My Favorite Reads of 2022

I’ve said a few times this year that I haven’t been reading as much as usual. Far less, in fact — as I type this I’ve only read about 30 books, far from my usual 60-80. One reason is that I’ve been working so hard on my new site, New Hampshire Way, and developing new strategies on Adventurous Kate.

I’ve been feeling quite bad about it, to be honest. Reading is one of the ways that I define myself.

That said, I did end up reading five books this year that truly moved me, and I want to share those five with you!

If you’re looking for something cozy to finish out the year, you would be very well served by any of these books. Let’s take a look!

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney (2022)

One night, soon after, I told one of Henry’s night carers, Rachel, that his cancer had returned and that he was going to die. She yelled, “Oh no! Oh Henry! Oh Jesus Christ, no!” She recoiled from the news like I’d hit her. “No, no, no,” she continued.

“Yes, yes,” I thought. Her response was like water in the desert to me. Rachel was from Nigeria and a mom and a devout Christian. Maybe one or more of those factors explained her response, I don’t know. But it beat the hell out of a lot of the English and American responses Leah and I were getting from people when they heard the news.

Many people are afraid of you when your child is dying. I preach sympathy in lots of situation, but not this one. Perhaps because my sympathy wouldn’t do anything. Life, and death, will kick their own door down soon enough; I don’t really know that a lecture from me on how they’re a coward would help.

So, Rachel, thank you for gasping in pain and sadness when you learned Henry would die. In the years since, I think of it often as the absolute best response I received. It helped me, Rachel.

Yes, scream it from the rooftops. My beautiful baby boy is going to die.

Rob Delaney, A Heart That Works

Actor and comedian Rob Delaney lost his two-year-old son Henry to a brain tumor. A Heart That Works is the story of Henry’s life, Henry’s death, and what it’s like to live with this as a parent.

This is a grief memoir unlike anything I’ve ever read — or that most people have ever read, as a lot of the reviews say. Delaney tells Henry’s story in a…