Something You Haven’t Read: Best Fiction Debuts of 2022

Do you seem to be reading the same authors, and the same books, over and over and over? We’ve got the antidote: check out our list of stellar debut novels from 2022. Get in on the ground floor of these authors’ promising careers. Here’s a small sample of what you’ll find there:

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• The Ghetto Within by Santiago H. Amigorena, translated by Frank Wynne
  In the haunting and resonant English language debut of this  French Argentine writer, a Jewish emigrant to Buenos Aires confronts inescapable walls of guilt when he learns of the fates of those he left behind in Warsaw, an emotional legacy he passes down to his own offspring.
• Stories No One Hopes Are About Them by A.J. Bermudez
  Playfully subversive, darkly humorous stories reveal the myriad subtle ways we are marginalized by the entitlemens of others, and sidelined by our own internalized powerlessness.
• The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
  In a vivid, moving gothic fantasy for all book lovers, Devon is raised on a literal diet of fairytales, only to confront a world where happy endings are the exception, rather than the rule.
• Hawk Mountain by Connor Habib
  Single father Todd is looking for a fresh start as he raises his young son in a small town, only to run smack into Jack, the bully who made his own boyhood hell and seems bent on ruining his adulthood as well, in a taut psychological thriller exploring toxic masculinity.
• Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
  Her husband’s suicide was not how Eve Ezenwa-Morrow hoped to ring in the New Year, sweeping away her hopeful resolutions as she struggles to recover from her grief, and find her way forward. A poignant and inspiring story.
• None of This Would Have Happened if Prince Were Alive by Carolyn Prusa
  Between her demanding boss, straying husband, and the needs of her two young children, Ramona’s life was already a hurricane before an actual hurricane descended on her Savannah home. Oh, for the days when rain was purple!
• Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi, translated by David Boyd and Lucy North
  Leaving one sexist Tokyo workplace for another, Ms. Shibata figures out a cunning way to make her gender work in her favor, faking a pregnancy that gradually becomes almost real, in a trenchant and gripping, surreal tale.

Many more terrific 2022 debut titles await you in our catalog, so treat yourself to some fresh new authors.

     ~ Posted by David W.

Seattle Staff Faves 2022: Fiction

A New Year approaches which can only mean that it is once again time for us to share our Staff Favorites for another year. Here is some of our favorite recent fiction for grown ups – you’ll find the whole list here.

Small Game, by Blair Braverman. “A wild chase up to and beyond the end! A survival game show – like Alone but fictionalized – in the very far northwoods where participants are filmed daily by a crew along with cameras in the trees. No alone time here! And no escape. The unthinkable happens! I read it in one day.” – Christine

A Prayer for the Crown Shy, by Becky Chambers. “Chambers continues her Monk & Robot novellas with another deeply philosophical tale. Sibling Dex is still unsure about their future, and Mosscap has many questions that may not have answers.” – Cassandra

Saint Death’s Daughter, by C.S.E. Cooney. “Sometimes you want something deliciously dark, strange, yet whimsical. Miscellaneous Stones aka Lanie comes from a family of necromancers and assassins, and she is a necromancer who happens to be allergic to violence. That was a nice twist! Delightful and so filled with life even as it dances with death.” – Misha

Dr. No, by Percival Everett. “Professor Wala Kitu – i.e. ‘Nothing Nothing’ – knows everything about nothing, which would be supervillain John Sill seeks to unleash on a racist America. Literary trickster extraordinaire Everett does James Bond, with devastating results that squeeze and tickle the brain. My kind of mayhem, madness with a method in it.” – David

Out There: Stories, by Kate Folk. “These stories are, as advertised, ALL THE WAY out there. I was repulsed, disturbed…and delighted! In my personal fave, The Turkey Rumble, a man introduces his new boyfriend to a gleefully demented Thanksgiving family tradition. Festive!” – Jennie

Let’s Not Do That Again, by Grant Ginder. “Nancy Harrison is poised to win her Senate seat so long as her adult children are on their best behavior; when her daughter appears on the news with extremists, the wheels start coming off. A hilarious and smart novel.” – Frank

A Lady for a Duke, by Alexis Hall. “Regency romance where a trans woman tries to figure out her place in society and her relationship with her old best friend, a former soldier dealing with PTSD who doesn’t know that the new woman in his life is someone he’s known since childhood. A perfect slow burn!” – Brianne

Nettle & Bone, by T. Kingfisher. “A spare princess leaves the nunnery, gathers some unlikely companions (a gravewitch, a godmother, a knight, and a demon-possessed chicken) and heads off on a quest to save her sister from an abusive prince. Adventurous, funny, and a little disturbing.” – Andrea

Once There Were Wolves, by Charlotte McConaghy  “Layered thriller set in Scotland with a side of romance and the strength of sisterly bonds. Inti travels to Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, and with a team of biologists to reintroduce wolves into the Highlands, but clashes with those that farm on the land. A death of one of the farmers has all eyes on the wolves, but is it one of their own?” – Kara

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, by Jennifer Ryan. “Set in wartime Britain, depicts daily life in the city and country, having to frequently head to bomb shelters, and rationing of clothes, fabric and other home goods. Reworked wedding dresses take on a new purpose and a group of women bond and support each other through garment sewing.” – Marion

Genesis of Misery, by Neon Yang. “Based on the story Joan of Arc. Kinda space opera meets Neon Genesis Evangelion meets gender theory meets Catholicism. You can see a lot of similar elements to Neon Yang’s earlier books, but at the same time it’s so different.” – Eliza

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin. “Some books are perfect start to finish. Zevin sums up this book as being about Love, Art, Video games, and Time–and that she wrote it with the idea that a good love story can also be a good friendship story. You don’t have to like video games to get hooked by this impressively nuanced, character-driven novel. If you liked Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings or Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad then this is for you. I adored this book.” – Misha

Perfect indeed: Zevin’s book was our single most popular title this year! To see the others, check out this year’s list.

     ~ David W.

Every Day Is Small Business Saturday at The Seattle Public Library

Coming up just after Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, Small Business Saturday is a day to support local businesses and entrepreneurs and celebrate what they do for communities while (possibly) getting some holiday shopping done.

If you’re interested in not just supporting small businesses but starting one of your own, it’s also a good time to learn about and start using the Library’s many free business programs and services, which are available all year long.

We offer our business programs in partnership with dozens of community-based organizations and all are free and open to the public. Check them out, and if you have any questions, you can email the Library’s business team using this Ask a Librarian form. Here are some highlights. 

One-on-one help with business, law, credit

• Business and nonprofit help: As a core service, we offer virtual one-on-one help sessions with business librarians. Sign up for a 60-minute appointment and we can help you access the information, resources, and skills you need to succeed, from market research to developing a business plan.  

• Legal consults: The Library also partners with the UW Entrepreneurial Law Clinic to offer free legal consults with professionals specializing in intellectual property and corporate law. Sign up for a 30-minute virtual appointment and you can ask a lawyer about issues related to incorporation, contract issues, patents, copyright and more. (Let’s repeat that: A 30-minute business consult with a lawyer, for free.)

• Credit consults: Want to understand your credit score and how to improve it? The Library is working with Tierra Bonds of Take Charge Credit Consulting to offer virtual credit workshops this fall (the final two are on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29), as well as one-on-one credit consults (just a couple of spots left!). The credit workshops are live interpreted in Spanish.

Little Chefs, Big Bonding Time

There is something special about cooking and sharing food. We do it for simple nourishment. We do it to show our love to our friends and family. Sharing a meal can be a great way to get to know people or to spend time with people you love. Do you know how great cooking is for literacy too?

I’m not joking! If you’re using a recipe, you have to read the recipe. You have to write a grocery list of the ingredients. You have to know the definitions of special cooking words and know the abbreviations of units of measurement. If you’re making less or more than what the recipe calls for, you have to do math (which will probably involve fractions)! That’s not even covering the motor skills it takes to chop and fold and knead.

You see where I’m going with this, right? Cooking is the *perfect* activity to do with your kids! Not only is it fun and you get to eat at the end, but you’re developing skills they need and making good memories they’ll cherish as adults.  Fall and winter holidays are upon us, which like most holidays are associated with food, so why not check out some cookbooks below and take this time to bond, teach, and make some memories.

Waffles + Mochi Get Cooking! Foreword by Michelle Obama, recipes by Yewande Komolafe
This started as a show on Netflix, and then they made this companion cookbook. The characters Waffle and Mochi have never eaten anything fresh, but they want to be chefs. They learn about different foods and chefs show them how to make recipes using them. One of the recipes in the book is Hoppin’ John (p. 62) which at its most basic is dish of rice and black eyed peas. People in the South eat it (along with some collard greens) for luck on New Year’s Eve. The recipes vary in time and how complicated they are, but I think they include some good recipes that aren’t found in every kids’ cookbook.

It’s Pie Time

With the shift to colder weather, and Thanksgiving coming right up, now is the time for pie! Find inspiration for sweet and savory pies in these books.

Pieometry by Lauren Ko
If you’re looking for visually stunning pies, search no further – Seattle author Ko’s geometric pie designs are sure to impress. Creative flavor pairings are combined with geometric pie toppings made with crust or fruit, with step-by-step instructions and helpful photos. This is also the pick for pun-lovers, as Ko’s pie names are pun-filled and her writing funny.

Pie Camp by Kate McDermott
Based on her in-person Pie Camp classes, Port Angeles author McDermott delivers master recipes for pie components (roll-out pie dough, press-in crusts, mousse, and more), step-by-step photographs for more complex elements, mix-and-match fillings, and more. McDermott features gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options throughout.