I read quite a bit and I talk about books a lot, so I thought I’d collate my favourite books of the year, for your perusal. I’ve linked to a better blurb for each title, so you can see what the actual plot entails, but for the most part, I’m just going to detail my highlights of each book and the reasons I loved it. It’s like going book shopping or to the library with me. I hold up a book, saying, ‘You have to read this, it has a GIANT CAT in it!’ and hope you understand my enthusiasm.

Vita and Virginia

I started the year off with the love letters of Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf. It was fascinating to see how their lives intertwined and their relationship unfolded through turbulent times. I then devoured a biography of Vita – which is rare for me, as someone who almost never reads biographies. There’s something about these women, their work, and their lives, that fascinates me and I know that 2023 will be a continuation of this reading for me.
I highly recommend reading their letters and Alison Bechdel’s introduction to them, especially if you’re interested in queer history (and Virginia’s comments about Vita’s legs).

Sci-fi

This year has been a great sci-fi year for me. I started off with Mars Awakens by HM Waugh, an amazing middle-grade adventure set on Mars and filled with eery intrigue, daring adventures, friendships across political divides, and some of the cleverest aliens I’ve ever seen. You can read my previous review (read: gushing, glowing praise) of it here.

In terms of YA sci-fi, I fell in love with Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman’s writing. After devouring (and, at the end of the year, rereading in audio form) their Illuminae series, I loved their Aurora Cycle too. Illuminae is so clever, so funny, and if you’re after a long, engaging audiobook, I highly recommend getting the whole series out from your library (my library uses BorrowBox, which is excellent). The Aurora Cycle would also be great for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy who wanted to read some fun, high-stakes hijinks.

For something a little different, All That’s Left in the World by Erik J Brown was a delightful, exciting, and heartwarming look at a post-apocalyptic teenage life, including a beautiful queer first love and some great twists and turns. It’s a book I feel I’ve been looking for for a long time and I’m so glad to finally have found something like it. It’s definitely one I’ll be rereading for years to come.

And a warmer, quieter one: the Monk and Robot duology by Becky Chambers. A reflective, poetic exploration of how to live a slower, kinder life and a philosophical look at what humans need and want. It would also be great for anyone who wants to read a solar-punk Ghibli-style book, with amazing eco villages and tea ceremonies. (Plus, they’re really short.)

Young Adult

I read about 25 YA books this year, so those that made it to this list are truly the best of the best.

First of all, three I read in quick succession. Unneccessary Drama by Nina Kenwood (whose lovely launch I attended): a hilarious rom com set in a Melbourne share house, with a sprinkling of enemies-to-lovers. It’s a grin-like-a-weirdo, laugh-out-loud-on-the-train kind of book.

Then, maybe my favourite book of 2022: Dancing Barefoot by Alice Boyle. You can read my full review here, but if you need a funny, honest, big queer hug of a book, this is one you need to read right away. (I also met Alice at Nina Kenwood’s launch and she was lovely.)

Where You Left Us by Rhiannon Wilde (my other review here) is the perfect gothic Australian summer holiday read, full of mystery, complex sibling relationships, and hesitant, honest love.

I also finally read Looking for Alibrandi by Melinda Marchetta – and then immediately watched the movie and happened to finish it just before the amazing play opened at the Malthouse. I fell in love with Marchetta’s writing and hope that some of my own can follow in her footsteps and create characters and settings as vivid and true as hers.

I’m hoping to start 2023 with Malinda Lo’s new book, the companion to Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which was one of my favourites of this year. If you need a quiet, gorgeous book about hesitant, faltering relationships, summoning courage, and a tour through the sapphic scene in 1950s San Franscico’s Chinatown – which everyone needs, let’s be honest – then this one is for you.

Creativity

I also read all of Austin Kleon’s books this year, which I’ve mentioned repeatedly on here before (so I won’t bore you again). If you need a little pick-me-up as we head into the new year, I especially recommend Keep Going and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. Gilbert’s audiobook is one big creative pep talk.

I hope your 2022 has been full of excellent books and that next year brings you unexpected gems, as well as the space to settle in and read them. See you on the other end!