There is an episode from Twilight Zone that has always resonated with me. Henry Bemis in “Time Enough at Last,” is a timid bank teller who loves to read. That is all he wishes to do, yet his boss, co-workers, and even his wife, nag at him to put away the books. He should be more productive with his life, they say. His awful wife even scratches out words in his beloved books, and at one point, she tears pages out of one as he watches in horror. If only he had all the time in the world to read, he muses. How wonderful his life would be. A nuclear bomb hits as he is hiding/reading down in the the bank safe. As Henry stumbles into a wrecked world, he slowly comprehends he may be one of the last humans left. Everyone is gone. What will he do? Then, miraculously, he finds the remnants of the town library. With unbridled glee, he gathers books in piles, knowing he will be able to spend the rest of his days reading. Reading with no interruption, no nagging, no deadlines or nonsense in his way. But in a typical Rod Serling Twilight Zone twist, Henry’s plans are thwarted when his thick glasses fall to the ground and shatter. The story ends in a paradox: Henry Bemis having “time enough at last” to read every book, yet having no way to see the words on the pages.
In my retired life I often think of this episode. Without students or lesson plans or endless staff meetings, I have time enough at last to read, but without global mass destruction or broken glasses getting in my way. Some nonfiction, a few poetry compilations, but mostly fiction make up my Goodreads 2022 book list. I was told last year I leave too many five stars, so I attempted to whittle them back, yet I counted 35 five star books on my list. Are they all that good? I’m not sure, but the stars just reflect my heart after I finish a book. If I am “feeling” the story, five stars often are applied. If the book was just okay but entertaining, then four stars. I rarely leave less because If I am not liking the book, I return it. I don’t waste my time on “meh” books.
Reading has always been a part of me since I was a little girl. I loved books, the smell of the library, and being left alone with Harriet the Spy or The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The titles and subjects changed as I got older, but my reading habits did not. Even as I held my babies, I often had an open book tucked in a pillow close by. Now when people ask me how I fill my retired days, I reply, “I read.” No excuses. No regrets. No, “But I also do this or that.” I read, and it gives me joy.
I have kept a Goodreads list since 2019, beginning with a 50 book challenge. The list is just for me. I do not review books. I just list, date, and star. I don’t like reviewing books. Even though I write, I often cannot come up the words to explain what a story does to me. It’s often just, “This book. You must read it.”
So…here is my list of 13 memorable books from 2022 that made me pause and often gasp. You must read them…. (I did attempt a few words, but reviews escape me. Pick up the books and you will understand.)
Violeta by Isabel Allende
Allende’s writing transports you to another time. Magic.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
A story unveiling layers of love, and how family has many definitions.
Matrix by Lauren Goff
History lessons on Catholicism’s patriarchy, early feminism, and the ultimate power of women.
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
A Covid love story, both real and in dreams.
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
Some books are stories, others are lyrical masterpieces. Love Songs sings.
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Raccuta
Ghosts. Family. Love. Food.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Great books teach us little known history and also require us to look at our own with a critical eye.
Words in the Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
Bookstore. Book lists. Young love. Sigh…
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
TJ Klune is a freaking wonder.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Legacies of recipes, food, and gatherings.
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
The other Covid novel on my list. Isolation. Listening. Understanding. Love.
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
Oh, Louise Penny, Three Pines, and your Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…in French.
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
The book that inspired my list. What would your book list look like?
“We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.” TJ Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea“We are the books we read and the things we love.” Cath Crowley, Words in the Deep Blue“Please try to remember that books aren’t always an escape; sometimes books teach us things. They show us the world; they don’t hide it.” Sara Nisha Adams, The Reading List