One of my goals this year was to read (not listen to) 52 books. I have nothing against audiobooks, I love them! Last year I had a pretty even split of audio and reading, and in this age of endless scrolling, I am trying to hold on to a modicum of focus.
Iāve finished the year on 82 books: 62 read, 20 audio.
This was the year of fantasy I never said anything about quality hahahaha. I read classic, pure fantasy (Wheel of Time, Farseer Trilogy), some of those popular āRomantasyā books (ACOTAR, Fourth Wing) and a whole bunch of other shit. I donāt really recommend any of them, except maybe WoT which is genuinely good. Reading this kind of book is the equivalent of binge-watching trash TV: entertaining to varying degrees, often cringe, utterly forgettable, and leaves you completely unchanged save perhaps a mild headache.
Nevertheless, I did also read some truly outstanding books this year. Iāve whittled it down to only my top top favourites, some of which have taken their spot as favs of all time. Iāve left out the academic books, since thatās quite a personal thing. But who knew Foucault was such an enjoyable read? News to me tbh.
As always, you can see the full list on The Storygraph. Ok, let's get into it.
The novels
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
If I had to pick my book of the year, I think this would be it. The story, the writing, THE THEMESā¦ just magnificent. What is consciousness, intelligence? The book marries philosophical depth and ecological unease. Octopia approaches, inshallah.
It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over by Anne de Marcken
The most unique book Iāve read this year, a work of art. A zombie novel ā and don't let that put you off ā unlike any youāve ever read, written from the POV of the zombie. Lyrical, darkly hilarious, deeply emotional reflections on what it means to be alive (or unalive, I guess).
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
Ireland is dominating contemporary literature right now and this book is no exception. It is grim, tense, wonderful reading. Dublin is descending into a fascist state, close enough to the UK and to current events to put a chill in your bones. What do you do when there are no good choices?
The memoirs
Writers memoirs are my jam. Three you might like, plus a bonus animal story / memoir.
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
This one somewhat shows its age, but it is very moving. Troubled youth, strict religious parents, growing up gay, and trying to find oneās way in the world through it all. Relatable queen.
Wish I Was Here: An Anti-Memoir by M. John Harrison
I have no idea what this book is about but in every other paragraph is likeā¦ tattoo-worthy sentences. Harrisonās mind is upside-down in the best possible way, and I cannot wait for his forthcoming book.
Me & Other Writing by Marguerite Duras
Truly nothing more French than this. Laugh out loud in its outrageousness. Completely devastating.
I have no Catholic guilt. That people kill themselves because of my books wonāt stop me from writing. If people turned into reactionaries, political assholes after reading me, yes, that would stop me from writing, but not if they killed themselves. What I write makes me want to die, itās only natural that it makes others want to die too.
Marguerite! My god.
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
The envy I felt reading this, to have that kind of relationship with such a beautiful animal. A very elegant, lovely story, calming to read. Spoilers Animal books so often end in violence and tbh I was low-key clenched the whole time waiting for this hare to die. It was nice to not have to read that, for once.
The animal books
Iām not the animalās guy for nothing, here are a few that I think you might like. The first two fall under āspeculative non-fictionā ā a new genre for me and one I would love to read more of.
Animal Revolution by Ron Broglio
I read this because the first Animali text was a paper by Broglio. The paper is great but academic, the book is much more speculative and fun. Itās chock full of stories and beautiful little illustrations. Books like this come at you sideways and burrow in deeper over time. Itās very enjoyable on a sentence level, Broglio is a great writer. Also, I emailed him after our reading group and he responded so kindly and generously, and recommended the book below.
Animals Strike Curious Poses by Elena Passarello
This book was very odd. Each little chapter a different experiment in storytelling. Some of them, I think, missed the mark. But the ones that hit did not miss. I adored Harriet, about the tortoise that Darwin finds in the Galapagos. Itās written from her perspective and she calls him (Darwin) āCharlieā. If you need more convincing, Mozartās starling is hilarious and Arabella the space spider made me cry.
The Sounds of Life by Karen Bakker
If you are interested in animal research, technology, or sound, you should read this book. Or you could just listen to this podcast about the turtles (my favourite chapter). I cannot describe to you the way I am obsessed with these turtles. I have been talking about them at least once a month since February, maybe more. May we all be more like the turtles.
The theory
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Finally got around to this while undertaking 75Hard Yes, I finished it.. The title/concept is so ubiquitous in our ultra-therapised time, but the book gives a lot more. It was very hard going, but not in the way I expected. I thought it would be hard to read literally, ie. full of jargon and long, complex sentences. Instead, it was very readable ā full of stories and anecdotes and simple language ā but very painful. My advice, read it when you donāt have to see your parents any time soon.
Black Marxism by Cedric J. Robinson
I didnāt enjoy this book while I was reading it. Itās one of those historical texts that is (to me) very boring. But the work itās doing is very important and has been quite transformational in my thinking. Sometimes, you just gotta do the work. I should note that I read a few chapters with my reading group and some of the others really liked it.
Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd
Succinct and lucid text on making no apologies, and then some. Free Palestine, always and forever!