Fiction I Read in 2022

I read several works of fiction in 2022. Many of the works of fiction I read in 2022 were e-books, so they aren't included in the above photo. I've been working my way through my to-be-read piles, so some of these books are ones from those piles and therefore might seem a bit dated. I still tried to give each book an honest assessment.

 My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood is an easy to read short story that examines the relationship of mothers and daughters from the daughter's point of view. The daughter feels alienated from the mother because of the mother's dabbling with what appears to be wicca. As the daughter matures and finds out some of the things the mother told her were untrue, she begins to doubt the power she believed her mother held. Anyone with a complicated relationship with their mother might find something to enjoy in this story. Overall, My Evil Mother is a quick and rather fun read.

 Sentimental Journey: The Cabin of Love & Magic: Book 3 by Joanne Pence is the third book in her Cabin of Love & Magic trilogy. The book was an interesting and fun read offering me a break from some of my more serious reading this month.  Julia, the oldest of the three sisters, comes to the cabin after suffering some professional setbacks. She finds more history about the cabin and its ghosts as well as learning about her own history and gaining insights into her guarded nature. In the process, she begins to believe she can love someone and trust herself in a relationship.

 This Can't be Love: The Cabin Trilogy: Book 2 by Joanne Pence was the lighthearted read I needed toward the end of the month. I needed something that carried me along and didn't require me to think too much. The characters were fun to get to know and I fell hard for the cat that kept appearing at  the cabin. While parts of the book were what I think of as typical romance, Pence's play with the tropes was fun. The deeper issue of the characters' insecurities hit me hard a few times as Pence's insights made them come alive. For anyone who enjoys a love story with a hint of a ghost story, This Can't Be Love is a quick but enjoyable read. 

 Dangerous Journey by Joanne Pence is an ebook that I've had for quite a while and just got around to reading. It's a love story with the usual twists and turns of a romance but also with enough of a unique touch to keep me interested. With a dash of humor, a dash of adventure, a dash of family dynamics, a dash of insecurity and then another, a dash of romance, and a dash of crime, Dangerous Journey fits a lot into a quick, easy, and fun read that also reminded me why romances often get on my nerves. Yet, I must admit I rather enjoyed it for a light read that didn't require me to think all that hard.

 Bear Witness by Mary Gaitskill (part of Out of Line Collection) took a journey that felt a jarring in the way Gaitskill explored the different points of view she presented in the short story. The storyline was interesting but none of the characters were easy to like. There was a feeling that something was going to happen that quite seemed to materialize. 

 Halfway to Free by Emma Donoghue (part of Out of Line Collection) still gives me chills just thinking about it. A story of haves and have nots and those who want to control others is hard to fathom especially when presented as a potential solution to a real problem. But like the characters in the book I question just how much of a solution that would be and how much of it would just be about controlling people.

 The Contractors by Lisa Ko (part of Out of Line Collection) put me on edge from the first page. Ko really makes the reader wonder what is going to come of the two characters with the same name working for the same company but in different countries. Ko brings to the forefront the dreams of each, the differences in their lives, their misunderstandings of each other in a way that is both frightening and enlightening. This story made me think beyond the lives of the main characters to the people doing the kind of job they're doing and why those jobs are necessary. It made me wonder what the solution is.

 Sweet Virginia by Carline Kepnes (part of Out of Line Collection) pulls the reader into Shelby's struggles to live up the the expectations she thinks others have of her even as she inwardly resists everything. I felt like she was dealing with a deep depression that no one around her had the insight to see. I'm not sure that was the author's intent, but it was how I felt as I read the story.

 Graceful Burdens by Roxanne Gay (part of Out of Line Collection) describes a future where both women and men must meet certain criteria to become parents and where babies can be checked out of a library. She details one woman's experience with this society and her struggle with it as she learns everything is not quite as it seems. It was a gripping and disturbing read.

 This Telling by Cheryl Strayed (part of Out of Line Collection) is a simple but emotional story of family secrets and the pain of suppressing part of one's life and one's self. It is a reminder our histories are always a part of us no matter how much we deny it. In this story of an unwanted pregnancy and the effect it has on the young mother with the decisions she must make and how she must face the decisions thrust upon her by society, Strayed reminds us of the importance of bodily autonomy and pain of societal judgment in a story that covers a lifetime in only 32 pages.

 If I Loved You by Joanne Pence is a quick, fun, lighthearted fun read. I needed a break from the heavier stuff I've been reading lately, so I finally decided to read If I Loved You. While there were a few inconsistencies in the book, I still enjoyed reading it. In a way, its predictability made it all the more enjoyable, and the little twists Pence slid into the plot were a fun departure from the expected. Overall, I enjoyed the story of two people getting to know one another and finding a deep connection to each other. The ghosts pushing people toward love were an interesting touch. I am looking forward to reading the other two in the trilogy. I hope they involve the other two sisters but also let us connect with Carly and Alex again in some small way. In full disclosure, the author gifted me a copy of the book some time ago. 

 Red, White, and Dead by Lonnie L. Willis surprised me. I admit this is another book I kept moving down in my to-be-read file for myriad reasons. When I got there this time, I started reading. The story was much better than I expected. Perhaps, in part, because it reminded me of my time living in Boise, Idaho. But Willis also explores the intersection between religion and white supremacy in an interesting way. Told through the point of view of a private investigator, Clayton James, the story takes shape when he's hired to protect the sister of a teenager who has become involved with the white supremist group. There's more depth and more nuance than I expected in the telling of the story. While there were a few frustrating moments in the reading, overall I enjoyed the book.

 Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee sat in my to-be-read pile for years. I bought it off the remainders table in a bookstore several years ago. I kept moving it down in the pile because it always seemed like there was something more appealing. Finally, when I reached it this time, I decided to read it. I liked it more than I expected to even though I found the main character very frustrating and wondered about some of the other characters. The story kept me interested, but I didn't feel like the main character really gained much insight into herself. I found many of the characters intriguing and the look into Korean-American culture was interesting and enlightening. I read the ending a few times trying to figure out why it felt a bit anti-climatic and frustrating.

 It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis was a difficult read in many ways though it was an interesting book overall. The first few chapters offered a slow build reminding me how much writing styles have changed. Lewis examines a way it could happen here, but I have to admit I found it hard to believe it could happen as easily as it did in this book though another part of me wonders if that's just wishful thinking. For those who don't know, "it" is fascism, and "here" is the United States in this book. Lewis details how the people's desires can be used against them to achieve political means. Parts of the books seem predictive, and parts of the book seem unrealistic. While It Can't Happen Here is clearly fiction, Lewis reminds us all that the way it can't happen is here if we don't let it happen here. It Can't Happen Here definitely reads like a cautionary tale and not a book written solely for entertainment. I found it heavy but interesting. While I'm glad I read it and think it is worth reading, I would caution against reading it solely for entertainment.

 The Hemingway Stories by Ernest Hemingway is a collection of Hemingway's stories that are approachable, entertaining, and relatable than I expected. Hemingway often tackles topics I find hard to read about and doesn't shy away from violence and cruelty. As is usual with collections, some stories were easier reads than others. All the stories speak to the time in which Hemingway lived and often use language that feels a bit cringeworthy. Sometimes its important to understand where we came from to understand where we are. Overall, I would recommend this collection of short stories.

The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright feels like a simple story but holds an undercurrent of complexity. My parents bought this book for me as as gift when they vacationed in Branson, Missouri several years ago. I had shifted it around in my to-be-read pile for several years. When it made its way to the top this time, I finally decided to read it. I wasn't very excited about starting it, so I was surprised when the story drew me in and I started care about some of the characters, relate to emotions felt, and wonder about motivations. I wanted to help those who needed help, cheer on those who were kind, and condemn those who were mean. It is a sweet story with a dash of violence that offers lessons about secrets, honesty, and shedding expectations. (This book is available on Amazon, but I didn't provide a link because the version I have isn't listed there, and I'm not sure which one would be closest to it.)

 The Da Vinci Cook by Joanne Pence is a typical Angie Amalfi story complete with a dash of humor combined with a dash of danger. Angie makes rash decisions that puts both herself and her sister in danger. Detective Paavo Smith must deal with Angie's family in San Francisco, California while Angie and her sister, Cat, traipse over Rome, Italy chasing a religious relic to prove Cat didn't commit a crime for which she was framed.

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