The year 2022 has come and 
passed. A snowy winter turned into 
a gentle spring, and the subsequent 
glowing summer settled back into 
a bone-chilling fall. The Earth 
has again wound itself around the 
molten Sun, and once again we 
have aged, mourned and loved 
through the world’s exhaustion. 
Alongside the ebb and flow of our 
annual heartbreaks, deadlines and 
other varieties of fresh experiences, 
books have followed. We’ve allowed 
ourselves to get lost in daydreams of 
fiction, the battles of historical fiction 
and the mysteries of horror. Books 
have offered sanctity against the 
turmoil of each day passing. While 
2022 may have been tumultuous, it 
was nothing compared to the novels 
it produced.
From New York Times bestsellers 
to indie darlings, The Michigan 
Daily Book Review has created 
our definitive list of the best books 
published in 2022. 
— Ava Burzycki, Senior Arts 
Editor, and Ava Seaman, Books Beat 
Editor

“Cult Classic” by Sloane Crosley
Call me a snob — I was skeptical 
of a book that was heralded as 
“inventing a new genre,” especially 
a book with a name like “Cult 
Classic.” Bracing myself for an 

on-the-nose novel with a strong 
concept yet low levels of execution, 
I was almost shaken by the visceral 
flashbacks of the unpredictable, 
apparently jumbled past of recently 
engaged New York writer Lola 
as she curiously begins running 
into her exes across the city. 
As “judgemental Virgo moon” 
Lola continues to encounter her 
previous paramours around every 
street corner, one begins to wonder: 
What’s really happening here? The 
novel peels back a mystery that 
operates on multiple levels, which, 
as a fellow judgemental Virgo 
moon, I couldn’t help but love. 
The narration is Crosley dialed 
to her max; gems such as this one 
permeate the text: “‘Do you have a 
McCarthy Genius Grant yet?’ she 
asked. ‘Not yet,’ I said, trying to 
relax my face. ‘Still chipping away 
at that communism.’” It’s been 
months, but I am still stunned 
by the artistic and entertaining 
qualities of “Cult Classic” — I 
hesitate to say more and ruin the 
story, but I’ve urged everyone I 
know to pick up this book for sharp 
takes on loving and living in the 
zeitgeist. Reading this book made 
me discover what the entire world 
already knew: Sloane Crosley is 
hilarious. 
— Meera Kumar, Daily Arts 
Writer

 “Carrie Soto is Back” by 
Taylor Jenkins Reid

“Carrie Soto is Back” follows 
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s acclaimed 
successes, “Daisy Jones & The Six,” 
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn 
Hugo” 
and 
“Malibu 
Rising.” 
Jenkins Reid is a literary force to be 
reckoned with — she specializes in 
setting, each of her books focusing 
on a specific era and location with 
such absorbing details that one 
wonders if Jenkins Reid is a time 
traveler herself. “Carrie Soto is 
Back” begins at the 1994 U.S. Open 
with our protagonist, Carrie Soto, 
one of the best tennis players of all 
time. The book tracks Carrie’s rise, 
going back to her childhood in the 
’70s when her father (an all-star 
tennis player himself) started to 
train her. Jenkins Reid effortlessly 
captures the intensity of Carrie’s 
career and the significance of 
her position as a Latina woman 
in sports, commenting on the 
intersectionality of Carrie’s and 
other players’ identities while 
also 
masterfully 
describing 
numerous tennis matches. Carrie’s 
relationship 
with 
her 
father 
provides another layer to the 
story, allowing us to see Carrie in 
different lights as she navigates 
familial, platonic and romantic 
relationships on and off the field. 
“Carrie Soto is Back” proves that 
TJR is an author you shouldn’t 
miss and that her stories are worth 
rooting for. 
— Lillian Pearce, Daily Arts 
Writer

 DAILY BOOKS WRITERS

There were a lot of films this 
year. Many films about films. Many 
biopics. While some of them we 
regret watching, others were thought-
provoking, made us think or feel 
differently than we thought possible, 
or at least gave us an unparalleled 
movie-going experience. Of all the 
films we loved, these are the ones we 
think you should get out to the theater 
(or onto your laptop) and watch 
immediately — the Film Beat’s top 10 
films of the year.
— Erin Evans, Senior Arts Editor 
and Zach Loveall, Film Beat Editor

10. “The Batman”
“The Batman” is a superhero 
movie done right. Centered around 
the cat-and-mouse chase between 
vigilante hero Batman (Robert 
Pattinson, 
“Tenet”) 
and 
serial 
murderer the Riddler (Paul Dano, 
“The Fabelmans”), “The Batman” 

calls into question what justice 
looks like in the face of corruption. 
Director Matt Reeves (“War for 
the Planet of the Apes”) crafts the 
perfect villain in the Riddler — one 
that exists not in direct opposition 
to Batman, but as someone with 
similar values and wildly different 
methods. Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz, 
“Kimi”) is a link between the two 
conflicting forces, acting as the 
bridge between Batman’s glamorous 
billionaire life as Bruce Wayne and 
the less privileged background of 
people like the Riddler. 
Three hours is the perfect time 
frame for intrigue to blend into 
action, for quiet moments to spark 
romance and for fear of the Riddler 
to turn into hope for a better life. 
Powered by Pattinson’s strong 
performance as a Batman beginning 
to find his place in the world, Reeves 
leaves us with more to think about 
than just a superhero saving the day. 
Batman may have won the battle 
against the Riddler, and viewers 
may have enjoyed the excitement 

of seeing the hero defeat the villain, 
but we’re all losing when the line 
between good and evil, between 
right and wrong, is more blurred 
than ever.

9. “Glass Onion: A Knives Out 
Mystery” 
I prepared for “Glass Onion” 
a couple of months ago, meaning 
I popped some popcorn and 
rewatched “Knives Out,” convinced 
that maybe with some practice I 
could solve the complex murder 
mystery introduced in the sequel. 
In “Glass Onion,” I was impressed 
again by the humor, the wit, 
the 
character 
dynamics 
and, 
unsurprisingly, the twists. The 
sequel cleverly replicates everything 
I loved about its predecessor, but 
does so with more glamor, more 
drama and more flash. 
“Glass Onion” uses all of its 
139 minutes effectively, crafting a 
visual and auditory masterpiece. 

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

The top 10 films of 2022

Wednesday, January 18, 2023 — 3

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Arts

Design by Leah Hoogterp.

The best books of 2022

Design by Grace Filbin.

puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com

By Jason Reich & Katie Hale
©2023 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
01/18/23

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis

01/18/23

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2023

ACROSS
1 Droops
5 Future yearling
9 Lengthy test 
answer
14 Furrow maker
15 Off course
16 __ lazuli
17 To whom Rick 
says, “The 
Germans wore 
gray. You wore 
blue”
18 Commits an 
email faux pas
20 Wannabe
22 Inscribe
23 Lamb nurser
24 Unaccounted for, 
for short
26 Prop for Gandalf
29 Reader’s Digest 
co-founder 
Wallace
31 Stink
33 Battery size
35 Space bar 
neighbor, on a 
PC
37 Crowdsourced 
source, briefly
38 Sass
39 Tempter of 
Odysseus
40 Unit of resistance
41 Matches a bet
43 Post-op area
44 Challenge
46 Undoing
47 Didn’t need to be 
let out
48 “Mamma Mia!” 
pop group
49 Rider’s strap
50 Actress Birch
52 Greenish blue
54 Gimlet liquor
57 Classic PC game
59 Words of apology
61 Salisbury Plain 
megaliths
65 Michigan, for one
66 Justice 
Sotomayor
67 Adderall target, 
briefly
68 Plan from a 
nutritionist
69 Lack of musical 
talent
70 “Roar” singer 
Perry
71 Stops

DOWN
1 Rub component
2 Greenlight

3 Undeniably 
accurate 
statement
4 Convince
5 Like a dreamy 
look
6 Have because of
7 Dadaism pioneer 
Jean
8 Crocodile in 
Bernard Waber 
children’s books
9 Fish that shock 
prey
10 Beyoncé’s “I 
Am... ___ 
Fierce”
11 Place for some 
“me time”
12 Feel off
13 DKNY rival
19 Generous 
response to 
59-Across
21 January 1 to 
December 31
25 Like sous vide 
cooking
27 Downpour, or 
when parsed 
another way, 
what can be 
found in this 
puzzle’s sets of 
circles
28 Stops working

30 Barinholtz of 
“The Mindy 
Project”
32 Not so bright
34 Semicircular 
church area
35 “Dream on”
36 Permitted by law
40 Poetic sphere
42 French pal
45 Embarrass
46 Hybrid genre
51 Labor __ vincit: 
Oklahoma motto

53 Small cube?
55 Got to
56 Russian refusals
58 Hardwood used 
for pricey salad 
bowls
60 Shoppe adjective
61 Oft-redacted ID
62 In addition
63 Number of 
players needed 
to play solitaire
64 Secret-protecting 
doc

SUDOKU

WHISPER

“We have tried 
aristocracy, 
meritocracy. 
Now it’s time to 
try democracy.”

“National park 
is SeaWorld for 
trees.”

WHISPER

By Craig Stowe
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/27/21

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

10/27/21

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2021

ACROSS
1 Like many a 
basement
5 Hold dear
10 Breakfast 
companion?
13 __ vaccine
14 As a companion
15 Soup du __
16 Big name in plant 
food
18 Reverse
19 Also
20 G.I. entertainment 
often featuring 
Bob Hope
22 Through street
26 Hollywood Walk 
of Fame symbols
27 Get duded up
28 “Despite my best 
attempts ... ”
30 Bladed tool
31 Enjoyed the buffet
32 [as per the 
original]
33 First section 
of the “Divine 
Comedy”
36 “That makes 
more sense”
40 Witticism
41 Big bang letters?
42 Keep __ distance
43 Kitchen gadget
47 Greek wraps
49 Take the floor
50 Unlike bikinis
52 Handicraft worker
54 Something up 
one’s sleeve
55 Jackson family 
musician born 
Toriano
56 Home with a 
between-floors 
entrance ... and 
what can be 
found on puzzle 
rows 3, 6, 8 and 
10?
62 Smooth (out)
63 Events with kings 
and queens
64 Shade of blue
65 “__ 
Rosenkavalier”
66 Lathered up
67 Slush Puppie 
parent company

DOWN
1 __ Pérignon
2 “Hereditary” 
director Aster

3 Deface
4 Missouri River 
feeder
5 Heroism
6 Blonde 
beverage
7 Part of a cord
8 Like a mob 
scene
9 They might clash 
on stage
10 Actress Helena 
__ Carter
11 Email program 
named after 
writer Welty
12 Half-asleep
15 Supreme Court 
figure
17 Filmmaker Ethan 
or Joel
21 Davis of “Do the 
Right Thing”
22 “East of Eden” 
brother
23 Sailing hazard
24 “Leave __ me”
25 Exist
27 Letter after 
upsilon
29 Helper: Abbr.
31 Payment before 
a deal
34 Sentiment
35 Lures (in)

36 Concerning
37 Snitch (on)
38 Chiwere speaker
39 Used to be
41 Royal flush card
43 Like many 
candies
44 Get in
45 Ramble on and 
on
46 Amateur
47 Birth 
announcement 
word

48 Sana’a native
51 One taking a 
fall
53 Egyptian 
slitherers
57 Mauna __
58 Little devil
59 Device that 
may be wet 
or dry, briefly
60 End of the 
day
61 Cleaning 
ingredient

2022 was a year that felt like my 
humanity was restored. Morbius 
memes. 
Gentleminions. 
“No 
Maidens” jokes from Elden Ring. 
In 2020 nature was healing, but in 
2022 WE were healing. For the most 
part. Some of us felt the need to cheat 
at chess while others felt the need to 
cheat on our wives (hey Try Guys: 
I’ll join your troupe of goofy dudes). 
Looking back at everything in this 
article makes me feel a bit wistful, 
but also glad that all of it is behind us 
now. If I had one word to explain the 
year, it would be “debaucherous.”
— Hunter Bishop, Senior Arts 
Editor

Honestly, it feels like too much 
happened this year for my little peanut 
brain to comprehend. Artificial 
Intelligence is able to produce art and 
writing at unprecedented quality, but 
with risk of ethical infringement. So 
many TikTok trends happened that 
I deleted the app. Those still in the 
TikTok trenches are braver than I 
am. We bravely defended Android 
users, Barbie girls and babygirlifiers. 
Spotify got wrapped. Video games 
got gamed. Below is a collection of our 
most important moments in Digital 
Culture 2022 — some enjoyable 
to discuss and some necessary to 
mention. It was truly one of the years 
of all time, but we look to the future 
now: It’s 2023in’ time.
— Saarthak Johri, Digital Culture 
Beat Editor

January: Elmo, AKA the reason 
Gen Z is so sarcastic
If you had told me that the start 
of 2022 would be marked by an 
Elmo renaissance, I wouldn’t have 
believed you. Well, maybe it isn’t 
all that surprising given the state 
of internet humor nowadays, but 
hopefully, you get my point. It all 
started when a clip from “Sesame 
Street” went viral in late 2021, in 
which Elmo raps about “a plastic 
water bottle and a paper towel 
roll.” Everyone began pointing out 
how sassy Elmo sounded in this 
song, and it resulted in other clips 
of the lovable red monster making 
the rounds on TikTok at the start 
of the following year. Some notable 
ones include several of Elmo’s 
appearances on late-night talk 

shows and the resurfacing of his 
long-standing feud with Rocco, the 
pet rock of another Muppet named 
Zoe. People were quick to realize 
just how chaotic Elmo could be, 
finding him relatable and even going 
so far as to say that he is the reason 
Gen Z is … well, the way we are. 
Though his snappy sarcasm helped 
us ring in 2022 with a laugh, Elmo 
wants to turn things around in 2023, 
tweeting (yes, he has a Twitter) his 
New Year’s resolutions with “be 
kind to Rocco” at the top of his list.

February: The Wordles heard 
‘round the world
Okay, to be real, I don’t play 
Wordle. I occasionally might with 
friends or when I was bored at 
my old job, but I have never been a 
serious Wordle player (Wordler?). 
I wrote this article because I was 
like, “hm, Wordle is cool and 
relevant right now and this is kind 
of breaking news” and guess what? 
It worked — that article did really 
well, and now here I am a year later, 
bringing you another update about 
our (your) beloved word game. 
As of spring 2022 Wordle was 
still free, but in the summer of 
2022 its popularity dropped by 51% 
since it was purchased by The New 
York Times. In the fall, the NYT 
appointed a new editor, Tracy 
Bennett, to Wordle and changed 
the game’s rules to follow the 
NYT’s own answer list. Despite 
the changes made to Wordle and 
its dip in popularity, do I think 
it will release its chokehold on 
the goofy game lovers among us? 
Absolutely not. I know people that 
still play it every day, and I know 
people that live for the thrill of 
sharing how quickly they guessed 
the day’s word. And, just before the 
2022 holiday season, players began 
breaking their Wordle streaks in 
a show of support for a walk-out 
staged by the Times Guild, a union 
that represents NYT employees. 
So Wordle may have lost some 
traction as a game in 2022, but 
who said it couldn’t be reborn as a 
political device?

March: “Elden Ring” arrives
The cultural impact of “Elden 
Ring” was massive this year. It 
felt like people had waited for this 
game for a decade, even though 
it was only announced in 2019. 

Digital Culture’s 
2022 Year in Review

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

 DAILY FILM WRITERS

DAILY DIGITAL 
CULTURE WRITERS

