2022 In Review: Best Fiction

It's hard to believe that another year has flown by.  There have been so many great books that I've read along the way (200+ this year), that even with picking 15 fiction titles to share, there are some excellent books that I'm not even mentioning.   

If you like looking at book lists or need something really good to pick up, I'll be sharing some of my "best of" lists over the next few days.  

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant - a father moves with his young daughter to the Appalachian mountains, living off the grid and running from the past.  There's enough suspense in this novel that I read the entire thing in one sitting.  

Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens- I wish Eskens would get the attention he so deserves. Each book is better than the one before (and the first one was really good so the bar is high at this point).  This has Max Rupert, a recurring character, returning to locate the missing daughter and grandson of a retired sheriff who begs Max for help.  Set in northern Minnesota, this one is a page-turner.  And, even though Max has been in previous books, Forsaken Country certainly stands alone.

Take My Hand by Dollen Perkins Valdez- Historical fiction, set in the early 70s, Civil has just graduated from nursing school and wants to help her African American community.  When she meets two patients, Erica and India, still young girls and realizes they've been sterilized without their understanding or consent, she takes a personal interest in this issue.  Based on true events, the fact that this happened not all that long ago is disturbing and eye-opening.

The Net Beneath Us by Carol Dunbar- Elsa and her husband have chosen to live off the grid in the woods of Wisconsin with their growing family. When her husband is critically injured in a logging accident, Elsa is left to take on all the responsibilities of their life.  There is grief and pain in this story, but fantastic writing, and hope as well. 

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe - set in the summer of 1999, this coming of age story focuses on three girls who live in Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes that are about to be torn down.  The girls still jump rope for fun, but they're growing up and things they are exposed to are no longer so innocent.

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan - if you are in need of a little romance that is fun, but not too fluffy, this book seemed to take everyone by surprise this summer.  Nora is a screenwriter who strikes it big with the real-life adaptation of her own failed marriage.  Filming takes place at her house and when the handsome movie star shows up - and then stays on after filming is over- Nora might get her own happily ever after.  

The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland - Beth has worked for the CIA for years, and has spent a great deal of her career trying to track an Iranian informant known as "the neighbor."  Now her marriage has fallen apart just after dropping off their youngest kid at college, and after selling their house, Beth is sure that the wife who now lives there knows something about "the neighbor."  Lots of twists and turns, a Washington, DC, setting and an ending I didn't expect. I've enjoyed all of Cleveland's books.

Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak - if you've watched The Americans or grew up in the 80s/Cold War era, this book will be right up your alley.  First Lady, Lara Orlov, grew up in Moscow in the 70s and 80s, and now decades later is ready to sit down with a journalist to write her memoir. Sofie isn't sure why Lara has picked her to reveal all of her secrets to, but of course, she's intrigued.  There's a game of cat and mouse going on and a chance that what is revealed could change the political order around the globe.

The Golden Season by Madeline Kay Sneed- Emily grew up in West Texas, where football is the one thing that matters.  Her dad has finally got a head coaching position, but when Emily returns home and tells her parents she's a lesbian, her dad's dreams could be destroyed.  Homosexuality isn't OK in the small town Emily's from and her parents struggle with her announcement - especially her father.  Growing up in a small town, this one feels like it's set a few decades in our past, but Sneed does have the small town politics and way of life figured out, and the writing is good.

Cover Story by Susan Rigetti- I think I've spent more time thinking about this book than any other after I've finished reading it. Lora's internship at Elle Magazine ends, and she is thrilled to be hired by Cat Wolff, a contributing editor as her ghost writer. She moves in with Cat to her Plaza Hotel suite and is sucked in to Cat's world of parties and shopping and glamour.  But there's deceit as well, and a power imbalance, and after I turned the last page, I needed to talk to someone about this book.

The Maid by Nina Prose - Molly has always lived with her grandmother until she passed away, and worked as a maid in a hotel.  She has a hard time with social cues, but she's a hard worker and takes pride in her job.  When she finds wealthy Mr. Black dead in his hotel suite, Molly is named a person of interest in his death.  As some friends rally around Molly, they hunt for clues, knowing that it is only Molly's strange demeanor that has made her a suspect.  This one is unique and fun -and a good mystery.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki- I absolutely love historical fiction centered around people who I don't yet know about. Post's life was incredible - her father started Post Cereal after nearly dying from a chronic illness, and her run-of-the-mill childhood changed dramatically.  She met presidents, tsars, traveled the world over, worked at her father's company at a time when women didn't do that sort of thing, and fell in and out of love.  Although this is fictionalized, much is based on fact and my curiosity was piqued; I want to know more about this remarkable woman.

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani - this is a deep backlist title (published in 2008), I love any book set in a school or education, and this one was a lot of fun.  All Anna wants to do is teach, but having been hired at a wealthy private school it seems there are unwritten rules she must follow.  And the salary isn't enough to live on. So Anna takes on tutoring in her evenings, seemingly indifferent to the fact that she is compromising her values by doing her students' homework for them.  There's a nice resolution to this one and Lakhani's observations about education are spot on.

Home or Away by Kathleen West- West has quickly become a must-read author for me.  This one is set in Minnesota and centers around hockey. Leigh moves her family back to Minnesota in order for her hockey prodigy son to live out his dreams.  The return home forces Leigh to confront her sudden departure from the sport she played in her youth (she just missed making the Olympic team).  A former teammate, Susy, is happy that Leigh is back, but Leigh is doing her best to forget her hockey memories, and the secret she's hidden for decades about why she quit the sport.  

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan - Picoult is a master for finding a hot button topic to explore and she's done it again in this novel.   I made the mistake of reading the author's note prior to starting the book, so a big reveal wasn't a surprise to me.....I'm not spoiling anything here - but there's more to the story than Asher, a high school senior, and Lily's boyfriend, being accused and tried for Lily's murder.  I love a courtroom/legal drama, and Picoult and Boylan  do a great job of explaining and writing about a sensitive subject.

There are fifteen great books on this list - most by authors that aren't extremely famous.  I love looking for new authors who have spent years crafting a perfect story.  There are also a lot of books that I could have easily added to this list.  Tomorrow I'll be highlighting the best non-fiction I read this year, and after that I'll share the middle grade/young adult books that I loved.  

If you've got recommendations for me, send them my way.  I love adding books to my TBR stacks.