“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”
2022 Has been a good year for us here at What We Reading. Not only did we launch this very website you’re reading this piece on, but we were treated to some stellar reads over the course of the year. So, with a new year shaping up on the horizon, we thought we would take a look back at some of the memorable experiences we’ve picked up and give you our top 5 best books we read during 2022!
5. The House Of A Hundred Whispers – Graham Masterton
We’re kicking this list off with The House of a Hundred Whispers, Graham Masterton’s attempt of blending The Haunting of Hill House with The Exorcist. Set in Dartmoor, this chilling haunted house story follows the estranged Russell family who are brought back to their old mansion home following the death of their father. Following their arrival, however, five-year-old Timmy goes missing inside the house’s walls, with the family forced to face the eerie forces lurking in the shadows to get him back.
What made The House of a Hundred Whispers so unique was Masterton’s use of local myths and folklore, which the British author utilises all of his horror experience in bringing to life. There are a good number of twists and turns that keep things from ever being too predictable, and the pace at which Masterton keeps things ticking over
Check out our book review for The House of a Hundred Whispers here.
4. The Hunting Party – Lucy Foley
I’d never read a ‘whodunnit’ murder-mystery book prior to this year, and I’m sure glad my introduction to the genre was with Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party. The Hunting Party follows a group of uni friends reuniting for a weekend away in a luxurious retreat in the Scottish Highlands. It doesn’t take long for secrets to spill out over the group, however, and the murder of one member of the party hangs over proceedings throughout a read through the book.
Lucy Foley is a master at dialogue and creating the sorts of compelling characters a suspenseful novel like hers rely on. All of the characters in The Hunting Party feel layered with hidden secrets and motives, the tranquillity of the Highlands makes for a great setting for a murder mystery. On top of that, the structure of the book with different perspectives and switching between times does a superb job of throwing suspicion around the group.
Check out our book review for The Hunting Party here.
3. Exposure – Louis Greenberg
In terms of quality, there are definitely better books than Louis Greenberg’s Exposure. This mystery-thriller novel follows a couple who attend a secretive immersive theatre experience known as Metamuse. Following their first visit to the show, the pair begin to experience strange goings-on and soon find their very personalities being altered by what they’ve been shown by those putting on the show.
Out of all the premises from the best books in 2022, I don’t think any match the originality and uniqueness of Exposure. It’s a plot that has stuck in my head since I first read the blurb in the bookstore, and Greenberg does a solid job in nailing the dystopian feel of the book, as well as the themes around control and persuasion techniques present across Exposure. I’m always more forgiving of a diamond in the rough that attempts to do something different and Exposure sure is different.
Check out our book review for Exposure here.
2. Chasing The Boogeyman – Richard Chizmar
Another one of the most imaginative books from 2022 I read, Richard Chizmar’s Chasing the Boogeyman is a deliciously dark true crime mystery. The story doubles up as a recounting for Chizmar, detailing his return to his sleepy suburban town after university just as a serial killer begins plaguing its population.
Told with a whimsical sense of nostalgia, Chizmar is at his absolute best in painting a world that readers feel they’ve been transported to and plonked in the middle of. The crimes of the serial killer at large are shocking and strike a wonderfully dark tone, and the unique structure of the novel as a piece of metafiction is certainly a unique addition to the horror genre.
Check out our book review for Chasing the Boogeyman here.
1. The Last – Hanna Jameson
Another dystopian mystery book, no story immersed me more over the course of the year than The Last by Hanna Jameson. Jon Keller is a historian staying in a Swiss hotel when a nuclear war breaks out across the planet. The book picks up a month after ‘outbreak day’ and follows Jon and twenty other survivors still staying in the hotel, exploring the routines and dynamics that have formed in the wake of the disaster. But, with rations running low, winter on the horizon and the discovery of a young girl’s body in the water tanks soon throw this fragile ecosystem into far more dangerous waters.
I didn’t think anything would top Chasing The Boogeyman, but The Last earns the top spot for the best books from 2022. The characters are all so compelling to read, and their different reactions to the challenges the end of the world bring to make this such an immersive experience. It’s rare to find a fictional book that manages to nail suspense, mystery and thought-provoking narratives in the way Jameson does here, and it makes for a seriously enthralling time.
Check out our book review for The Last here.
Check Out Our Best Books From 2023 Here
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
