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The Best Books of 2022, According to Reddit

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The books community on Reddit has released their list of the best books of 2022. The books were chosen by individual threads made for each category: Best Debut, Best Literary Fiction, Best Mystery or Thriller, Best Short Story Collection/Graphic Novel/Poetry, Best Science Fiction, Best Fantasy, Best LitRPG, Best YA, Best Romance, Best Horror, and Best Nonfiction.

For a book to be nominated, it had to have been published in 2022 and posted as a comment in the thread that matched its category. Voting stayed open until January 15, and the comments/books with the most votes won.

The categories are a little different from what we usually see with book lists — short stories, graphic novels, and poetry are grouped under one umbrella, for instance, and there is a LitRPG category, something not seen often on Best-Of books lists and a category that didn’t appear to garner any nominations or votes.

The group of winners is led by women writers and has some diversity. Jennette McCurdy’s debut memoir I’m Glad My Mother Died appears twice in the list under different categories.

Best Debut

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

I'm Glad My Mom Died cover

Best Literary Fiction

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Best Mystery or Thriller

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

Best Short Story Collection/Graphic Novel/Poetry

Night of the Living Rez: Stories by Morgan Talty

Best Science Fiction

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Best Fantasy

Babel by R.F. Kuang book cover

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R. F. Kuang

Best YA

Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracy Deonn

Best Romance

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Best Horror

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Best Nonfiction

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

For a full list, which includes the first and second runners-up, visit Reddit’s mega thread.

Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.