2022 Books in Review
In 2022, I read 134 total books. Broken across categories, there were:
- 22 adult books.
- 1 comic book (another "purchase a collection to support one of my favorite web comics)
- 112 different children's books that I read for the first time to my daughter.
This overall total was less than in 2021 by 23, but the number of "adult" books actually went up 6 books, several of which were quite substantial tomes. I'll call that a win.
The children's books portion of this list is certainly inaccurate. Some books are missing, and others definitely have dates that are slightly off. It turns out that when I'm reading an adult book, when I finish it I can add it immediately to the list that night. When I'm reading 17 consecutive books to a demanding toddler, I can't stop in the middle to add the book to a list. Sometimes I remember to do it later that day, other times I don't, and still others I probably didn't remember at all. Then you can add in that M started taking Birdie to the library late in the year, and we visited several places that had books onsite, and you can quickly see how a book or two or five might have slipped past this list. This means that this is the first year since my first book in review where the probable margin of error is worth mentioning.
It's also worth calling out that because I only list a book the first time I read it to my daughter, this list doesn't reflect a whole bunch of books I first read to Birdie in 2021. Most prominently, the 25 volumes of Elephant and Piggie were read repeatedly in 2022 to my most demanding listener, but won't appear here since she was heard them in 2021. They were absolutely her favorite books in 2022. I'd call out "A Big Guy Took My Ball" as her absolute favorite because Birdie requested it for bedtime for a few months, but there were a bunch of other strong contenders from that series.
* indicates a Graphic Novel - 1
& indicates a Children's Books - 112
All other books - 22
Italicized books were particular highlights. There were 13 of these in total.
(DP) = from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
(PJL) = from the PJ Library.
&Caralyn & Mark Buehner - Snowmen at Night - Su 1/02
&Liza Baker & David McPhail - I Love You Because You're You - M 1/03
&Angie Rozelaar - Music Cats: A Pawsitively Purrfect Compilation of Musical Legends - M 1/03
&Yu-Hsuan Huang - Baby Penguin - M 1/03
&Eric Carle - Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? - F 1/07
&Meredith Rusu - Clifford the Big Red Dog: Big New Friend - S 1/08
&Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers - The Crayons' Book of Feelings - S 1/15
&Eric Carle & Mark Rader - Around the Farm - Su 1/16
Daniel R. Kerr - Derelict Paradise: Homelessness and Urban Development in Cleveland, Ohio - M 1/17
&Debora Pearson & Nora Hilb - Leo's Tree - T 1/18 (PJL)
&Caroline Jayne Church - You Are My Sunshine - W 1/19
*Dave Kellett - Drive: Act 3 - S 1/22
&Annie Bach - Good Morning, Farm Friends - Su 1/30 (DPIL)
Harville Hendrix - Getting the Love You Want 20th Anniversary Edition - Su 2/06
Ruta Sepetys - Between Shades of Grey - R 2/10
Louis Sachar - Holes - S 2/12
&Dawn Sirett & Charlotte Milner - Baby Touch Your Nose - T 2/15
&Rachel Hare - Where Are You Elephant? - T 2/15
&Lina Schwarz & Hiroe Nakata - Thanks For Today - R 2/17 (PJL)
Ruta Sepetys - Salt to the Sea - R 2/17
Marilynne Robinson - Gilead - F 2/25
&Laura Rader - The Pudgy Where Is Your Nose? Book - S 3/05 (DPIL)
Ruta Sepetys - Out of the Easy - Su 3/06
&Linda Glaser & Estelle Corke - Munch! Goes the Baby - M 3/14 (PJL)
Madeleine L'Engle - The Crosswicks Journal, Book 1: A Circle of Quiet - T 3/15
Leon Walter Tillage & Susan L. Roth - Leon's Story - S 3/19
&MaryJo Scott & Lisa McCue - Corduroy's Shapes - F 3/25
&Sandra Boynton - Fifteen Animals! - F 4/01
&Gene Zion & Margaret Bloy Graham - Harry the Dirty Dog - F 4/01
Anne Tyler - A Patchwork Planet - F 4/01
&Eric Hill - Spot Goes to School - T 4/05
&Eric Carle - From Head to Toe - S 4/09
&Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees - Giraffes Can't Dance Number Rumba Counting Book - S 4/09
&Wendy Cheyette Lewison & Christopher Moroney - Sesame Beginnings: Peekaboo! I See You! - Su 4/10
&Nikki Boetger - On the Farm - M 4/11
&Susan Hood & Tom Brannon - Sesame Street Library - M 4/18
&Karen Katz - Where is Baby's Pumpkin? - M 4/18
&Susan Hood & Tom Brannon - Sesame Street Train Station - T 4/19
&Anna Jane Hays & Christopher Moroney- Sesame Beginnings: So Big! - W 4/20
&Mirik & Eleyor Snir - When I First Held You: A Lullaby From Israel (PJL) - R 4/21
Omar Cabezas - Fire From the Mountain - Su 4/24
&Mary Lonsdale - When the Sun Shines - Su 4/24
&Katie Kobble & Suzy Spafford - Wide Awake Witzy - W 5/04
&Katie Kobble & Suzy Spafford - Witzy's Sweet Tooth - F 5/06
&Vickie Lee & Joey Chou - 12 Lucky Animals - S 5/07
&Kingfisher - Seek and Peek: Dinosaurs - S 5/14
&Vicki L. Weber & Shirley Ng-Benitez - Start the Day - Su 5/15 (PJL)
&David Glover & Jane Glover - Babies - Su 5/15
&Zoe Burke & Dorset Fine Arts - Owls & Loons: Inuit Art from Cape Dorset - M 5/16
&Annie Alexander & Melanie Mitchell - Good Morning, Good Night - R 5/19
LeAlan Jones & LLoyd Newman - Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago - F 5/20
&Eric Carle - Sleep Tight Very Hungry Caterpillar - S 5/21 ??
&Phyllis Root & David Walker - Flip, Flap, Fly! - S 5/28
Carl Hiassen - Flush - S 6/04
&Tove Jansson - Moomin's Little Book of Words - S 6/11
&Nancy Cote - Help-A-Lot Shabbat - W 6/15 (PJL)
&Rufus Downy & Hilli Kushnir - Camp With Me ABC - F 6/17
Bob Costas - Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball - R 6/30
&David Ezra Stein - Tad and Dad - S 7/09 (DPIL)
&Madelyn Rosenbeg & Guiliana Gregori - Take Care - S 7/09 (PJL)
&Emma Dodd - Dog's Colorful Day - W 7/13
&Anna W. Bardaus - Love is You and Me - S 7/16
&Mo Willems - The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? - W 7/20
&Mo Willems - Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! - W 7/20
&Gerry Renert & Carrie Anne Bradshaw - Nathan Saves Summer - S 7/23
Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha - M 7/25
&Anna Dewdney - Llama Llama Mad at Mama - F 7/29
&Susan Rich Brooke - Sesame Street: On the Farm - Su 7/31
&Mike Boldt - Find Fergus - Su 7/31
&Giles Andreae & David Wojtowycz - Commotion in the Ocean - Su 7/31
&David Fitzsimmons - Curious Critters - W 8/03
&Karen Katz - Baby Loves Summer - Su 8/07
&Matthew A. Cherry & Vashti Harrison - Hair Love - Su 8/07
&Karen Katz - Where is Baby's Birthday Cake? - Su 8/07
&Sandra Boynton - Let's Dance, Little Pookie - Su 8/07
&Michael Frith & P.D. Eastman - I'll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words - Su 8/07
&Nancy Cote - Help-A-Lot Shabbat - M 8/08 (PJL)
Robert Caro - The Years of Lyndon Johnson, v.1: The Path to Power - T 9/06
Robert Caro - The Years of Lyndon Johnson, v.2: Means of Ascent - S 9/10
Robert Sullivan - Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants - Su 9/11
&Abby Mongolion - Do You See What I See? - M 9/12
&Barbara Bietz, June Sobel & Ruth Waters - Apples, Apples, All Year Round - T 9/13 (PJL)
Michael Pollan - The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World - T 9/13
Gary Paul Nabhan - Why Some Like It Hot: Food, Genes, and Cultural Diversity - R 9/15
Slavomir Rawicz - The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom - S 9/17
&Hadley Barrows & Megan Moore - Antler, A: A Cabin ABC Book - M 9/19
&Fiona Watt & Rachel Wells - That's Not My Owl - W 9/28
&Baby Einstein - At the Park - R 9/29
&Tracy Newman & Viviana Garofoli - Sukkot is Coming - S 10/08 (PJL)
&Sophie Beer - Change Starts With Us - S 10/08
&Sophy Henn - Edie is Ever So Helpful - M 10/17
&Lin Oliver & Tomie dePaola - Little Poems for Tiny Brains - M 10/17
&Judy Sierra & Marc Brown - Wild About Books - M 10/17
&Bill Martin Jr & Eric Carle - Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? - W 10/19
&Cinders McLeod - Spend It! - W 10/19
&Eric Carle - Eric Carle's Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Nursery Rhymes - R 11/03 (DPIL)
&Anna McQuinn & Rosalind Beardshaw - Lola Plants a Garden - M 11/07
&Susan Steggall - Red Car, Red Bus - W 11/09
&Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha - Train Man - W 11/09
&A. Galan & Rodrigo Lujan - The Library's Secret T 11/10
&James Dean - Pete the Cat: Scuba-Cat - T 11/22
&James Dean - Pete the Cat: Snow Daze - T 11/22
&Peter & Paul Reynolds - Going Places - T 11/22
&Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha - Digger Man - M 11/28
&Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha - Fire Engine Man - M 11/28
&Kimberly & James Dean - Pete the Cat: Five Little Bunnies - W 11/30
&Kimberly & James Dean - Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie - W 11/30
&Emma Dodd - Dog & Friends: Rainbow Fun - W 11/30
&James Dean - Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald Had a Farm - R 12/01
&Mo Willems - Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep! - R 12/01
&Anna Dewdney - Llama Llama Gives Thanks - R 12/01
&Various - Paw Patrol: The Adventure Bay Treasury - R 12/01
&Mo Willems - Knuffle Bunny - R 12/01
&Cynthia Platt & Mary O'Keefe Young - Curious George: Curious About Fall - R 12/01
&Kristen Depken - Rubble to the Rescue! - F 12/02
&Philemon Sturges & Shari Halpern - I Love Trucks! - Su 12/04
&Kimberly & James Dean - Pete the Cat and his Magic Sunglasses - Su 12/04
Jane Leavy - Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy - M 12/05
&Mo Willems - The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! - R 12/08
&Mo Willems - The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! - R 12/08
&Tex Huntley - Paw Patrol: Snuggle Up, Pups - R 12/08
&James Dean - Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach - R 12/08
&Kimberly & James Dean - Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues - R 12/08
&Laurie Berkner & Ben Clanton - Monster Boogie - R 12/08
&Kevin Sherry - I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean - R 12/08
&Eric Hill - Find Spot at the Museum - F 12/09
&Rilla Alexander - Herbert on the Slide - R 12/15
&Mo Willems - Unlimited Squirrels in Guess What - R 12/15
&Bob Shea & Brian Won - Little Pups in Big Trucks - R 12/15
&Jan Thomas - My Friends Make Me Happy - F 12/16
&Jeffrey Burton & Zoe Waring - Twinkle, Twinkle, Unicorn - S 12/17
&Bluey - Bluey: My Dad is Awesome - M 12/19
&Byron Barton - My House - M 12/19
&Emma Dodd - Together - M 12/26
For the third year in row, no Shakespeare made the list. I did actually finish The Sonnets, but in my complete works it's packaged with "A Lover's Complaint," and I didn't finish that so I listed neither. Now that I've resumed giving platelets I expect to get back in the groove there.
Most of the adult books I marked as highlights already either have their own post or were summarized inside other posts. In either case, I linked them in the list above. The only "adult" book not so honored was Holes, which is a YA novel that had been on my list to read since I read positive reviews of the film version way back in 2003. I never actually saw the film, mind you, but by most accounts it is even better than the book, which is quite an accomplishment as I really enjoyed the book a lot. Holes (the book) has the weird scary edge that makes some children's books legend (see also: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory).
The remainder of the highlights are various books that I read to Birdie that I particularly enjoyed and that she seemed to enjoy as well.
Mo Willems highlighted this list with Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. On average, any given Elephant & Piggie book is better than any given Pigeon book, but this one really is delightful.
A pair of books by Emma Dodd stood out. Dog's Colorful Day is the only counting book thus far that doesn't make me want to tear out my own tongue if I have to read it twice in a row. Together is a gorgeously illustrated book about a mother and baby sea otter that we read at the AirBNB we prefer to stay at in Columbus.
Two of the PJ Library books for 2022 made my highlight lists. When I First Held You: A Lullaby From Israel was a bedtime book for many, many months and still makes an appearance. Our copy is already falling apart. Leo's Tree is about planting trees and growing up, and I like it far more than my daughter ever has.
Find Fergus was technically a Dolly Parton Imagination Library book, but we actually got our copy second hand from Rich & Jackie. The "funny take off on Where's Waldo" gimmick finally wore thin for me after 50 or so readings, but Birdie loved it and demanded it frequently on our New Mexico road trip.
Of the many hand-me-down books we received from M's sister was Red Car, Red Bus. The words are incredibly simple, but the pictures have a lot action in the background so every time I read it to Birdie I can point to something new and tell a story about those too. It's very nice.
Beyond the highlights, I inherited a pile of Ruta Sepetys novels from my aunt by way of my mother. All three were competent historical fiction, enjoyable enough that I would consider reading more of her books but not so amazing that I'd go out of my way to do so.
I read another of the books written by someone I knew in real life. Like most of the other 'adult' books I read this year, Dan Kerr's Derelict Paradise was one of my wife's books. It's an interesting view at the history of Cleveland, particularly the downtown, and the impact on homelessness of decisions taken by city government after city government. It will not surprise you to learn that many of those decisions made it harder for lower income people to live in the city while not providing them with other options.
My reading list for 2022 is off to a good start, with both adult and children's books well ahead of my 2021 pace.
- 22 adult books.
- 1 comic book (another "purchase a collection to support one of my favorite web comics)
- 112 different children's books that I read for the first time to my daughter.
This overall total was less than in 2021 by 23, but the number of "adult" books actually went up 6 books, several of which were quite substantial tomes. I'll call that a win.
The children's books portion of this list is certainly inaccurate. Some books are missing, and others definitely have dates that are slightly off. It turns out that when I'm reading an adult book, when I finish it I can add it immediately to the list that night. When I'm reading 17 consecutive books to a demanding toddler, I can't stop in the middle to add the book to a list. Sometimes I remember to do it later that day, other times I don't, and still others I probably didn't remember at all. Then you can add in that M started taking Birdie to the library late in the year, and we visited several places that had books onsite, and you can quickly see how a book or two or five might have slipped past this list. This means that this is the first year since my first book in review where the probable margin of error is worth mentioning.
It's also worth calling out that because I only list a book the first time I read it to my daughter, this list doesn't reflect a whole bunch of books I first read to Birdie in 2021. Most prominently, the 25 volumes of Elephant and Piggie were read repeatedly in 2022 to my most demanding listener, but won't appear here since she was heard them in 2021. They were absolutely her favorite books in 2022. I'd call out "A Big Guy Took My Ball" as her absolute favorite because Birdie requested it for bedtime for a few months, but there were a bunch of other strong contenders from that series.
* indicates a Graphic Novel - 1
& indicates a Children's Books - 112
All other books - 22
Italicized books were particular highlights. There were 13 of these in total.
(DP) = from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
(PJL) = from the PJ Library.
&Caralyn & Mark Buehner - Snowmen at Night - Su 1/02
&Liza Baker & David McPhail - I Love You Because You're You - M 1/03
&Angie Rozelaar - Music Cats: A Pawsitively Purrfect Compilation of Musical Legends - M 1/03
&Yu-Hsuan Huang - Baby Penguin - M 1/03
&Eric Carle - Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? - F 1/07
&Meredith Rusu - Clifford the Big Red Dog: Big New Friend - S 1/08
&Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers - The Crayons' Book of Feelings - S 1/15
&Eric Carle & Mark Rader - Around the Farm - Su 1/16
Daniel R. Kerr - Derelict Paradise: Homelessness and Urban Development in Cleveland, Ohio - M 1/17
&Debora Pearson & Nora Hilb - Leo's Tree - T 1/18 (PJL)
&Caroline Jayne Church - You Are My Sunshine - W 1/19
*Dave Kellett - Drive: Act 3 - S 1/22
&Annie Bach - Good Morning, Farm Friends - Su 1/30 (DPIL)
Harville Hendrix - Getting the Love You Want 20th Anniversary Edition - Su 2/06
Ruta Sepetys - Between Shades of Grey - R 2/10
Louis Sachar - Holes - S 2/12
&Dawn Sirett & Charlotte Milner - Baby Touch Your Nose - T 2/15
&Rachel Hare - Where Are You Elephant? - T 2/15
&Lina Schwarz & Hiroe Nakata - Thanks For Today - R 2/17 (PJL)
Ruta Sepetys - Salt to the Sea - R 2/17
Marilynne Robinson - Gilead - F 2/25
&Laura Rader - The Pudgy Where Is Your Nose? Book - S 3/05 (DPIL)
Ruta Sepetys - Out of the Easy - Su 3/06
&Linda Glaser & Estelle Corke - Munch! Goes the Baby - M 3/14 (PJL)
Madeleine L'Engle - The Crosswicks Journal, Book 1: A Circle of Quiet - T 3/15
Leon Walter Tillage & Susan L. Roth - Leon's Story - S 3/19
&MaryJo Scott & Lisa McCue - Corduroy's Shapes - F 3/25
&Sandra Boynton - Fifteen Animals! - F 4/01
&Gene Zion & Margaret Bloy Graham - Harry the Dirty Dog - F 4/01
Anne Tyler - A Patchwork Planet - F 4/01
&Eric Hill - Spot Goes to School - T 4/05
&Eric Carle - From Head to Toe - S 4/09
&Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees - Giraffes Can't Dance Number Rumba Counting Book - S 4/09
&Wendy Cheyette Lewison & Christopher Moroney - Sesame Beginnings: Peekaboo! I See You! - Su 4/10
&Nikki Boetger - On the Farm - M 4/11
&Susan Hood & Tom Brannon - Sesame Street Library - M 4/18
&Karen Katz - Where is Baby's Pumpkin? - M 4/18
&Susan Hood & Tom Brannon - Sesame Street Train Station - T 4/19
&Anna Jane Hays & Christopher Moroney- Sesame Beginnings: So Big! - W 4/20
&Mirik & Eleyor Snir - When I First Held You: A Lullaby From Israel (PJL) - R 4/21
Omar Cabezas - Fire From the Mountain - Su 4/24
&Mary Lonsdale - When the Sun Shines - Su 4/24
&Katie Kobble & Suzy Spafford - Wide Awake Witzy - W 5/04
&Katie Kobble & Suzy Spafford - Witzy's Sweet Tooth - F 5/06
&Vickie Lee & Joey Chou - 12 Lucky Animals - S 5/07
&Kingfisher - Seek and Peek: Dinosaurs - S 5/14
&Vicki L. Weber & Shirley Ng-Benitez - Start the Day - Su 5/15 (PJL)
&David Glover & Jane Glover - Babies - Su 5/15
&Zoe Burke & Dorset Fine Arts - Owls & Loons: Inuit Art from Cape Dorset - M 5/16
&Annie Alexander & Melanie Mitchell - Good Morning, Good Night - R 5/19
LeAlan Jones & LLoyd Newman - Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago - F 5/20
&Eric Carle - Sleep Tight Very Hungry Caterpillar - S 5/21 ??
&Phyllis Root & David Walker - Flip, Flap, Fly! - S 5/28
Carl Hiassen - Flush - S 6/04
&Tove Jansson - Moomin's Little Book of Words - S 6/11
&Nancy Cote - Help-A-Lot Shabbat - W 6/15 (PJL)
&Rufus Downy & Hilli Kushnir - Camp With Me ABC - F 6/17
Bob Costas - Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball - R 6/30
&David Ezra Stein - Tad and Dad - S 7/09 (DPIL)
&Madelyn Rosenbeg & Guiliana Gregori - Take Care - S 7/09 (PJL)
&Emma Dodd - Dog's Colorful Day - W 7/13
&Anna W. Bardaus - Love is You and Me - S 7/16
&Mo Willems - The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? - W 7/20
&Mo Willems - Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! - W 7/20
&Gerry Renert & Carrie Anne Bradshaw - Nathan Saves Summer - S 7/23
Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha - M 7/25
&Anna Dewdney - Llama Llama Mad at Mama - F 7/29
&Susan Rich Brooke - Sesame Street: On the Farm - Su 7/31
&Mike Boldt - Find Fergus - Su 7/31
&Giles Andreae & David Wojtowycz - Commotion in the Ocean - Su 7/31
&David Fitzsimmons - Curious Critters - W 8/03
&Karen Katz - Baby Loves Summer - Su 8/07
&Matthew A. Cherry & Vashti Harrison - Hair Love - Su 8/07
&Karen Katz - Where is Baby's Birthday Cake? - Su 8/07
&Sandra Boynton - Let's Dance, Little Pookie - Su 8/07
&Michael Frith & P.D. Eastman - I'll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words - Su 8/07
&Nancy Cote - Help-A-Lot Shabbat - M 8/08 (PJL)
Robert Caro - The Years of Lyndon Johnson, v.1: The Path to Power - T 9/06
Robert Caro - The Years of Lyndon Johnson, v.2: Means of Ascent - S 9/10
Robert Sullivan - Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants - Su 9/11
&Abby Mongolion - Do You See What I See? - M 9/12
&Barbara Bietz, June Sobel & Ruth Waters - Apples, Apples, All Year Round - T 9/13 (PJL)
Michael Pollan - The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World - T 9/13
Gary Paul Nabhan - Why Some Like It Hot: Food, Genes, and Cultural Diversity - R 9/15
Slavomir Rawicz - The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom - S 9/17
&Hadley Barrows & Megan Moore - Antler, A: A Cabin ABC Book - M 9/19
&Fiona Watt & Rachel Wells - That's Not My Owl - W 9/28
&Baby Einstein - At the Park - R 9/29
&Tracy Newman & Viviana Garofoli - Sukkot is Coming - S 10/08 (PJL)
&Sophie Beer - Change Starts With Us - S 10/08
&Sophy Henn - Edie is Ever So Helpful - M 10/17
&Lin Oliver & Tomie dePaola - Little Poems for Tiny Brains - M 10/17
&Judy Sierra & Marc Brown - Wild About Books - M 10/17
&Bill Martin Jr & Eric Carle - Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? - W 10/19
&Cinders McLeod - Spend It! - W 10/19
&Eric Carle - Eric Carle's Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Nursery Rhymes - R 11/03 (DPIL)
&Anna McQuinn & Rosalind Beardshaw - Lola Plants a Garden - M 11/07
&Susan Steggall - Red Car, Red Bus - W 11/09
&Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha - Train Man - W 11/09
&A. Galan & Rodrigo Lujan - The Library's Secret T 11/10
&James Dean - Pete the Cat: Scuba-Cat - T 11/22
&James Dean - Pete the Cat: Snow Daze - T 11/22
&Peter & Paul Reynolds - Going Places - T 11/22
&Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha - Digger Man - M 11/28
&Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha - Fire Engine Man - M 11/28
&Kimberly & James Dean - Pete the Cat: Five Little Bunnies - W 11/30
&Kimberly & James Dean - Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie - W 11/30
&Emma Dodd - Dog & Friends: Rainbow Fun - W 11/30
&James Dean - Pete the Cat: Old MacDonald Had a Farm - R 12/01
&Mo Willems - Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep! - R 12/01
&Anna Dewdney - Llama Llama Gives Thanks - R 12/01
&Various - Paw Patrol: The Adventure Bay Treasury - R 12/01
&Mo Willems - Knuffle Bunny - R 12/01
&Cynthia Platt & Mary O'Keefe Young - Curious George: Curious About Fall - R 12/01
&Kristen Depken - Rubble to the Rescue! - F 12/02
&Philemon Sturges & Shari Halpern - I Love Trucks! - Su 12/04
&Kimberly & James Dean - Pete the Cat and his Magic Sunglasses - Su 12/04
Jane Leavy - Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy - M 12/05
&Mo Willems - The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! - R 12/08
&Mo Willems - The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! - R 12/08
&Tex Huntley - Paw Patrol: Snuggle Up, Pups - R 12/08
&James Dean - Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach - R 12/08
&Kimberly & James Dean - Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues - R 12/08
&Laurie Berkner & Ben Clanton - Monster Boogie - R 12/08
&Kevin Sherry - I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean - R 12/08
&Eric Hill - Find Spot at the Museum - F 12/09
&Rilla Alexander - Herbert on the Slide - R 12/15
&Mo Willems - Unlimited Squirrels in Guess What - R 12/15
&Bob Shea & Brian Won - Little Pups in Big Trucks - R 12/15
&Jan Thomas - My Friends Make Me Happy - F 12/16
&Jeffrey Burton & Zoe Waring - Twinkle, Twinkle, Unicorn - S 12/17
&Bluey - Bluey: My Dad is Awesome - M 12/19
&Byron Barton - My House - M 12/19
&Emma Dodd - Together - M 12/26
For the third year in row, no Shakespeare made the list. I did actually finish The Sonnets, but in my complete works it's packaged with "A Lover's Complaint," and I didn't finish that so I listed neither. Now that I've resumed giving platelets I expect to get back in the groove there.
Most of the adult books I marked as highlights already either have their own post or were summarized inside other posts. In either case, I linked them in the list above. The only "adult" book not so honored was Holes, which is a YA novel that had been on my list to read since I read positive reviews of the film version way back in 2003. I never actually saw the film, mind you, but by most accounts it is even better than the book, which is quite an accomplishment as I really enjoyed the book a lot. Holes (the book) has the weird scary edge that makes some children's books legend (see also: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory).
The remainder of the highlights are various books that I read to Birdie that I particularly enjoyed and that she seemed to enjoy as well.
Mo Willems highlighted this list with Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. On average, any given Elephant & Piggie book is better than any given Pigeon book, but this one really is delightful.
A pair of books by Emma Dodd stood out. Dog's Colorful Day is the only counting book thus far that doesn't make me want to tear out my own tongue if I have to read it twice in a row. Together is a gorgeously illustrated book about a mother and baby sea otter that we read at the AirBNB we prefer to stay at in Columbus.
Two of the PJ Library books for 2022 made my highlight lists. When I First Held You: A Lullaby From Israel was a bedtime book for many, many months and still makes an appearance. Our copy is already falling apart. Leo's Tree is about planting trees and growing up, and I like it far more than my daughter ever has.
Find Fergus was technically a Dolly Parton Imagination Library book, but we actually got our copy second hand from Rich & Jackie. The "funny take off on Where's Waldo" gimmick finally wore thin for me after 50 or so readings, but Birdie loved it and demanded it frequently on our New Mexico road trip.
Of the many hand-me-down books we received from M's sister was Red Car, Red Bus. The words are incredibly simple, but the pictures have a lot action in the background so every time I read it to Birdie I can point to something new and tell a story about those too. It's very nice.
Beyond the highlights, I inherited a pile of Ruta Sepetys novels from my aunt by way of my mother. All three were competent historical fiction, enjoyable enough that I would consider reading more of her books but not so amazing that I'd go out of my way to do so.
I read another of the books written by someone I knew in real life. Like most of the other 'adult' books I read this year, Dan Kerr's Derelict Paradise was one of my wife's books. It's an interesting view at the history of Cleveland, particularly the downtown, and the impact on homelessness of decisions taken by city government after city government. It will not surprise you to learn that many of those decisions made it harder for lower income people to live in the city while not providing them with other options.
My reading list for 2022 is off to a good start, with both adult and children's books well ahead of my 2021 pace.