About the number of books I read in 2023, I cannot really say anything, partly because I'm still updating my StoryGraph account - and trying to add new books to their system... Apparently, I tend to read books that don't exist (for others), both in English and Hungarian... What does this say about me? I'm not quite sure.
With all this being said, I did have a great reading year, with only a very few books that let me down. Normally, I try to stay positive and focus on the bright side - and only highlight the books I loved (leaving those other ones to vent about with my closest reader friends). However, this kind of freedom is not always an option, especially, because when writing a paid review one cannot send the book back saying; nah, not for me.... not if one hopes to get paid and maintain a good relationship. That is why, here, I'd like to concentrate on reading in general & on my best reads of the year - with only one mention of agony. (A reading experience I'm still recovering from.)
There's something I want to clarify first: I am actually a very slow reader. I might keep re-reading the same paragraph for days and take out weeks to read poems, the same ones, over and over again as though trapped in some odd daze. I find this kind of anchoring important. We all need to enter a harbour, a bay, an oasis every now and then.
My only advice to readers is to try to resist elitism - and that weird pressure of quantity. Obviously, reading hundreds of books a year, for most people, is a very unrealistic dream. People live, work, care for, struggle, fight - survive. There's no need to impress others. Do sleep enough and eat well and don't read or study at the cost of your health. They aren't worth your sacrifice. Hopefully, when you decide to read, you read to be happier or more content, or gain knowledge on something - or do whatever. But to do whatever - for yourself.
My reviewing books for magazines brings a type of reading that occupies my whole soul, mind. My body. Until a review is officially submitted, it feels like I'm physically incapable of reading anything else, because it would interfere with my thoughts. No, I wouldn't say it's normal - at least according to a few professionals I've talked to. One of them (an arrogant guy) once snapped at me; 'But what the heck are you writing so much?'
Honestly? No idea. It just empties me out. I'm a turtle. Slow. Heavy. But fortunately, I have the right to be a turtle. I do me and I do it well, thank you very much. My slowness has been bringing me luck - so far. And I feel so beyond grateful for that.
And then, when something highly stressful happens in my life - work abroad, covid, general sadness and anxiety - I might just not read anything at all. For weeks, if not for months. No, that's not true. When chaos hits hard, I do read something. Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass. Over-and-over-and-over-and-over again. It's cosy, funny, balanced and provides me with a certain content quietness. I have many different editions (post on them coming soon - hopefully). I read both Alice tales at least once a year. Alice is my way of coping.
And yes, I annotate books, highlight parts - no perfect(ly tidy) reader over here.
These were my bookish conclusions on 2023 - and the introduction of the reader I've grown into for 2024.
Before unveiling my top list, let me share bits and pieces The StoryGraph put together to reflect on my reading year. I really enjoy this aspect of my online bookshelf, for although not all of my books are up there yet, it is very satisfying to see how I started out with my year - and where I moved from there. They brought back bookish memories I'd long forgotten about. (Not Ishiguro though, I'd never forget Him...) So, this is my year in the eye of The StoryGraph:
And now, let's see my top 3 books of 2023 - and that one that was the very worst:
The Bonus One: Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Alice will be on every year's list, as a sweet addition, hahaha.
My real top-list is very subjective. While my first two choices were very clear in my mind - the third one I had to contemplate over for hours. But it helps looking at a reading year in retrospect. The one that still manages to haunt me (and haunt me pretty hard) is...
Nr.3.:
The Vegetarian by Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith
188 pages
first published in 2007
The South Korean Yeong-hye has a nightmare and stops eating meat. The reaction she faces is overwhelming, upsetting and quickly escalates into very unsettling consequences. The Vegetarian is a quick read (or at least it was a quick read for me), beautifully written but absolutely harrowing. It touches on abuse, mental health and social norms, triggering tons of questions but not answering any of them. Only read it when prepared. (But it is worth the experience.)
Nr2.:
The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem (From Baudelaire to Anne Carson), edited by Jeremy Noel-Tod
480 pages
published in 2019
This - very diverse - collection is an absolute dream. No one talks about prose poems - and that's a shame because those genre-grey areas are the most exciting ones out there. This is a long and challenging collection, but it makes things easier that many of the texts are only half or one page long. It frees you to be brave and think outside the box. So, feel free to explore too. (Especially if you're a writer yourself.)
Nr1.:
Do Gauchoids Dream of Electric Rheas? by Michel Nieva, translated from the Spanish by Rahul Bery
in: The Stinging Fly, issue 48 volume two, summer 2023
'It' looks like a human but is not. It's a robot - a Gauchiod (based on the Argentinian gauchos: a horseman, a kind of national symbol, as I understand). People can buy and keep 'it' for themselves - as a servant. What if 'it' seems to have feelings? And what will humans do to human-looking things they have absolute, totalitarian power over (with no moral guidance)? Imagine the worst - and it is much worse...because it could easily be true. Awful-awful-awful, I cannot forget this reading experience. It was absolutely harrowing. I had to take a good break after experiencing it. But it also reminded me of how powerful Latin American literature can be.
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Honourable mentions - aka runner-ups - aka 'almosts':
Fiesta by Ernest Hemingway
The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez
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And that WORST book I read in 2023:
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
386 pages
first published in 2020
...Lack of (realistic) characters, lack of reasonable plot, unfulfilled promises (of a great mystery and puzzles (that make sense) surrounding an old mansion). Beautiful boys (siblings) falling for the same girl (who is poor and smart but ordinary, but everyone wants her, and did I tell you that she is ordinary?) Oh please.
This sounded like a light Agatha Christie-esque read and I really wanted to love it but could not find a single thing that I didn't roll my eyes over. (If you market your book as a great mystery book, don't make mystery serve that very overdone love triangle). I'm not a romance reader, and I'm sure this book has its audience, but then don't trick me into buying it with false promises. I get grumpy.
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Well, this is all. But I'm hopeful and have great plans for 2024. So, I'll have a lot to write about. And we entered JANUARY, my second favourite month of the year. Why do I love it? I'll tell you next time.
For the meantime, take care, Darlings! Hugs from the Fearless Frock!
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