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2022 Top Book Picks

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Favorites of 2022

Econogal’s 2022 Top Book Picks offer personal favorites from the past year. Just in time for the last minute holiday gift shopping. Most are recent releases but a few have releases as far back as 2000. I have divided the lists into three categories this year, fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.

It is always a tough decision on which books make the list. So, the 2022 Top Book Picks include nine in each section of adult reading material with a slightly shorter list of children’s books.

The genres range from futuristic to crime for the novels. And the non-fiction is just as eclectic with entries from self-help to economic thought. My new list of children’s books includes board books.

2022 Top Book Picks of Non-Fiction

I misremembered reading more non-fiction as one of my New Year’s Resolutions. Must have been from a prior year. Nonetheless, more of my reading in 2022 was non-fiction. Many of the books centered on home organization but the top three were critiques or reflections on the world around us. You can click on each title to link to my reviews.

  1. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
  2. Keeping At It by Paul Volcker and Christine Harper
  3. Reflections on a Life in Exile by J.F. Riordan
  4. Lose The Clutter Lose The Weight by Peter Walsh
  5. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
  6. Understandable Economics: Because Understanding Our Economy is Easier Than You Think and More Important Than You Know by Howard Yaruss
  7. Freeze Fresh: The Ultimate Guide to Preserving 55 Fruits and Vegetables by Crystal Schmidt
  8. Hobby Farm- Living Your Rural Dream for Pleasure and Profit by Carol Ekarius
  9. Vail-Triumph of a Dream by Peter W. Seibert with William Oscar Johnson

Fiction: 2022 Top Book Picks

The fictional entries are always hard to pare down and this year is no exception. In fact, several of my favorite authors have been left off. But I think it is important to keep the list manageable.

  1. We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker
  2. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
  3. The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger
  4. The Fields by Erin Young
  5. You Have To Make Your Own Fun Around Here by Frances Macken
  6. Upgrade by Blake Crouch
  7. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
  8. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
  9. Daylight by David Baldacci

New List in 2022: Children’s Books

The 2022 Top Book Picks includes a listing of this year’s favorite children’s books. With three grandkids, more time will be spent reading storybooks.

  1. How To Babysit A Grandma by Jean Reagan with illustrations by Lee Wildesh
  2. Winter’s Gift by Jane Monroe Donovan
  3. Chairs on Strike by Jennifer Jones
  4. Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse by Judy Schachner
  5. If a Horse Had Words by Kelly Cooper
  6. Santa’s Underwear by Marty Rhodes Figley with illustrations by Marty Kelley
  7. If Animals Trick-or-Treated by Ann Whitford Paul with Illustrations by David Walker
  8. Snowmen at Halloween by Carolyn M. Buehner with illustrations by Mark Buehner

Books as Gifts

Since books make great gifts, the end of the year compilation is handy. 2022 Top Book Picks is an eclectic mix of books. Just fitting for readers of the Econogal blog. Remember you can link to each review by clicking on the highlighted title. Happy shopping!

You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here Book Review

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First Time Author

Frances Macken’s debut novel You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here is a coming of age story. And a bit more. Friendships, families and a mysterious disappearance pull the reader along.

The novel begins and ends in Glenbuff, Ireland. Sandwiched in between this rural setting is an important stint in Dublin for the main character, Katie. But is that all there is to the world?

Protagonist

Complex, altering between secure and insecure, mature and immature, loyal and disloyal best describes Katie. Her tight knit group of friends extends to two cousins, Evelyn and Maeve. One rich and one poor. And a pair of brothers. On the fringes is the girl gone missing.

Katie makes new friends and acquaintances in Dublin as she completes school and starts out in life. Or at least she tries to make a go of things.

Family is also a key component of Katie’s life. Parents and a younger brother influence her decision-making. Sometimes, they make the decision for her as they prod her through life. Letting go is a hard part of parenting.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the author’s character development is the accuracy of how people interrelate. Macken involves the reader as if a bystander. Present but unable to interfere. Just watching as Katie develops into an independent thinker.

You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here

The title alludes to the rural life of Glenbuff. Furthermore, the idea transfers across boundaries and borders. Cities come complete with their attractions in place for discovery, but the rural areas of the world rely on imagination. Another level exists besides physical location. Growth and maturity are not guarantees. Perhaps this is easier to see in a small town.

Frances Macken wrote You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here in first person. As an American, I struggled at first with the dialogue. Yet Macken’s writing is so profound the extra effort is well worth it. Katie’s inner struggles are so relatable, and so meaningful.

I highly recommend this debut novel. Hopefully Macken is working on her next release. This book is a winner and book clubs, classrooms and bedside tables are all better with a copy from this new author.