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My third-grade teacher once said that the best writers are avid readers. Whether or not that’s true or just a ploy to get children excited about books, I credit her with my fascination with what others are reading. Similar to asking your fashionable friend where they got their boots, knowing what book is on a writer’s bedside table is a little glimpse into how they do their work.
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For writers, books aren’t just entertainment (though, entertaining they are!). Books are inspiration. Direction. And sometimes, friendly competition. Each joke that makes us cackle or monologue that makes us cry is like a little gold star saying, “You chose reading over Netflix” and “Your words can do this, too.”
Of course, just because we love to read and write doesn’t always mean we have the time or discipline to do so. Next to drinking less and moving more, taking the time to read every day is a common New Year’s resolution for writers ― at least, it is among the writers I know.
A we chug into 2022, I’ve asked the writers around me what they’re reading, or rather, what is making them want to read more this year. From queer sci-fi to collections of interviews, here is what writers are reading in 2022.
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1
"Single Girl's Cookbook" by Helen Gurley Brown
"Last year I went on a Nora Ephron bender. She pointed me to the late Helen Gurley Brown, a publishing giant who singlehandedly jumpstarted 'Cosmopolitan' as the sex-positive women's magazine we know today. She wrote extensively about the power of being a single person and encouraged throwing amazing dinner parties for your friends. It's full of wacky old recipes and essays about being a single 'career woman' in the '60s, and the nuance of loving cooking and hosting while letting go of shame or pressure to be a perfect domestic woman. I can't wait to make all my friends eat jello molds." — Griffin Wynne, HuffPost shopping writer
2
"Craft in the Real World" by Matthew Salesses
"I bought this after seeing it all over Writer Twitter last year; I find myself taking down notes on almost every page." — Matt Wille, associate editor at Input
3
"Seven Days In June" by Tia Williams
"Finding a book that has characters I see myself in and can relate to is always of priority to me when it comes to reading. This book checks off all of those boxes. Each character has such a deep history and I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in less than a week." — Kristen Adaway, HuffPost shopping writer
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4
"Problems" by Jade Sharma
"I am reading 'Problems' by Jade Sharma, a very funny and very depressing novel (my favorite combo!) about a woman trying to figure out her life after her marriage dissolves and her drug problem gets out of control." — Gabrielle Moss, associate editor at BuzzFeed and author of "Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction"
5
"Intimacies" by Katie Kitamura
"I'm only about a third of the way through it, but Kitamura's intriguingly unnamed protagonist is already so fascinating to follow as she points us to what is shaping up to be a spellbinding novel that observes questionably minute interactions through the eyes of an interpreter in The Hague." — Candice Frederick, HuffPost senior culture reporter
6
"Carnival of Snackery" by David Sedaris
"I’m reading David Sedaris’ new book ‘Carnival of Snackery.’ It’s all of his diary entries from 2003 to 2020. So funny." — Carolyn Steber, wellness writer at Bustle
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7
"Last Things” by Jenny Offill
"Currently reading 'Last Things' by Jenny Offill. I cry and I cry!" — Maeve Barry, contributor for Ms. Magazine
8
"Even Greater Mistakes: Stories" by Charlie Jane Anders
"It’s constantly weird and inventive and extremely queer and, like all good collections, it talks about alien sex and dorks discovering time travel. My New Year's resolution was to read for at least 15 minutes every day and I can usually tear through one of the short stories in 15-20 minutes." — Lucas Olson, horror writer and poet
9
"Woman, Eating" by Claire Kohda
"I cannot wait to read 'Woman, Eating' by Claire Kohda. It comes out in April of this year, and is an unexpectedly funny and eccentric take on the traditional vampire story. It’s gotten rave early reviews, and is set to turn the genre on its head." — Lourdes Uribe, HuffPost senior shopping writer
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10
"Empire Of Pain" by Patrick Radden Keefe
"It’s an intensely detailed look at the shady characters who were secretly behind one of the country’s most devastating crises and how they used their money to buy influence and shield themselves from consequences." — Jessica Schulberg, HuffPost senior reporter
11
"The Sympathizer" by Viet Thanh Nguyen
"Part spy novel, part political analysis and all parts gripping, 'The Sympathizer' takes place during the Vietnam War in Saigon and is told through the confession of a double agent who is fighting for the Communist cause in his country while also acting as the right-hand man for the American-backed captain. It’s empathetic, powerful and written like an absolute dream." — Tessa Flores, HuffPost shopping writer
12
"The Year I Stopped Trying" by Katie Heaney
"I'm reading 'The Year I Stopped Trying' by Katie Heaney, because it's been a hard couple of years and I really relate to what you can learn from 'giving up' on the life you thought you wanted." — Hannah Schneider, health writer at Well + Good.
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13
"The Talented Mr. Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith
"I was reading 'The New Yorker' a few months ago and stumbled upon this excerpt from Patricia Highsmith diaries when she was in her 20s which got me so obsessed ("December 7, 1948: Hard work. Selling dolls, how ugly and expensive! And then, at 5 p.m., someone stole my meat for dinner! What kind of wolves one works with!”) which led me to read a biography on her by Andrew Wilson “Beautiful Shadow” and then now “The Talented Mr. Ripley” her most famous character, a complete psychopath." — Jane Drinkard, freelance writer
14
"That Dark Infinity" by Kate Pentecost
"I LOVE reading and recently got back into book reading in late 2021. I just started 'That Dark Infinity'by Kate Pentecost! It's a beautifully written fantasy novel about the adventures of a monster hunter who is cursed with cyclical death and revival and a handmaiden who is searching for her royal family. From jump, Pentecost's writing is picturesque, deliberately detailed and truly captivating. Anyone who is a diehard fantasy (think "The Witcher") fan should definitely check this book out!" — Cheyenne M. Davis, journalist and founder of Unveild magazine
15
"Gay Bar" by Jeremy Atherton Lin
"I’m about to read 'Gay Bar' by Jeremy Atherton Lin because I’m a HOMOSEXUAL who likes to go out and get drunk off my ass and I feel like this book will somehow make that experience seem like a political act of protest and advocacy. And also I love a queer theory moment. And also it's about London gay bars and while I have not been to any London gay bars, I very much identify as someone who should be British and was mistakenly born in the wrong country and therefore I will someday visit London gay bars and be a #socialjusticwarrior by getting drunk there and dancing to 'Stop' by the Spice Girls." — Matthew Huff, film and TV staff writer at BuzzFeed
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16
"The City We Became” by N.K Jemison
“'The City We Became' by N.K Jemison is a fantasy novel based in and about NYC and the creatures and apocalypses that threaten its soul. I love when writers blend the absurd into the real so they are indecipherable from one another, and this novel is doing just that." — Taylor Steele, junior staff writer at BuzzFeed
17
"100 Boyfriends" by Brontez Purnell
"My New Years' resolution this year was to only read books by LGBTQ authors and this was a great start because my other resolution was to be sluttier and this is excellent inspiration for that, too." — Garrett Schlichte, columnist for them
18
"Conversations On Love" by Natasha Lunn
"I'm reading 'Conversations on Love' by Natasha Lunn — a nonfiction book featuring interviews with Roxane Gay, Esther Perel and more about love — from romance to friendships to family — how to cultivate it, how to sustain it, and most importantly, how to pay attention to it when we have it." — Sarah Ruiz-Grossman, HuffPost reporter
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19
“The Great Mistake” by Jonathan Lee
"The best book I’ve read so far this year is 'The Great Mistake' by Jonathan Lee. It’s about the life and (very mysterious) death of Andrew Haswell Green. While mostly forgotten today, Green was responsible for the creations of Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library and the Bronx Zoo. The book is a mix of historical fiction and detective story. Lee writes so beautifully, sometimes you have to stop and reread a phrase or paragraph, just to savor it. If you’re a fan of movies, books or TV shows set in NYC during the Gilded Age like me, you’ll love this one." — Brittany Wong, HuffPost senior lifestyle reporter
Before You Go
