2023 Reads
2023 was a good year of reading for me - I was lucky enough to find moments to read (and listen to) 38 books/plays/graphic novels. Since becoming more of a reader in 2020, I have set yearly reading goals for myself. I certainly don’t try to cram in reading and sacrifice enjoyment to hit any metrics, nor do I do think anyone should. That being said, my goal for the year was to read 20 books and it felt good to reach that by naturally reading at a pace I like. I wanted to share what I’ve read because I would love to talk about any of these books if any of you have read them and to highlight a few recommendations. Enjoy!
The Little Prince: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I came into reading this book with a very set idea that it would be a cutesy, flowery book with adorable characters that is a warm, feel-good read. It wasn’t that; not that I think that would be a negative in any way, but the story was something unexpected and wonderful. I found this to be a compilation of very clearly laid out lessons, nothing overwhelmingly sweet but real and direct while simultaneously nuanced. Something for kids and adults to learn from. It was comical and dry at times and made me tear up at others. Reading this also made me appreciate every person who had encouraged me to read it, I will certainly be revisiting and grabbing at new lessons with each read through.
Frankenstein: Mary Shelley
I think about this book weekly I’d say - it is so, so good. Not only is it impressive as a work of literature in terms of writing style, plot structures, and language complexity, but the constant relevance and depth of the main points. I won’t attempt to analyze it or contextualize it here at all but wanted to share a few thoughts. The fact that in the modern world Frankenstein (really Frankenstein’s monster, not to be that guy) is the basis for the idea of monster and most prominent Halloween image goes to show how crudely the world forgets the core of empathy his story is intending to come from. My relation to the scientist Frankenstein at the beginning of the story was incredibly humbling as we moved through the story, something done so realistically and naturally I wondered how easily parallel actions could play out in the real world. It is easy to be angry at the villagers and the scientist when you understand the monster, but I didn’t realize how easy it would be to relate to the scientist for a time. I know I am certainly not alone in these realizations but I was simply floored by Shelley’s novel and its timelessness.
The Crossing: Cormac McCarthy
The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy is the second of the books that comprise the Border Trilogy; they could fall into the genre of Literary Western. I just recently (in 2024) finished up the whole series and I can easily say it is pretty much perfect to me - excluding maybe some problematic character dynamics/representations. I’ve read each of these books in the early months of summer or spring, when there’s a bit of warmth in the air and I certainly recommend for you to do the same. There is simply nothing like McCarthy’s writing to me and I’m not certain I’ve found the right words to describe it yet. I will keep it brief and say that these books stick: they are haunting and comedic, dark and flowery, and explicitly philosophical. It was a joy to read this while going on my very own cowboy adventure, luckily mine was very different.
Reading Plays
Maybe some say plays shouldn’t count towards reading challenge numbers - I say Who Really Actually Cares Though? I have really enjoyed the experience of reading some plays recently and last year (the Glass Menagerie, Salome, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Sunset Limited) and would recommend to anyone who is interested or may be in a reading slump! Listening to them is also great if you want a shorter audiobook or longer podcast experience.
