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The Best Reviewed Memoirs and Biographies of 2022

Featuring buster keaton, jean rhys, bernardine evaristo, kate beaton, and more.

We’ve come to the end of another bountiful literary year, and for all of us review rabbits here at Book Marks, that can mean only one thing: basic math, and lots of it.

Yes, using reviews drawn from more than 150 publications, over the next two weeks we’ll be calculating and revealing the most critically-acclaimed books of 2022, in the categories of (deep breath): Fiction ; Nonfiction ; Memoir and Biography; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror; Short Story Collections; Essay Collections; Poetry; Mystery and Crime; Graphic Literature ; and Literature in Translation .

Today’s installment: Memoir and Biography .

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

1. We Don’t Know Ourselves by Fintan O’Toole (Liveright) 17 Rave • 4 Positive • 1 Mixed • 1 Pan

“One of the many triumphs of Fintan O’Toole’s We Don’t Know Ourselves is that he manages to find a form that accommodates the spectacular changes that have occurred in Ireland over the past six decades, which happens to be his life span … it is not a memoir, nor is it an absolute history, nor is it entirely a personal reflection or a crepuscular credo. It is, in fact, all of these things helixed together: his life, his country, his thoughts, his misgivings, his anger, his pride, his doubt, all of them belonging, eventually, to us … O’Toole, an agile cultural commentator, considers himself to be a representative of the blank slate on which the experiment of change was undertaken, but it’s a tribute to him that he maintains his humility, his sharpness and his enlightened distrust …

O’Toole writes brilliantly and compellingly of the dark times, but he is graceful enough to know that there is humor and light in the cracks. There is a touch of Eduardo Galeano in the way he can settle on a telling phrase … But the real accomplishment of this book is that it achieves a conscious form of history-telling, a personal hybrid that feels distinctly honest and humble at the same time. O’Toole has not invented the form, but he comes close to perfecting it. He embraces the contradictions and the confusion. In the process, he weaves the flag rather than waving it.”

–Colum McCann ( The New York Times Book Review )

2. Thin Places: A Natural History of Healing and Home by Kerri Ní Dochartaigh (Milkweed)

12 Rave • 7 Positive • 2 Mixed

“Assured and affecting … A powerful and bracing memoir … This is a book that will make you see the world differently: it asks you to reconsider the animals and insects we often view as pests – the rat, for example, and the moth. It asks you to look at the sea and the sky and the trees anew; to wonder, when you are somewhere beautiful, whether you might be in a thin place, and what your responsibilities are to your location.It asks you to show compassion for people you think are difficult, to cultivate empathy, to try to understand the trauma that made them the way they are.”

–Lynn Enright ( The Irish Times )

3. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)

14 Rave • 4 Positive

“It could hardly be more different in tone from [Beaton’s] popular larky strip Hark! A Vagrant … Yes, it’s funny at moments; Beaton’s low-key wryness is present and correct, and her drawings of people are as charming and as expressive as ever. But its mood overall is deeply melancholic. Her story, which runs to more than 400 pages, encompasses not only such thorny matters as social class and environmental destruction; it may be the best book I have ever read about sexual harassment …

There are some gorgeous drawings in Ducks of the snow and the starry sky at night. But the human terrain, in her hands, is never only black and white … And it’s this that gives her story not only its richness and depth, but also its astonishing grace. Life is complex, she tell us, quietly, and we are all in it together; each one of us is only trying to survive. What a difficult, gorgeous and abidingly humane book. It really does deserve to win all the prizes.”

–Rachel Cooke ( The Guardian )

4. Stay True by Hua Hsu (Doubleday)

14 Rave • 3 Positive

“… quietly wrenching … To say that this book is about grief or coming-of-age doesn’t quite do it justice; nor is it mainly about being Asian American, even though there are glimmers of that too. Hsu captures the past by conveying both its mood and specificity … This is a memoir that gathers power through accretion—all those moments and gestures that constitute experience, the bits and pieces that coalesce into a life … Hsu is a subtle writer, not a showy one; the joy of Stay True sneaks up on you, and the wry jokes are threaded seamlessly throughout.”

–Jennifer Szalai ( The New York Times )

5.  Manifesto: On Never Giving Up by Bernardine Evaristo (Grove)

13 Rave • 4 Positive

“Part coming-of-age story and part how-to manual, the book is, above all, one of the most down-to-earth and least self-aggrandizing works of self-reflection you could hope to read. Evaristo’s guilelessness is refreshing, even unsettling … With ribald humour and admirable candour, Evaristo takes us on a tour of her sexual history … Characterized by the resilience of its author, it is replete with stories about the communities and connections Evaristo has cultivated over forty years … Invigoratingly disruptive as an artist, Evaristo is a bridge-builder as a human being.”

–Emily Bernard ( The Times Literary Supplement )

1. Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

14 Rave • 4 Positive • 1 Mixed

“Rundell is right that Donne…must never be forgotten, and she is the ideal person to evangelise him for our age. She shares his linguistic dexterity, his pleasure in what TS Eliot called ‘felt thought’, his ability to bestow physicality on the abstract … It’s a biography filled with gaps and Rundell brings a zest for imaginative speculation to these. We know so little about Donne’s wife, but Rundell brings her alive as never before … Rundell confronts the difficult issue of Donne’s misogyny head-on … This is a determinedly deft book, and I would have liked it to billow a little more, making room for more extensive readings of the poems and larger arguments about the Renaissance. But if there is an overarching argument, then it’s about Donne as an ‘infinity merchant’ … To read Donne is to grapple with a vision of the eternal that is startlingly reinvented in the here and now, and Rundell captures this vision alive in all its power, eloquence and strangeness”

–Laura Feigel ( The Guardian )

2. The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland (Harper)

12 Rave • 3 Positive

“Compelling … We know about Auschwitz. We know what happened there. But Freedland, with his strong, clear prose and vivid details, makes us feel it, and the first half of this book is not an easy read. The chillingly efficient mass murder of thousands of people is harrowing enough, but Freedland tells us stories of individual evils as well that are almost harder to take … His matter-of-fact tone makes it bearable for us to continue to read … The Escape Artist is riveting history, eloquently written and scrupulously researched. Rosenberg’s brilliance, courage and fortitude are nothing short of amazing.”

–Laurie Hertzel ( The Star Tribune )

3. I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys by Miranda Seymour (W. W. Norton & Company)

11 Rave • 4 Positive • 1 Pan

“…illuminating and meticulously researched … paints a deft portrait of a flawed, complex, yet endlessly fascinating woman who, though repeatedly bowed, refused to be broken … Following dismal reviews of her fourth novel, Rhys drifted into obscurity. Ms. Seymour’s book could have lost momentum here. Instead, it compellingly charts turbulent, drink-fueled years of wild moods and reckless acts before building to a cathartic climax with Rhys’s rescue, renewed lease on life and late-career triumph … is at its most powerful when Ms. Seymour, clear-eyed but also with empathy, elaborates on Rhys’s woes …

Ms. Seymour is less convincing with her bold claim that Rhys was ‘perhaps the finest English woman novelist of the twentieth century.’ However, she does expertly demonstrate that Rhys led a challenging yet remarkable life and that her slim but substantial novels about beleaguered women were ahead of their time … This insightful biography brilliantly shows how her many battles were lost and won.”

–Malcolm Forbes ( The Wall Street Journal )

4. The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon’s Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

9 Rave • 5 Positive • 1 Mixed

“Grisly yet inspiring … Fitzharris depicts her hero as irrepressibly dedicated and unfailingly likable. The suspense of her narrative comes not from any interpersonal drama but from the formidable challenges posed by the physical world … The Facemaker is mostly a story of medical progress and extraordinary achievement, but as Gillies himself well knew—grappling daily with the unbearable suffering that people willingly inflicted on one another—failure was never far behind.”

5. Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life by James Curtis (Knopf)

8 Rave • 6 Positive • 1 Mixed

“Keaton fans have often complained that nearly all biographies of him suffer from a questionable slant or a cursory treatment of key events. With Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life —at more than 800 pages dense with research and facts—Mr. Curtis rectifies that situation, and how. He digs deep into Keaton’s process and shows how something like the brilliant two-reeler Cops went from a storyline conceived from necessity—construction on the movie lot encouraged shooting outdoors—to a masterpiece … This will doubtless be the primary reference on Keaton’s life for a long time to come … the worse Keaton’s life gets, the more engrossing Mr. Curtis’s book becomes.”

–Farran Smith Nehme ( The Wall Street Journal )

Our System:

RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points

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Best Biographies of 2022

OCT. 18, 2022

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

by Jon Meacham

An essential, eminently readable volume for anyone interested in Lincoln and his era. Full review >

OCT. 25, 2022

by John A. Farrell

An exemplary study of a life of public service with more than its share of tragedies and controversies. Full review >

AUG. 30, 2022

by Michael Broers

An outstanding addition to the groaning bookshelves on one of the world’s most recognizable leaders. Full review >

NOV. 8, 2022

by Kerri K. Greenidge

A sweeping, insightful, richly detailed family and American history. Full review >

FEB. 1, 2022

by Dan Charnas

A wide-ranging biography that fully captures the subject’s ingenuity, originality, and musical genius. Full review >

JULY 26, 2022

by Philip Short

Required reading for anyone interested in global affairs. Full review >

NOV. 15, 2022

by Brigitta Olubas

An absorbing, well-crafted profile of a supremely gifted writer. Full review >

SEPT. 6, 2022

by Katherine Rundell

Written with verve and panache, this sparkling biography is enjoyable from start to finish. Full review >

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Best of the Year: The 15 Best Bios and Memoirs of 2022

From ruminations on addiction and recovery to genre-bending blends of biography and cultural criticism, these are 2022's best memoirs.

This list is part of our Best of the Year collection, an obsessively curated selection of our editors' and listeners' favorite audio in 2022. Check out The Best of 2022 to see our top picks in every category.

There are few stories more compelling or more intimately told than those soul-baring memoirs that seek not just to recount the experiences of one's own life but to draw some greater commentary on the big existential questions. What does it mean to be human? What is our purpose in being here? How much of who we are is purely self-determined? How much is an amalgamation of all those who have left an impact on us? Like all great autobiographies, the very best memoirs of 2022 muse on those questions, contemplating everything from the impact of art and culture on identity to navigating the labyrinthine worlds of grief and illness, addiction and recovery. Exceptional in both their prose and narration, these listens represent a few of the year's best memoirs.

Save this list to your Library Collections now.

Constructing a Nervous System

Audible's Memoir of the Year, 2022 To call Margo Jefferson’s exquisite Constructing a Nervous System a memoir is a bit of a misnomer. After all, this skillfully crafted autobiography dances between genres so fluidly, leaping from the personal to deft cultural analysis in a dazzling display of narrative choreography. Jefferson constructs this stunner of a memoir through a literary lens, one that all but embodies the artists she riffs off of and analyzes, developing a story of the self through the creations, personalities, and perspectives of other artists. In a totally unique style that splinters the form of memoir altogether and frequently sees the text in dialogue with itself, this sharp listen illuminates that so much of who we are is built upon what we love and the things we encounter—be it the lasting presence of a late family member or a voice rising from a turntable. — Alanna M.

Told through the perspective of his nine-year-old self, Javier Zamora’s Solito is a moving account of his perilous, exhausting solo journey from El Salvador to the United States, where his parents awaited him. Zamora was entirely reliant on the support and compassion of his fellow migrants to survive—a story that is both his own and shared by many. Zamora is a poet first, and his delivery is pitch-perfect, lending a lyrical cadence and a well of emotion to an already beautifully crafted memoir. His voice, at times quivering, small, or uncertain, much like his young self, is wielded as an instrument of the story, not an appendix, reminding the listener of the human beings behind the statistics and political platforms. — A.M.

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?

There are some sounds I consider synonymous with my Irish heritage: the slap of ghillies and the clack of reel shoes, the melodic jaunt of lilting or swell of an accordion, and the entrancing lull of a good story. The latter is embodied in Séamas O’Reilly’s tender retrospective on grief, family, and childhood, all amidst the din of the Troubles. However, a dry tearjerker this is not. Instead, whether musing on his father’s unmatched haggling abilities or offering asides on the oddities of death’s theatrics, O’Reilly brings so much joy and soul into his story that it’s impossible not to smile along. There is simply so much love, life, and heart in this rich memoir that you can almost hear it breathing. — A.M.

The Invisible Kingdom

In this deeply researched and insightful memoir, author Meghan O’Rourke illuminates how chronic illness has become the defining medical mystery of our times, and the source of a painful dissonance between the promises of modern medicine and the lived experiences of so many. Drawing on her own health issues as well as her background as a poet, O’Rourke weaves insights from doctors, patients, researchers, and other experts into a captivating and lyrical narrative. The current spotlight that long COVID has thrown on autoimmune and other “invisible” conditions is a central focus of the memoir, and many people will feel seen—and hopefully heard—by the eloquent voice O’Rourke gives to a monumental challenge. — Kat J.

Lost & Found

I’ve always found something peculiar about “loss” as a euphemism for death. Even still, it feels so apt—that sense that something is missing, at first an acute awareness and in time, an understanding of that absence’s permanence. Kathryn Schulz pulls on this thread in her gorgeous memoir Lost & Found , an account of the universality and ubiquity of those two most human experiences—love and death—as filtered through the loss of her father and the life she built with her wife. As someone muddling through a similar grief journey while trying to nurture a relationship of my own, I found a resonant comfort and hope in Schulz’s thoughts on bereavement and all the life there is still left to lead. — A.M.

What My Bones Know

As someone with a mood disorder, I find solace in listens that take new avenues for exploring the complicated and often isolating side effects of mental health conditions. Reconstructing her experiences with guided meditation and using recordings from real therapy sessions, Stephanie Foo takes a highly journalistic approach to dissecting her CPTSD diagnosis in this vulnerable and intelligent memoir. Unpacking how and why her trauma affects her the way it does, What My Bones Know is not only uniquely suited for audio but constructs a creative audio experience that challenged me as a listener in unexpected and illuminating ways. — Haley H.

Quite the Contrary

This juicy and culturally significant listen, which happens to be the memoir of one of my Audible colleagues, is one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of gulping down. In Quite the Contrary, Yvonne Durant gradually unfurls the mother of all cocktail-party stories—the intimate account of her love affair with jazz legend Miles Davis—against her equally compelling career trajectory as a rare Black woman making waves in advertising’s competitive heyday. Witty, poignant, and funny, Durant lets us into secret spaces of celebrity, culture, and bygone New York, unforgettably brought to life by narrator Allyson Johnson. — K.J.

His Name Is George Floyd (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

This landmark biography from Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa is built on more than 400 interviews conducted in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, offering the most complete portrait of Floyd’s life and legacy to date. Star narrator Dion Graham pairs with the authors to create a powerhouse performance that moves from Floyd’s ancestral roots in the tobacco fields of North Carolina to the housing projects of Houston and his death at the hands of Minneapolis police, paying homage to his life while revealing its deep intersections with America’s history of racism and inequality. — H.H.

To fans of Brandon Stanton's street photography project and bestselling book Humans of New York, Stephanie Johnson—better known as Tanqueray—is nothing short of a superstar. So, to finally hear the septuagenarian share more unfiltered, incredible stories about being a burlesque dancer in 1970s New York City—and many other necessary reinventions to survive life's ups and downs—in her own feisty, raunchy, badass way is a milestone storytelling event that is at times hilarious as well as heartbreaking. Millions fell in love with her indomitable spirit by reading about her life on social media, but listening to this legendary lady is unforgettable. As she says: "Make room for Tanqueray, because here I come." — Jerry P.

The Book of Baraka

Told in collaboration with renowned journalist Jelani Cobb, The Book of Baraka combines poetry and prose with the history that helped to shape Ras Baraka, the current mayor of Newark, New Jersey, into the man he is today. It’s the story of a young Black boy’s coming of age as the son of one of the most influential and controversial poets and revolutionaries of the era but also of how that boy would later shape his city—first as a poet, then as an educator, and now, as mayor. As a former resident of Newark myself, I have nothing but praise for Baraka’s accomplishments. But don’t just take it from me. His is a story you definitely don’t want to miss out on, and it should be heard from the mayor himself. — Michael C.

Full disclosure: I’m a sucker for any story involving animals, particularly when those little critters are of the motley variety. Needless to say, I was drawn to Laurie Zaleski’s Funny Farm immediately. An account of running a rescue for beasties ranging from cats to horses? That ridiculously cute cover? Sign me up. What I didn’t expect, however, was a truly affecting memoir that extended far beyond barnyard antics, exploring the depths of Zaleski’s difficult childhood, her mother’s remarkable strength, and carrying on a mission inherited. So sure, come for the adorable furry and feathered friends, but stay for the author’s graceful, heartrending tribute to her late mother and a testament to the redemptive power of caring for others, four-legged or otherwise. — A.M.

Fatty Fatty Boom Boom

If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, you probably already know Rabia Chaudry’s euphonic voice—as host of both Undisclosed and Rabia and Ellyn Solve the Case , her skills behind the microphone are well documented. Chaudry's gifts for performance and storytelling shine the clearer in her deeply personal debut memoir. So named in reference to Chaudry’s childhood nickname, Fatty Fatty Boom Boom is an immensely relatable listen for anyone who has ever battled body image issues, a rumination on those most complicated relationships (with both food and family), and a love letter to Pakistani cuisine. — A.M.

Also a Poet

A true blend of biography and memoir, Ada Calhoun’s Also a Poet is a fascinating gem of a listen. Calhoun, the author behind nonfiction listens like Why We Can’t Sleep and St. Marks Is Dead , turns her eye toward a subject matter far closer to home. In examining her strained, complicated relationship with her father, the acclaimed art critic Peter Schjeldahl, Calhoun comes across an unexpected connection between them: the late bohemian poet Frank O’Hara. Twisting in its exploration of family, legacy, and art, this Audible Original—which features exclusive archival audio of artistic giants—is an evocative act of catharsis. — A.M.

Corrections in Ink

Journalist Keri Blakinger has dedicated much of her career to shining a light on the stark realities of criminal justice in America. Her ongoing work with nonprofit news collective The Marshall Project aims to provide a better quality of life for prisoners, with Blakinger advocating for inmate safety and well-being while underscoring their oft-disregarded humanity. But Blakinger’s focus isn’t merely academic—as detailed in Corrections in Ink , she’s lived through the prison system herself. Employing well-crafted, blazing prose and narration marked by an uncommon frankness, she recounts her battle with addiction and subsequent incarceration. Listening to her story is sometimes difficult, painful even, but that’s part of its power—this is a courageous, contemplative memoir poised to change the conversation. — A.M.

Dirtbag, Massachusetts

Kidlit author Isaac Fitzgerald rocketed into the capital-L literary landscape with this astounding memoir-in-essays, its instantly iconic title matched by an unforgettable voice. With his origins firmly in Massachusetts, Fitzgerald grew up with a love of literature and a bohemian sensibility that transcended his rough-and-tumble background and its narrow presentation of masculinity. That foundation serves him well in this fiercely honest, vulnerable, and rowdy collection of reminiscences that range from Boston to Burma (now Myanmar), connecting the dots from Fitzgerald’s former lives as an altar boy, fat kid, and small-time criminal to lightning-bolt musings on religion, race, body image, and family. Both literally and literarily speaking, his voice is one to savor. — K.J.

Best of the Year: The 14 Best Celebrity Memoirs of 2022

Despite the glitz and glamour, these celebrity memoirs take us through the highs and lows of the human experience.

Editors Select: April 2024

14 editors, 14 new listens—from fiction to memoirs to thrillers, check out our most anticipated listens of the month.

The birth of "Quite the Contrary"

Debut memoirist and Audible editor Yvonne Durant goes behind the scenes of how the true story of her great love and pioneering career came to life as an Audible Original.

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Make Your Own List

Best Biographies

Award winning biographies of 2022, recommended by sophie roell.

Five Books Expert Recommendations

In telling stories of lives that are often very different from our own and yet connected to us by our common humanity, biographies are some of the most compelling nonfiction books around. Five Books editor Sophie Roell rounds up some of the biographies that have won or been shortlisted for prizes in 2022.

All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler by Rebecca Donner

The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III by Andrew Roberts

Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane by Paul Auster

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland

Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell

Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist's Memoir of the Jim Crow South by Winfred Rembert

1 All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler by Rebecca Donner

2 the last king of america: the misunderstood reign of george iii by andrew roberts, 3 burning boy: the life and work of stephen crane by paul auster, 4 the escape artist: the man who broke out of auschwitz to warn the world by jonathan freedland, 5 super-infinite: the transformations of john donne by katherine rundell, 6 chasing me to my grave: an artist's memoir of the jim crow south by winfred rembert.

The National Book Critics Circle award for biography and the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography

The Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography

The LA Times book prize for biography

Biographies Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

The Pulitzer Prize for Biography

The 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Biography (which also includes works of autobiography) went to Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South by the late Winfred Rembert (1945-2021) . Rembert was from a family of field labourers in Cuthbert, Georgia and taught himself to paint at the age of 51 using leather tooling skills he learned in prison. In the preface, he writes that he had been scared to draw attention to what happened to him in Cuthbert during his lifetime, and so he only composed his memoir as he was dying. It’s a wrenching tale told in a very direct and touching way. The book also includes pictures of his paintings—of cotton fields, of his mother giving him away as a baby.

December 17, 2022

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The 20 Best Memoirs of 2022

From marriage to medicine to masculinity, the year's best memoirs dig deep into thorny topics.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

Still, our favorite memoirs of 2022 elevate the form to new heights. They tackle personal, psychological, and philosophical concerns through topics ranging from ancestry to medicine to marriage. With guts and grace, these authors dive deep into their loves and losses, and come ashore with these dazzling treasures for you to read. (Or give ! What better gift than that of a remarkable true story?)

Stay True, by Hua Hsu

When Hsu arrived at Berkeley in the 1990s, a rebellious undergrad obsessed with creating zines and developing “a worldview defined by music,” he made an unexpected friend. At first, Hsu wrote his fraternity brother Ken off as “mainstream,” thinking they had nothing in common beyond their Asian American identities—but soon, an unlikely friendship blossomed, with the two young men penning a screenplay together and discussing philosophy late into the night. It all came crashing down when Ken was murdered in a carjacking, sending Hsu into a decades-long spiral of grief and guilt. Ever since, Hsu has been trying to write Stay True , a wrenching memoir about who Ken was and what Ken taught him. At once a love letter, a coming-of-age tale, and an elegy, it’s one of the best books about friendship ever written.

The Man Who Could Move Clouds, by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

“They say the amnesias were a door to gifts we were supposed to have,” Rojas Contreras muses in this poetic memoir. After a head injury afflicted the author with amnesia, she learned that this had happened before: decades ago, her mother took a fall that left her with amnesia, and when she recovered, she gained access to “the secrets.” The first woman to know “the secrets,” Rojas Contreras’ mother inherited them from her father, known to the family as Nono, a Colombian community healer renowned for his ability to communicate with the dead, predict the future, heal the sick, and move the clouds. After Rojas Contreras’ accident, she and her mother traveled to Colombia to disinter Nono’s remains and tell his story. That quest, recounted here with mesmerizing prose and bracing insight, sent the women on a journey through the brutal colonial history that shaped their family and their nation. Rich in personal and political history, The Man Who Could Move Clouds is an effervescent read.

The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, by Paul Newman

After six decades of Hollywood superstardom, it’s difficult to imagine that anything could remain unknown about Paul Newman . But that’s the particular magic trick of this memoir, assembled by way of a literary scavenger hunt. Between 1986 and 1991, Newman sat down with screenwriter Stewart Stern for a series of soul-baring interviews about his life and career. With the actor’s encouragement, Stern also recorded hundreds of hours worth of interviews with his friends, family, and colleagues. The whole enterprise was destined to become Newman’s authorized biography, but his feelings on the project soured; in 1998, he gathered the tapes in a pile and set fire to them. Luckily, Stern kept transcripts—over 14,000 pages worth. Now, those transcripts have been streamlined into this honest and unvarnished memoir, in which the actor speaks openly about his traumatic childhood, his lifelong struggle with alcoholism, and his tormenting self-doubt. But the highs are there too—like his 50-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward—as well as the mysteries of making art, and the “imponderable of being a human being.” All told, the memoir is an extraordinary act of resurrection and reimagination.

Bad Sex, by Nona Willis Aronowitz

When Teen Vogue ’s sex columnist decided to end her marriage at 32 years old, chief among her complaints was “bad sex.” Newly divorced, Aronowitz went in search of good sex, but along the way, she discovered thorny truths about “the problem that has no name”—that despite the advances of feminism and the sexual revolution, true sexual freedom remains out of reach. Cultural criticism, memoir, and social history collide in Aronowitz’s no-nonsense investigation of all that ails young lovers, like questions about desire, consent, and patriarchy. It’s a revealing read bound to expand your thinking.

The High Sierra: A Love Story, by Kim Stanley Robinson

A titan of science fiction masters a new form in this winsome love letter to California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. Constructed from an impassioned blend of memoir, history, and science writing, The High Sierra chronicles Robinson’s 100-plus trips to his beloved mountains, from his LSD-laced first encounter in 1973 to the dozens of ​​“rambling and scrambling” days to follow. From descriptions of the region’s multitudinous flora and fauna to practical advice about when and where to hike, this is as comprehensive a guidebook as any, complete with all the lucid ecstasy of nature writing greats like John Muir and Annie Dillard.

Year of the Tiger, by Alice Wong

In this mixed media memoir, disability activist Alice Wong outlines her journey as an advocate and educator. Wong was born with a form of progressive muscular dystrophy; as a young woman, she attended her dream college, but had to drop out when changes to Medicaid prevented her from retaining the aides she needed on an inaccessible campus. In one standout essay, Wong recounts her struggle to access Covid-19 vaccines as a high-risk individual. The author's rage about moving through an ableist world is palpable, but so too is her joy and delight about Lunar New Year, cats, family, and so much more. Innovative and informative, Year of the Tiger is a multidimensional portrait of a powerful thinker.

My Pinup, by Hilton Als

Has any book ever roved so far and wide in just 48 pages as My Pinup ? In this slim and brilliant memoir, Als explores race, power, and desire through the lens of Prince. Styling the legendary musician in the image of his lovers and himself, Als explores injustice on multiple levels, from racist record labels to the world's hostility to gay Black boys. “There was so much love between us,” the author muses. “Why didn’t anyone want us to share it?” These 48 meandering pages are difficult to describe, but trust us: My Pinup is a heady cocktail you won’t soon forget.

Novelist as a Vocation, by Haruki Murakami

In this winsome volume, one of our greatest novelists invites readers into his creative process. The result is a revealing self-portrait that answers many burning questions about its reclusive subject, like: where do Murakami’s strange and surreal ideas come from? When and how did he start writing? How does he view the role of novels in contemporary society? Novelist as a Vocation is a rare and welcome peek behind the curtain of a singular mind.

Bloomsbury Publishing Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional, by Isaac Fitzgerald

In this bleeding heart memoir, Fitzgerald peels back the layers of his extraordinary life. Dirtbag, Massachusetts opens with his hardscrabble childhood in a dysfunctional Catholic family, then spins out into the decades of jobs and identities that followed. From bartending at a biker bar to smuggling medical supplies to starring in porn films, it’s all led him to here and now: he’s still a work in progress, but gradually, he’s arriving at profound realizations about masculinity, family, and selfhood. Dirtbag, Massachusetts is the best of what memoir can accomplish. It's blisteringly honest and vulnerable, pulling no punches on the path to truth, but it always finds the capacity for grace and joy. “To any young men out there who aren’t too far gone,” Fitzgerald writes, “I say you’re not done becoming yourself.”

Pretty Baby, by Chris Belcher

As a financially strapped PhD student in Los Angeles, Belcher fell into an unusual side hustle: she began working as a pro-domme, fulfilling the fantasies of male clients aroused by feelings of shame and weakness. Belcher found unique power in the work as a queer woman, writing, “My clientele wanted a woman who would never want them in return, and at that, I excelled." But as she illuminates in this discerning memoir, the work had its drawbacks—namely, the brutality and blackmail of men. In a lucid examination of power, sexuality, and class, Belcher tells a gripping story about the performance of identity, inside and outside of the dungeon.

Also a Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me, by Ada Calhoun

When Calhoun once went looking for a childhood toy, she stumbled upon a far greater treasure: dusty cassette tapes of interviews recorded by her father, art critic Peter Schjeldahl, who started but never completed a biography of the gone-too-soon poet Frank O’Hara. As a lifelong O’Hara fan, Calhoun gleefully committed to finishing what Schjeldahl started, but the task proved to be anything but easy. Like her father before her, Calhoun was stonewalled by Maureen O’Hara, the poet’s prickly sister and executor; the project also revealed the faultlines in her complicated bond with Schjeldahl, whom she longs to impress. In this heartfelt memoir, Calhoun recounts how going in search of O’Hara revealed so much more—like the painful complexities of parents, children, art, and ambition.

Because Our Fathers Lied, by Craig McNamara

How do we reckon with the sins of our parents? That’s the thorny question at the center of this moving and courageous memoir authored by the son of Robert S. McNamara, Kennedy’s architect of the Vietnam War. In this conflicted son’s telling, a complicated man comes into intimate view, as does the “mixture of love and rage” at the heart of their relationship. At once a loving and neglectful parent, the elder McNamara’s controversial lies about the war ultimately estranged him from his son, who hung Viet Cong flags in his childhood bedroom as a protest. The pursuit of a life unlike his father’s saw the younger McNamara drop out of Stanford and travel through South America on a motorcycle, leading him to ultimately become a sustainable walnut farmer. Through his own personal story of disappointment and disillusionment, McNamara captures an intergenerational conflict and a journey of moral identity.

The Unwritten Book, by Samantha Hunt

One of our most gifted practitioners of the short story makes her first foray into nonfiction with this shapeshifting volume. Hunt’s many-feathered subject is the things that haunt: art, the dead, the forest, things left unfinished. Her investigation centers on an unfinished novel written by her late father, a Reader's Digest editor; “the dead leave clues, and life is a puzzle of trying to read and understand these mysterious hints before the game is over,” she writes. As she considers the novel, she sifts through her relationship with her father, characterized as it was by his alcoholism and their shared love of story. Eerie, profound, and daring, this is a book only the inimitable Hunt could write.

Roc Lit 101 Shine Bright, by Danyel Smith

Memoir, criticism, and cultural history meet in this masterful study of the brilliant Black women who shaped American pop music, enriched by the author's own experiences and memories. Some of the figures here will be familiar, like Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, while others are long overdue for the reckoning Smith provides, from the Dixie Cups, a gone-too-soon sixties girl group, to the enslaved poet Phyllis Wheatley, who cleared a path for generations of descendants by singing her poems. In this soulful, enriching portrait of these extraordinary artists’ struggles and triumphs, Smith widens the canon to usher in new luminaries.

Lost & Found, by Kathryn Schultz

Eighteen months before Schultz’s father died after a long battle with cancer, she met the love of her life. It’s this painful dichotomy that sets the foundation for Lost & Found , a poignant memoir about how love and loss often coexist. Braiding her personal experiences together with psychological, philosophical and scientific insight, Schultz weaves a taxonomy of our losses, which can “encompass both the trivial as well as the consequential, the abstract and the concrete, the merely misplaced and the permanently gone.” But so too does she celebrate the act of discovery, from finding what we’ve mislaid to lucking into lasting love. Penetrating and profound, Lost & Found captures the extraordinary joys and sorrows of ordinary life.

Ecco Press South to America, by Imani Perry

The American South is often cast as a backwater cousin out of step with American ideals. In this vital cultural history, Perry argues otherwise, insisting the South is, in fact, the foundational heartland of America, an undeniable fulcrum around which our wealth and politics have always turned. Fusing memoir, reportage, and travelogue, Perry imparts Southern history alongside high-spirited interviews with modern-day Southerners from all walks of life. At once a love letter to “a land of big dreams and bigger lies” and a clarion call for change, South to America will change how you understand America’s past, present, and future.

Admissions, by Kendra James

When James enrolled at Connecticut’s prestigious Taft School at fifteen years old, she had no idea that, as the predominantly white boarding school’s first “Black American legacy student to graduate since 1891,” she would become its involuntary poster child for diversity. James’ hopes for a positive high school experience were dashed by “a swamp of microaggressions,” ranging from a student who accused her of stealing $20 to an article in the student newspaper blaming students of color for the segregation of campus. Determined that students after her wouldn’t suffer the same fate, she became an admissions officer specializing in diversity recruitment, but soon felt that she was “selling a lie for a living.” Frank and devastating in its candor, as well as incisive in its critique of elite academia, Admissions is a poignant coming-of-age memoir.

The Invisible Kingdom, by Meghan O'Rourke

“I got sick the way Hemingway says you go broke: ‘gradually and then suddenly,’” O’Rourke writes in The Invisible Kingdom , describing the beginning of her decades-long struggle with chronic autoimmune disease. In the late nineties, O’Rourke began suffering symptoms ranging from rashes to crushing fatigue; when she sought treatment, she became an unwilling citizen of a shadow world, where chronic illness sufferers are dismissed by doctors and alienated from their lives. In this elegant fusion of memoir, reporting, and cultural history, O’Rourke traces the development of modern Western medicine and takes aim at its limitations, advocating for a community-centric healthcare model that treats patients as people, not parts. At once a rigorous work of scholarship and a radical act of empathy, The Invisible Kingdom has the power to move mountains.

Read an exclusive interview with O'Rourkre here at Esquire.

Ancestor Trouble, by Maud Newton

Who are our ancestors to us, and what can they tell us about ourselves? In this riveting memoir, Newton goes in search of the answers to these questions, spelunking exhaustively through her frustrating and fascinating family tree. From an accused witch to a thirteen times-married man, her family tree abounds with stories that absorb and appall, but taxonomizing her family history doesn’t satisfy Newton’s hunger for meaning. Just what do the facts of a life tell us about who we are or where we come from, and what can our personal histories tell us about our national past? Carefully blending memoir and cultural criticism, Newton explores the cultural, scientific, and spiritual dimensions of ancestry, arguing for the transformational power of grappling with our inheritances.

Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage, by Heather Havrilesky

No one writes about the agony and ecstasy of relationships with as much gutsy grace as Havrilesky, who has long counseled troubled lovers under the guise of Ask Polly . In Foreverland , Havrilesky turns the microscope on her own relationship, illuminating the joys and exasperations of her fifteen-year marriage. From parenting to quarantining together to bristling at her husband’s every loud sneeze, Havrilesky proves that forever is hard, wonderful work.

Read Havrilesky’s column about her husband here at Esquire.

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.4375rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.5625rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}} Best of 2022

The Best Documentaries of 2022

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The 10 Best TV Shows of 2022

The 25 Best Albums of 2022

The Best Nonfiction Books of 2022

The 23 Best Action Movies of 2022

The Best Comedy Specials of 2022

The Best Movies of 2022

The 45 Best Songs of 2022

The 2022 Esquire Spirit Awards

The Best Video Games of 2022 (So Far)

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Five of the best sport books of 2022, the best food books of 2022, the best comics and graphic novels of 2022, the best history and politics books of 2022, the best memoirs and biographies of 2022, best children’s and ya books of 2022, the best music books of 2022, best fiction of 2022, 2022 in culture the best poetry books of 2022, 2022 in culture the best books of 2022.

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Wrapping up the year in books: The best of 2022

• Deep Read ( 6 Min. )
• By Monitor reviewers

December 20, 2022

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers,” wrote Charles William Eliot in “The Happy Life” in 1896. 

He could have been describing our choices for the best books of the year.

Why We Wrote This

With gratitude for our community of readers, the Monitor’s reviewers share their favorite titles this year. We hope the list will serve as a guide to books that build awareness, encourage compassion, and demonstrate our shared humanity.

The list includes thoughtful novels to accompany you on everything from a long plane flight to your daily commute. You’ll find nonfiction books that unfold mysteries, grapple with moral complexities, and highlight unusual facets of historical figures. 

Books offer a world of knowledge and entertainment at your fingertips. They are truly “the quietest and most constant of friends.”

Fellowship Point,  by Alice Elliott Dark

Alice Elliott Dark’s exquisitely written, utterly engrossing novel “Fellowship Point,” set in Maine’s gorgeous but threatened coastal landscape, explores the beauty and tensions of a lifelong friendship between two women whose choices have taken them down different paths. The result is a deftly woven narrative about caring for the places and people we love, and an affirmation that change and growth are possible at any age. Full review here . 

I Must Betray You,  by Ruta Sepetys

“Trust no one,” whispers Cristian Florescu’s beloved grandfather; they’re words to survive by in the fear-fueled Romania of 1989. In her deft portrayal of a teenager turned reluctant informer, Ruta Sepetys makes the case that trust, coupled with selfless courage, is the key to cracking autocratic rule. A well-researched nail-biter, the novel transcends its young adult genre. Full review here . 

Glory,  by NoViolet Bulawayo

“Glory” depicts the anguish, absurdity, and grind of life in a fictional African autocracy. Each well-drawn character – from the ancient despot and his sycophants, to the rapacious successor, to exhausted citizens – is an animal. The engrossing allegory delivers a powerful emotional punch, along with keen political and social commentary.

Properties of Thirst,  by Marianne Wiggins

Marianne Wiggins’ sweeping novel tells of a California ranching family in the 1940s and the building of Manzanar camp, where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. A story of family, responsibility, and the tug of heritage, it applauds decency and determination while weighing the roles of individuals in collective wrongs. Full review here .

Recitatif,  by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison’s only short story, “Recitatif,” written in 1980, is a brilliant, provocative experiment that tests readers’ deep-seated racial preconceptions. It’s about two poor girls who room together in a state shelter when they’re 8, and then run into each other years later. One girl is white, the other Black, but Morrison deliberately, masterfully obfuscates which is which. Full review here . 

Remarkably Bright Creatures,  by Shelby Van Pelt

An octopus befriends a widow and helps her solve the mystery of her son’s disappearance in Shelby Van Pelt’s feel-good debut novel. The story requires a willingness to throw disbelief overboard, but the author brings together a group of lonely outsiders into the equivalent of a big, communal hug. Full review here . 

Honor,  by Thrity Umrigar

In Thrity Umrigar’s engrossing (and sometimes graphic) novel of modern-day India, an interfaith couple, an honor killing, a court case, and an American-born Indian journalist seeking justice all come together in two brave love stories that honor the desire for unconditional acceptance.

Small World,  by Jonathan Evison

Jonathan Evison’s Dickensian-style retelling of America’s history is a modern classic. His love for his characters glows in portrayals of Irish and Chinese immigrants, Native Americans, and enslaved people all yearning to belong. The book is a vast yet intimate tale about the American dream, and the people for whom the vision is yet unfulfilled.

Lucy by the Sea,  by Elizabeth Strout

At the start of the pandemic, Lucy Barton is whisked from New York City to coastal Maine by her ex-husband, who is concerned for her health. As days stretch into months, Lucy reflects on her life and her daughters, and finds lovingkindness, forgiveness, and healing through nature and new friendship.

Calling for a Blanket Dance,  by Oscar Hokeah

Oscar Hokeah brings to life a kaleidoscope of characters from an unforgettable Native American family. His depiction of Indigenous cultures honors their strength of community with remarkable love and healing humor, sending out a vital drumbeat of hope for future generations.

Lessons in Chemistry,  by Bonnie Garmus

“Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.” It’s 1961, and these brisk, bold words close “Supper at Six,” America’s hit TV cooking show hosted by Elizabeth Zott. Brilliant and determined, the 30-something chemist would rather work in a research lab; the story of why she doesn’t, her efforts to return there, and the social toll of the era’s noxious sexism roils and rivets in this potent debut novel. Full review here . 

Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver’s beautifully written novel is told in the voice of Damon, nicknamed Demon Copperhead, who struggles first with the failed foster care system and later with opioids, in a small rural community in Appalachia. Ever the survivor, Damon and the other boys learn to rely on one another. “We were our own messed-up little tribe,” he observes. Kingsolver thrusts the reader into the midst of real-world circumstances – especially the opioid epidemic – and she compassionately demands that we not look away. Full review here .

The Last Slave Ship,  by Ben Raines

Ben Raines made headlines in 2019 when he discovered the remains of the Clotilda, the last ship to bring enslaved people to America. His gripping, affecting book chronicles his search for the vessel in the swamps of Alabama and tells the stories of its captive passengers and their descendants. Full review here . 

And There Was Light,  by Jon Meacham

The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian’s majestic biography presents Abraham Lincoln as an imperfect man with a strong moral core. Growing and evolving as he struggled to lead the country through calamitous times, the 16th president has ample wisdom for our age. Full review here .

A Man of Iron,  by Troy Senik

Grover Cleveland was the only American president to have held office in two non-consecutive terms (1885-89 and 1893-97). Author Troy Senik argues that Cleveland was not only a great man but one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history, a man of unwavering high convictions and rock-solid moral character. Readers might argue with Senik, but they’ll have a blast reading his book – and they might end up agreeing with him. Full review here .

Learning America,  by Luma Mufleh

In her riveting debut, Jordanian-born Luma Mufleh describes how her encounter with a group of refugee boys playing soccer in a Georgia parking lot led to her founding of the Fugees Academy schools, which serve refugee children who’ve been resettled in the United States. Full review here . 

After the Romanovs,  by Helen Rappaport

One of the effects of the Romanov dynasty’s fall in 1917 was a flood of Russian refugees into Europe, including the arrival of aristocrats, artists, writers, and intellectuals who landed in Paris at the height of the city’s creative ferment. Helen Rappaport tells their stories with marvelous skill and empathy. Full review here . 

The Hawk’s Way,  by Sy Montgomery

Sy Montgomery, whose 2010 book “The Soul of an Octopus” made her a favorite of animal-book readers, turns her formidable descriptive passion to hawks and the world of falconry. The book breathes with glorious prose and challenging insights that make it fit to stand alongside classics like T.H. White’s “The Goshawk” or Helen Macdonald’s “H is for Hawk.” Full review here .

Black Snow,  by James M. Scott 

In March 1945, a U.S. bombing raid devastated Tokyo. While it may have shortened World War II, more than 100,000 Japanese people – mostly civilians – were killed. Was it justified? James M. Scott raises profound moral questions about the military strategy. Full review here .

Life on the Mississippi,  by Rinker Buck

Travel writer Rinker Buck built a flatboat and traveled from Pittsburgh to New Orleans on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. His goal was to better understand how river transport – for good and ill – made America’s westward expansion possible. Full review here . 

Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet,  by Michael Meyer

In the last days of his life, Benjamin Franklin changed his will and funded a 200-year experiment: He left the cities of Boston and Philadelphia money to be lent to help tradesmen start businesses. In this engaging book, Michael Meyer skillfully weaves together a biography of Franklin and his heirs with the story of what happened to the money. Full review here . 

The King’s Shadow,  by Edmund Richardson

In the 1830s, a private in the army of the East India Company wandered into Afghanistan and made a series of breathtaking archaeological discoveries. When the Anglo-Afghan wars broke out, he was imprisoned and his notes were lost. In this thrillerlike nonfiction account, author Edmund Richardson reclaims the legacy of Charles Masson. Full review here . 

A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman,  by Lindy Elkins- Tanton

Planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton tells how she overcame obstacles to lead the NASA mission that will send a rocket to explore the massive asteroid Psyche in 2023. Her beautiful and inspiring memoir illuminates the challenges faced by women in science. Author Q&A here . 

Slaves for Peanuts,  by Jori Lewis

Jori Lewis resurrects voices silenced by history in this sumptuous journey beginning in 19th-century Senegal. Traveling down the coast of West Africa, the story sweeps through medieval kingdoms to bustling colonial capitals. By digging through historical archives and oral histories, Lewis unearths a neglected part of the Atlantic slave trade, all wrapped around the humble peanut crop.

Index, A History of the,  by Dennis Duncan

Dennis Duncan leads an erudite and entertaining tour of a topic you’ve probably given little thought to, tracing the index from its roots in the ancient world to medieval Europe and up to the computer age. The book is brimming with fun facts but also makes deeper points about how humans create meaning. Full review here . 

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Review another year in the books: best reads of 2021, circus trains, calligraphy, and coming of age: december’s 10 best books, mystery, movies, and arthur miller enliven november’s 10 best books, share this article.

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Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

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Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar Hardcover – May 17, 2022

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• Print length 256 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
• Publication date May 17, 2022
• Dimensions 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 1476797099
• ISBN-13 978-1476797090
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster (May 17, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1476797099
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476797090
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.53 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
• #43 in Golf Biographies (Books)
• #164 in Golf (Books)
• #418 in Rich & Famous Biographies

About the author

Alan shipnuck.

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November 15, 2022

Written by Erin Kodicek, Amazon Books

Amazon’s book editors announce 2022’s best books of the year

Page overview

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

by Gabrielle Zevin

“After devouring this novel, you’ll walk with a bounce in your step, a full heart, and the buzzy feeling that this is one of the best books about friendship—in all of its messy complexity and glory—you have ever read, which is why we named it the Best Book of 2022. Gabrielle Zevin has written a novel perfect for this moment, when connection is what we crave and hope is what we need.” —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

by Javier Zamora

“Neil Gaiman once said, 'Fiction gives us empathy…gives us the gifts of seeing the world through [other people’s] eyes.' Solito is one of those rare nonfiction reads that achieves the same thing, and puts a human face on the immigration debate—that of a 9-year-old child making a harrowing journey from South America to the United States, and the found family who eases his way. A heart-pounding, heart-expanding memoir.” — Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor

by Johann Hari

“We can’t stop talking about Stolen Focus. It’s vital and mesmerizing, examining why we as individuals and as a collective have lost our attention spans. Suffice to say, Hari’s three-month tech-detox and his findings will make you immediately want to stop scrolling the internet, quit thinking in slogans and 280 characters, and engage authentically in sustained thought so that we can tackle global issues like poverty, racism, and climate change. Deeply satisfying and affirming and full of light-bulb moments, this is a book everyone should read.” — Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

by Barbara Kingsolver

“In this mesmerizing novel, Kingsolver peers into the neglected hollers of Appalachia to tell an insightful and razor sharp coming-of-age story about a boy called Demon Copperhead. Born behind the eight ball of life, Demon faces hunger, cruelty, and a tidal wave of addiction in his tiny county, but never loses his love for the place that claims him as its own. With the soulful narration by this kind, conflicted, witty boy, Kingsolver gives voice to a place and its people where beauty, desperation, and resilience collide.” — Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

by Geraldine Brooks

“One of the best American novels we’ve read in years—galloping backward and forward in time to tell a story about race and freedom, horses and art, and the lineage of not just ancestors but actions. From Kentucky to New Orleans, from the 1850s to present day, Pulitzer Prize-winning Brooks weaves together a story centered on one of the fastest thoroughbreds in history and the Black groom that catapulted Lexington to the front of the track. A heart-pounding American epic.” — Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“We reveled in Carrie Soto’s fiery energy—Taylor Jenkins Reid ( The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six ) has written another book you’ll inhale in a day. Soto is a former tennis champ who returns to the game to defend her title. She’s unapologetic, ambitious, and willing to put everything on the line. This is a big-hearted story about her relationship with her father, taking risks, and standing up bravely in a world that doesn’t necessarily want to see strong women succeed.” — Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor

by Stephen King

“Fairy Tale’s Charlie Reade joins the ranks of King’s best characters, and the story he tells—of a curmudgeonly neighbor with dangerous secrets, a parallel world ruled by an unspeakable monster, a child-eating giant, and a dog who has lived more than one lifetime—is wonderous. Fairy Tale is fantasy, coming-of-age, friendship, and adventure—it’s good versus evil, a boy and his dog on a perilous quest; it’s King doing what he does best: setting our imagination on fire.” — Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

by Celeste Ng

“Celeste Ng joins our Best of the Year list for the third time with her most gripping story yet. A mom mysteriously disappears amid a nationalistic movement that feels chillingly close to reality—launching her young son on a courageous quest to find her, aided by everyday heroes in unexpected places. The prose sings as the pieces click. This is fiction as revolution, serving as a warning, a dystopian fairy tale, and a suspenseful thriller with moments of hope that buoyed us as we read.” — Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor

by Jonathan Freedland

“This is the true story of one of the few people who escaped Auschwitz, but that only touches on what this book is about. Rudolf Vrba set out to tell the world about the atrocities he had witnessed in the concentration camps, but much of the world was not ready to hear it. The author, Jonathan Freedland, paints a vivid, moving portrait of what Vrba experienced, both during and after the war. Vrba was a hero, for sure, but he was human as well. This is a forgotten story that you won't soon forget.” — Chris Schluep, Amazon Editor

by Don Winslow

“Don Winslow ( Power of the Dog trilogy, Broken ) is, without doubt, one of the best crime fiction writers in decades. And in City on Fire, he’s written one of the most immersive, head-turning, heart-stopping crime family novels since The Godfather . It’s about loyalty, love, fraternity, family, belonging, betrayal, and survival. But no matter how epic its themes, it’s Winslow’s eye for the small, personal details that will sear these characters in your heart and in your memory.” — Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor

These are readers’ most popular Kindle highlights from the books we loved.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin “What is a game?” Marx said. “It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora "Our bodies are the texts that carry the memories and therefore remembering is no less than reincarnation.”

Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari "So, to find flow, you need to choose one single goal; make sure your goal is meaningful to you; and try to push yourself to the edge of your abilities."

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver "People love to believe in danger, as long as it’s you in harm’s way, and them saying bless your heart."

Horse by Geraldine Brooks "They were, all of them, lost to a narrative untethered to anything he recognized as true. Their mad conception of Mr. Lincoln as some kind of cloven-hoofed devil’s scion, their complete disregard—denial—of the humanity of the enslaved, their fabulous notions of what evils the Federal government intended for them should their cause fail—all of it was ingrained so deep, beyond the reach of reasonable dialogue or evidence."

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid "We live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men."

Fairy Tale by Stephen King "There’s a dark well in everyone, I think, and it never goes dry. But you drink from it at your peril. That water is poison."

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng “Whoever thinks, recalling the face of the one they loved who is gone: yes, I looked at you enough, I loved you enough, we had enough time, any of this was enough?"

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland “Only when information is combined with belief does it become knowledge. And only knowledge leads to action. The French-Jewish philosopher Raymond Aron would say, when asked about the Holocaust, ‘I knew, but I didn’t believe it. And because I didn’t believe it, I didn’t know.’"

City on Fire by Don Winslow "Lesson: Don’t hold on to something’s going to pull you into a trap. If you’re going to let go, let go early. Better yet, don’t take the bait at all."

Reader's Digest

49 Best Fiction Books of 2022

Posted: March 11, 2024 | Last updated: March 12, 2024

Must-read fiction books from 2022

After two years of living through a global pandemic, we all crave a little relaxation. And what better way to chill out than with one of the best fiction books of 2022? Novels help us escape no matter where we're curled up reading: a cozy armchair, the beach or on the train or bus during a busy morning commute. Even if you have a soft spot for classic novels , there's a special joy that comes from anticipating a new release from your favorite author—or even a debut author whose book blurb piqued your interest.

That's why we narrowed down a list of the best fiction books from 2022. These titles span several genres and are handpicked based on book recommendations from Reader's Digest editors. Along with new novels from previous award-winning authors, we've also added a few debut novels that have generated positive buzz from advanced readers.

With everything from romance novels , mystery books , fantasy  and fantasy romance books , beach reads  and feminist books  to future best books of all time (or at least the best books of 2022!), there's sure to be one you'll want to crack open soon.

Join the free Reader’s Digest Book Club for great reads, monthly discussions, author Q&As and a community of book lovers.

1. The Maid by Nita Prose

Release date: Jan. 4, 2022

Nita Prose's debut novel has the perfect Clue -like beginning: A grand hotel. A motley cast of personality-rich characters. And, of course, a murder. The story's protagonist is a hotel maid named Molly Gray who quickly becomes a suspect in the case. Molly sees things a little differently. She notices details that others might miss, but she also struggles to follow social rules that others find natural. Fans of cozy mysteries , locked-room investigations, books for women and Agatha Christie fiction will fall head over heels for T he Maid.

Looking for your next great book? Read four of today’s bestselling novels in the time it takes to read one with  Reader’s Digest Select Editions . And be sure to follow the Select Editions page on Facebook !

2. Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

Another much-anticipated debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming is the perfect new fiction book for fans of witty rom-coms that aren't afraid to ask complex questions or tackle tricky topics beneath the veneer of sparkling humor. Set in New York and anchored in time by Puerto Rico's devastating hurricane Maria, the story follows Olga, a Latinx wedding planner, as she grapples with her own less-than- fairy-tale love story and the return of a long-lost mother. Author Xochitl Gonzalez gives readers a modern romance complete with themes of race, identity, political corruption and the American dream. This one seems destined to be a top pick for online book clubs and book subscription boxes .

3. To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Release date: Jan. 11, 2022

To Paradise takes place in an alternate New York reality that can be seen as utopian or dystopian, depending on the person's position in society. Readers will meet characters in 1893, 1993 and 2093. From these disparate times and versions of America, characters survive crises like the AIDS epidemic and totalitarian rule as well as personal, intimate tragedies. Despite the varying plot lines, a common thread pulls every scene together: the question of what makes us human and what makes us love.

4. Violeta by Isabel Allende

Release date: Jan. 25, 2022

If you prefer sweeping historical fiction to page-turning beach reads, you'll want to leave a space for Violeta on the nightstand. It's one in a long line of beautiful novels from acclaimed Hispanic author Isabel Allende, who wrote The House of the Spirits and Eva Luna . One of the best fiction books of 2022, Violeta is told in the form of a letter to someone deeply loved. Violeta's life is marked by a series of cataclysmic, far-reaching events: the Spanish flu pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cuban Revolution and even the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, Violeta survives with passion and determination.

5. The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

Fiona Davis's latest historical fiction mystery whisks readers away to the Frick mansion, a palace of political power, secret trysts and tangled family histories. Told in dual timelines, the book follows art model Lillian Carter in the 1920s and mod model Veronica Weber in the 1970s as the two become embroiled in the dramas of the Frick residence. The Magnolia Palace is the full package: mystery, history, rich characters and lavish details about art, money and high society in days gone by.

6. The Fields by Erin Young

A body. A newly appointed investigator. A second body. Ghosts of a dark past. The story of Sergeant Riley Fisher, a new crime investigator in a small farming town, simmers with tension and the niggling fear that there's something dangerous just around the corner. If you love cracking open crime procedurals or page-turning thriller books , Erin Young's debut crime novel will have you clamoring for more from the author. The best part? The Fields is set to be the first in a series, so get ready for the next installment!

7. The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

Release date: Feb. 1, 2022

Here's another crime-fueled page-turner for you! But Brendan Slocumb's The Violin Conspiracy is far from a formulaic mystery. It's the story of Ray, a Black violinist whose love of music finally blossoms after discovering that his great-great-grandfather's old fiddle is a world-renowned violin. But when the priceless heirloom is stolen from him just before a major performance, the musician must race to trace a random note and recover his life's work. One of the best fiction books of 2022, The Violin Conspiracy is set to take its genre to the next level. It's a literary thriller rife with themes of art, history, racism and overcoming adversity.

8. Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak

Release date: Feb. 15, 2022

Shake up political drama, international espionage and potentially tyrannous female friendship. What do you get? Anna Pitoniak's latest novel. In Our American Friend , you'll meet USSR-born First Lady Lara Caine and jaded journalist Sofie Morse. When Lara inquires after Sofie to write her biography, the two strike up an unlikely friendship. But what is Lara's motive? And what does it mean for Sofie to be caught in a strategic political game of international proportions? Whether you love mystery, interpersonal drama or friendship books , this is a new release you won't be able to put down.

9. The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

Release date: Mar. 1, 2022

Alex Finlay's twisty new thriller follows the intersecting lives of two victims of murder attempts. One narrowly escaped a tragic night shift at a Blockbuster on the eve of Y2K. The other lives through a harrowing night shift at an ice cream parlor in the same town 15 years later. Are the attempted slayings connected? What are the police missing? And is reliving the traumatic stories worth it to find out? Encompassing the genres of thriller, mystery and horror , The Night Shift is a novel that will stick with you.

10. Girl in Ice by Erica Ferencik

Though not a vampire book , Erica Ferencik's Girl in Ice bears echoes of the undead. In the chill of the Arctic Circle, a researcher discovers a young girl frozen in ice. When the ice thaws, she begins to speak. Thus, protagonist Valerie "Val" Chesterfield, a linguist specializing in dead Nordic languages, is summoned. But though Val is willing to help, returning to arctic waters unleashes memories of her twin brother's mysterious death by exposure to the elements.

11. Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton

Release date: Mar. 7, 2022

You read that right. One of the most anticipated fiction books of the year was co-authored by the country music queen herself, Dolly Parton. The powerhouse writing duo's tale of a young singer-songwriter escaping to Nashville will appeal to young readers as much as longtime bibliophiles and Dolly fans. It's as much the story of AnnieLee Keyes leaving an abusive past behind as it is a hard-knocks tale of relying on grit and creativity to achieve a dream. Fun fact: While this is the songstress's first novel, it's not her first book. In the '90s, her autobiography hit the bestseller list.

12. Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett

Release date: Mar. 8, 2022

Sharp, smart and heartbreaking is the story of reality TV star Desiree Pierce. The morning after her 25th birthday, she's found dead by an apparent overdose. But Desiree never visited that part of town. And besides that, the police were too quick to declare the Black woman's death a closed case when several loose ends remain. Like a Sister follows Desiree's half-sister, Lena, as she hunts for the truth about what happened. But will the pursuit of justice—and the discovery of dark, buried family secrets—be the death of her too? Next, discover more riveting fiction books from Black authors you should know.

13. The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Part domestic psychological drama, part cat-and-mouse page turner, The Golden Couple is one of those fiction books from 2022 you might expect to devour in a weekend. Readers will get to know three main characters: posh married couple Marissa and Matthew Bishop and their unlicensed therapist, Avery. When the Bishops' picture-perfect life starts to crumble, who will take the fall? The twisty tale of lies, lies and more lies is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Paula Hawkins.

14. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Release date: Mar. 15, 2022

Peng Shepherd does it again. While The Book of M gave readers a dark, futuristic, speculative thriller, The Cartographers delves into the mysteries of the past. The story (also available as an audiobook ) follows Nell Young, a cartographer with a complicated relationship with her father. When he is found dead, she uses a map found in his desk to seek answers. The plot unfolds fast and furiously, covering academic drama, science and art, a dark family secret and a bit of magic.

15. Remember Me Gone by Stacy Stokes

Release date: Mar. 22, 2022

Imagine being able to forget your worst, most embarrassing moments. Would you? In Remember Me Gone , Stacy Stokes's young adult fiction debut, Lucy's father has the power to take away memories. That's why folks swarm their little Texas town: They want help forgetting something or other. But when Lucy becomes old enough to learn his skill, she witnesses one of her dad's memories—one she wasn't meant to see. This fast-paced paranormal thriller blends science fiction, fantasy and a touch of adolescent romance. But what makes it stand apart are the deep, thought-provoking questions woven into the story. What would you choose to forget? And what secrets are worth remembering?

16. What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline

Release date: Mar. 29, 2022

Yet another much-anticipated suspense novel, What Happened to the Bennetts presents readers with a classic conundrum: What if you had to choose between following the law and finding true justice? In this fast-paced book, a carjacking changes the lives of the Bennetts forever. They're shuttled into witness protection, where they begin to crumble under psychological stress, chronic uncertainty and complete lack of control over their own paths. But when the father gets wind of what really precipitated that one random act of violence, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

17. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Release date: Apr. 5, 2022

In a flood of new book releases, Emily St. John Mandel's work always stands out. Whether you loved the sci-fi book Station Eleven or fell for Vincent in The Glass Hotel , you'll be swept away by the author's mind yet again in Sea of Tranquility . This time, she takes us from the wilds of North American forests to future cities to the stark artificiality of a moon colony. It's a novel about human grit through literal space and time—a multidimensional, multi-timeline story for readers who like to sink their teeth into a good book.

18. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

The author of Shuggie Bain returns with an LGBTQ book centered on romance in religious communities where such relationships are hidden or damned. Young Mungo takes place in working-class Glasgow, Scotland, where Protestant Mungo and Catholic James forge a friendship that deepens to something more. When Mungo is forced away by his parents, he experiences a frightening encounter with two strange men—one that makes him realize he and James need to find their way back to each other and to safety.

19. Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen

Release date: Apr. 19, 2022

Welcome to Garnett, Texas, where locals gather for gossip and drinks at the honky-tonks and investigator Annie McIntyre cuts her teeth on a missing-person mystery. In Pay Dirt Road , author Samantha Jayne Allen paints a detailed picture of small-town Texas life and invites readers along on a crime-solving adventure full of deepening family relationships and life lessons.

20. Trust by Hernan Diaz

Release date: May 3, 2022

Straddling the line between literary and historical fiction, Trust invites readers into New York City in the 1920s. Meet Benjamin and Helen Raks, a Wall Street suit and aristocratic darling. Of course, everything is not as it seems, but when has it ever been? Enter a world of power, money and glittering facades to find out just how they've made their fortune and what it means for the people they've invited into their fold. Next, check out these stellar Kindle Unlimited books and read for free.

21. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Did you love A Man Called Ove ? What about the 2020 Netflix original My Octopus Teacher ? Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures ripples with similarities to the two acclaimed works while staying wholly original. This debut novel follows a lost widow who takes a night shift job at the local aquarium. It's a way to stay busy. It's a way to pass the time. But soon her nights are brightened by an unlikely friend: Marcellus, the aquarium's giant octopus. The warm, quirky, feel-good book , which includes perspectives from Marcellus himself, is sure to reel in rave reader reviews.

22. Book of Night by Holly Black

This dark, deeply imaginative adult urban fantasy novel from veteran young adult author Holly Black follows con artist Charlie Hall's foray into the underground world of trading with shadow selves—the separated shadows that harbor everyone's deepest, darkest secrets. It's a story steeped in secret societies, magic thieves and plain human trauma. In other words, it's poised to be one of the next great adult fantasy hits. When you're done, you'll want to gobble up Black's teen book series for more intricate world-building.

23. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Emily Henry's newest romance thrums with enemies-to-lovers vibes. Heroine Nora Stephen is a literary agent who agrees to go on a trip with her sister to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. It's meant to be a blissful girls getaway. Instead, she runs into a rival literary acquaintance, who is also taking time away from the city. It's the perfect setup for a spring romance novel or summer beach read.

24. The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

Release date: May 10, 2022

When two Hollywood stars arrive in Tanzania for their honeymoon, they expect wildlife sightings with a side of wine and charcuterie. Instead, they're in for a deadly kidnapping and life-changing ordeal in unfamiliar territory. The Lioness is a sweeping story with a full cast of characters, endless suspense and themes of race, fame and love.

25. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

Release date: May 17, 2022

In This Time Tomorrow , prolific author Emma Straub plays with time travel like these time travel books . On the eve of her 40th birthday, protagonist Alice reflects on life—then suddenly wakes up on the morning of her Sweet 16. The book explores memories, longing and some of life's big questions, like what you might do differently if you could go back.

26. You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Release date: May 24, 2022

Our list of much-anticipated 2022 reads wouldn't be complete without this lush novel from Akwaeke Emezi. Our hero, Feyi Adekola, is still healing from the tragic death of her partner. She's ready to ease into the dating scene again but is plunged, all at once, into the deep end. A rooftop party leads to a summer fling, which leads to a potential long-term relationship. But if she's so happy, why does she feel so attracted to the one person she's not allowed to love?

27. Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Release date: June 7, 2022

Meet Nora Hamilton, the brains behind the latest romance channel hits and the protagonist of Nora Goes Off Script . After a heart-shattering breakup, she comes up with her most brilliant plot yet: a romantic movie that spotlights her ex's selfishness. But life goes off-script when her little screenplay gets picked up as a big-screen blockbuster. Suddenly, Nora must learn to navigate Hollywood—and the sexy celebrities she encounters along the way.

28. The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

This story within a story within a story (intrigued yet?) takes place in the reading room of the Boston Public Library. The typically peaceful retreat turns to chaos at the sound of a woman's ear-piercing shriek. Security instructs four strangers in the library to stay put until authorities have secured the area. As time passes, friendships blossom, secrets come to light and a murderer is eventually revealed.

29. Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

Release date: June 21, 2022

Ottessa Moshfegh's Lapvona has a captivating premise: In a medieval village, an abused motherless boy finds solace in the company of the local midwife, whose mystical gifts scare some of the other neighbors. But when an incident with the town priest and prevailing feudal lord occurs, the boy becomes part of a violent clash of forces—new and old, natural and spiritual, and the very natures of life and death. Find more great fiction on this list of banned books that everyone needs to read.

30. The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

Julie Clark's latest thriller follows two women whose lives intertwine for the second time. First, there's Kat Roberts, the whip-smart journalist hell bent on unmasking the con woman who has eluded her for 10 years. Then there's the slippery pro herself: alternately known as Meg Williams, Maggie Littleton and Melody Wilde. When the two strike up a friendship—driven by their ulterior motives—who will come out on top? And how many lies will they tell before the truth comes out?

31. Gilt by Jamie Brenner

From the author of The Forever Summer and Blush comes a glittering gem so escapist that it also landed on our summer reading list . Jamie Brenner's Gilt invites readers to spy on a family of wealthy jewelers. When prodigal daughter Gemma Maybrook returns to visit one sizzling summer, a veritable Pandora's box of secrets opens. Follow the lush drama from high society New York to sunny Cape Cod.

32. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Release date: June 28, 2022

A spicy, supernatural romantic comedy for anyone tired of plain ol' vanilla rom-coms, The Dead Romantics delivers with wit, quirks and, yes, a ghost story. Meet Florence Day, a New York City ghostwriter whose latest breakup has convinced her that romance is dead for good. But then a couple of very real deaths occur, landing Florence back in her hometown to face the ghosts of her past—along with a decidedly sexy spirit standing on the doorstep of the local funeral parlor. Alternating between poignant themes of death and grief and laugh-out-loud humor, this romance will have you flipping pages into the wee hours of the night.

33. The Hidden One by Linda Castillo

Release date: July 5, 2022

The Hidden Ones protagonist Kate Hurholder is not Amish. But as the police chief in an Amish community, she has grown familiar with the community's intricacies and norms. But when she's summoned to solve a cold murder case in Pennsylvania's Kishacoquillas Valley, she realizes that Amish culture can vary wildly from place to place. So can she chalk up Bishop Stolzfus's evasive actions to cultural differences—or does the man know more than he's letting on? The plot only thickens when Kate runs into her first love in Pennsylvania. By the time you turn the final page, you may be inspired to pick up a nonfiction book about the Amish.

34. Florida Woman by Deb Rogers

Deb Rogers's darkly comic thriller opens when Jamie, a lifelong Florida woman, is caught on film during one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. Relieved to get community service rather than jail time for her crime, Jamie heads off to Atlas, a monkey sanctuary. But all is not as it seems. She is soon consumed by the sinister world of Atlas, complete with sacrifices and cult-like adoration for the organization's leaders. This is a suspenseful novel for readers seeking a good LGBTQ+ contemporary mystery.

35. The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci

Release date: July 12, 2022

Travis Devine, the main character of The 6:20 Man , is a man of routine. Every morning, he puts on a cheap suit, picks up his cheap briefcase and heads out on the 6:20 train to Manhattan. Every day, he peers out the train window and dreams about living large like one of the elite financial investors he sees in passing. Then one day, everything changes. He's blackmailed into participating in an investigation into those very investors. As he infiltrates their lavish lives and learns more about their shady schemes, he finds himself in the crosshairs of a murderer.

36. The Floating Girls by Lo Patrick

Did you love Where the Crawdads Sing or the movie adaptation of the book ? Then you'll fall head over heels for this evocative coming-of-age drama told from the perspective of 12-year-old Kay. In the summer heat of Bledsoe, Georgia, Kay experiences the loss of a sister, a blossoming friendship with a boy and the trouble and heartbreak of family secrets. Don't forget to check out these hit books that are becoming movies this year.

37. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Release date: July 19, 2022

Whether you're already a fan of Things You Save in a Fire and How to Walk Away or utterly new to Katherine Center's writing, her latest summer sizzler will satisfy any craving for lighthearted romance. Hannah Brooks looks cute and unassuming—the opposite of her life as a bodyguard. When she's hired to protect sexy celebrity Jack Stapleton from a stalker, the two pretend they're dating during Jack's visit home. Fans of The Wedding Date and T he Proposal , you know where this is going!

38. The Other Guest by Helen Cooper

Release date: July 26, 2022

Helen Cooper's latest page-turner slams together two unrelated women's lives in the aftermath of a tragedy at an Italian resort. Leah knows deep down that her niece's death was not an accidental drowning. And far away in England, a woman named Joanna knows deep down that her sexy new beau might be too good to be true. The truth is that Leah and Joanna's lives are already intertwined and on the brink of another potentially devastating collision. Not sure what to read after you binge The Other Guest ? Try picking your next book based on your zodiac sign .

39. Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

Release date: Aug. 9, 2022

What would you do if you woke up with no memory of the last two years, no phone and "stay awake" written in black ink all over your hands and arms? This is how Liv Reese finds herself in the opening pages of Stay Awake . The breathtaking thriller unfolds as Liv runs from a crime she doesn't remember committing. She does everything in her power to discover why her memories have disappeared into thin air—and who is responsible for the erasure.

40. Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst

Release date: Aug. 16, 2022

Love Under the Tuscan Sun ? You'll feel right at home following Lucy Checks In 's 49-year-old protagonist to the French countryside, where she moves to fix up and manage the storied Hotel Paradis. Of course, renovating a rickety inn can be a monumental task, so Lucy experiences more than her fair share of funny misfortunes along the way. This heartwarming women's fiction story about new beginnings brims with fresh friendships, blossoming romance and mouthwatering descriptions of French food.

41. The Housekeeper by Joy Fielding

New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding reels us in again with this riveting domestic drama . Thriving real estate agent Jodi Bishop knows her aging parents could use a helping hand at home, so she hires a housekeeper. Vibrant and warm, Elyse Woodley seems perfect for the job. But when Jodi's parents seem to deteriorate rapidly while clinging to Elyse's care more than their own daughter's, Jodi has to wonder: Is the housekeeper really there to help her family? Or is something sinister afoot?

42. Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger

Release date: Aug. 23, 2022

William Kent Krueger's latest nail-biting thriller plops readers into the Boundary Waters, where hunters have swarmed in search of a woman named Dolores Morriseau. She herself seeks a haven with a local Ojibwe healer. Told from multiple perspectives, the book weaves together drama, mystery and masterful Native American storytelling .

43. Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Release date: Aug. 30, 2022

Here's one for the sports fans, the athletes and anyone who knows what it's like to put everything on the line for ambition. Taylor Jenkins Reid's beloved tennis hero Carrie Soto is back. This time, she's decided to leave her early retirement and take a stab at one more win. But of course, the world of sports moves quickly. At the age of 37, can Carrie pull off another triumph? With themes of ambition, sacrifice and self-doubt, plus a sizzle of romance, this book deserves a spot on your 2022 must-read list.

44. Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

Other Birds invites readers to dip their toes into magical realism with the story of the Dellawisp, a building inhabited by quirky people haunted by personal secrets and longings—and ghosts. There's Zoey, who's trying to connect with her late mother in the apartment she once owned. There's the isolated chef. A famed writer. A mystery girl who's running from something—or someone. Here, Sarah Addison Allen offers a beautiful, lyrical story about love, friendship and found family—an ideal book club book that'll give you plenty of things to discuss with the group.

45. The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe

Release date: Sept. 13, 2022

Enemies to lovers. Second chances. Bookish characters. All find a place on the pages of Jenny L. Howe's The Make-Up Test , a deliciously swoony story of academic rivals. When a family emergency forces Allison Avery and Colin Benjamin on a weekend road trip together, they realize just how much chemistry their brains and bodies have together. But with hearts and a coveted job position on the line, is choosing love worth the risk? Don't miss the steamy Scrabble scene as you read to find out.

46. Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

Release date: Oct. 11, 2022

One of the year's most anticipated new books to read , Sophie Cousens's latest romance tackles an age-old question: How do you know if someone is "the one"? It's the night before Audrey's wedding. Her relationship with Josh has been solid and steady, but a tiny bit of her wonders if she might be settling. So when Fred, a one-time fling, appears at the rehearsal dinner, Audrey's alarm bells sound at full volume. Should she go for stability or sparks? Is she about to make the biggest mistake of her life—or is this simply one last test of a love that's meant to last forever?

47. No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child

Release date: Oct. 25, 2022

Jack Reacher is back! The 27th book of the highly acclaimed thriller series opens with Reacher discovering a purported suicide that he suspects is a murder. As with all books in this series, the plot thickens with additions of global conspiracies, complicated intrigue and supervillains reminiscent of James Bond. If you're only familiar with the Jack Reacher played on screen by Tom Cruise, this book offers a great starting point for reading the whole series.

48. Racing the Light by Robert Crais

Release date: Nov. 1, 2022

Fancy a romp through crime noir? Then add Racing the Light to your preorder list. This devilishly delightful story follows private eyes Elvis Cole and Joe Pike into the underworld of Los Angeles, where porn stars, secret agents and shady politicians punctuate their path to solving the case of a missing man. True crime connoisseurs and comedy buffs alike will want to snag a copy of this rollicking page-turner.

49. The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

Release date: Dec. 6, 2022

"Magic, love, destiny and illusion combine with the glitter of 20th-century circus life and the heartbreak of war," writes Kristen Harmel, author of The Book of Lost Names. In Amita Parikh's The Circus Train , mid-20th-century Europe serves as the backdrop for a traveling circus aboard an elite luxury train. As the tragedy of the Holocaust unfolds around the train, disabled illusionist Lena Papadopoulos must dig deep to find her true calling, discover the magic of the real world and learn that love prevails over all. Next, check out these book recommendations based on fan favorite TV shows .

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Do You Know These Films Based on Great Biographies?

By J. D. Biersdorfer April 22, 2024

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Welcome to Great Adaptations, the Book Review’s regular multiple-choice quiz about literature that has gone on to find new life in the form of movies, television shows, theatrical productions and other formats. This week’s quiz highlights films that were adapted from the biographies or autobiographies of their notable subjects.

Just tap or click your answers to the five questions below. And scroll down after you finish the last question for links to the books and their screen adaptations.

“Oppenheimer,” a film about the man who was instrumental in developing the first nuclear weapons for the United States, won seven Academy Awards earlier this year. The film’s screenplay was adapted from a 2005 biography by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. What was the main title of the book?

“American Prometheus”

“Burning the Sky”

“A Wing and a Prayer”

The 1972 film “Lady Sings the Blues” was loosely based on which singer’s 1956 autobiography?

Ella Fitzgerald

Bessie Smith

Billie Holiday

Mildred Bailey

“Alan Turing: The Enigma” is Andrew Hodges’ 1983 biography of the gay British mathematician who helped the Allies decipher encrypted Nazi messages during World War II, but was later punished for his sexuality. What was the name of the 2014 film based on the book?

“The Turing Test”

“The Code Breaker”

“The Imitation Game”

“Julie & Julia” is a 2009 film about the chef Julia Child and the blogger Julie Powell, who tried to make all the recipes from one of Child’s cookbooks years later. The screenplay was based on two different books, Powell’s 2005 memoir about the project (and source of the movie’s name) and Julia Child’s posthumously published 2006 autobiography. What was that book’s title?

“Blood, Bones and Butter”

“My Life in France”

“Kitchen Confidential”

“A Year in Provence”

After reading Louis Fischer’s 1950 biography of this global figure, the film director Richard Attenborough spent years trying to make a film about that person’s life. The picture was finally released in 1982 and won eight Academy Awards. Who was the subject of the movie?

Harriet Tubman

J. Edgar Hoover

Mahatma Gandhi

Frida Kahlo

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