Dracula by Bram Stoker, as experienced through the Dracula Daily project, organized by Matt Kirkland
It's probably to no one's surprise that I consider this the most influential book of my year, specifically because of the format: reading it a tiny bit at a time in chronological order of the pieces of the story, along with a bunch of other people in a huge informal meme-making book club. Reading the story got me writing fiction again, inspired dozens of drawings that have taken my art skills up a notch, and brought me so much joy as I found myself in an unexpected little community surrounding this 125-year-old novel. And it's quite a good novel, too! If you like psychological horror being fought with the power of love and friendship, this is one of the great originals. Dracula Daily will be starting again on May 3rd, and you can sign up here.
Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength by Kat Armas
This was my top theology book of the year: Cuban-American author Armas makes the argument that a lived-out theology, in the practical experiences of women in the margins, should be taken just as seriously as the theoretical theology of privileged scholars in seminary. It's thought-provoking, beautifully written, and full of stories of how women of God all around the world can teach us to truly live as followers of Christ.
Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating by Christy Harrison, MPH, RD
This book aggregated a lot of knowledge I'd already heard into a well-researched and hard-hitting treatise about the harms of diet culture and eating disorders in all their forms (including "wellness" and "health"). I also follow her newsletter, which has been immensely helpful in helping me heal my relationship with food.
The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan: Discover the Joy of Spending Less, Sharing More, and Living Generously by Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller
Written by the founders of the Buy Nothing Project, this is a delightful book arguing that everyone— ourselves, our communities, and our planet— benefits when we work to meet more of our material needs through sharing rather than buying. I loved it because it combines a lot of philosophy about money, wealth, abundance vs. scarcity mindset, and other psychological factors, with tons of down-to-earth tips for how to organize a sharing network and start meeting more and more of your needs in a countercultural way.
The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food: Step-by-Step Vegetable Gardening for Everyone by Joseph Tychonievich and Liz Anna Kozik
This book is a delight! It's my new go-to resource for anyone wanting to start a garden: easy to absorb, beautifully-illustrated, and detailed enough to help anyone get started with growing vegetables.
See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur
This memoir took me apart and put me back together again: it's beautifully written, intense, and thought-provoking, taking us on a journey through the author's life as she grapples with race, living as a religious minority (Sikh) in America, becoming a mother, and seeking to make sense of what radical love really looks like.
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
For anyone who hosts or organizes events, whether that's inviting someone over for dinner or coordinating a corporate retreat, this book is a must-read: in it, Parker discusses all the practical logistics and psychology of creating events that are focused, gracious, and unforgettable. It's a delightful read and forever changed how I think about gatherings.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us by Cole Arthur Riley
This book is more poetry than prose, writing unflinchingly about the brokenness of the world and the way that storytelling helps us see God's goodness in our lives and draw more and more people into the story of liberation. It's one of the few books I bought this year.
The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life by Simran Jeet Singh
Humorously self-effacing at times and deeply thought-provoking at others (and often both at the same time), this book about Sikh wisdom, told through Singh's memoir, was both fun to read and gave me a ton of thoughts to mull over.
The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
This book is absolutely gorgeous, a powerful talking back to the voices that try to convince us that our bodies are too much, not enough, or wrong— whether that's a body being fat, Black, queer, "unhealthy," or any number of the taboos of modern culture. Thought-provoking, hard-hitting, and liberating.
Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings edited by Reyna Grande and Sonia Guiñansaca
This gorgeous anthology opened my eyes to the USA border crisis more than anything I've read before: the poems, personal narratives, and short stories, all written by people who are or have been undocumented in the US, weave together a tapestry of thoughts about the experience of leaving, losing, and finding home.
My Body Is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church by Amy Kenny
I learned a ton in this book not only about disability history and disability theology, but the way that the church has often actively worked against disabled people, both in its theology and in its demands to have the "religious freedom" to not provide wheelchair access. Kenny writes as a loving but stern voice as a Christian herself, giving practical ways that the church can do better in embracing the disability community instead of ostracizing them.
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
I gotta have my "grew up in a cult and then escaped" genre book of the year, and this is a good one! It's stressful to read because Westover leaving the survivalism cult of her family didn't happen all at once, but it's a very gripping read. (CW for graphic descriptions of injury and gore— I had to skim some sections.)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
This was one of the few novels I read last year, and it was a lot of fun! If you're looking for a light read, I highly recommend it.
What were your favorite books of 2022?
All What I've Been Reading posts
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