2023 is here. I can't complain too much about the past year, even if there was more than the usual heartbreak. My two best friends in the world (excepting my wife, Clara) suffered immense health problems. They are still breathing air, but their lives are greatly diminished. So much so that hanging out anymore is questionable.

It was a year of books and reading for me. They all are, but '22 was exceptional. I read one hundred and eight books. I know people read more than that, but it's good for me. For one thing, I average around twelve hours a day at my day job. Plus I like long novels. Short wisps of books are popular in the TikTok generation.

I started the year off with Rick Hautala's lukewarm Twilight Time. I hadn't read it before and I found it to be a bit disappointing. I ended it with a re-read of Mark Frost's magnificent The List of 7.

You might call 2022 the year of John Darnielle for me. I discovered his work with his most recent book, Devil House, in February. I read Universal Harvester a few months later, and it became the best book I read all year. Wolf in White Van is great, too.

Isn't finding a new favorite wonderful? Divining Darnielle was like my first taste of Lansdale or Dan Chaon. John Darnielle's work is razor smart, challenging, and he requires work from his readers. Too much so, I'm afraid, for many horror readers today.

My favorite 2022 publications were two veteran mainstays. Fairy Tale, by Stephen King, and The Last Chairlift, by John Irving. The King is one of his most satisfying reads, and as usual it works on numerous levels. The Irving is as messy, maddening, joyous, and heartbreaking as real life. Some will be disappointed, but I was riveted.

S.A. Cosby was another big new writer for me. I absolutely adored Razorblade Tears, and I liked Blacktop Wasteland almost as much. This guy is the real thing.

I read three Ronald Malfi books in 2022. Come With Me was published in the previous year, but I didn't get to it until January. As far as I am concerned it is his masterpiece to date. Malfi had two '22 publications: Black Mouth and Ghostwritten. He is at the top of his game and the top of the horror genre now.

Robert McCammon didn't disappoint with his latest Matthew Corbett book, The King of Shadows. He has a new publisher with Lividian, and this latest book is the most beautifully made edition of the series.

Great big honorable mentions go to Don Winslow's City on Fire, Catriona Ward's Sundial, Jeff Strand's Twentieth Anniversary Screening, Dan Chaon's Sleepwalk, Julian David Stone's It's Alive!, David Bell's The Finalists, Curse of the Reaper, by Brian McAuley, and of course Paul Theroux's The Bad Angel Brothers.

Re-reading continues to enrich my life. I mentioned Mark Frost's The List of 7, which is one of the greatest books of all. Read it! Other highlights include Isaac Asimov's Murder at the ABA, Jonathan Carroll's Teaching the Dog To Read, Dan Simmon's Summer of Night, and S.P. Somtow's Forgetting Places.

I re-read the first two books in Peter Straub's incomparable Blue Rose trilogy. His genius is staggering. I plan to get to The Throat soon.

It's been a great year of books. I couldn't be happier about it.

My movie viewing has drastically reduced, but I loved Ti West's X and Pearl, David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future, and especially Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans. The latter is a lot darker and edgier than indicated by the previews.

I'm looking forward to some drool-inducing publications for 2023: Joe Lansdale's The Donut Legion, Scott Von Doviak's Lowland Road, S.A. Crosby's All the Sinners Bleed, Catriona Ward's Looking Glass Sound, Don Winslow's City of Dreams, David Bell's Try Not To Breathe, Justin Cronin's The Ferryman, Grady Hendrix's How To Sell a Haunted House, Christopher Golden's All Hallows, and Owen King's The Curator.

I'm sure there will be surprises, joy, and some disappointments.

I increased my book selling side business in 2022 and I have several shows lined up for next year. It's a lot of work, but I enjoy every second of it. I also have some cool publishing ventures in the works, which is especially exciting.

The world is far from perfect, but that's always been the case. I'm grateful to still be here, still a reading, still a fan, and still stoked about the possibilities of horror.

Written by Mark Sieber

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