7 Great Novels I Read in 2022 (Part 2)

Continuing my mid-year idea of sharing all my four- and five-star reads, here are seven more novels that fit the criteria from the second half of 2022. (By the way, several of these reads came from Book of the Month Club. If you’re curious, you can check out what’s inside my current box, as well as my seven reasons to join the club. I don’t think you’d regret it!)

Mystery/Thriller

AJ Finn’s The Woman in the Window was the best thriller I had read in a while! Most books I read in this genre feel like simple escapism, entertaining for an afternoon or two. This one felt sophisticated, like it was more than just empty entertainment.

There were aspects of the story that felt so shockingly familiar that I almost felt like I had read them before…. About halfway through, I realized the reason for this is because the book is a movie (starring Amy Adams), and I have watched the movie before.

I enjoyed reading about all the ways Anna made do and survived through her agoraphobia. It felt so inventive. I always like reading or watching people try to find ways to bring normalcy to a world that has turned bizarre. For example, they do this in shows like LOST (which I just re-watched) or The Walking Dead.

This is one case where my pitiful memory came in handy, though. I could not at all remember the overarching plot or what happened. And I did not guess the ending. I mean, I did guess the killer at first appearance. But said killer was not my prime or even secondary suspect for the majority of the book. And even up to the very end, I still dismissed this individual as being the one until it was just too late.

One thing I really liked about this is that, while I usually can’t clearly envision scenes while I’m reading–I just don’t have that type of mind–I could picture practically Anna’s entire house and neighborhood in great detail. (And let me tell you, I loved what I saw). I’m fairly sure I did not get those images from the movie. They just came out of my own mind and the author’s description. I was so impressed by that.

I also loved the references to old movies, some of which are favorites of mine, many more of which I look forward to watching someday.

Deanna Raybourn’s Silent on the Moor was exactly what I was in the mood for. I think it might be my favorite Lady Julia yet–I was really feeling the gothic vibe with this one. Even though I was several steps ahead of the characters the entire way through and guessed everything, I have realized that these books aren’t so much about the mystery for me. That’s more of a cherry on top. With these, what I want is the atmosphere, the characters, and the wonderful prose, and they deliver every time. Yes, I almost stopped being a Brisbane fan more than once, as some of his behavior was nigh on inexcusable. But I got over it. I knew he must have his reasons. Also, the villain in this book was deliciously creepy.

Once again I did not understand the cover on this book. I don’t know why this series insists on covers that look like cheap bodice-rippers when they are really cozy mysteries with a dash of charming, fade-to-black romance. I’m looking forward to the next. (I am reading my entire collection of Raybourn interspersed with other books so as to spread them out, and flipping back and forth between Julia and Veronica.) 

Speaking of Raybourn (whom I actually got to meet a few years back), what a fun and inventive read her Killers of a Certain Age was! Just from the first few pages, I could immediately envision it as a movie. And I can easily see it becoming one.

The premise, a departure from her usual Victorian romantic mysteries, is like if you mixed Golden Girls with Charlie’s Angels and added a whole lot of Raybourn charm and dark humor. Also, like Small Angels (which I’ll describe below), it was a great feminist read and passed the Bechdel test many times over!

The only issues I had with it were that at times I couldn’t keep the characters straight in my head. So I had to keep running over a mental checklist of who was who. That, and at times their actions seemed just a bit reckless and therefore implausible. Like, for example, when they were suddenly running around New Orleans despite having no idea where their potential assassins might be. However, these things did not cut into my enjoyment or take me out of the story much.

I did not manage to guess the ending like I usually do! That in itself is always a pleasant surprise when it happens. 

Special mention goes to Raybourn’s historical research, which is always top-notch. I almost always learn something new and intriguing from history when I read one of her books. I especially loved the scenes in the catacombs in this one. Fascinating stuff! Also, I went to New Orleans for the first time ever the weekend after I read this. So I was delighted when the characters unexpectedly ended up there! Because of this book, I learned about the secret vampire speakeasy there. As a result, I got to check it out in person.

I’ve quickly become a big Harlan Coben fan since discovering him on Netflix. Missing You is only the third of his books that I’ve read. And he absolutely knows how to keep me turning pages. I find his plot twists a lot harder to guess than those of other thriller writers.

One thing I didn’t like about this was the whole love interest thing. Much of the plot hinges on the notion that the lead character still bursts into tears over a guy who dumped her eighteen years earlier. Look, I’m divorced, and it did take me a while to get over. But it has only been twelve years since then, and I cannot begin to imagine still pining over someone who wants nothing to do with me, much less being reduced to tears by it, even at this point. But another six years from now!? I’m sorry, that concept is simply laughable. So there were big segments of the book where I was just rolling my eyes in disbelief over it.

Apart from that, though, this was a good time, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. 

Horror

Lauren Owen’s Small Angels was just about everything I could have wanted in a book. It was a hauntingly beautiful folk horror story with Grimm’s Faerie Tales vibes right from the outset that lasted straight until the end. There were a couple of moments, reading alone in my bed late at night, where I had to turn on some music because I was suddenly so uncomfortable with how still and silent it was in the room. Usually when I finish a book, I pass it on to the next person. But this might be one of the rare few that gets to stay on my shelf.

This is also what I would consider a true feminist story. Like Little Women, it’s a story about women and different kinds of love. Love for sisters, grandparents, friends, and romantic partners. The magical childhood scenes in the woods reminded me of playing with my own sister and friends as children. There are several female characters who are well-written, relatable, and sympathetic. There is even a sapphic romance that is portrayed without any ado; it just is, and no one shames their relationship or ever questions it (apart from one character who is jealous). It’s refreshing. The book even passes the Bechdel test, several times over, I believe.

The one thing that almost brought this down to four stars was that at times it could be a bit slow and repetitive. But I guess I’m feeling generous today. 

Fantasy

Magic, mystery, rebellion, and romance. I loved Gita Trelease’s All That Glitters (originally titled Enchantee) so much! Through 434 pages, I stayed enchanted and could not put it down. I just adored all of the characters and wanted to be friends with them all.

As mentioned earlier, I’m one of those people (I forget the word for it) who has trouble envisioning images in my head. But this writing was so descriptive and engaging, I felt like I could see every single thing on the page–and it was beautiful. I could see characters so clearly that I could even make out distinct voices for them in my mind! I’m just so happy I read this–it’s my favorite thing I’ve read in a long, long time. No, it wasn’t perfect. It had its issues. But I was so delighted by everything that was happening that they didn’t really bother me at all. I was so excited to read the sequel, I ordered it before I even finished the book!

Immediately after finishing Enchantee, I had to read the sequel, Everything That Burns.

In my opinion, the first book was better, but this one still held its own. The characters I loved so much from the first book felt more watered-down in this one, and their motives less clear. Also, one of my favorite characters from the first book did not reappear. I was sad about that, but would not have wanted the author to squeeze her in where she didn’t fit.

Despite this, I still found the lyrical writing enchanting. I couldn’t wait to see if they all made it safely to the end, and thoroughly enjoyed the pacing. It’s so refreshing when chapters end with characters discussing doing something or thinking about doing something and then consistently begin with them doing that thing, with no time wasted building up to it. Both books were like this.

Still, a little of the heart was gone from the first one (which definitely also works as a standalone). So I felt I needed to drop this one down to four stars.