Here are my favorite books of 2022! (They may not have been published in 2022. My only criterion for inclusion is that I finished reading them in 2022 and loved them, aka 5/5 on Goodreads.)
Fiction:
The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis. Loved loved loved. Great example of a strong female character struggling with her own demons. I haven't seen the TV adaptation, so can't compare.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I attended the Arts & Letters Live event at SMU sometime ago and didn't get around to read the book for a while. It is great. Also shows how to do close 3rd person POV effectively.
Mohawk by Richard Russo. I love Richard Russo for his close 3rd person POV and his description of academia in a previous book. This book was also great.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I watched part of the TV adaptation on a transatlantic trip and didn't care for it, but then I read the book and wow! what a page turner.
Nonfiction:
A Life of Picasso: The Minotaur Years (1933-1943) by John Richardson. Hardcover book with high-quality reproductions of the art and great scholarship on the subject. It makes me sad to think Richardson died before completing his multi-volume biography of Picasso. I am not a big Picasso fan because of how he treated his women, but Richardson does great justice to the man's genius.
Calder: The Conquest of Time: The Early Years (1898-1940) by Jed Perl. That is another book along the lines of "Hardcover book with high-quality reproductions of the art and great scholarship on the subject." I liked that Calder was initially an engineering student, and maybe it shows in his art later. I also liked how he had many artistic talents.
The Unquiet Ghost by Adam Hochschild. The Soviet Union... Stalin... Possibly a future project of mine.
Frida, by Hayden Ferraro. My late aunt loved Frida Kahlo before it was fashionable. I loved reading more about her and feeling closer to my aunt in better understanding her tastes. I also have that book in Spanish. That's on my to-read list for 2023.
Lessons from the Edge by Marie Yovanovitch I read that book when I was in Portland, Oregon for a weekend. It was a page-turner, well-written and truly inspirational. I recommend it for anyone who seeks a memoir by a strong female character who lives her life on her own terms and dedicated herself to public service.
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. Russia! Short stories! A phenomenal teacher! It was like getting a master class by an expert in his field.
Passion by Design: The Art and Times of Tamara de Lempicka, by Kizette de Lempicka-Foxhall. I wish I could have gone to San Diego to see the Lempicka musical at the La Jolla playhouse this summer but my schedule didn't allow me to. Next best thing: I read this book. A fascinating woman.
Patti LuPone: A Memoir, by Patti LuPone. I took a trip to New York City, saw a play or a musical just about every night, and stumbled upon this biography in a local bookstore. Spellbinding, accessible for a lay audience while being insightful for musical professionals too.
The Secret Life of the American Musical, by Jack Viertel. I am more of a straight-play rather than musical-play person, but after reading the LuPone biography and seeing "Into the Woods" on Broadway, I decided to learn more about the medium (I may use it for a future project of mine). This book by Jack Viertel was exceptional in dissecting what makes a (successful) musical compelling for the audience. This was also interesting for me because I like to read cross-genre craft books in case I can glean lessons for my novels. This book is a must read for anyone who cares about musical theatre.
The Best American Essays 2022, edited by Alexander Chee. The "Best American..." collection can be hit or miss for me, depending on the year, but this was a bull's eye hit.
Screenwriting is Rewriting, by Jack Epps, Jr. Another example of a craft book in a different genre that provided good transferrable advice to novel-writing.
The Best American Travel Writing 2020, edited by Jason Wilson. I think I bought it when I was in Colorado. Perfect to satisfy my wanderlust vicariously.
Louise Nevelson: Light and Shadow by Laurie Wilson. A very good biography of an atypical woman artist who lived her life on her own terms. Quite obvious why I liked this book.
Sam Shepard: A Life, by John Winters. I thought I had finished reading this book in 2021 but I forgot to enter it on Goodreads and now I don't remember if I finished it in late 2021 or early 2022. So, here it is! Very well written. Gives genuine insights into Shepard the person while describing his plays. Every biography should aim at achieving a similar mix.
Nureyev: The Life, by Julie Kavanagh. It is a bit too long (900 pages) but it is still a good read.
The Director's Voice: Twenty-One Interviews by Arthur Bartow. Read my previous post about that one. Loved every page of it.
Directing in Musical Theatre: An Essential Guide by Joe Deer. For a potential future project of mine. A really good book with excellent advice, worth its paperback price.
Acting the Song: Performance Skills for the Musical Theatre by Tracey Moore. For that same potential future project of mine. A great recommendation for musical theater performers.
How Musicals Work, and How to Write Your Own, by Julian Woolford. For that same potential future project of mine. Outstanding.
Plays:
The Collaboration by Anthony McCarten. That Warhol-Basquiat play that everyone is talking about in New York right now.
Vanities: The Musical, by Jack Hefner. Spot-on Dallas play from a few years back.
Total: twenty-five books! I read a lot more than that in 2022 but it is nice to see I averaged over two great books a month. I pick my books well, and I have some more fantastic books to read in 2023!
