A Year of Reading in Review
2023 was a fantastic year as far as my personal reading goals were concerned. Last year I set the goal of 20 books read and I was able to achieve that with a final count of 21 books read. Genre wise, the usual suspects were present with a few philosophy/critical theory books, alongside some technical reading. Refreshingly, there was a small bump in the amount of fiction I read.
As usual, there is no order to the below list, it simply reflects my top picks of the year across the entirety of what I've read.
1. White Noise by Don DeLillo
I read a few DeLillo novels this year, but White Noise is by far my favorite. While comedic and at times silly, it has a critical edge to it that is not blunted by its more absurd moments.
An entertaining ride that continues to capture the sensibilities of our society.
2. Grand Hotel Abyss by Stuart Jeffries
Grand Hotel Abyss is a fantastic book detailing the Frankfurt School and the lives of its members. While it does delve into theory at times, the book reads more like a novel mixed with a biography. It was truly fascinating to follow along with the subjects and their work.
The author does a great job tracing the lineage of thought within and around the Frankfurt School. The recounting of historical developments feels natural and is easy to follow along with.
A captivating expose of an era that was marked by darkness.
3. A Very Short Introduction: Poststructuralism by Catherine Belsey
I've been very intrigued by poststructuralism and found this introduction extremely helpful as a guide for further learning. Although it is a general introduction, concepts are exaplained in enough detail to see what grabs you, while also exposing the reader to multiple key thinkers.
A perfect intro to Postsructuralism.
The Coming Year
In 2024 I hope to achieve a total of 25 books read. Im excited to continue the trend of reading more fiction but the majority of books read will most likely continue to be theory heavy.
Happy New Year!