
Due to the large quantity of holds for Where the Crawdads Sing, we will instead be reading Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel for our September 26th book club. Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk starting next week and the discussion guide can be picked up or printed online. Summary:
"The New York Times bestselling author of the "heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism" (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis-until a secret from her past threatens everything."
August 29 - Giver of Stars
At our July 25th meeting, we discussed Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick. Everyone loved this book--it really was charming and enjoyable! The stories behind the charms were engaging and we loved how Arthur's world expanded as he interacted with the other characters. We highly recommend this book!
"Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt's new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically. The leader, and soon Alice's greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to them--and to the men they love--becomes a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. Though they face all kinds of dangers, they're committed to their job--bringing books to people who have never had any, sharing the gift of learning that will change their lives."
July 25 - Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
Our July 25th meeting will be at the Lillie M. Evans Library at 3pm in large meeting room. We will be discussing Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick. Copies of the book are available at the library front desk for pickup and the discussion sheets are also available online. All are welcome!
Book Summary: "Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater-vest, waters his fern, Frederica, and heads out to his garden. But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam's death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam's possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he's never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur from London to Paris and as far as India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife's secret life before they met-- a journey that leads him to find hope, healing, and self-discovery in the most unexpected places"
June 27 - Alice Network
Our June 27th book group read the Alice Network by Kate Quinn. We really like the fact that it covered both WWI and WWII but sometimes the jump between the two time periods made it difficult to follow the storyline. Overall though the group liked the characters and the resolution. The online book discussion sheets was available here.
May 23 - Bookish Life of Nina Hill
At our April 25th meeting, we discussed The Library Book by Susan Orlean. Most enjoyed the book, but all agreed it would have been better if it had a more linear timeline. Overall though, everyone felt the book gave amazing details about libraries and librarians and all felt they learned something.
April 25 - The Library Book
At our March 28th meeting, we discussed A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler. We had a lively discussion, but many members did not like the book because it was so sad. And Brad. We couldn't think of anything good about Brad. For me, it had a lot of the same vibe as the movie, Do the Right Thing.
Our next book group will be Monday April 25th at 3pm at the LME Library. You can pick up the book, The Library Book by Susan Orlean at the front desk. The discussion sheets are also available for pickup or can be viewed online.
Summary: "Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago."
March 28 - Good Neighborhood
Oops--I forgot to post to the blog last month about Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett! There was a lot to talk about including generational differences, mother-daughter relationships, twins, choices/consequences, inherent trauma, racism and white privilege. It was a great discussion! Overall, the group felt it was very readable, and would recommend the book to others.
The book for March 28th was A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler. The discussion sheet is available here.Summary:
"A gripping contemporary novel that examines the American dream through the lens of two families living side by side in an idyllic neighborhood, and the one summer that changes their lives irrevocably"
February 28 - Vanishing Half
At our January 31st meeting, we read Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan. This is the same author as our September 2020 book, Spies on Shilling Lane. Our group was inspired by the Chilbury ladies who were dealing with the difficulties of living in England during World War II, but some found the epistolary format a bit confusing. Overall though, the book was hopeful and was well rated by our group.
"The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing."
January 2022 - Chilbury Ladies' Choir
Our next Book Club meeting will be on Monday, January 31 at 3pm at the Lillie M. Evans Library. We will be reading Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan. Copies of the books are available for pickup at the library in regular print, large print and audio. In addition, the book can be read in both ebook and eaudio formats. The discussion sheet is also available for pickup or can be accessed online.
2022 Book Discussion List
At our December meeting of the Book Club, we discussed some of our favorite book group books and other books we enjoyed throughout the year. Everyone brought treats and we enjoyed the holiday cheer. We also distributed the 2022 titles which we chose at our October meeting.
“Talk About a Good Book” Book Club Discussion Group
Usually meets last Monday of the month at 3 pm
2022 (Our 19th year)
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January
31 |
Jennifer
Ryan |
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February 28 |
Brit Bennett |
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March 28 |
Therese Fowler |
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April 25 |
Susan Orlean |
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May 23 |
Abbi Waxman |
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June 27 |
Kate Quinn |
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July 25 |
Phaedra Patrick |
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August 29 |
Jojo Moyes |
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September 26 |
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October 31 |
Marie Benedict |
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November 28 |
Maxwell King |
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December 12th @
3pm —Coffee Chat about your 2022 favorites & get our new list for 2023 |
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Resources and blog available online at: http://talkaboutagoodbook.blogspot.com/
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