Here are lists of books, theatre, movies and music that brought me pleasure in 2022. I’ve tried to narrowit down to five items, listed alphabetically. Titles with an asterisk are deserved of SHOUT OUT recognition.
PICTURE BOOKS
The Blue Scarf by Mohamed Danawi; illus. Ruaida Manna *
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall
Patchwork by Matt de la Pena; illus. Corinna Lukyer
Please Write Soon by Michael Rosen; illus. Michael Morpurgo
Still This Love Goes On by Buffy Sainte-Marie; illus. Julie Flett
FICTION (Middle Years/ ages 9 – 12)
Answers in the Pages by David Levithan*
Berani by Michelle Kadarusman
The Secrets of Cricket Kaarlson by Kristina Sigunsdotter
Odder by Katherine Applegate
Two Degrees by Alan Gratz
FICTION (YA) / ages 12+
Ain’t Burned All that Bright by Jason Reynolds; illus. Jason Griffin *
Fly by Alison Hughes
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Melinda Lo
Nothing by Janne Teller
On the Line by Paul Coccia and Eric Walters
NONFICTION CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
The Antiracist Kid by Tiffany Jewell
Blue by Nana Brew-Hammond; illus. Daniel Minter
Things to Look Forward To by Sophie Blackall *
Time is a Flower by Julie Morstad
You Can’t Say That edited by Leonard Marcus (grown-up read about censorship in Children’s Literature)
GROWN-UP READS: Fiction
All the Broken Places by John Boyne *
Amy & Lan by Sadie Jones
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otuska
Lucy By The Sea by Elizabeth Stroud *
Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North by Rachael Joyce *
Small Things Like This by Claire Keegan
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart *
GROWN-UP READS: Nonfiction
The Best of Me by David Sedaris (Stories) *
A Carnival Of Snackery by David Sedaris *
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris (Stories) *
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy (memoir)
I Was Better Last Night by Harvey Fierstein (memoir)
Late Conversations with Stephen Sondheim by D.T. Max (interviews)
Permanent Astonishment Thomson Highway (memoir) *
Shy by Mary Rodgers (memoir)
Smile by Sarah Ruhl (memoir)*
THEATRE: Local
Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat (Princess of Wales)
Little Dickens (Ronnie Burkett)
Moby Dick (Plexis Polaire Frencb-Norwegian Theatre Company *
Sweeney Todd (Talk is Free Theatre)
Uncle Vanya (Crow’s Theatre)
THEATRE: UK / New York
The Doctor
Kimberly Akimbo *
Leopoldstadt
Some Like it Hot
Wonder Boy (Bristol Old Vic / Streaming)
MOVIES
Aftersun
The Banshee of Inisherin *
Benediction
Empire of Light
Spoiler Alert
CD’s (Yes, CD’s that I listened to repeatedly)
Chambre Avec Vue by Henri Salvador
The Comedian Harmonists Story
The Essential Cuban Anthology
Ghost Song by Cecile McLorin Savant *
We Are by Jon Batiste
OTHER *
David Sedaris (Live)
Hofesh Shector (Fleck Dance Theatre)
Prima Facie (NT Live)
Rite of Spring (Pina Bausch)
Ukranian Classic Ensemble Concert: Rekavik, Iceland