Dog-Eared’s Staff Best Books of the Year 2022

Every month, the staff here at Dog-Eared book chooses one book to promote as our staff pick—a book we’ve read and enjoyed and can’t wait to share with you. Consider these our picks for the whole of 2022. Notably, this is not a “Best of” list in a traditional sense, not a ranking by quality, or an assertion that this is in any way representative of all the different books that came out this year, but rather that these are the books that struck a chord with us as readers, the books that we couldn’t stop thinking about, or the book we were most thankful to have read. If you choose to read them, please let us know! We can’t wait to hear what you think.

Amanda: Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

Kevin Wilson is certainly among my top three writers working today. Why? Because what he has to say and how he says it is unlike any other writer I’ve ever encountered. Wilson writes about unusual, bordering on absurd, people and circumstances but in a way that shows great emotion and tenderness. He’s the “literary fiction” writer whose work can still strike a cord in your heart. Now is Not the Time to Panic is about the summer two teenagers, Frankie and Zeke, connect and, out of shared creative drive, but also shared boredom, they create a work of public art that sets off a tidal wave reaction in their community, and eventually the world, that they could have never expected. Their identities as the creators of this poster, bearing Zeke’s artwork and Frankie’s writing (“The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.”), remain secret for 20 years. But that’s when Frankie gets a call from a journalist who suspects she might be behind what became “The Coalfield Panic of 1996.” This is a bold coming-of-age story about how certain moments or secrets can change us forever, but also how truth can also have the same transformative affect.

Ellyn: The Seaplane on Final Approach by Rebecca Rukeyser

Rukeyser's craft is impeccable. I loved this intelligent, funny, and thought-provoking coming-of-age story about one summer in Alaska that changes the trajectories for all characters involved. SO GOOD. And—bonus—Rukeyser is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop.

Amy: Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

This novel has a melancholy tone that is the perfect backdrop for an introspective look into a family, their neighbors, and a community. Choices and their impact are beautifully explored in this unforgettable novel.

Bailey: Babel by R.F. Kuang

I didn't know how to answer the question of my best book of the year until I read Babel by R. F. Kuang. This epic novel took my breath away and gave me the feeling that a good book did when I was a kid. First of all, the characters are so lovely and real (or horrible and real) that they make your heart hurt. The writing is beautiful and pulls you in from the first paragraph. The story is incisive, compelling, adventurous, and everything else. Kuang grapples dexterously with the impacts of colonialism and racism in shaping people's perceptions of themselves, their agency, and their responsibilities. She also has incredibly informative and hilarious footnotes throughout the book. Despite being the longest book I read this year, I wasn't ready for it to be over.

Honorable Mention: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Britt: Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenburg

I think sometimes we often forget the importance of human connection. This book highlights the importance of friendship and the power of support. Told by Nina Totenburg, the story is endearing, heartwarming, inspiring, and also emotional.

Chad: An Immense World by Ed Yong

An enchanting read about the diverse sensory worlds (Umwelt) of the animal kingdom that has transformed my worldview.

Emily: The Moonday Letters by Emmi Itäranta

A dreamy slow burn sci-fi novel told through letters and found documents as Lumi searches time and space to find her lost spouse. Set in a future where humans have colonized the solar system, the story melds ecological concerns of the past, present, and future with a fractured romance; it asks us what we'll do for justice, what can be regained once it's lost, and more. Hopeful, meditative, moving. The ending was just right but left me on the edge of my seat...where I still am today...I can't let it go.

Jack: Dune by Frank Herbert

This book is regarded as a classic for a reason. Herbert's world building is immaculate and engaging. The geopolitics of his worlds are done in a way that would mirror reality, with all the conniving, backstabbing, and strategy of the political elite. The technology, characters, and planets will make you want to learn more, and not put this book down. I recommend it to anyone, not just sci-fi fans!

Jess: Joan by Katherine J. Chen

The novel opens with 10-year-old Joan in 1422 and spans her short, young life. Each section begins with a summary of the actual time line and then delves into true fiction, more of a "what if" tale. I love historical fiction like this where I learn and also fall into a story that is propulsive and interesting. You may have noticed this pick didn’t change—because the writing is brilliant, lush and descriptive. I loved this book!

Katie: Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett

Unlikely Animals is a story about a family in chaos. Emma has returned home after dropping out of med school, her brother just finished his second stint in rehab for opioid addiction, her mother is angry with her dad because of an affair, and her dad is hallucinating small animals and the ghost of the small town’s long-dead naturalist. I loved that Hartnett chose to tell this tragi-comedy through the collective voice of the dead watching over their town from the cemetery. It was in turn sad, funny, and heartwarming…and there is a pet fox.

Mariah: Babel by R. F. Kuang

Following Robin Swift, a young boy orphaned by cholera, as he is whisked away to the UK by Professor Lovell. Once there, Robin is instructed in Latin and Greek with the sole intent of him making it into the Royal Institute of Translation at Oxford, aka Babel. Once there Robin finds deep friendships and meaningful work—but he and his friends also discover they are part of a system that exploits the whole world for the benefit of a few. With this knowledge, they must decide if they are willing to continue upholding this system or strive for justice.

With fully embodied characters, an unforgettable moral dilemma, and a magic system based on the meaning lost in translation, this text has only grown in my estimation since I first read it in July. At once anger-inducing, achingly hopeful, painfully real, and truly beautiful, Babel makes my heart feel as though it will burst. A true triumph of a novel.

Nayeli: The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

The sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart is such a great story of love, trust, and magic. With one of the saddest endings of any book I read this year this book left me wanting more and thinking about it for weeks to come. It also has tiny dragons, so what else could you ask for?

Rachel: Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

A retelling of South Asian mythology that has given a new voice and story to a character who has been villainized through history. With incredible epic writing, you won’t want to put this down. Kaikeyi will forever be a story I return to. I loved being taken to her kingdom.

Roxy: We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu

Simu Liu is known as Shang Chi from the Marvel Universe or Jung from Kim's Convenience. But before the fame, Liu was a Chinese immigrant kid growing up in Canada. In this intimate and honest memoir, Liu discusses his experiences growing up in a strict Asian household, his failed careers in accounting/stock image modeling, and his rocky relationship with his parents and Chinese and Canadian identities. Children of the Asian diaspora will see themselves in this deeply relatable and powerful memoir

Honorable Mentions: The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman, Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi

Sarah: Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur

This short story collection is astounding. On first pass this short story collection is nasty and visceral. But keep going and it blossoms into something magnificent. The breadth of stories is wonderful, taking the reader through creepy stories, fable-like tales, and a whole host of new, interesting ideas. Some will repulse you; some will delight you. Ultimately, this collection is raw, unnerving art.

I found the entire experience delightfully unsettling and deeply cathartic. If you like reads that challenge you and take you out of your comfort zone, then this absolutely is your book.

Tanvi: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Eleanor Bennett has just passed away but has one last message for her two adult children–an eight hour video in which she shares the story of Corey, a young Caribbean girl who is driven by tragedy to England. Who is Corey? And who really is Eleanor Bennett? An epic family saga that features standout writing and a fully developed cast of characters.

Vince: Maus by Art Spiegelman

For me, the best books are the ones that stay with me long after I’ve read the final page. My pick is The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman. I read it in one night and haven’t stopped thinking about it. Simultaneously a graphic novel, documentary, and memoir, Spiegelman’s The Complete Maus is a Holocaust narrative with unflinching honesty. It’s a tale within a tale about family, tragedy, and the weight of survival. An important read for young adults—and beyond.