my *FAVORITE* books i read this year!!!

[@raurvish]

Let me get comfortable because I've waited for this video for months

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Awww 😊📖✨ I hope you enjoy it!

[@toneynot]

Mood

[@robinwhg]

My favorite this year was Crime and Punishment. I was almost scared of Russian literature, thinking it was hard to read, but that wasn't the case at all. It was very easy to read, but the story and the characters were so complex. The pacing was also on point. The only thing that's a downside as a non Russian is remembering the names and all variations of them.

[@toliyeptho3313]

Well said... Remembering the names is such a Chaos

[@PunchlineEverytime]

Crime and Punishment is on my to-read list this year! I've heard so many people say what you did about it being more accessible than you thought it'd be. I really enjoyed The Idiot, so I think I'll like this one, too.

[@geegee6752]

You do really sound/look like someone who would be telling stories to children. Also, can I just say your voice is so calming and your aura is welcoming. Thank you for sharing your list with us!

[@cassiopeiathew7406]

I just started reading as a hobby this year and seeing channels like this have been great motivators for continuing to read. I read… -Dracula (Bram Stoker) -The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath) -The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) -The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton) -The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) -Thousand Cranes (Yasunari Kawabata) -Moby-Dick (Herman Melville) -Gorgias (Plato) -Orlando (Virginia Woolf) -Play It As It Lays (Joan Didion) -The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka) -The Turn of The Screw (Henry James) -In The Net (Hawad) -For Bread Alone (Mohamed Choukri) -Crime And Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky) (Honorable Mention to Cane by Jean Toomer which I got halfway through but decided to shelve and finish later) I didn’t read a ton of books but I really love reading and I enjoyed what I did get to. If you got this far Happy Holidays!!

[@Sarah.reads.sometimes]

I read Dracula this year! It along with The Song of Achilles were my 2 favorites. I’m so glad I decided to dive into it because I fell in love with it.

[@ClassicsandChristianity]

I read Dracula this summer and really enjoyed it!!

[@wastwa8043]

Wow, what a great collection of books you've read! I also read two books from your list this year. Dracula (Bram Stoker) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) Dracula is a top book because of its epistolary style and constant action. Portrait of Dorian is wonderful with Lord Henry's statements very hilarious.

[@cito2820]

incredible list. gorgias is great!!!!

[@MsLadybug1974]

My favorite read of 2022 was "The Count of Monte Cristo". I also read three books by Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day, An Artist of the Floating World, and A Pale View of Hills) I really liked his books especially "The Remains of the Day". I started "War and Peace" last year but am still reading it.

[@truwth]

Ishigura is the master of mood. I don't know how he does it. His plots are so minimal, nothing significant ever seems to happen, yet his writing puts me in a place that no other writer does. He's so good.

[@sophieeliot]

Thank you for posting today, i was having a pretty stressful day. Your videos are always so relaxing

[@CarolynMarieReads]

So sorry to hear you had a stressful day! I hope this video can make it a little brighter! 📖✨

[@ha_limabeanz]

this year was the year where i found out about you and emma and began watching your guys's videos religiously, i'd wake up to watch your videos and they'd make going to school or wherever much more bearable and id look forward to it so much!! so really you guys have been my favourite thing this year. thank you 🤍🤍🤍

[@peachyb6528]

Andre Acíman writes such beautiful prose - you described his writing perfectly! I’ve been working on reading all of his works since I picked up and loved Call Me By Your Name. Homo Irrealis is on my list for 2023!

[@LeaReads]

My Best Books of 2022 - Honorable Mentions: Room with a View, All Quiet on the Western Front - Noteworthy (new-to-me) author: Erich Maria Remarque (read three amazing books by him!) - Best Fantasy book: LOTR - Two Towers (just started Return of the King though!) - Best Classic book: Brother's Karamazov!

[@peachyb6528]

I am going ahead and buying a copy of Never Let Me Go, I have no idea what to expect, I only have your RAVE review to go on 😂

[@Floridiansince94]

I adored The Tale of Despereaux! I read it as an adult and it truly grabbed me ! She is exceptionally talent

[@ewelinahernon6556]

I cried everytime you mentioned Emma. I always find your friendship extremely moving 😝

[@jamesduggan7200]

Yes, it is inspiring. I especially liked when they had their book club and the five of them could never agree on any novel, except for the ones they all disliked. It seemed like a surprise revelation to them, as it was to me too!

[@alljoy6541]

Such a beautiful book collection. I will definitely get some of them. Happy reading. I also love reading children's books, I think I appreciate it more now as an adult, especially the illustrations, I got The tale of Peter the rabbit, Beatrix Potter, ja , wow Big love to you.

[@01Elvi]

yess to Homo Irrealis!! I also dove into Rohmer's filmography after reading Aciman write so beautifully about it and i'm so glad i did!

[@EricKarlAnderson]

This was lovely. So glad you’ve discovered Kawakami. 📚 Happy holidays!

[@zoroastrianism-love]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, You introduced me to Fredrick Blackman so grateful to you. Be Blessed My Friend

[@Al-ho1oo]

I love your videos and reviews, you radiate such a positive and relaxing energy!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Aw I’m so glad! Thank you 😊

[@Al-ho1oo]

@@CarolynMarieReads you are welcome! Thank you for making these videos

[@verucasalt4535]

I read Gone with the Wind in 2022 and it was so good, I highly recommend it. I hadn't seen the movie first so I had no idea what it was about. I watched the movie after and it was gorgeous! I'm so glad you're reading GoT! Clash of Kings is my favorite of the series. I'm waiting for the series to be completed (ha ha) to get a very nice box set of the series. The copies I purchased are used and are almost falling apart.

[@madara5352]

Your videos helped me get out of 2 years long reading slump. Thank you! Here is my list: - Honorable Mentions: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - Noteworthy (old-to-me) authors: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Agatha Christie - Noteworthy (new-to-me) authors: Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Franz Kafka, Taylor Jenkins Reid - Favorite short story: Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker - Favorite re-read: Dracula, Winnie-the-Pooh, Anne of Green Gables, Animal Farm - Best Children's book: Alice in Wonderland - Best Fantasy book: The Hobbit - Best Classic book: Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu - Best Contemporary/Literary Fiction book: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

[@jamesduggan7200]

We have similar taste!

[@stews9]

Infectious enthusiasm, sharp insights, and lovely passages read well. Great round-up video, Carolyn.

[@literaryfireflies5470]

Carolyn I wanted to tell you that I just finished reading Breasts and Eggs upon your recommendation in this video and it was great! I discovered so many prolific contemporary Japanese authors spanning different genres this year (e.g., Keigo Higashino, Sayaka Murata, Murakami) and am excited to add Mieko Kawakami to the list. I think there is something so visually arresting and intimate about the way they utilize language (also many kudos to the translators of course) that I viscerally feel very grounded to the narratives. Through these stories, I am transported to the busy intersections of Tokyo during rush hour or a sweltering July afternoon in Osaka, without ever having stepped foot into Japan. Thank you for taking the time to share your favorites and cheers to 2023!

[@artemis2520]

Willow is so precious... my 13 year old Cocker Spaniel passed away a month ago and I miss him so much, it has been a very sad month. Happy holidays Carolyn, and thank you and Willow for making Christmas Eve just a bit brighter for me this year!

[@zacharyroussie4746]

Before I give my list, I wanna say that channels like this one really mean a lot to me in terms of helping me to expand my taste in lit and be motivated to try and become a better reader Best read of the year for me is gonna be the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer really does deserve his place as being one of the greatest figures in classic lit. Other highlights include: Friedrich Dürrenmatt- The Inspector Barlach Mysteries Mark Twain- Huckleberry Finn Franz Kafka- The Metamorphosis (re-read) Frank Herbert- Dune And non-fiction highlights are Drew Gilpin Faust- Mothers of Invention Jackson Lears- Rebirth of a Nation Robert Elder- Calhoun Max Weber- The Vocational Lectures Albert Camus- The Myth of Sisyphus Eric Hobsbawm- The long nineteenth century trilogy

[@newtocamelot]

“A required read for existence.” Perfect way to describe Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. 👌🏼 Stoic philosophy has gotten me through tough times.

[@Pursuitsofmybookishheart]

I put a pot of soup on the stove to cook, I have my knitting ready to get going, I am so looking forward to spending the next twenty minutes in good company ❤️

[@lanna8380]

I love your intelligent videos. I especially love that you mentioned Eric Rohmer's films. It's great that you were a great team with EMMIE. I hope she might enjoy Rohmer's films with you someday.

[@dustinthompson764]

".....she must tell the truth, for better or worse." OMG can you imagine? lol adorable

[@elenavezzulli7789]

My Best Books of 2022 - The Book that made me laugh the most: An uncommon reader - Favorite short story: Our souls at night - Favorite re-read: The little prince - Best Non-fiction: Meditationes - Best Contemporary/Literary Fiction book:The case Alaska Sanders Thank you for all the love that you express! You are always so smiling! Happy holidays ❤

[@aIparica]

I'm reading Klara and the Sun because of you! I am only a few pages in but I already feel so soft reading it. I also read Nocturnes before that because I was so interested in its theme and cover when you showed it on your Ishiguro vlog. I'm surely gonna read Never Let Me Go! How enthusiastic you are tryin to convince us to read it makes me wanna start reading it right now! Thank you for introducing Kazuo Ishiguro to me, I love you so much. 🫂🫂🫂

[@yomu_jikan]

I just cried at the end😭😭😭 Thank you so much for sharing, for "rambling", for just what you are❤️

[@94blackbelt]

Carolyn! I'm so glad you enjoyed Steinbeck--my favorite author! Please do read East of Eden and/or The Grapes of Wrath in 2023, but I also strongly suggest two lesser known works; In Dubious Battle, and Once There Was a War. In Dubious Battle was written very early in his career, and it shows. The writing isn't as...smooth, as polished, as his later works, but it works with the novel--it's kind of a precursor to The Grapes of Wrath, following strikers trying to organize laborers. It's probably my favorite of his works. And Once There Was a War is a nonfiction compendium of his war correspondent stories. They run the gamut from funny to sad, inspiring to depressing. Everyone knows Steinbeck for his fiction chops, but he's a very talented nonfiction author as well (honorable mention to Travels with Charley).

[@mishelly]

Ok I was going to do a simple best of 2022- but I may use your prompts! Your a favorite creator of the year I watch! Thank you for your existence! 🤣

[@ewelinahernon6556]

My Best Books of 2022 - Honorable Mentions: - Noteworthy (old-to-me) author: Shakespeare & Tove Jansson - Noteworthy (new-to-me) author: Angela Carter - The Book that made me laugh the most: The Pickwick Papers - Favorite short story: A Haunted House and Other Stories by Virginia Woolf (pretty much the entire collection) - Favorite re-read: Macbeth, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre & Harry Potter - Best Non-fiction: The Brontë's: Romantic Passion and Social Justice - Best Children's book: The Moomins Series (especially Moominland Midwinter and Moominvalley in November) - Best Middle-grade book: Anne of Green Gables (Is it Middle-grade?) - Best Young Adult book: The 4th Volume of Heartstopper - Best Fantasy book: A Game of Thrones - Best Classic book: To The Lighthouse and 100 Years of Solitude - Best Contemporary/Literary Fiction book: N/A

[@deborahstewart404]

I’m glad to hear that you are considering reading East of Eden in 2023. I love Steinbeck, but East of Eden is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It remains at the top of my best ever list.

[@barbaralemon4170]

I just ordered Anxious People ! Can’t wait to start reading this author! I love your recommendations! You’re a gem.

[@goster4070]

Have fun reading that book! I think I was only a few pages in before I went to my GoodReads account and gave it 5 stars, because I loved the style so much.

[@andrewlink2327]

I totally agree about Backman: I love the humour too and he makes me laugh. One of my favourite authors that I have discovered this year. I can also relate to feeling like a outcast: I have always felt like I don’t fit in. Enjoy Christmas and thanks so much for your wonderful content.

[@suzannebousquet2710]

Your channel is a highlight!! Happy Holidays! 🎄🎅📚

[@denisefreitas6727]

Great books indeed, Carolyn. Oh! I love Kate DiCamillo too! Love her writing! I need to read Fredrik Bachman! Happy holidays, lovely! 💖🎄✨

[@__rishikasingh]

Ahh what a beautiful , peaceful surprise! ❤️😘

[@CarolynMarieReads]

🥰

[@Raisedbywolves1520]

Watching this while I am very sick and can't sleep and you give me calm vibes even if I feel so bad

[@Noa-cc9ur]

I'm leaning towards Heidi. It was just magical! exactly what I needed when I read it.

[@jamesduggan7200]

So much there hard to know on what to comment but I"ll go with the Truth Pixie and it's lyrical rhyme. Altho I'm not familiar with it specifically I feel that when adults read children's books for meter and rhyme often they discover how difficult it is to reproduce in mainstream writing. Possibly it's less a phenomenon than simply the reality of brevity versus density, because like the experience of childhood itself the music of the literature is very short and very sweet. Thx Carolyn, I've enjoyed very much being a subscriber to your BookTube channel, and I'm hoping, even expecting continued excellence in the coming year.

[@martasgreatlibrary]

Carolyn stop looking at the future!!! That concept is a very human thought the Trafalmadorians would not like to see you do that xD Now getting serious, here are my Best Books of 2022 - Honorable Mentions: (skipping this prompt because i need to film a video properly discussing my faves) - Noteworthy (old-to-me) author: Annie Ernaux - Noteworthy (new-to-me) author: George Saunders - The Book that made me laugh the most: Four Roses for Lucienne by Roland Topor - Favorite short story: Le Horla by Guy de Maupassant - Favorite re-read: Jane Eyre - Best Non-fiction: Death by Landscape by Elvia Wilk - Best Children's book: haven't read any - Best Middle-grade book: haven't read any - Best Young Adult book: haven't read any - Best Fantasy book: Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (although is more like syfy but-) - Best Classic book: The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Armin - Best Contemporary/Literary Fiction book: Trascendent Kingom by Yaa Ngasi Also, you really make me want to read never let me go !!!!!!

[@jamesduggan7200]

Here's to you, Billy Pilgram!

Anxious People surprised me with how much I enjoyed it! I had never read anything by Frederik Backman, but after reading this one, I definitely want to check out more of his work.

[@ymiladi100]

I love you carolyn❤️ thank you for your existence

[@miyeeh]

I kept reading the Elena Ferrante series, I love the story of My Brilliant Friend and they were some of my favorite books of 2022

[@anajordan42]

I love when you take the time to read a section for us. I also love Fredrick backman but I’m so scared to read everyday the way home because i know its gunna make me SOB! Just the introduction u read alone had me crying

[@ravenliseofcelador]

Hey Carolyn! This comment is a bit late in the new year, but I wanted to share how lovely my reading year was in 2022. I got heavy into Neil Gaiman. I read American Gods, Good Omens, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. As each one of these stories are so complex and surreal and mythical in their own universes, The Ocean at the End of the Lane shattered me. Such a gorgeous story that just brought me to anger and tears and some sweet chuckles. Man. So rough and it brought me back to a place in my childhood when I would walk in the woods near my home and climb over hills and under fences to get to that little quiet fantasy world where I picked flowers to press in my sketchbook. Omg. It was so touching. Have you read those three from Gaiman? I would love to know your adventures with his writings. You seem to really enjoy his stories. Hope 2023 continues to motivate you with your reading and drawings! Happy (belated) new year. 💙❤💜

[@laurakuhlmann1626]

Never Let Me Go broke me. I don't usually cry after reading books. This one hit. Hard. My favorite this year was "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" -- highly recommend it

[@theodorapantelich2535]

Always love this video!! Here's my list of favourites for this year: My Best Books of 2022 - Honorable Mentions: All Quiet On The Western Front (by Remarque), The Haunted Hotel (by Wilkie Collins), The Shooting Party (by Chekhov) - Noteworthy (old-to-me) author: Fyodor Dostoevsky - Noteworthy (new-to-me) author: Sergei Dovlatov - The Book that made me laugh the most: Evelina, by Fanny Burney - Favorite short story: The Diary Of A Superfluous Man, by Ivan Turgenev - Favorite re-read: Hercule Poirot's Christmas, by Agatha Christie - Best Non-fiction: Lark Rise, by Flora Thompson - Best Children's book: A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Best Classic book: The Bridge On The Drina, by Ivo Andric - Best Contemporary/Literary Fiction book: The Women In Black, by Madeleine St. John

[@SlnieckoAnna]

Thank you for all the recommendations! My Best Books of 2022 ... (as of today.. it is still not the end) - Honorable Mentions: On the Shoulders of Giants by Umberto Eco (collection of lectures) - Noteworthy (old-to-me) author: Egon Bondy (No-Story); Fiodor Michailovich Dostojevskij (The Brothers Karamazov) - The Book that made me laugh the most: A Pho Love Story by Loan Le - Favorite short story: Short Stories by Franz Kafka and Fernando Pessoa - Favorite re-read: On the Fence by Kasie West - Best Non-fiction: Touch the Wounds by Tomáš Halík - Best Children's book: Howl`s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - Best Middle-grade book: The Promised Neverland (probably only middle-grade and only manga I have read...) - Best Young Adult book: Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater - Best Fantasy book: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem - Best Classic book: Orlando by Virginia Woolf - Best Contemporary/Literary Fiction book: Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater

[@jessicagreene-taub2140]

So many great books added to my TBR :)

[@swifty545]

For my favourite book of the year, had 2 back to back 5 star reads back in the Summer....Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir & We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker, so joint top spot to them. Honourable mentions - Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk, Panenka by Rohan Hession & A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson. Never Let Me Go I read last year....an all time favourite for me too 🙌

[@Dann-md9eq]

Project hail mary was awesome

[@Zoe-pu3pi]

Ahhhh I’ve been waiting for this one

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I hope you enjoy it!!!

[@coffeek794]

Have you ever read any Frank O’Hara? Hearing the passages you read out makes me think you would love his poetry 🥰

[@SaraMakesArt]

I read Never Let Me Go, and it's stuck with me. It's so nice to hear you recommend it, Carolyn. I feel like it would make a great Book Club discussion.

[@hannahyalea]

I first read Never Let Me Go back in high school one summer on a whim, and it has always stuck with me ever since. I believe I was 17 then, and I'm 25 now. One of my favorite books of all time.

[@bookshelfofmahi]

finally; I find a Backman lover. oh My GOD, this is the best thing I found this month. 😍😍😍😍😍 I'm extremely happy now 🥰🥰🥰

[@FedorSaku]

I love to read, but am just now getting into booktube. Thanks for the content. Hope you and your family are doing well this Christmas. Seasons greetings from frozen Canada.

[@beck1365]

Just downloaded some of your favorites onto my kindle! I recommend you give Tom Robbins a try. His novels are a wild ride!

[@boranyachoudhury7033]

When I saw that Never Let Me Go is your favourite book of 2022, I literally screamed. I read the book back in 2021 and watched the movie adaptation but to be honest at first I wasn't expecting I would love this book so much as I do now. My feelings regarding the book as well as the movie was same as yours. I cried buckets at the end and it is one of all time favourite lists😭😭

[@bobthecat-rh5dy]

One book recommendation from me: Beware Of Pity by Stefan Zweig. This is my book of the year 2022. Rocked me to the core.

[@jamesduggan7200]

Yes, readers constantly are discovering and re-discovering Stefan Zweig.

[@pheebs9255]

E.B White and Kate DiCamillo are two of my childhood favourites too! (although I have to admit I had no idea White was a man until you mentioned it, for some reason I had also assumed White was a woman, ha.) I have such emotional and precious memories of reading Stuart Little, Charlottes Web, The Tale of Desperaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane with my dad and little sister. such gorgeous books and you've definitely inspired me to re-read them next year. Also read the Bell Jar this year and loved it.

[@SandraPujari-Harrian]

I relate to you. ❤

[@verucasalt4535]

My favorites list for 2022 (in no order): 1. The Green Mile by Stephen king 2. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy 3. Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine 4. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent 5. House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (top three, I can't choose) 6. Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (top three, I can't choose) 7. Wild Swans by Jung Chang (top three, I can't choose) 8. Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates 9. Childhoods End by Aurthur C. Clarke 10. Gone with the Wind

[@gls888]

Best Classic: The Picture of Dorian Gray Best Fantasy: Legends and Lattes Best Literary Fiction: Nightcrawling Best Children/Middle Grade: The Phantom Tollbooth Best Re-read: Notes from Underground Best Short Story: The Veldt

[@klauslispector]

Now that's *taste*

[@marukart]

i stumbled upon a past video of yours a few months back, maybe you were going through your shelves something like that and you went on talking about how great of a writer Fredrik Backman was. you pulled out Beartown and read the first line/first chapter and just you reading had me sold. i discovered a new favorite book and author because of you, one that i may have overlooked in other cases but idk it's silly how we come to discover new favorites through random instances. now whenever i look at my copy of Beartown im always pulled back to how i was introduced to it. so thank you for introducing fredrik backman to me im loving my journey making through his other works one by one as well

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Reading this just made my bookish heart so happy! Thank you for sharing this with me 🥹📖✨

[@hemera.r]

My two favorite books of this year couldn't be more different but they're both so so good, it's "Dune" and "If I had you face", glorious. After that in my top 5 there's also "Humans Acts", "Loveless" and "Beasts of a little land" (I think Alice Oseman was my favorite author of the year, I read so many of her books and I couldn't agree more, Nick and Charlie are such adorable comfort characters... 🌼)

[@bobthecat-rh5dy]

I feel so connected to you, because of your liking Never let me go so much! I remember writing once before how much this book moved me. Which is quite rare lately for me to be really moved by anything. But this book did it! Gonna keep following your book reviews! Obviously, you’ve got good taste.

[@bethanylaurenreads]

I’m so excited to watch! Also, I love your blouse, it’s so pretty!

[@DynamiteTrujillo]

Never Let Me Go was at the very top for me this year. My two very favorites, though, I think were Leech by Hiron Ennes and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. Both dark and gothic and reflective. But there were so many good ones for me this year! I appreciate your kids recs and can't wait to watch your video dedicated to it. I have a 4 year old who loves books and I want to start reading more novel-like books to her. I've tried The Fantastic Mr. Fox (which she didn't care about and I thought was WAY too dark and grotesque for a 4 yo 😆) We're in the middle of The Little Prince too, but I think it's a bit too high concept for her. She isn't engaged with it at all and I think it's because she's not really getting/following it. But the Truth Pixie sounds promising! And The Wind in the Willows! I'm excited about giving those a shot. xo

[@efluvial]

Thanks Carolyn! I have read several of these books because of your recommendation! Especially love Richard Backman. Looking forward to reading more of him in 2023!

[@nadeshkaholmes9511]

You convinced me to read Fredrik Backman and Never Let Me Go, I hope they become my favorites of 2023. My favorite books of 2022 were The Cave by José Saramago (I've mentioned like 3 times already in the comments section of your videos lol) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, a couple of L. M. Montgomery's books (of course), The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, amoung others. Thank you for another lovely video, I hope great things come for you in 2023 ❤️

[@justinmiller93]

Ever since you first mentioned Ishiguro I've had either Never Let me Go or The Remains of the Day on my list to read. I'm very much a mood reader and just haven't quite been in a mood for it yet and want to give it my best attention. Thanks for the recommendations 🙏

[@marianna.with.an.a]

Merry Christmas!❤🎄🕯📖

[@snowhitepp3339]

Speaking of Wind in the Willows, did you know there are four sequels written by William Horwood? Willows in Winter Toad Triumphant Willows and Beyond Willows at Christmas Usually I don't like when a writer takes over of another writer's legacy, especially if it is such a famous and exquisite book like WitW, but this is an exception that proves the rule. All four books are five star excellent.

[@Pursuitsofmybookishheart]

My best books of 2022 -honorable mentions : I'll put Sur le Seuil by Patrick Senecal. In this category because it's definitely my favorite local book of the year Noteworthy (old to me) - Margaret Atwood who rocked my world 3 times this year. Noteworthy (new to me- V E Scwabb and Octavia Butler were both great discoveries for me. I enjoyed their pacing and their writing more than anticipated. Book that made me laugh: All's Well by Mona Awad. She has very dark and dry humor which was really well brought forth by that particular main character. It's not a light book at all however. Favorite short story - Favorite reread - I've been rereading little women with my children, it's phenomenal. But we aren't done yet. Best non fiction: Russ Harris's Happiness Trap. Best children's book : Wind in the Willow. We read it in the camper as a family. It was so whimsical and grounded Best middle grade : honestly, none of them came close to Little Women. She can go in here twice Best young adult : I'll put VE Scwabs Gallant here because our local Library has is stored in the 15-17year old section and I'm guessing that's our YA Best fantasy book - I'm more of a science fiction/ horror gal and I'm coming up empty in Fantasy. Best classic : Mrs Dalloway . No contest I'm still amazed when I think about it. Best Contemporary fiction : another hard category for me apparently but I think Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam would best fit the category. This was a fun exercise Thank you for it

[@warrenbertrand290]

My best book of 2022 All the Lovers in the Night - Mieko Kawakami Honorable Mentions Great Expectations - Charles Dickens Catalpa Rescue - Peter Fitzimons

[@gailjackson8941]

I love you two girls together! Merry. CHRISTMAS!

[@angelaartist368]

Oh my gosh I just read, "And every morning the way home gets longer and longer"....... I'm absolutely broken, that was the most beautiful and amazing and emotionaly traumatizing book ever, I absolutely loved it,

[@swifty545]

Such a peaceful, soothing voice to ease away the strain of the working week ☺.....good viewing so far, just got to favourite re-reads. Have been holding off reading The Winners, as this feels like a mid Winter read, so reckon I will start this one very soon. Like you, hoping it meets expectations as Beartown & Us Against You are hard acts to follow 🙏 Merry Xmas 🍻

[@carly885]

My favourite book was Betty. So incredibly sad (and lots of trigger warnings) but one of the most beautiful relationships- Landon and Betty are two of the most beautiful souls and made me so emotional because I lost my own dad when I was young

[@wutpplneed]

That candle flame had me praying for your murakami the whole time. I love seeing a new candle alive tho. It’s a love hate thing. Where do the candle go after the candle can’t candle anymore tho

[@allisonschneider7414]

I just started The Deal of a Lifetime! Have you read that one yet? I will have to pick up his other books now too after this glowing recommendation. Should be a nice break for me between reading the classics. Thanks!

[@Tania.atlasinajar]

Nice to see you implement the highs of the year as well! Can’t wait to see all the books that made it on the list! ❤

[@perfectplaceambience]

I read Fredrick Backman My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologies, and it was honestly one of the best books I've read of all time. I picked it up in a shop on my way to the airport because I forgot my book that I was currently reading, and I'm so glad that I forgot my book at that time! I recommend that you read that book by him if you haven't already.

[@d.6832]

Jane Eyre is the best book I've read in 2022 but it has become my favorite book ever ❤️

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

It's one of my favourites too. I wonder if you've read Vanity Fair and Madame Bovary? Three really fascinating female character studies.

[@d.6832]

@@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293 not yet, but Madame Bovary is on my list. I was not sure about Vanity Fair, should I read it?

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

@@d.6832 Yes, you'll read it quickly as it's such fun and has aged so well it's eerie to see Becky Sharp as an eternal female archetype (these days she'd be a social media influencer or footballer's wife no doubt). Such a wonderful, fun read that's beautifully written with terrific characterisation. Bovary too is a must read. My detailed original reply to you was deleted (not by me) so this is a slap dash but sincere replacement. Happy reading.

[@tbrooks529]

Noteworthy old to me author: Vonnegut Noteworthy new to me author: Natalie Haynes Favorite re-read: Slaughterhouse-Five Best non-fiction: After the Ice by Mithen Best Middle grade: Bridge to Terabithia Best Contemporary: A Thousand Ships by Haynes is one of the best books I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it.

[@shasoreads]

My favorite fiction this year was East of Eden. I think John Steinbeck never disappoints.

[@SabineThinkerbellum]

omg Eric Rohmer 😍 I can’t tell how often I’ve watched L’ami de mon amie (Boyfriends and Girlfriends) from his Comedies and Proverbs series. It’s mesmerizing. A movie without a soundtrack. The color code of the clothes. The plot and the dialogues. So wonderful. Thank you for hinting me at Andre Aciman’s essay collection. I need to read what he says about Rohmer !

[@alanthomas1627]

Your list of categories has solved one of my problems with Best of the Year lists. We live in such a competitive world of winners and losers allowing only one or the other. As I develop my list, using your categories, for 2022, I am sitting back and reveling in the gifts of so many good books I read this year. That alone is a soul-enriching experience. Nothing like re-living and remembering the reading joys of this year. 😂I suspect I will continue to resist naming just one book as my favorite of the year; depends on the category. Saying that, I must contradict myself and mention my best read of 2018: Michelle Obama’s “Becoming.” Listening the the former First Lady was like a visit from her in my living room. I am now listening to her latest “The Light We Carry.” It just may be another book I will make an exception for as best read of the year. Rules are meant to be broken, especially when we can make our own rules.

[@kevgh3869]

I came to wish you a merry Christmas Carolyn!! 🎄

[@kurtfox4944]

Carolyn, I think you forgot a Favorites category (maybe two), which should appeal to your career as well as your bookishness: Favorite Book Cover Design [and maybe Most Appropriate Book Cover Design. By way of example, I once saw a book cover design for Wilkie Collins _The Woman in White_ which showed a bride in flower garden, which would be just the opposite - Least Appropriate Book Cover Design. If you read that one, you know what I mean. ]. Maybe you could have favorite Kids, Middle Grade, YA and Adult book cover...or favorite Fiction or Non-fiction.

[@halloweenjax]

I also love the British Kawakami covers better. Anyone know how to go about getting physical versions of British books in the US? (I hope this isn't a ridiculously easy question!) Thanks!

[@circleofleaves2676]

I sobbed, not just cried, but sobbed, in two books this year, and one of those was a Frederik Backman book.

[@Bridget-oi8gd]

Hearing you read the children's poetry made me wonder if you had read roald dahls children's poetry? If not highly recommended they are amazing

[@Bridget-oi8gd]

Anyway best book of the year is snow by orhan pamuk

[@jamesduggan7200]

@@Bridget-oi8gd Emmie reviewed that earlier this year tho tbh I was more moved by Pamuk suggestion on Eric Anderson's channel, largely because the novel's subject was an outbreak of plague. I've read two other plague stories, Lewis' Arrowsmith and Camus' The Plague. I can't quite recall if Camus received a Nobel, as Pamuk and Lewis have, but I'd like to compare the three, so thx, Bridget, Eric and Emmie : )

[@Bridget-oi8gd]

@@jamesduggan7200 hi James- am unsure if pamuk has written other books about the outbreak of plagues but the book I said, snow by orhan pamuk is not about the outbreak of a plague but about religious extremism.

[@jamesduggan7200]

@@Bridget-oi8gd Thx, tbh I didn't know much about Snow, and I'm sorry if I don't know the title of the other book. As I wrote earlier, I saw a review of it on Eric's channel. Happy New Year.

[@ellajanis8555]

noteworthy (old-to-me) author: Jane Austen noteworthy (new-to-me) author: Octavia E. Butler book that made me laugh: Don Quixote favorite short story: The bookmaking habits of select species by Ken Liu best nonfiction: Africa’s Tarnished Name by Chinua Achebe/ Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi best fantasy: The Sword of Kaigen by M.L Wang best classic: Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo/ We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

[@Ozgipsy]

Excellent point on Backman and Humanity.

[@alyssavon5246]

You should definitely read East of Eden! I really loved it!

[@benreadsgood]

Never Let Me Go is *so* good! Ishiguro is just genius.