2023, in books
Time for me to sit down and review my books from 2023 - like many others, I also read for pleasure and leisure. But I spend at least an hour every day reading, so I'd rather this activity gives me some exposure to the real world, which means I gotta be conscious about it.
At the beginning of every year, I set a goal for the no. of books I want to read - I set my goal to a modest number (modest, to me 😊) coz I love to see that I've exceeded the goal - some small pleasure I derive from this 😊. I also take stock of all my unread physical books, the books on hold from the library and those that are languishing in my Kindles - the idea is to bring logical closure to all these books - either read them or move on to the next read. This also helps me assess if am being smart about the book choices, ensuring that I read those from my chosen genres or am I picking too many easy reads - easy reads are always good to break the monotony, but I don't want to read too many easy ones in any given year. I want to have at least 10-15% of the books I read in that year as those that'll stick with me forever - this is my way of deriving quality from quantity. Lastly, there is a balance to be struck between reading what everyone reads and hence think the same way vs discovering new authors and narratives - I attempt to do this every year.
In 2023, as opposed to a goal of 60 books, I've finished 76 books. With an average book length of 274 pages and an average rating of 3.9, I am pleased with this number.
2023 was quite a busy year, life-wise. We've just moved back to India so there's been lots of family and friends time. Hobby-wise, I feel I could've done better wrt my pottery, though I developed a couple new products. I've taken a conscious decision to not sell my work going forward and focus on this hobby for purely the joy of clay. Plus, with all the plants at home, I can always do with more garden decor for myself.
Now, here's the list of great books I read in 2023, sorted by Date Read.
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa - This is a book for book-lovers - an easy read that makes one question their reading style and preferences, all via the ultra-chill-savior cat.
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha - Owing to my exposure to K-dramas since 2020, I am very interested in slices of life from South Korea, and this book provides a glimpse into the lives of a group of single, independent, young women in SK as they try to match up to the standards society has for them.
The World Between Two Covers - Reading the Globe by Ann Morgan - I took a lot of time reading this book, but only because there was a lot of reference material and recommendations I picked from this book. Must read, for a book lover.
The Caliph's House by Tahir Shah - Shah is a Brit with keen interest in Morocco and the Atlas Mountains and hence buys a house in Casablanca and moves his family there. This is a fun read about him settling down in his new house amongst all the servants and jinns he inherited and navigating the bureaucracy in Morocco.
The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo - This is fiction all through, but I loved the main protagonist who redefines solitary living and physical strength.
Lenin's Tomb by David Remnick - I've taken a really long time reading this Pulitzer winning book, almost 20 months and I am glad I stuck to it. There are tons of references to key Soviet personas and Remnick's accounts of the various facets of living just before the USSR fell was really good.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel - This book taught me that I enjoy well-written sci-fi with time-travel as the theme. I loved the narration and premise of this book.
The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley - This is an easy read fiction with great narration and plot pace. I am hoping this gets picked for screen too.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - Though am yet to watch, I am super excited this book is adapted by Apple for screen - this was a great read, almost unputdownable. This book made me wish this was both fiction and real. Has a strong woman in science as the main protagonist and tons of stories about sexism.
This Is Not Propaganda by Peter Pomerantsev - If one is interested in politics and current affairs, this book is a must read. Pomerantsev narrates, with plenty of examples from history how fake news and half truths are used systemically to build an alternate reality for the susceptible demographic to influence public opinion and elections.
The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski - Though set in the 1960s, this book is a brilliant read to get acquainted with Africa. The author, though white, is of Polish origin paints a very realistic-non-white-man-like picture of then-Africa with profound respect the region and the people he meets in various countries in the continent. Some of his essays, especially those on Liberia and Rwanda are just brilliant.
Talking at Night by Claire Daverly - I like a well written love story, especially if it has a melancholic mood and spans across decades and more if it is about healing - this book is all that. I also loved that this book wasn't written for the screen, but I'd love to see this made for TV.
Walking the Gobi by Helen Thayer - I like stories written by women explorers/adventurers and Helen's attempt to cross the 1600 miles across the vast and dry Gobi is inspiring. I also read this book as we were road-tripping across Mongolia and so everything Thayer wrote made a huge impression on me - her respect for the nomadic culture, her narration as she takes us through the trepidation of dehydration and possible death in the desert and Mongolia's natural history - everything was brilliant.
My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar - How many more stories could come up with WW II as the backdrop that haven't already been narrated? This book answered that for me - must read if you are interested in real accounts of the Holocaust.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa - This is a story of a young girl's self-discovery and love for books - a book written for book-lovers.
The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alemeddine - I'd read even a grocery list by Alemeddine with wonder and joy, but this book stands out for the LGBTQ representation and accounts of the Syrian refugee crisis - this is a great read.
Raybearer series by Jordan Ifueko - This is fantasy fiction set in what feels like Africa as the main kingdom and has representation across all other continents. I enjoyed the two books in this series and hoped they get picked up for screen too.
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - This is a great set of stories on protagonists from different stages in life, all finding their purpose via books from one library. Another book for book-lovers.
Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen - Another sci-fi time-travel book that I couldn't put down, this book felt like it was inspired from the movie, Interstellar.
Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook - Set in the 1980s South Korea when student protests were on against the military regime's censorship, this book reemphasizes the power of protesting and democracy. Added bonus is that this is a true story, with names of the actual protagonists changed.
If you've stuck on till here, thank you for your patience!😊
Though I hope to have at least 10 great books per year, I am chuffed when I cross that number, and 2023 was hence a great year for me.
Going into 2024, I have a set of interconnected goals for my reading -
Continue reading books by exophonic writers - This helps me read stories not set in English-speaking countries or with non-native-English-speaking protagonists and the hope is to expand my horizons. In 2023, I've gotten 25 such books and I hope to continue this into 2024.
Pick more books by non-white male authors - I believe representation in popular media is key for vast adoption of a concept and I want to read continue reading more books by authors across all spectrums.
Read books that represent minorities - self-explanatory 😊
Re-read old favorites - I did a decent job at this in 2023, and I want to continue this in 2024 as well. There is a reason am accumulating all those books I've already read and loved😊. Plus, I need something to read while eating, anyways 😊
At the moment am reading multiple books - Sun after Dark by Pico Iyer, Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking by Anya Von Bremzen and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, with a few more lined up on my Kindle - all of which am excited for.
Life-wise, going into 2024, I realize I need a new interest area to consume my mental bandwidth. I am good with pottery, but with the decision to not sell stuff, the incentive to keep firing up the kiln has reduced. Sharanya and I are both enrolled to T-Works and I am excited for the potential this amazing center presents to us, as ceramicists and beyond - I have a few side-projects brewing wrt this - this will keep me excited through 2024. Maybe I will pick up sewing in 2024, I've thought of it for a while now.
As always, am excited to know how your reading has been? Any favorite reads in 2023? What are you picking up in 2024? I can always do with more book recommendations 😊
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