Here’s another bite of The Quinnies: the 2022 literary awards that I just made up.
To review, The Quinnies are my favorite reads of the year. Please note, most of these titles are not new. Only one was published in 2022. They span across genres. Some are better executed than others. There was really only one guiding factor for me in making this list of awardees: my own enjoyment. So please, enjoy.
Coziest: Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky
This graphic novel is gentle and optimistic, perfect for readers of Emergent Strategy or those dreaming of a better world. It is a queer romance in an island village setting with spiritual/magical elements. My sister swiped my copy of Coming Back so, unfortunately, I do not have it to reference in order to write a more in-depth review. Please note that this book was STOLEN from me because it is great.
Best Ending: BTTM FDRS by Ezra Clayton Daniels and Ben Passmore
Spoiler alert: By the end of BTTM FDRS, almost all the gentrifiers are dead. This graphic novel had all the trappings of a good horror movie: unlikeable people, a vengeful monster, possession, and an awesome gross-out factor. The Laffy-Taffy color palette also ensures that scaredy-cats like me can still deeply enjoy BTTM FDRS.
Roommates Darla and Cynthia are settling into their hip, new warehouse apartment in a gritty neighborhood, but something is off. A slow, satisfying reveal that Darla and Cynthia’s building houses a monster that is hell bent on becoming the sole tenant. This is a quick read but one that’s worth taking slowly.
See also Upgrade Soul and Your Black Friend.
Most Likely to Recommend: The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks
If more people read bell hooks’ back list, we’d live in a more loving world.
This book completely shifted how I think about masculinity and all of my relationships. It covers the topics of familial connection and the socially sanctioned emotional abuse that is baked into the way we raise people who are assigned male at birth. Bonus: bell hooks rips Harry Potter a new one for its normalization of toxic masculinity and violence as a means of emotional expression. Double Bonus: hooks roasted JK Rowling before it was fashionable to do so.
This book is for anyone and everyone but I particularly enjoyed it as someone who thinks a lot about gender and its emotional impacts. hook’s take on modern masculinity (and how it can be redefined) is a must-read for parents, partners, educators, adult children of workaholics, adult children of alcoholics…Basically, anyone who identifies as a man or knows someone who does. This book helped me make sense of my life.
Most Likely to Disagree with the Goodreads Reviews: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
This has been on my TBR list since childhood and I finally got around to it this year via audiobook. If you go on Goodreads, some reviews may try to convince you that the movie is better than the book. Don’t listen to them! Those are folks who want magic to be a THING that HAPPENS as opposed to an atmospheric device. I can see how high fantasy fans might have craved more from Practical Magic but I loved Hoffman’s light touch. The Owens sisters are not the Sanderson Sisters. Their magic is practical: mugwort for high blood pressure, lavender to spark your memory. They do simple things that shift their realities around them. The lens of narration is distant but personal, not unlike Zora Neale Hurston’s style. It hit the sweet spot for me. I am also a big fan of the movie, but I hold no opinion on which is “better.” At their core, they are different stories. Check out the book if you haven’t yet!
The Quinnies Honorable Mentions:
Boxers by Gene Luen Yang
Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolks, and Nicola Yoon
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté
It Didn’t Start with You by Mark Wolynn
More on these titles in upcoming editions of The Slow Read.