2023 in Literature
In Reading
In summary…
Reading goal: 15
Books read: 12
Call Me By Your Name — André Aciman
Thoroughly enjoyed. Gimme all the gay shit. Yes. That peach scene.
4.3/5
Bewilderment — Richard Powers
After The Overstory, I needed more. This is a beautiful, touching book, a sweet story about a father and son. I wasn’t wowed like I was with the epic that was The Overstory, but maybe I’m just biased toward books about trees.
3.8/5
Sea of Tranquility — Emily St. John Mandel
To be honest, I think I need to reread this one. I only vaguely remember it. I should try to do these end-of-year recaps as I go instead of at the end of the year. But I definitely enjoyed it—she’s a fabulous author and I freaking love spec fic.
3?/5
Everything I Never Told You — Celeste Ng
Read this for book club! Not a book I’d normally pick up, but I’m glad I did. I thought it would be a mystery based on the premise, but it ended up being more about the consequences around loss, about generational trauma. And I love a book about generational trauma.
4/5
The Alchemist — Paulo Coelho
I gave this one 3 stars on Goodreads—I’m trying to remember why. I remember enjoying the read, but I think it just lost me.
3/5
Educated — Tara Westover
Another book club read. Woof—wow. Wow. I LOVED this book. Tara doesn’t hold back in this brutal memoir of her extremely sheltered survivalist upbringing. I’m glad she got out and was able to share this incredible book, her incredible story.
5/5
Lookout: Love, Solitude, and Searching for Wildfire in the Boreal Forest — Trina Moyles
I love a lookout memoir. I love a lookout memoir that’s informative and atmospheric all at once. Trina’s a brilliant writer. I felt like I was there with her at her tower. An instant fave.
5/5
Skid Road: An Informal Portrait of Seattle — Murray Morgan
Another book club read… it’s got some good bits but even for a book that’s supposed to be full of interesting tales I found it a bit difficult to get through—a bit dense, dry. So did book club. But also… I do really love learning about Seattle history and this is the kind of real history I can actually sink my teeth into. I wish more history books were written like this.
2.5/5
The Great Alone — Kristin Hannah
Maybe my favorite read of the year?? Kristin Hannah wrote a masterpiece here. Aching, beautiful—Alaska seems so rugged, horrific, beautiful. She writes so well. I can feel her love/hate relationship with that place. I can’t speak highly enough of this incredible book.
5/5
The Road — Cormac McCarthy
A gutpunch. Ouch—phew. Gotta take a beat after a McCarthy read. I tried reading Blood Meridian around this time too, and couldn’t get more than a quarter through. But The Road kept me invested the whole way. It was hard to read at times, or hard to chew through, rather. But I see why it’s a classic. He’s a hell of a writer.
(Side note—I know there are multiple versions of this cover but damn. Bleak. Less is more here.)
4/5
How Do You Live? — Genzaburo Yoshino
To counteract that post-McCarthy terror, this sweet tale of a young boy navigating life. I picked this one up from a bookstore on a whim (which is not something I usually do—I usually research all the books I read like one might research and compare mattresses or cars). I liked it—it didn’t quite wow me or leave any major lasting impressions, but reading it felt like a soft hug and a pat on the back saying, you’ve got this whole ‘life’ thing. You’ll do just fine.
4/5
The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov
Read this at my husband’s recommendation. A surreal whirlwind of a tale and an instant fave. Whimsical, beautiful, sublime. Love. I really don’t know why it took me so long to read it, especially since I absolutely LOVE Russian literature. Shoot I guess I already picked my favorite for the year, but this one gets a close second.
5/5
In Writing
A year of quiet work. Just working—and reworking—and reworking—on Lookout. Writing, scrapping, rewriting, rescrapping. In those moments between gigs, or the quieter months. I am a creature of seasons and cycles.
