Nu traditions, 2022 book recommendations
“Mostly I read at night, mostly.”
Because of COVID and/or weather, Dan and I spent the past three Christmases together at home. We’ve come up with a new tradition where we watch a trilogy over the course of Christmas Eve through the 26th. The first year we did all three John Wick films (Dan’s pick), in 2021 I picked George Romero’s Dead trilogy: Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead. Dan had never seen any of them so I was really glad to be able to do this cultural exchange—just like Tim and Brian on SPACED! Watching Dawn of the Dead last year was also a special experience because I was 8 months pregnant. I found myself identifying with Francine in new ways, as well as being really glad that I was not trapped in a mall.
This year we picked together and decided on the Alien trilogy. I noticed a few things when watching this series: 1.) I’ve had a lot of the same haircuts as the women in these films, 2.) it’s the future, but everyone is still chain-smoking, and 3.) it’s completely reasonable to be wary of AI and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
As far as holiday traditions went in my family, it was usually something like fights, drunkenness, inappropriate dinner table conversations (“Did you know Bing Crosby beat his kids?”), and every now and again there was a good old fashioned 911 call to round out the evening. For a long time I hated Christmas—I had no positive associations with it, and every time December rolled around I was like “Do we really have to do this whole shitshow over again?”
Then I started making up my own traditions that had nothing to do with my family or past negative experiences. Hence, the trilogies. Now that I have a daughter, I’ll be creating new traditions with her, too. She’s still too little to know what Christmas is other than a chance to rip a lot of wrapping paper, but when she gets older we’ll figure out fun stuff to do.
If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that the way we used to do things can change. Holiday traditions don’t have to be a flat circle where you’re just drudging through the same unpleasantries year after year. Traditions can be specific to something you’re really into, or totally new to you, or just really low key and relaxing.
2022: A Year in Books
For the first time, I kept track of all the books I read in the past year. It came to about 58 total, and I think that’s higher than normal for me due to a major change in my sleep pattern. I read most of Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley series in the wee hours of the morning when I was up with the baby. I also had a Kindle Unlimited membership for part of the year, so I burned through a bunch of those books when my insomnia came back with a vengeance this summer.
I read several books that were released in 2022—usually my reading/viewing/listening choices are arbitrary and not based on something being new. So this means I can do one of those end-of-year recommendation lists!
My “new in 2022” favorites:
The Devil Takes You Home, Gabino Iglesias
This “barrio noir” straddles the line between supernatural horror, the day-to-day horror of living in poverty, the horrors of racism, as well as a scarier-than-actual-ghosts drug cartel. There’s quite a lot of dialogue in Spanish which has inspired me to brush up on my language skills. I can’t say this book is fun, but I can say it’s really well written.
Mary, Nat Cassidy
I told Nat that his book is “a Stephen King novel without all the bullshit.” It’s highly entertaining and fast-paced, it’s got some solid creepy scenes, there are also some funny moments, and overall it manages to tell a feminist story without the ham-fisted lessons King has been shoe-horning into his recent work. The titular main character of this novel keeps having violent hallucinations that her doctors write off as a side effect of menopause (see my recent article about medical gaslighting) but actually these visions she’s having may be connected to a notorious serial killer. Enjoy!
If This Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe, Jason Pargin
This is the latest installment in the John Dies at the End series, which I also read this year. I can’t remember any books that made me laugh out loud as much as Jason’s Pargin’s have, and I’m kind of a snob (dick) about comedy so this is a pretty big accomplishment. I guess these books are sci-fi/horror, but with main characters that are complete dirtbags and plot lines that are both stupid and convoluted enough that you won’t know what’s going to happen next.
The Vessel, Adam Nevill
If you’re familiar with Nevill’s other work you won’t be disappointed. If you don’t know about this author, he’s THE British folk horror guy. A nice thing about this story is that it’s still very scary but it’s not as depressing as some of his other books.
My favorites that came out other years:
PTSD Radio Vol 2- 6 Masaaki Nakayama
These Violent Delights, Micah Nemerever
Under the Midnight Sun, Keigo Higashino
The Friends of Eddie Coyle, George V. Higgins
The Ballad of Black Tom, Victor La Valle
All the dang books from 2022.
If it Bleeds, Stephen King
Strangers on a Train, The Cry of the Owl, Tremor of Forgery, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley’s Game, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley Under Water, The Boy Who Followed Ripley, Patricia Highsmith (I LOVE HER)
Twelve Nights at Rotter House, J.W. Ocker
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Sloan Wilson
Double Indemnity, James M. Cain
A Simple Plan, Scott Smith
Mary, Nat Cassidy
John Dies at the End, This Book is Full of Spiders, What the Hell Did I Just Read?, If this Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe, Jason Pargin
Man, Fuck this House, Brian Asman
The Devotion of a Suspect X, Salvation of a Saint, Silent Parade, Malice, Newcomer, Under the Midnight Sun, A Death in Tokyo, Keigo Higashino (New favorite mystery author)
The Good Son, Seven Years of Darkness, You-Jeong Jeong
These Violent Delights, Micah Nemerever (Be gay, do crimes!)
The Hellbound Heart, Clive Barker
The Devil Takes You Home, Gabino Iglesias
Kindle unlimited reads:
The Perfect Marriage, Adam Mitzner
Kill Creek, Scott Thomas
The Lost Village, Camilla Sten
The Watchers, The Creeper, A.M. Shine (some bonkers Irish folk horror here, kids)
Dear Laura, Gemma Amor
Winterset Hollow, Jonathan Durham
At the End of the Matinee, Keiichiro Hirano
The Great Passage, Shion Miura
Nine Perfect Strangers, Liane Moriarty (I read a normal one!)
Lending the Key to the Locked Room, Tokuya Higashigawa (Fun spin on locked room mysteries)
The Moai Island Puzzle, Alice Arisugawa
The Vessel, Adam Nevill
A Nice Class of Corpse, Mrs. Presumed Dead, Simon Brett
The Friends of Eddie Coyle, George V. Higgins
The Ballad of Black Tom, Victor La Valle
Mr. Yam, Yen Tan
Intercepts, T.J. Payne
Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Tom Perrotta (Election Tracy is back!)
Disappear, Doppelganger, Disappear, Matthew Salesses
Manga:
PTSD Radio Vol 2- 6 Masaaki Nakayama
Blood on the Tracks Vol 1-8, Shuzo Oshimi
A Side Character’s Love Story, Vol 1-10
Nonfiction:
This is a Book About the Kids in the Hall, John Semley
Getting Free, Ginny NiCarthy (this was for research, I am not in danger)
Precious Little Sleep (there were other baby books but I can’t remember now)
