I'm adding this comment from Patty F. that came in via email because it sums up exactly what the right book at the right time can do for us:
"So here's the book I was reading that I was going to share: "Men of Salt," by Michael Benanav, about a salt caravan across the Sahara. This wouldn't be a book for most readers, but I was completely captivated. Books take us where we might not go. We have been on a short camel caravan in the Sinai, so I loved reading about an expanded version of what we had experienced. Here is a supposed African proverb among camel riders: You travel faster alone, but further together.
I read 55 books this year. I might make that 56 or 57, depending on how the next few weeks go. That’s pretty typical for me. What’s not typical is the amount of nonfiction. About 90% of my books were nonfiction in 2022. Usually, I’m closer to 50/50.
One reason for the shift might be listening to the Ezra Klein podcast. He always asks his guests to recommend 3 books at the end. I’ve found some fascinating reads there.
Another reason is that I probably overloaded on fiction during 2020 and into 2021 as a means of escapism. At one point, I even picked up Dharma Bums--something I swore I’d never do after a very painful experience with On The Road in high school. So maybe I’m just balancing my books, so to speak.
A third possibly is that I’m genuinely worried about what’s happening with the American experiment. I channel a lot of that worry into canvassing, but a lot of the worry also drives a curiosity to dive as deep as possible into the forces shaping this moment. I was always curious about history and politics, but in my 20s I’d probably read 5-10 of those books a year. These days it’s closer to 20.
I'm curious to know more about that very painful experience with On The Road but, of course, it's none of my business. I appreciate the way your inner guide has helped you "balance your books" over the past three years. It makes total sense to me.
It also makes sense to want to dive more deeply into the forces shaping our current moment. If there were one or two that you would recommend for this curious but preoccupied reader, I'd appreciate it. I will add them to the 2023 list. When I reach for nonfiction, I reach first for insights into the natural world and selected memoirs.
The painful experience with On The Road probably had a lot to do with my learning disabilities and vision issues. I’ve always struggled with reading and at that point in my life I did daily eye exercises to train my eyes to read left to right without missing words. A stream of consciousness novel without punctuation was really rough for me. In school I’d use the book and a tape of the book from the braille institute, but the reader for On The Road wasn’t great. When I picked up the audiobook of Dharma Bums it was narrated by Ethan Hawke, who made the text come alive.
As for recommendations, I’d suggest Caro’s Master of The Senate. We’ve spent the last few years obsessed over congressional power, but reading Caro’s book, it’s clear that so few of us, including politicians, actually understand how legislative power really works in America. I’d also recommend How to Hide and Empire, which is a great read about America’s empire and why so many of us don’t really see our empire at all.
I should add that I got a lot of insight into legislative power from all of Caro’s books about LBJ, but if you read only one of those volumes, Master of the Senate probably has the most to teach about the practice of legislating in America. Also, the book contain a brief (200 pages or so) history of the Senate. Speaking of the Senate, I also got a lot out of reading Adam Jentleson’s Kill Switch, which is a very readable history of the filibuster.
I really like the idea of looking back at the books I've read as saying something about me that year. You may just have inspired me to keep track of the books I read next year!
Hi, Medha. Yes, keeping track can reveal interesting patterns. I talked about that for the first time last year and also captured some tools folks use to track their reading. If you'd like to check them out, you'll find them here: https://elizabethmarro.substack.com/p/what-we-read-and-what-if-anything
I've finished 58 books so far, will likely finish 60 this year (a few more than last year). I always check out Book Riot's Reading Challenge for the year, for an eclectic, wide-ranging read. I read poetry, plays, graphic novels ... and the authors are LGBTQIA+, indigenous, BIPOC, Asian, and more. I read classics and brand new. My books on my hold list at the library include Braiding Sweetgrass and Demon Copperfield. BTW, my TBR stack are all books I own. If they were library books, I'd be in big trouble! I'd never get them in on time. LOL.
I just saw Book Riot’s challenge the other day! I’d like to read more queer stories and authors. I’ve run across a lot of YA literature but would love more grown folks’ stuff.
Chevanne, I'm happy to tell you I am a lesbian author. I know lots of lesbian and queer authors who write for grownups. I have two female Sherlock Holmes mysteries (I'm writing the third Shirley Combs and Dr. Mary Watson now). I have a thriller. I have 5 collections of poetry. I highly recommend Emma Donoghue for literary, Val McDermid for crime/mysteries, Lori L. Lake, Lee Lynch, Jeannette Winterson, Chinela Okpuranta, for a variety of types. Maybe look at the group Queerreaders on Goodreads for suggestions.
Glad to know you've got those books handy and don't have to bring them back. And thanks for sharing your source for inspiration. I'll be more attentive to the Book Riot Reading Challenge. We'll have to talk about Braiding Sweetgrass and Demon Copperfield. It seems a good number of us will be reading those.
The book I'm excitedly reading now is, "Admininstrative Burden: Policy Making By Other Means" by Pamela Herd and Donald P.Moynihan. I mentioned this book in one of my posts, and I think confronting the idea of "red tape" when working with government agencies is one of the most important ways we can help, not just the poor, but everyone. I'm really not this nerdy, but since this is the book I'm currently reading and enjoying, I thought I'd mention it :-)
Thanks, Joan (and no, you are not nerdy). I'm curious about this idea of "Policy Making by Other Means." I'll look up this book to learn more. Eliminating or reducing red tape is the holy grail, it seems to me, of many efforts to make the government more accessible to the people it serves. I'm curious to know if it delves at all into the idea that to become more streamlined and efficient, and to offer access with less "red tape" requires strategy and a level of investment in the infrastructure that is fiercely resisted by lawmakers for any agency outside the DOD.
In other news, I keep chipping away at an issue of for Spark that focuses on housing -- the policies that get us here, the human conflicts that keep us stuck, and new ways to think about it. If you come across some good reads about that, I'd be interested.
I read fewer books this year than last, can't say why except I know I binged on way too many streamers. Interesting thing I discovered recently when I asked a staff member at a bookstore what he'd recommend for me. "You like non-fiction, right?" he said. I was so surprised because I really, really love fiction. But here's what I discovered: I buy nonfiction books, knowing I'll want to read them again and again ("Braiding Sweetgrass" for example, which I'm reading now), but I borrow most of the fiction I read from the library (Just returned "Brushing Cats" stories by Jane Campbell, which is fabulous!) Thanks for all your lists and Spark readers' lists. Intention for 2023: more reading, less bingeing. Here's to a very literary year.
That's interesting. For you, nonfiction is kind of an investment because you know you'll want to check back in. I feel that way about some novels. I want to tear them apart and see what makes them tick and I can't do that if I borrow them.
I've only read one short story by Jane Campbell and I've wanted to read more of her. Your recommendation cements that. I'll read "Brushing Cats." And I'm looking forward to talking about "Braiding Sweetgrass" with you and others here.
I I really love a novel I'll sometimes buy it after so I can do what you do. (The women Jane Campbell writes about in Brushing Cats are fierce. Such good writing. And yes, "Braiding Sweetgrass."
I loved the writing and characters in My Absolute Darling, but I can see why some people would be appalled by it. It's the old question. Can I say I loved a book if I don't approve of what was in the book?
I get it. The writing was very good. It's not the I disapproved of the book's content. It was the visceral fear, rage, and loathing it inspired. Talk about triggers.
I read much more this year than I have in the past thanks to Audible (this is not an ad 🙃)
I have not gotten to read much in the past. Books lie on my shelf with an IOU and I haven’t gotten to them. This year, though, I’ve read about utopias, fantastic journeys, horrors, and memoirs. Here were some of my favorites:
We Were Witches by Ariel Gore
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
Each was a wonderful experience and informed the way I wrote and what I chose to read later. I’m excited to start a new book soon (still getting through all the Holmes stories) and not sure what that one will be. There are 62 titles on my wishlists so there’s plenty there to get me started. Some of them are:
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton
One, None, and One Hundred Thousand by Luigi Pirandello
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies has been on my list for over a year. That does it. I'm reading it early in 2022. Can't wait. I love your reading list for its imagination and range, Chevanne. And I love Luigi Pirandello. And Sherlock Holmes.
I'm adding this comment from Patty F. that came in via email because it sums up exactly what the right book at the right time can do for us:
"So here's the book I was reading that I was going to share: "Men of Salt," by Michael Benanav, about a salt caravan across the Sahara. This wouldn't be a book for most readers, but I was completely captivated. Books take us where we might not go. We have been on a short camel caravan in the Sinai, so I loved reading about an expanded version of what we had experienced. Here is a supposed African proverb among camel riders: You travel faster alone, but further together.
Also check out @laurasackton here on Substack. She focuses especially on queer stories and authors. Her newsletter is called Books and Bakes.
I read 55 books this year. I might make that 56 or 57, depending on how the next few weeks go. That’s pretty typical for me. What’s not typical is the amount of nonfiction. About 90% of my books were nonfiction in 2022. Usually, I’m closer to 50/50.
One reason for the shift might be listening to the Ezra Klein podcast. He always asks his guests to recommend 3 books at the end. I’ve found some fascinating reads there.
Another reason is that I probably overloaded on fiction during 2020 and into 2021 as a means of escapism. At one point, I even picked up Dharma Bums--something I swore I’d never do after a very painful experience with On The Road in high school. So maybe I’m just balancing my books, so to speak.
A third possibly is that I’m genuinely worried about what’s happening with the American experiment. I channel a lot of that worry into canvassing, but a lot of the worry also drives a curiosity to dive as deep as possible into the forces shaping this moment. I was always curious about history and politics, but in my 20s I’d probably read 5-10 of those books a year. These days it’s closer to 20.
I'm curious to know more about that very painful experience with On The Road but, of course, it's none of my business. I appreciate the way your inner guide has helped you "balance your books" over the past three years. It makes total sense to me.
It also makes sense to want to dive more deeply into the forces shaping our current moment. If there were one or two that you would recommend for this curious but preoccupied reader, I'd appreciate it. I will add them to the 2023 list. When I reach for nonfiction, I reach first for insights into the natural world and selected memoirs.
The painful experience with On The Road probably had a lot to do with my learning disabilities and vision issues. I’ve always struggled with reading and at that point in my life I did daily eye exercises to train my eyes to read left to right without missing words. A stream of consciousness novel without punctuation was really rough for me. In school I’d use the book and a tape of the book from the braille institute, but the reader for On The Road wasn’t great. When I picked up the audiobook of Dharma Bums it was narrated by Ethan Hawke, who made the text come alive.
As for recommendations, I’d suggest Caro’s Master of The Senate. We’ve spent the last few years obsessed over congressional power, but reading Caro’s book, it’s clear that so few of us, including politicians, actually understand how legislative power really works in America. I’d also recommend How to Hide and Empire, which is a great read about America’s empire and why so many of us don’t really see our empire at all.
I should add that I got a lot of insight into legislative power from all of Caro’s books about LBJ, but if you read only one of those volumes, Master of the Senate probably has the most to teach about the practice of legislating in America. Also, the book contain a brief (200 pages or so) history of the Senate. Speaking of the Senate, I also got a lot out of reading Adam Jentleson’s Kill Switch, which is a very readable history of the filibuster.
I really like the idea of looking back at the books I've read as saying something about me that year. You may just have inspired me to keep track of the books I read next year!
Hi, Medha. Yes, keeping track can reveal interesting patterns. I talked about that for the first time last year and also captured some tools folks use to track their reading. If you'd like to check them out, you'll find them here: https://elizabethmarro.substack.com/p/what-we-read-and-what-if-anything
Thanks so much! Will do.
I've finished 58 books so far, will likely finish 60 this year (a few more than last year). I always check out Book Riot's Reading Challenge for the year, for an eclectic, wide-ranging read. I read poetry, plays, graphic novels ... and the authors are LGBTQIA+, indigenous, BIPOC, Asian, and more. I read classics and brand new. My books on my hold list at the library include Braiding Sweetgrass and Demon Copperfield. BTW, my TBR stack are all books I own. If they were library books, I'd be in big trouble! I'd never get them in on time. LOL.
I just saw Book Riot’s challenge the other day! I’d like to read more queer stories and authors. I’ve run across a lot of YA literature but would love more grown folks’ stuff.
Chevanne, I'm happy to tell you I am a lesbian author. I know lots of lesbian and queer authors who write for grownups. I have two female Sherlock Holmes mysteries (I'm writing the third Shirley Combs and Dr. Mary Watson now). I have a thriller. I have 5 collections of poetry. I highly recommend Emma Donoghue for literary, Val McDermid for crime/mysteries, Lori L. Lake, Lee Lynch, Jeannette Winterson, Chinela Okpuranta, for a variety of types. Maybe look at the group Queerreaders on Goodreads for suggestions.
Fantastic! Thanks so much for the recommendations. It would be nice to have a section in the local bookstore outside June but this is a great start.
This is great, Sandra . Forgive my oversight abd thank you for all this good info!
Glad to know you've got those books handy and don't have to bring them back. And thanks for sharing your source for inspiration. I'll be more attentive to the Book Riot Reading Challenge. We'll have to talk about Braiding Sweetgrass and Demon Copperfield. It seems a good number of us will be reading those.
Yes, we will have to talk about those books! Maybe a Zoom for those of us reading them?
What a great idea! I'd love to try that in the coming year.
I talked to a lady on Saturday who is reading David Copperfield in preparation to read the Demon Copperhead book.
The book I'm excitedly reading now is, "Admininstrative Burden: Policy Making By Other Means" by Pamela Herd and Donald P.Moynihan. I mentioned this book in one of my posts, and I think confronting the idea of "red tape" when working with government agencies is one of the most important ways we can help, not just the poor, but everyone. I'm really not this nerdy, but since this is the book I'm currently reading and enjoying, I thought I'd mention it :-)
Thanks, Joan (and no, you are not nerdy). I'm curious about this idea of "Policy Making by Other Means." I'll look up this book to learn more. Eliminating or reducing red tape is the holy grail, it seems to me, of many efforts to make the government more accessible to the people it serves. I'm curious to know if it delves at all into the idea that to become more streamlined and efficient, and to offer access with less "red tape" requires strategy and a level of investment in the infrastructure that is fiercely resisted by lawmakers for any agency outside the DOD.
In other news, I keep chipping away at an issue of for Spark that focuses on housing -- the policies that get us here, the human conflicts that keep us stuck, and new ways to think about it. If you come across some good reads about that, I'd be interested.
I read fewer books this year than last, can't say why except I know I binged on way too many streamers. Interesting thing I discovered recently when I asked a staff member at a bookstore what he'd recommend for me. "You like non-fiction, right?" he said. I was so surprised because I really, really love fiction. But here's what I discovered: I buy nonfiction books, knowing I'll want to read them again and again ("Braiding Sweetgrass" for example, which I'm reading now), but I borrow most of the fiction I read from the library (Just returned "Brushing Cats" stories by Jane Campbell, which is fabulous!) Thanks for all your lists and Spark readers' lists. Intention for 2023: more reading, less bingeing. Here's to a very literary year.
That's interesting. For you, nonfiction is kind of an investment because you know you'll want to check back in. I feel that way about some novels. I want to tear them apart and see what makes them tick and I can't do that if I borrow them.
I've only read one short story by Jane Campbell and I've wanted to read more of her. Your recommendation cements that. I'll read "Brushing Cats." And I'm looking forward to talking about "Braiding Sweetgrass" with you and others here.
Yes, here's to a literary 2023!
I I really love a novel I'll sometimes buy it after so I can do what you do. (The women Jane Campbell writes about in Brushing Cats are fierce. Such good writing. And yes, "Braiding Sweetgrass."
I loved the writing and characters in My Absolute Darling, but I can see why some people would be appalled by it. It's the old question. Can I say I loved a book if I don't approve of what was in the book?
I get it. The writing was very good. It's not the I disapproved of the book's content. It was the visceral fear, rage, and loathing it inspired. Talk about triggers.
I read much more this year than I have in the past thanks to Audible (this is not an ad 🙃)
I have not gotten to read much in the past. Books lie on my shelf with an IOU and I haven’t gotten to them. This year, though, I’ve read about utopias, fantastic journeys, horrors, and memoirs. Here were some of my favorites:
We Were Witches by Ariel Gore
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
Each was a wonderful experience and informed the way I wrote and what I chose to read later. I’m excited to start a new book soon (still getting through all the Holmes stories) and not sure what that one will be. There are 62 titles on my wishlists so there’s plenty there to get me started. Some of them are:
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton
One, None, and One Hundred Thousand by Luigi Pirandello
Happy reading into the new year!
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies has been on my list for over a year. That does it. I'm reading it early in 2022. Can't wait. I love your reading list for its imagination and range, Chevanne. And I love Luigi Pirandello. And Sherlock Holmes.