Tag: reading

My year in reading, 2023

January 23, 2024 / Stephanie / 2 Comments

Hello! It’s January, which means it’s time for my annual tradition of updating all three of you who read this about what I read this past year. Last year, I predicted that I wouldn’t have a spare moment for any fun reading this year since I would be starting my MFA program. A year later, I’m pleased to report that this prediction proved to be wrong! There have been several times in my life where people have warned me that I would not have time, anymore, to read for pleasure. Law school, for example. Or immediately after having babies. I know this warning rings true for many people, for whom reading becomes too much or not satisfying or feels like a chore when they’re under stress. But for me, reading is a safe haven, something I look forward to even more when I’m stressed and life feels chaotic and out of control. At the moment, my life does not feel particularly chaotic (hooray) and I am not even very stressed (I know, what?), and I am enjoying a nice mix of reading for school and reading for fun.

Speaking of school! Because I have spent the last year (whoa) in the MFA program at Warren Wilson (IYKYK), I’ve been doing a LOT of reading, even more than I do in a typical year. My program requires me to read approximately 1 book/week during the semester, for a total of 20-25 books/semester, but I end up reading more than that, since I’m also reading for pleasure each day, as well. So, let’s get into the numbers, shall we? In 2023, I read a total of 68 books! This year, about half the books I read were print and half were digital (meaning I got them on the Libby app, from the library). About 75% were fiction. In a typical year, I probably read a bit more nonfiction, but I think the demands of the program have weighted my reading more towards fiction this year.

Here are some highlights:

Best memoir

Stay True, Hua Hsu

Dumbest memoir(s)

Tie between Spare, Prince Harry and Bad Mormon, Heather Gay

Book that most blew my mind

The Transit of Venus, Shirley Hazard

Best short story collection

Tenth of December, George Saunders

Best novella

Foster, Claire Keegan

Most beautifully depressing

The Gathering, Anne Enright

Most overhyped

Tom Lake, Ann Patchett (I know this is a deeply controversial pick, but this book just did not work for me, and I consider myself a big Patchett fan!)

Most moving epic

Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver

Twistiest turniest

My Murder, Katie Williams

Tensest psychological thriller

The Quiet Tenant, Clémence Michallon

Most surprising

Birnam Wood, Eleanor Catton

Fastest page turner

The Guest, Emma Cline

What was your reading life like this year? What books stood out to you? Which disappointed? Let me know!

My year in reading: 2022, and a new chapter

January 7, 2023 / Stephanie / 0 Comments

Updating my blog has become a once-yearly January tradition, like taking down the Christmas lights. I have come to enjoy looking back at my year through the books that I read, recalling the ones I liked, the ones I loved, the ones I couldn’t finish. This year, though, even as I look back at the 2022, I find myself looking ahead to 2023, when my end-of-year reading list might look different, since my reading life is about to change significantly.

I am writing this post from Black Mountain, North Carolina, where I’m midway through my first MFA residency at Warren Wilson College. This is the first of five residencies (and four semesters) that I’ll complete before I graduate. The Warren Wilson program is a low-residency MFA, which means that, apart from the ten-day residencies, the rest of the time, I’ll be working from home, corresponding with a faculty adviser. Each semester, I will be responsible for sending my adviser “packets” of work: creative writing, yes, but also a reading list, and annotations on the books I’m reading. I am expected to read 15-20 books per semester, which tracks to about one book a week, which is about what I read now, on my own time. The difference, though, is that the books I will be reading for my program are not to be read for pleasure, but for analysis. For the next two years, the majority of books I read will be read critically. I will be reading books that will help me grow as a fiction writer, not necessarily books I gravitate to for fun. Consequently, I expect next year’s reading round-up blog post to look pretty different from this year’s.

However! I know myself, and no matter what my life circumstances, unless I am physically prevented from reading (eye gauging accident, say), I will read for pleasure, too. Before I started law school, people warned me that I wouldn’t feel like reading at the end of the day because I’d be reading so much caselaw, I would be made sick by the thought of casting my eyes over another book. But there was a clear delineation in my brain between School Books and Fun Books, and I kept right on reading my Fun Books throughout my three years of law school, even as I was drowning in School Books. I expect the next two years at Warren Wilson to be similar, but who knows what will come in 2023 and beyond! For now, let’s look back at 2022.

First, my stats: I read 59 books this year, and did not finish 8. This amounted to reading over 20,000 pages. Of the books I read, 70% were fiction, 30% non-fiction. Weirdly, 70% of my books were by female authors, 30% by male authors. And I am happy to report that 85% of the books I read were from the library! Here are some of the standouts:

Most gripping narrative non-fiction: In the Kingdom of Ice, by Hampton Sides and Empire of Pain, by Patrick Radden Keefe

Most moving true crime: Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls, by Kathleen Hale and Tell Me Everything, by Erika Krouse

Novel that I could not stop telling everyone in my life to read/book I loved so much I wanted to marry it: The Five Wounds, by Kirstin Valdez Quade

Favorite short fiction collection: Out There, by Kate Folk

Cleverest literary fiction: Mouth to Mouth, by Antoine Wilson

Best memoir: Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon; I Am, I Am, I am by Maggie Farrell; Free by Lea Ypi

Novel with the most interesting setting/world: True Biz, by Sara Novic

Best novel set in academia: Vladimir, by Julia May Jonas

Book that simultaneously sent me into an existential tailspin, made me weep, and astounded me with its brilliance: Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr

I am not going to list the books I was bored to tears by or wanted to feed into a wood chipper (yes, there was at least one of those), because, as a writer, I would hate to see my work trashed on someone’s blog, but if you’re curious, email me. 😉

Finally, I must admit: this year was still not the year I finished that Hamilton biography.

What did you read and love this year? What are you looking forward to reading in 2023?

My year in reading: 2021

January 6, 2022 / Stephanie / 0 Comments

2021 was another wild year, the events of which don’t bear repeating here, because maybe if I don’t mention them, we’ll all forget they happened. (That’s how trauma works, right?) But what I WILL mention here are a few of the books I read in 2021, because some of them were great! And even a pandemic and a fragile democracy can’t stop me from sharing great books.

First, my stats! I finished 66 books this year, for a total of about 21,000 pages. I started 81 books. Some of these I intentionally Did Not Finish because I was not enjoying them, others I just didn’t get around to finishing, for… reasons. Speaking of which, I am sorry to report that 2021, despite my best intentions, was NOT the year I finished that Alexander Hamilton book. 2022 will DEFINITELY be the year. (Right?)

Over half of the books I read were borrowed from the library. The Libby app really is a game-changer (if you don’t have it, get it)! Almost 80% of the books I read were written by women. This was not intentional, but I’m not mad about it. 74% of the books I read were fiction, and 26% were non-fiction. Given that I am a fiction writer and gravitate heavily towards fiction, I feel okay about this ratio, although next year I would like to read even more non-fiction. (I’ve just started a NF book about Mt. Everest, The Third Pole, so I’m already starting 2022 with some exciting non-fiction. If anyone has any other great NF recs to kickstart my reading year, please let me know.)

Okay, so let’s get into some of these books! Here are a few of the stand-outs.

Best Parenting Book

Simple Happy Parenting, Denaye Barahona

Best Memoir

Notes on a Silencing, Lacy Crawford

The Wreckage of My Presence, Casey Wilson

Best Speculative Fiction

Severance, Ling Ma

Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro

Best True Crime

We Keep The Dead Close, Becky Cooper

Best Short Story Collection

People Like You, Margaret Malone

Best General Literary Fiction

We Run The Tides, Vendela Vida

Writers & Lovers, Lily King

Best Romance

Dear Emmie Blue, Lia Louis

Best Thriller

Dream Girl, Laura Lippman

What were the best books you read in 2021? What are you reading in 2022?

My year in reading: 2020

January 8, 2021 / Stephanie / 2 Comments

2020 was a YEAR, wasn’t it? I started off the year with the ambitious goal of reading 70 books. Cute of me, in retrospect. I ended the year having started 71 books, but only finishing 54. Womp-womp. In most years, I would have been disappointed in falling so short of a stated goal, even one as arbitrary as number of books read, but by the end of 2020, my attitude was, basically, “F*** it.” (Which has been a helpful overall life mantra as I’ve navigated through the flaming pile of chaos that was 2020!) I’m happy I read any books at all, this year, frankly.

Failing to meet my goal also forced me to reevaluate the wisdom of setting numbers-based reading goals. Yes, I only read 54 books in 2020, whereas in 2019, I read 66 books, but I read 20,151 pages in 2020, as opposed to a measly 17,837 pages in 2019. So, there. But you know what? I wish I hadn’t read so many pages or finished as many books as I did this year, because this year, more than other years, I forced myself to finish books (often quite long books) that just were not working for me. And I regret that! I should have taken my own advice about not finishing books, because I wasted time and brain-space in a year in which I had neither resource to spare. In 2021, I resolve to quit books earlier, and/or to skim more liberally when necessary. Onward!

Now, for some of my faves and not-so-faves. (Please note, as always, that only some, not all, of these books actually came out in 2020).

Best novel: tie between Trust Exercise, by Susan Choi, and Disappearing Earth, by Julia Phillips. (NB: I will talk your ear off about either of these books, if given the slightest chance. Please read them. They are both gorgeous and wonderful and precious and make me want to be a better writer/burn everything I’ve ever written in a bonfire).

Best memoir: Tie between Wild Game, by Adrienne Brodeur and Empty, by Susan Burton

Best journalistic non-fiction: Hidden Valley Road, by Robert Kolker

Best book about writing: How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, by Alexander Chee

Most eye-opening/life-changing: Quit Like a Woman, by Holly Whitaker

Most overhyped: Tie between The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett and Trick Mirror, by Jia Tolentino

Most enraging: 28 Summers, by Elin Hilderbrand (NB: I hated this book with such a fiery passion that I’m almost grateful to Hilderbrand for writing it and creating characters that were so gratifying to want the absolute worst for).

Best series: the Jackson Brodie mysteries, by Kate Atkinson

Long book I wish I hadn’t finished: SO MANY CONTENDERS, but tie between The Outsider, by Stephen King (577 pages), and The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (506 pages)

Book I really am gonna finish in 2021: Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow

For more of my thoughts and notes, feel free to check out my handy Google spreadsheet!

What were the best books you read in 2020? Any great ones I missed? Hit me up!

My year in reading: 2019

January 3, 2020 / Stephanie / 0 Comments

At the beginning of 2018, I started tracking my reading using Google Docs, and I haven’t stopped. Tracking my reading has become fun, even addictive, and it’s spurred me to read even more than I already was. And, despite what my husband might tell me when I’m up past my bedtime devouring a book, more reading is, as Martha Stewart would say, A Good Thing.

Before I dive into a discussion of my favorite books that I read in 2019, a quick peek at the nuts and bolts of my year in reading. As I mentioned, I read more in 2019 than I did in 2018. In 2018, I read 47 books (some of which I discussed here). In 2019, I read 66 books (and I finished one on January 1, 2020, which does not count towards my total)! All in all, this amounted to over 17,000 pages of reading completed. Not too shabby, if you ask me!

One of the most interesting new trends in my reading life in 2019 was how many books I borrowed from the library. In 2018, I did not use my library card even once, mostly because it was too much of a hassle to get myself physically to my local branch (see: children, laziness). In 2019, though, I discovered the life-changing Libby app and used it to borrow 44 out of the 67 books I completed (plus some others that I didn’t finish). This genius little app has saved me a lot of money and has allowed me to try books that I might not have been willing to shell out for. Borrowing books also takes the sting out of not finishing ones that simply aren’t for me. I can happily return an unfinished book to the library (digitally, of course) and let some other reader have at it.

Speaking of books I didn’t finish, there were quite a few. Among them: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory, Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell, The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt, and The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. My reasons for not finishing these and other books are included in my reading notes, which can be found in my Google Doc here.

Now, onto just a few of my favorites that I read in 2019 (NB: not all of these books came out in 2019; in fact, many of them are pretty old).

Number one favorite: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman. My review here.

Runner-up favorite: Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane

Best memoir: Tie between Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro and Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb

Most surprising: Get in Trouble, by Kelly Link

Most practical: The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

Most overrated: Tie between Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney

Best mystery: Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson

Best thriller: Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch

Creepiest: Fever Dream, by Samanta Schweblin

Best non-memoir non-fiction: Three Women, by Lisa Taddeo

Best sci-fi/fantasy: Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

And, of course, my least favorite read, which I joyfully did not finish, was Dare Me, by Megan Abbott. What an utter stinker. (Sorry, Megan Abbott, if you’re reading this (you’re not). I liked some of your other books but this one really REALLY did not work for me).

You can read more of my thoughts on all of the books I picked up this year on my Google Doc or on my Goodreads profile. We are now three days into 2020 and I’ve already finished two books and am midway into a third, so I’m hoping I can blow through my reading record for 2019 this year. Happy new year and happy reading!

My year in reading: 2018

January 1, 2019 / Stephanie / 3 Comments

In my approximately 32 years of being a reader, it’s only in this past year that I’ve begun to actively track what I read. Sure, I’ve used Goodreads for years and would occasionally update my list when I remembered, but if you asked me to name how many (and which) books I read in a given year, I’d be at a loss. But in January of 2018, I started a Google spreadsheet to track my reading in a more structured way. And the results of my year in reading are here, for all to see.

In total, I finished 47 books, including fiction and non-fiction. I read novels of all descriptions, short-fiction collections, memoirs, compilations, self-help, investigative journalism, and true crime. Overall, I’m happy with how broadly I read, although there are, as always, a ton of books on my To Be Read list that I wished I’d gotten to this year but didn’t have time for.

Some notes about my reading habits: I am NOT a completist. If a book is not for me, and I’ve given it a good shot, I’ll abandon it. I talked about how to properly abandon a book in more detail in this post. I think recognizing when a book is not for you is a healthy skill to cultivate, as life is short, and there are more books in the universe than one human could ever hope to read, so why waste time with the duds? When you look at my 2018 reading log, you’ll see that there are several books, in italics, that I stopped reading because they were just not working for me. Because I got pretty far into most of these books, my abandonment of them hurt my overall reading numbers for the year. But tabulating my reading wasn’t really about hitting a specific number of books, so I’m fine with falling just short of a nice, round 50. (I also read several VERY LONG but excellent books, including Chimimanda Ngoze Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun and Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko.)

Here are a few of the highlights from this excellent reading year, in bullet form! (NB: this list was VERY hard to compile because I loved so many of the books I read this year.)

Favorite non-fiction book: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. This book is a fascinating, thrilling look into the twisted story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. And here I am discussing this book on The Blotter Presents!
Favorite book in translation: Beartown, by Frederik Backman
Favorite short-story collection: This Cake is for the Party, by Sarah Selecky. I loved Selecky’s collection so much, but I read a lot of fantastic short-fiction this year, including great collections by Jeffrey Eugenides, Lauren Groff, and Nafissa Thompson.
Most surprising read: Delicious Foods, by James Hanaham. So hard to describe this book in a way that doesn’t make it sound insane (for example, one of the narrators is the drug crack cocaine), but it is one of the books that stuck with me most this entire year. (Thanks to Yohanca Delgado for the recommendation).
Stupidest read: Single State of Mind, by Andi Dorfman. In my defense, I didn’t pay for this book with my own money, so I feel morally absolved for wasting brain cells on this dross.
Favorite collection of essays: Calypso, by David Sedaris
Favorite memoir: And Now We Have Everything, by Meaghan O’Connell. A must-read for mothers.
Favorite mystery: Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie
Worst ending: State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett. I hate-hate-HATED the ending but enjoyed the book up until the very end.
Most overrated: The Female Persuasion, by Meg Wolitzer
Best (fiction) page-turner: The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn. I saw some of the big twists in this book coming, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless!

I’d love to talk to you about your thoughts on any of these books, or others that changed your life this year. What was your best book of 2018?

Happy reading in 2019!