It’s a new year, and in memory of 2022, here is a list, in no particular order, of my favorite reads of last year:

FORGET THE ALAMO by Brian Burroughs, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford: Fascinating, educational, and entertaining. In a straightforward and occasionally humorous style, tears down Alamo myths and focuses on how the white supremacist tone of Alamo traditionalists erases the many contributions of Mexican Americans to Texan history.

MANGO, MAMBO, AND MURDER by Raquel V. Ruiz: A fun read. It’s a slight murder mystery but makes up for that with the Miami setting, the depiction of Cuban-American family loyalty, and lively characters.

ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger: Krueger works wonders with this book. A murder mystery that also deals with such big topics as family relationships, the divide between the rich and the poor, the oppression of Native Americans, religion, and coming-of-age.

THE HENNA ARTIST by Alka Joshi: A rich story with interesting characters that kept me turning the pages. The story has a soap-opera edge that’s somewhat predictable, but the Indian setting gives it a unique and interesting quality.