The most wonderful (and stressful) time of year is back: Goodreads Choice Awards season! As part of our annual tradition, two BookTrib editors predict the winners. (Check out last year’s predictions!) We hope that our great tastes will turn the tide and influence readers who are choosing their own favorites. Let’s see how successful we are this year!
On December 8, Goodreads will announce picks from readers for their 14th annual Goodreads Choice Awards. Join BookTrib editors Megan Beauregard and Cameron Kimball as they have a friendly debate about the best titles of the year. Some books might even look familiar to frequent BookTrib visitors …
Then, once Goodreads rolls out the winners of the popular vote, return to see which predictions we hit the mark on!
Fiction
Megan: We’re starting this list off strong, with a title that is in my personal top five for the year. To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara blew me away (and weighed me down, at a hearty 700 pages). Yanagihara’s prose is unmatched, and she adeptly weaves three timelines through three centuries in this novel. Each part was refreshing and magnetic, covering themes of mortality, ethics, class, race, autonomy and sexuality. Also, what could be a more perfect read for 2022 than 300 pages following a near future overcome by a pandemic?
Cameron: When you dive into a book about a giant Pacific octopus that’s trying to solve a decades-long missing-persons case, you aren’t expecting to find much relatable content. And yet despite the outlandish plot, author Shelby Van Pelt manages to create an unforgettable tale of human and inhuman connection. One of the two main protagonists in Remarkably Bright Creatures, Tova Sullivan has dealt with her fair share of loss — and to stave off the loneliness after her husband’s recent death, has taken a job cleaning the Sowell Bay Aquarium. BookTrib reviewer Jennifer Blankfein captures her feelings for Marcellus, the second protagonist, with this quote: “I never expected it, but I fell in love with an octopus!”
Update: the winner for the Fiction category of the Goodreads Choice Awards is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.
Mystery & Thriller
Megan: If the concept of a Thursday Murder Club hasn’t grabbed your attention yet, The Bullet That Missed is a book that every fan of cozy mysteries needs to look into. After all, wouldn’t you love to spend your Thursdays solving cold-case murders? I try to stay away from anything too dark and terrifying, so this clever mystery is right up my alley. With vivid characters, quirky prose and a whirlwind of complicated scenarios, the third book in this series has my vote. (Our Review)
Cameron: “Dark academia” is a term that has been thrown around a lot lately, and in the case of Ruth Ware’s The It Girl, it’s well-deserved. Ten years after her Oxford friend’s tragic death, Hannah Jones discovers that the convicted man may have been innocent after all. But that means the real killer is still out there — and is possibly in Hannah’s own friend group of former classmates. This New York Times bestseller is a chilling exploration of betrayal that perfectly blends murder and mystery with interpersonal intrigue. Little wonder that it’s made it to the final bracket of the competition!
Update: the winner for Mystery & Thriller is The Maid by Nita Prose, with The Bullet That Missed coming in third.
Historical Fiction
Megan: I’ll be the first to admit that historical fiction hasn’t always been my go-to genre. But two years ago, I picked up a copy of Hamnet at a local library book sale and learned Maggie O’Farrell’s name. The Marriage Portrait brings out my historical curiosity, especially when it comes to stories about young women, gender roles and familial expectations. By painting a vivid portrait of time and place, The Marriage Portrait brings Lucrezia de Medici to life. Now all I want to know is: when will we get a TV adaptation? (Our Review)
Cameron: Already in development as a Hulu original series, Charmaine Wilkerson’s historical novel Black Cake is flying off shelves for good reason. Upon Eleanor Bennett’s will, she leaves a strange parting wish for her estranged children Byron and Benny — to share her traditional Caribbean black cake “when the time is right.” Byron and Benny have no idea what ‘the right time’ could mean, and must look deep into their family’s past to uncover the answer. This intergenerational story contains multitudes, discussing trauma, racial identity and sacrifice. It’s a deep, aching portrayal of loss and forgiveness that will have you reaching for the tissue box. Check out Jennifer Blankfein’s glowing review of Black Cake here.
Update: the winner for Historical Fiction is Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Read.
Fantasy
Megan: If you say the phrase “queer, diverse, magical dark academia inspired by lost civilizations from antiquity,” I’ll come running. The Atlas Six has been on my reading list since I first heard its premise. I’d happily read the same dark academia plot over and over again, but I love to see something new and fresh, like this book. I’m all for well-developed characters with intense chemistry, moral conundrums and a thirst for knowledge.
Cameron: Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution. It’s a stunning title for a stunning, absolute must-read of a book. Award-winning author R. F. Kuang has poured her talents into this immersive story of language, academia and resistance, and how the three interconnect far more than we give them credit for. Babel’s story is told through the eyes of Robin Swift, a new student at Oxford University’s secret translation institution where students learn about the magic behind language itself. Intertwining a fantastical story of spellcasting with the real-world terrors of colonization is no easy feat, yet Kuang somehow manages it gracefully.
Update: the winner of the Fantasy category is House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas. Check out our review of it here!
Romance
Megan: Once BookTok got ahold of this one, I knew it would be a sure winner. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover is all anyone’s been recommending to me since October. This prequel has star quality, that’s for sure. Not only did it top the bestseller list, but it became Simon & Schuster’s most pre-ordered book of all time. If that wasn’t enough, everything I’ve heard about the second-chance love story between Lily and Atlas has sold me on this one as the best romance book of the year. (Our Review)
Cameron: Emily Henry is romance-world royalty, so I’m sure you won’t be surprised to see her name on this list. Book Lovers is the latest of her New York Times bestselling novels, following in the footsteps of the summer staple Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. Perhaps my favorite aspect of Book Lovers is the incredibly fun idea that fuels it; the story plays with the Hallmark movie trope of “city boy meets small-town girl and abandons corporate life forever.” In this book, however, protagonist Nora Stephens plays the part of the city boy’s ambitious Manhattanite girlfriend — the one who always, always gets dumped before the movie’s over. I think this book has such a clever way of spinning the trope on its head, and it’s such a sweet, romantic read.
Update: Book Lovers by Emily Henry came in first for the Romance category, with Colleen Hoover in both second and third place!
Science Fiction
Megan: Long ago, Nikki Erlick used to write reviews for BookTrib … and now she’s a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee! Ok, so maybe I’m biased on this one, but Nikki Erlick deserves the win for her story concept alone. If you could open a box and learn how many years you would live, would you do it? The Measure explores the emotional and real-world consequences of such a possibility. Have you noticed a pattern in my gravitation towards books with complex moral quandaries yet? (Our Review)
Cameron: How to even describe Nona the Ninth? It’s the third book in Tamsyn Muir’s award-winning series The Locked Tomb. It’s a story about perseverance in the face of hardship and the strength that our loved ones lend us in the darkest of times. It’s an apocalyptic space opera with zombies and lesbian necromancers. There’s a floating blue orb in the sky that’s about to tear an entire planet apart. It’s an absolute trip. Go read it.
Update: the winner of the Science Fiction category is Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. Check out our review here!
Horror
Megan: I’m fascinated by horror, but I almost never read it. I’d likely never sleep again if I read more than one horror book a year. But I’m tempted to break that rule for Our Wives Under the Sea. It seems reminiscent of some works of Carmen Maria Machado, in that it is haunting, sapphic, and beautifully written. Anything psychological, with meandering paragraphs that slowly reveal the truth is enough to grab my attention. And when Florence Welch — lead singer of Florence + the Machine and queen of indie gothic rock music — recommends a book, I listen.
Cameron: I’m totally in agreement, Megan. Hand-picked by both NPR and The Washington Post as a Book of the Year, I’m not at all surprised to see that Julia Armfield’s Our Wives Under the Sea has made it to the final round of Goodreads’ Choice Awards. This haunting read combines heart-pounding suspense and a deep sense of dread with the achingly poignant tale of mourning a loved one who’s alive but irreparably changed. And in my opinion, there’s nothing scarier than being trapped in a vessel on the ocean floor, unable to do anything about the dwindling oxygen and the crushing pressure all around you.
Update: hmm, not quite. This year’s winner for Horror is Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak.
Humor
Megan: Girls Can Kiss Now has been on my list for quite some time. It is filled with personal essays from Jill Gutowitz that explore pop culture, lesbian representation in media and the internet’s influence over and shaping of our sexualities, desires and values. This one is targeted specifically towards millennials, or people who grew up in the 90s and 2000s with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Taylor Swift and Disney Channel.
Cameron: David Sedaris is an icon in the world of humor writing, with past heavy hitters like Me Talk Pretty One Day and Calypso. And while his books may be categorized in humor — and make no mistake, they’re hilarious — they’re also bittersweet ruminations on family, health and the ups and downs of life. His newest release, Happy-Go-Lucky, is no different, tackling the strange new world that we’ve been living in ever since March 2020. Recounting his solo misadventures throughout lockdown, from vacuuming his apartment twice a day to buying gummy worms to feed ants, Sedaris manages to pen a book that’s both wonderfully unique and painfully relatable.
Update: the winner for the Humor category is The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
Nonfiction
Megan: Here’s another familiar name for BookTrib readers, who have surely seen our weekly repost of Brené Brown’s podcast, Unlocking Us. Atlas of the Heart is a journey through the emotional experience of being human. This book is more than a lesson on self-help — it is a lesson on self-awareness and understanding the connections we have with one another.
Cameron: Megan and I are in agreement here! Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart is a NYT bestseller and soon-to-be HBO Max docuseries that has captured the hearts (ha) of many. Taking the reader through 87 emotions that help define what it means to be human, Brown gives us the language to describe our personal experiences and help connect with those around us. This read manages to be both an educational foray into the world of language and an inspiring celebration of the human experience.
Update: we got it! Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart is the Nonfiction winner.
Memoir & Autobiography
Megan: If you haven’t heard of this one yet … where have you been? You couldn’t walk into any bookstore in the last six months without this one being front and center. I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy details the former star’s difficult childhood, eating disorders, addiction, and her abusive mother. As someone from the Nickelodeon and Disney Channel generation, it is fascinating and heartbreaking to see so many of these kinds of books coming from the stars I grew up loving. Something makes me think that Cameron might agree… (Our Listicle Here)
Cameron: You’re right! I’m not usually a betting person, but I would put money on the prediction that Jennette McCurdy’s memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died will win this category. If you somehow missed the incredible amount of buzz this book got, it chronicles McCurdy’s experience as a child actor on the Nickelodeon show iCarly, as well as the spinoff Sam & Cat. But the events behind the scenes are even more formative — it was McCurdy’s mother who pushed her to pursue fame, and who was determined to make it happen in any way possible. This gut-wrenching story captures the complicated emotions of what it means to be betrayed by someone meant to love you unconditionally. McCurdy has already secured further book deals thanks to this incredible memoir, and I personally cannot wait for her next release!
Update: two in a row! Jennette McCurdy won the Memoir & Autobiography category with I’m Glad My Mom Died.
History & Biography
Megan: His Name is George Floyd is likely the most important book on this list. George Floyd’s murder became a catalyst for Black Lives Matter protests across America and the world, calling for racial justice and an end to police brutality. This biography tells the touching life of the man whose face became known across the world. By putting his life into the context of institutional racism, the Floyd family’s roots in slavery, the harms of over-policing and the drug crisis, we can see how one Black man’s life was upended by America’s dark history of racism and complacency. Of course, my vote goes to this vital biography.
Cameron: So much history has been buried under the sands of time, and it’s always a fascinating read when writers and historians bring an unsung story to the spotlight. Award-winning writer Shelley Puhak does just that in her riveting tale of The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World. Puhak tells the story of Brunhild and Fredegund in 6th-century Merovingian France. The two women could not have been from more different circumstances; Brunhild was born into royalty, whereas Fredegund started off as a palace slave. But incredibly, the two became sisters-in-law locked in a battle of politics and succession. It’s a tale that rivals the drama of House of the Dragon, firmly grounded in reality.
Update: the winner of the History & Biography section is Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller. Robert Samuels’ His Name is George Floyd came in second, with Shelley Puhak’s The Dark Queens in third.
Graphic Novels & Comics
Megan: Heartstopper is the adorable, heartstopping (ha!) phenomenon that swept the world with a recent Netflix adaptation, and another season to come. This fourth graphic novel follows the continuing romance between Nick and Charlie, two teenagers navigating their sexualities, mental health, relationships and the world. I’ll be honest and say I’ve never read a graphic novel in my life, but if I had to choose one to dive into, it would be this one.
Cammy: I’m a huge fan of Kate Beaton, so I’m admittedly biased in this write-up. But I truly do believe that Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an incredible title worthy of winning the Graphic Novel category. It’s an autobiographical tale of her time working on the oil sands of Alberta, Canada. Beaton is a master of her craft, her delicate illustrations capturing the lonely beauty of the Albertan wilderness and the harsh life on the sands. Ducks is a quiet, haunting tale of the struggle between personal survival and the exploitation of the very land that Beaton’s community is proud to call home.
Update: we have a winner! Heartstopper Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman is the winner of this year’s Graphic Novels & Comics category.
Poetry
Megan: I have a soft spot for Ocean Vuong because we grew up in the same state, not too far from each other. I consumed Time is a Mother in one night, captivated by Vuong’s collection of poems that meditate on grief and family after the loss of his mother. He explores what it means to be a product of violent war and to live as a queer Vietnamese man in America. His poems are both touching and jarring, calling attention to aspects of humanity that we might not always recognize. Vuong also throws in lines that stop you in your tracks like, “Lest we forget, a morgue is also a community center.” If that doesn’t make Ocean Vuong an award winner, I don’t know what does.
Cameron: You certainly caught Amanda Gorman’s powerful performance at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. At only 23 years old, Gorman is already a powerhouse of poetry, and Call Us What We Carry is her third publication. With powerful prose and aching emotions, Gorman walks us through defining moments in history and their echoes into today’s fractured world. Carrying grief in one hand and healing in the other, Gorman encourages us to look at our lives with a newfound appreciation and a determination to do better for all those around us. It’s an absolutely gorgeous read that will stay with you long after the last page.
Update: Amanda Gorman’s Call Us What We Carry is the winner of the Poetry category!
Debut Novel
Megan: What are your neighbors really capable of when they think no one is watching? All Good People Here is a deep dive into a recent murder that dredges up a decades-old cold case. Written by Ashley Flowers, host of the true-crime podcast Crime Junkie, this novel is well-researched and just as fascinating and terrifying as the dive into a real murder and kidnapping case would be… A great feat for a debut author who knows her stuff! (Our Review)
Cameron: From its spot on the NYT bestseller list to becoming a Book of the Month pick, Kaikeyi is a powerful contender for Best Debut of 2022. Vaishnavi Patel’s ingenious retelling builds off the ancient epic Ramayana, reimagining the infamous queen as an ambitious princess determined to fight for herself and the women around her. Kaikeyi combines fantastical magic and tales of earth-rending gods with a girl’s struggle to be heard in a world determined to silence her. Transformative and breathtaking, Patel’s novel is a tour de force that will undoubtedly inspire every reader.
Update: this year’s winner of the Debut Novel category is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Check out our Q&A with the author here!
Young Adult Fiction
Megan: This one won the National Book Award … Isn’t that reason enough to get both of our votes? All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir is more than all the rage. It is a stunning story, inspired in part by Tahir’s own life, about family, friendship, immigration, belonging and young love. Following a family from Pakistan trying to keep their Californian motel afloat amidst familial and external challenges, two young people must battle their demons together. For a young adult novel, this sounds like a meaningful story for anyone, young or old, to enjoy.
Cameron: While All My Rage is Sabaa Tahir’s first foray into realistic fiction, it’s far from her first bestseller. Her name may already ring a bell to you, thanks to her heart-pounding fantasy series An Ember in the Ashes. Now she’s back with her newest release, an emotional and unforgettable look at family, love and just how difficult it can be to leave the past behind. Filled with intergenerational struggles and simmering emotions, this book doesn’t just tug on your heartstrings — it’ll pull them right through your ribcage. And I mean that as the highest compliment. It’s no surprise we’re both rooting for this one as the YA winner.
Update: the winner of the Young Adult Fiction category is The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
Megan: Tahereh Mafi has been one of my favorite authors, ever since 2011 when Shatter Me was released. As I’ve grown up, I’ve continued to follow her career and writing, but haven’t made it around to read this latest one. So I’m blindly instilling my faith in her expert storytelling and writing when I vote for This Woven Kingdom. This high-fantasy, courtly romance is inspired by Persian mythology, and I can imagine the romance it contains is just as swoon-worthy as her other books.
Cameron: If you’re a fan of Young Adult Fantasy, there is no way that you haven’t heard of Tracy Deonn’s modern Arthurian tale Legendborn. It’s an incredibly imaginative series featuring ancient legend, a magical secret society and a compelling protagonist you simply cannot help but root for. The much-anticipated sequel Bloodmarked has just been released, rounding out the duology in an explosive finale that has readers screaming, crying and singing their praises. I’d suggest jumping on this series now to avoid spoilers — because trust me, you do not want to miss out on this adventure!
Update: this year’s winner of the Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction category is Gallant by V.E. Schwab.
Middle Grade & Children’s
Megan: Anything Rick Riordan presents is something I support. Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality is another flawless contribution to the movement to create a diverse range of books that any young person can see themselves in. The fifth book in this middle-grade series inspired by Hindu folklore is feminist, fast-paced and fantastical. I can imagine this series being the current generation of children’s Percy Jackson. Everyone could use a little magic and adventure in their lives!
Cameron: Claribel A. Ortega’s middle-grade read Witchlings is the epitome of charming. Described as The Owl House meets Amari and the Night Brothers, this spellbinding story is sure to appeal to readers of every age. Personally, I wish I could portal into the magical town of Ravenskill to take part in the Black Moon Ceremony! Ortega crafts a powerful, action-packed story of magic, adventure and the supernatural strength that friendship can bring. What’s better than that?
Update: the winner for Middle Grade & Children’s is I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us, written by Andie Powers and illustrated by Betsy Petersen.
RELATED POSTS
