The Best Books of 2022 (according to the Guardian)

I look over The Guardian's top fiction books of the year which includes a good mixture of famous and lesser known books. Click ‘Show More’ for info & links.

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Books discussed & purchase links:

To Paradise – Hanya Yanagihara

The Passenger – Cormac McCarthy

Stella Maris – Cormac McCarthy

Lessons – Ian McEwan

Bournville – Jonathan Coe

Companion Piece – Ali Smith

The Candy House – Jennifer Egan

The Trees – Percival Everett

Glory – NoViolet Bulawayo

After Sappho – Selby Wynn Schwartz

Trespasses – Louise Kennedy

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida – Shehan Karunatilaka

The Marriage Portrait – Maggie O'Farrell

Shrines of Gaiety – Kate Atkinson

The Exhibitionist – Charlotte Mendelson

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way – Rebecca Wait

Very Cold People – Sarah Manguso

A Hunger – Ross Raisin

The Furrows – Namwali Serpell

Young Mungo – Douglas Stuart

Amy & Lan – Sadie Jones

An Olive Grove in Ends – Moses McKenzie

The Whale Tattoo – Jon Ransom

I'm a Fan – Sheena Patel

When I Sing, Mountains Dance – Irene Sola

Vladimir – Julia May Jones

Send Nudes – Saba Sams

Reward System – Jem Calder

We Move – Gurnaik Johal

Liberation Day – George Saunders

Yoga – Emmanuel Carrere

The Book of Goose – Yiyun Li

Marigold and Rose – Louise Gluck

Acting Class – Nick Drnaso

My reviews of some of these books:

To Paradise – Hanya Yanagihara

Companion Piece – Ali Smith

The Trees – Percival Everett

Glory – NoViolet Bulawayo

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida – Shehan Karunatilaka

Young Mungo – Douglas Stuart

Acting Class – Nick Drnaso

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Get in touch

[kimswhims]

I love the way you talk about these lists Eric, your approach is very kind to the authors but truthful about their work.
I'm always on the look out for a great graphic novel, Nick Drnaso also wrote Sabrina, the first graphic novel to be nominated for the booker prize longlist. I'll be interested to read that new one of his.

[jacquelinemcmenamin]

I’ve only read 5 on this list.
Companion Piece
Young Mungo
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
The Trees
Tresspasses
Should we as readers be able to travel to an alternative universe? A place where we have extra years to read all our unread books?
🍀👋☘️📕📚📖☕️

[cindyhaiken]

I really like this list. Some of my favorites are on it. I am planning to read The Furrows this weekend for the same reason you mention—it’s just shown up on too many lists to ignore. So glad you loved Trespasses!

[stevies-readies]

Would love to hear your thoughts on the new Saunders when you get to it! "Bardo" was one of my favorite books that I read this year, and I also adored his love letter to the short story form "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain". However, I have serious THOUGHTS and FEELINGS about "Liberation Day" hahaha

[TheClaireThackray]

Thank you for this! Added a few to my list of books for 2023

[radiantchristina]

Domestic goddess and great books...winning combo 😁

[RunwrightReads]

I love these list videos, Eric. I also got a copy of Very Cold People and haven’t read it yet. I think this is the first list I’ve seen this book mentioned in but good reminder to pick it up

[diosretes]

I just wanted to drop a quick thank you, I stumbled upon this video on New Year’s Eve, your energy was such a good setting for the occasion:)

[TheEmzies]

Some good titles on this list. My lowlights were Glory and After Sappho - for me they were both books with writing styles or structures that distracted from the plot. Highlight was definitely The Trees - I feel annoyed that I've only just learned of Percival Everett.

[rafd]

Thank you, Eric, for your reviews and recommendations this. I look forward to reading The Colony and Demon Copperhead in the coming year. The Week magazine publishes it own list of the eight most critically acclaimed books of the year (fiction and non-fiction). Demon Copperhead features. The others, which might be of interest, are Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell, Lessons by Ian McEwan, The Trees by Percival Everett (which I bought today) Faith Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave and Sean O’Hagan, One Party after Another: The Disruptive Life of Nigel Farage by Michael Crick, The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson, and Magnificent Rebels by Andrea Wulf. Happy reading everyone, in 2023.

[nicksg]

Excellent and so grateful for your time and kindness. You opened my appetite too 😂 Looking forward next video and Happy New Year🎉

[karakask]

The Snakes by Sadie Jones was my favorite book that I read last year, but haven't gotten to Amy and Lan yet. So many of these sound really good and I want to get to them, eventually.

[Paromita_M]

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is one of the best novels I have read in a long time.
To Paradise was really interesting but also felt a bit disjointed to me.
Great video!

[janethansen]

I have read ten of these, most of which I enjoyed but I do agree with you about The Exhibitionist. Some others I have heard of. The Book of Goose in particular seems to be everywhere. But others I have not heard of at all. I do love a good end of year list for that reason.

[nelsonkaiowa]

Lovely to see some titbits from your personal life. As for baking, I can bake a cake, that is about it.
If you like books that have cooking in it, I recommand The cook of Castamar, as soon as it is translated. The cooking is so beautifully described it makes your mouth water!
As for the books you mention, haven´t read any of them and only Young Mungo is a books that I will try to get my hands on, I think.

[heathersneddon]

Yes I saw this list and like you they mentioned quite a few I hadn't heard of so yes need to get reading. Got the Kate Atkinson book from the library and is the next read after Emily St John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility which is excellent

[annakap]

fwiw, I read the candy house without reading a visit from the goon squad and had no trouble understanding anything! i'm sure some references went over my head but I still really really loved it

[mera]

Enjoy knowing the Guardian list, even more knowing your review. Thank you.

[meenuiyer]

Hello Mr. Eric. I just wanted to know if you've read Orhan Pamuk's latest, 'Nights of Plague' yet? I hear it's superb!

[ΛΕΜΟΝΙΑΤΑΣΟΥΛΑ]

Have you ever come across sing, unburried, sing by Jesmyn Ward? It also focuses on lynching and is a profoundly moving book.