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
, 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).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!).
Fall of the Faculty Naomi Schaefer Riley
Tech Panic Robbie Soave
I’m More Dateable than a Plate of Refried Beans Ginny Hogan
The Yarn Whisperer Clara Parkes
Madam Bovary Gustav Flaubert
You Must Remember This Kat Rosenfield
Let’s Catch Up Soon Sarah Cooper
488 Rules for Life Kitty Flanagan
Aren’t You Forgetting Someone Kari Lizer
Gawky Margot Leitman
We’ll Laugh About This Anna Lind Thomas
Between You And Me Mary Norris
Constructing a Nervous System Margo Jefferson
Maybe you should talk to someone Lori Gottlieb
The Fabric of Civilization Virginia I. Postrel
Melissa Explains It All Melissa Joan Hart
The Paradox of Choice Barry Schwartz
The Wager David Grann
Revolutionary Roads Bob Thompson
Fool Me Once Kelly Richmond Pope
Angel Makers Patti McCracken
The Dr Wears Three Faces Mary Bard
Uninvited Adrian Maher
Nothing to See Here Kevin Wilson
Season of the Witch David Talbot
In Defense of Elitism Joel Stein
Garbology Edward Humes
I’m Glad My Mom Died Jennette McCurdy
New Urban Crisis Richard Florida
Hey, Hun Emily Paulson
Spook Street Mick Herron
Mad Madame LaLaurie Victoria Cosner Love, Lorelei Shannon
Clutter Jennifer Howard
Real Tigers Mick Herron
You Can’t Joke About That! Kat Timpf
Black is the New White Paul Mooney
Trail of the Lost Andrea Lankford
Excuse Me While I Disappear Laurie Notaro
Under the Volcano Malcolm Lowry
The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank Erma Bombeck
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible Peter Pomerantsev
Token Black Girl Danielle Prescod
Death in Yellowstone Lee H. Whittlesey
Eight Bears Gloria Dickey
Life at the Bottom Theodore Dalrymple
Cunk on Everything Philomena Cunk
Everything Reminds Me of Something Adam Carolla
Off Ramp Hank Stuever
Excellent Women Barbara Pym
White House Wild Child Shelley Fraser Mickle
Canceling of the American Mind Greg Lukianoff; Rikki Schlott
How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement Fredrik deBoer
Paved Paradise Henry Grabar
Most Delicious Poison Noah Whiteman
A Boob’s Life Leslie Lehr
Perils of Privilege Phoebe Maltz Bovy
She Drives Me Crazy Celia Rivenbark
The Embezzler Louis Auchincloss
Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires Grady Hendrix
The People, No Thomas Frank
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Anita Loos
What to Miss When Leigh Stein
American Made Farah Stockman
Quietly Hostile Samatha Irby
Tiger Came to the Mountains Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Tough Titties Laura Belgray
She Memes Well Quinta Brunson
Pushing Cool Keith Wailoo
Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits Dave Barry
How to Take Over the World Ryan North
Politically Incorrect Guide to the Sixties Jonathan Leaf
Guide to Midwestern Conversation Taylor Kay Philips
Here For it R. Eric Thomas
Man Made Joel Stein
We’re All in This Together Tom Papa
Elite Capture Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò
Razzmatazz Christopher Moore
Sure I’ll Join Your Cult Maria Bamford
Growing Season Sarah Frey
Risky Business Liran Einav, Ray Fisman
Cultish Amanda Montell
I Don’t Care About Your Band Julie Klausner
The Black Cloud Fred Hoyle
Dark Matter Michelle Paver
Cool It Bjorn Lomborg
Inside Voice Lake Bell
Acquired Tastes Peter Mayle
Blood in the Machine Brian Merchant
Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner
Here is New York E. B. White
The Dollar Rebellion Billie Jean King
Aliens in America Sandra Tsing Loh
Atomic Marriage Curtis Sittenfeld
How to Tell a Story and Other Essays Mark Twain
Good Cop Maureen Dowd
A Mind of Her Own Paula McLain
Practical Guide to Racism C. H. Dalton
Tidy the F*ck Up Messie Condo
Take Out Your Earrings Before You Fight Chelsea Fagan
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!
And wishing you a happy and productive 2024!
I read both of the Herron books this year, and the Pym novel, too.