This year my favorite novels included a forensic photographer, a poet, and one extremely smart octopus. Who did you meet in your favorite books?

Favorite authors with fabulous new books included “Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century,” by Kim Fu,“Now Is Not the Time to Panic,” by Kevin Wilson, “Four Aunties and a Wedding,” by Jesse Q. Sutanto, “Signal Fires,” by Dani Shapiro, “Kaleidoscope,” by Cecily Wong, “Carrie Soto is Back,” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, “The Candy House,” by Jennifer Egan, and “Our Missing Hearts,” by Celeste Ng.

Favorite mysteries with a side of outdoor adventure: “The Last to Vanish,” by Megan Miranda, “Wrong Place Wrong Time,” by Gillian McAllister, and “Winter’s End,” by Paige Shelton. Family and friendship connections filled with obstacles: “The Book of Goose” by Yiyum Li, “This Time Tomorrow,” by Emma Straub, “People Person,” by Candice Carty-Williams, “Flight” by Lynn Steger Strong, “Fiona and Jane,” by Jean Chen Ho, and “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” by Gabrielle Zevin.

My favorite list could have been all biographies but if limited to four, they are: “My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family,” by Nabil Ayers, “Stay True,” by Hua Hsu, “Solito,” by Javier Zamora, and “I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home,” by Jami Attenberg. “Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father and Me,” by Ada Calhoun is a wonderful biography which inspired me to revisit The Poetry Foundation and listen to poems online. Two more poetry favorites are “World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On,” by Franny Choi and “Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light,” by Joy Harjo.

Romance books I loved:“Book Lovers,” by Emily Henry, “On Rotation,”by Shirlene Obuobi, and “You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty,” by Akwaeke Emezi. Also, two romances by Jasmine Guillory: “Drunk on Love” and “By the Book.”

I felt as if I had walked all over New York City when I read “The Verifiers,” by Jane Pek, “The Maid,” by Nita Prose, and “Ms. Demeanor,” by Elinor Lipman. I traveled around the world with “Sea of Tranquility,” by Emily St. John Mandel and “Ghost Music,” by An Yu. One of my favorite genres is art fiction books. This year’s favorites included “The Magnolia Palace,” by Fiona Davis, “Fake,” by Erica Katz, and “The Cloisters,” by Katy Hays.

I questioned life’s choices after reading “The Arc,” by Tory Henwood Hoen, “Lessons in Chemistry,” by Bonnie Garmus, “Swimmers,” by Julie Otsuka, and “The Measure,” by Nikki Erlick. I revisited the beginning of the pandemic with “Joan Is Okay,” by Weike Wang, and “Lucy by the Sea,” by Elizabeth Strout.

Standout essay collections included: “Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2021,” by Margaret Atwood, “The Hero of This Book,” by Elizabeth McCracken, and “Inciting Joy,” by Ross Gay.

Do you like secrets? Five books with plot twists: “The Family Chao,” by Lan Samantha Chang, “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau,” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, “Nightcrawling,” by Leila Mottley, “More Than You’ll Ever Know,” by Katie Gutierrez, and “The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks,” by Shauna Robinson.

At the top of my 2022 favorite are two books that I’ve recommended to everyone. One features a forensic photographer — “Shutter,” by Ramona Emerson. The other stars a very smart octopus —“Remarkably Bright Creatures,” by Shelby Van Pelt.

Discover a new book and kick off your Winter Reading Challenge at Your Next Book and Book Pairing events in 2023! Email me for more information [email protected]