My Books of the Year

There won’t be any posts on this Substack between now and 22nd December as I will be on holiday. Apologies for my absence — which I hope to make up for once I return. In the meantime, though, I thought I would take a look back on 2022 and recommend some of the books that I have most enjoyed and learned from over the year.

Homo, Irarah Lavuy

This sweeping history of mankind drew on history, biology, psychology, sociology, botany and proctology to argue that — well, I don’t exactly remember but it seemed impressive at the time.

Orwell Was Right, Bret Popper

Wherever you look, Orwell was right. Tory corruption? Orwell mentioned that. Russian imperialism? Orwell hated that. “Woke” activists opposing free speech? You’d better believe that Orwell would have opposed that. You might have thought that Orwell was right before but unless you read this book you simply won’t understand how right he was.

The Disinfomenace, Maria Winter

Did you know that people can lie on the Internet? Before I read this book, I had no idea that “disinformation” can spread through “social media networks”. In fact, it can “radicalise” people, and “erodes trust” in mainstream institutions. This explains why people have insane beliefs like that the Earth is flat and that staying indoors 24/7 might not have been an effective or sustainable way to cope with an extremely infectious, widely spread disease.

The Limits of Liberalism, Professor John Servative

The right thought that it had won when communism fell. But what if its true foe was nearer to home? In this counter(!)-revolutionary book, Professor John Servative asked discomfiting questions like “Is freedom always good?”, “Is economic growth more important than everything?” and “Were people sometimes right about things in the past?” Liberals and conservatives alike will be troubled by his radical conclusions, such as “perhaps shops should be closed on Sundays after all”.

i am here, but you are there, Sarah Owen

This sharp debut novel explored millennial life amid social media, late capitalism and sex in the 21st century in a manner that set it apart from all the other sharp debut novels that explored millennial life amid social media, late capitalism and sex in the 21st century.

Putin’s War, Griff Turr

Geopolitical analyst Griff Turr, author of Bush’s Wars and Isis’s War, and a distinguished fellow of the Center for Peace, Democracy, Liberalism and Liberal Democratic Peace, proved himself to be an expert on Eastern Europe as well as the Middle East in this book on why Putin invaded Ukraine and why he will fail but might also win.

The Man Who Wanted Some Extra Income, Will Known

In this book, the actor, comedian and television presenter Will Known turned his hand to detective fiction, with a book that asked “what if an already rich and famous man wanted some extra income”? By the end, you’ll certainly the answer.

Pupular Front, Dee Viant

While “pup play” is commonly dismissed as a weird fetish, this book argues that it has roots — or should that be paws? — in radical politics, when it comes to opposing racism, sexism and speciesism, and suggests that it has revolutionary potential. Published by Verso.

Kniha, Tajomný Názov

This novel by the year’s Nobel Prize winner explored the life of a family — or perhaps a single person — in the 18th — 19th? 20th? — century, which experienced war — or possibly famine — and certainly had some things to say about it. The tale is an ingenious allegory for communism — or perhaps fascism (nationalism?).

Debatably, Christopher Hitchens

This, the 379th posthumous collection of the work of the great English polemicist, collects his previously uncollected essays, columns, reviews, emails, shopping lists and sexts.

What have you enjoyed this year?