Small victories

Happy New Year, readers! I am glad you are here, and I’m always appreciative of the comments you leave, and emails you send.

Inspired by my friend Jessemy, I decided to list the books I’ve read this year. This isn’t something I’d normally do, but this was an unusual year. For the first time, ever, I’ve achieved my goal of reading one hundred books in a year! I’ve had it as a target for as long as I can recall, I haven’t always kept a log but I’ve known I didn’t get close. In recent years I’ve kept closer track, and seen my fluctuating totals, off by dozens (I don’t count re-reads, or anything I read only part of and abandoned).

red squirrel sitting on a bench reading a book, watercolor style

It was actually a surprise when I tallied up my list some weeks ago (remembering to add books I’d read as galleys, plus audiobooks and library books) that I was going to get close to my target.

So here is my list. Looking over it, I wonder what it says about my intellectual tastes, or emotional state, that these are my choices.

You’ll see I mostly read nonfiction. Only 15 of the books are works of fiction (and of those, 9 published in the last 20 years). It’s not that I don’t like novels — fifteen in a year is still probably more than most people read — but I tend to find them through others. A recommendation on a podcast, a newspaper review, a friend’s suggestion.

More than a third of the books on the list are memoirs of some kind. When I’m looking for a book to buy, witty memoirs or first-person essay collections are what I gravitate towards; anything of the David Sedaris or Nora Ephron type (if you have any recommendations in the genre, please add in the comments! Bookstores and catalogues often make them hard to find: in “Biography and Memoir” it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack; while the “Comedy and Humor” section is full of 101 Jokes for Kids-type books and comic novels.)

Scanning down the list now, there are books I read on planes, books I listened to in bed, books I eagerly paged through while curled up on a sofa. Books I took notes from (lots!), books that made me laugh. Books I’ll probably forget, and books that shocked me (I’m Glad My Mom Died was confronting and vivid).

I chose some because I like the author, or was continuing a series (Razzmatazz was a chance to return to Christopher Moore’s madcap vision of 1940s San Francisco, and I’ve been dipping into Mick Herron’s Slow Horses series for several years).

Some I had pre-ordered, and looked forward to even before they arrived. Others I stumbled onto while browsing through the shelves at the Strand, or slid into my view on screen (thanks, Amazon algorithms!).

1. Fall of the Faculty Naomi Schaefer Riley

2. Tech Panic Robbie Soave

3. I’m More Dateable than a Plate of Refried Beans Ginny Hogan

4. The Yarn Whisperer Clara Parkes

5. Madam Bovary Gustav Flaubert

6. You Must Remember This Kat Rosenfield

7. Let’s Catch Up Soon Sarah Cooper

8. 488 Rules for Life Kitty Flanagan

9. Aren’t You Forgetting Someone Kari Lizer

10. Gawky Margot Leitman

11. We’ll Laugh About This Anna Lind Thomas

12. Between You And Me Mary Norris

13. Constructing a Nervous System Margo Jefferson

14. Maybe you should talk to someone Lori Gottlieb

15. The Fabric of Civilization Virginia I. Postrel

16. Melissa Explains It All Melissa Joan Hart

17. The Paradox of Choice Barry Schwartz

18. The Wager David Grann

19. Revolutionary Roads Bob Thompson

20. Fool Me Once Kelly Richmond Pope

21. Angel Makers Patti McCracken

22. The Dr Wears Three Faces Mary Bard

23. Uninvited Adrian Maher

24. Nothing to See Here Kevin Wilson

25. Season of the Witch David Talbot

26. In Defense of Elitism Joel Stein

27. Garbology Edward Humes

28. I’m Glad My Mom Died Jennette McCurdy

29. New Urban Crisis Richard Florida

30. Hey, Hun Emily Paulson

31. Spook Street Mick Herron

32. Mad Madame LaLaurie Victoria Cosner Love, Lorelei Shannon

33. Clutter Jennifer Howard

34. Real Tigers Mick Herron

35. You Can’t Joke About That! Kat Timpf

36. Black is the New White Paul Mooney

37. Trail of the Lost Andrea Lankford

38. Excuse Me While I Disappear Laurie Notaro

39. Under the Volcano Malcolm Lowry

40. The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank Erma Bombeck

41. Nothing is True and Everything is Possible Peter Pomerantsev

42. Token Black Girl Danielle Prescod

43. Death in Yellowstone Lee H. Whittlesey

44. Eight Bears Gloria Dickey

45. Life at the Bottom Theodore Dalrymple

46. Cunk on Everything Philomena Cunk

47. Everything Reminds Me of Something Adam Carolla

48. Off Ramp Hank Stuever

49. Excellent Women Barbara Pym

50. White House Wild Child Shelley Fraser Mickle

51. Canceling of the American Mind Greg Lukianoff; Rikki Schlott

52. How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement Fredrik deBoer

53. Paved Paradise Henry Grabar

54. Most Delicious Poison Noah Whiteman

55. A Boob’s Life Leslie Lehr

56. Perils of Privilege Phoebe Maltz Bovy

57. She Drives Me Crazy Celia Rivenbark

58. The Embezzler Louis Auchincloss

59. Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires Grady Hendrix

60. The People, No Thomas Frank

61. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Anita Loos

62. What to Miss When Leigh Stein

63. American Made Farah Stockman

64. Quietly Hostile Samatha Irby

65. Tiger Came to the Mountains Silvia Moreno-Garcia

66. Tough Titties Laura Belgray

67. She Memes Well Quinta Brunson

68. Pushing Cool Keith Wailoo

69. Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits Dave Barry

70. How to Take Over the World Ryan North

71. Politically Incorrect Guide to the Sixties Jonathan Leaf

72. Guide to Midwestern Conversation Taylor Kay Philips

73. Here For it R. Eric Thomas

74. Man Made Joel Stein

75. We’re All in This Together Tom Papa

76. Elite Capture Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò

77. Razzmatazz Christopher Moore

78. Sure I’ll Join Your Cult Maria Bamford

79. Growing Season Sarah Frey

80. Risky Business Liran Einav, Ray Fisman

81. Cultish Amanda Montell

82. I Don’t Care About Your Band Julie Klausner

83. The Black Cloud Fred Hoyle

84. Dark Matter Michelle Paver

85. Cool It Bjorn Lomborg

86. Inside Voice Lake Bell

87. Acquired Tastes Peter Mayle

88. Blood in the Machine Brian Merchant

89. Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner

90. Here is New York E. B. White

91. The Dollar Rebellion Billie Jean King

92. Aliens in America Sandra Tsing Loh

93. Atomic Marriage Curtis Sittenfeld

94. How to Tell a Story and Other Essays Mark Twain

95. Good Cop Maureen Dowd

96. A Mind of Her Own Paula McLain

97. Practical Guide to Racism C. H. Dalton

98. Tidy the F*ck Up Messie Condo

99. Take Out Your Earrings Before You Fight Chelsea Fagan

100. Merry Christmas: Celebrating America's greatest holiday Karal Ann Marling

And today turns out to be a double celebration in goals. I decided I wanted to complete 16,000 minutes on Peloton this year: as of this evening my total is 16,003 (and my daily streak is 630 days!).

I’d like to have done more, like finished a book of my own, but I’m taking these 2 as wins. I hope you’ve achieved your goals, and will see you again in 2024!