Things I've Read

With the start of my junior year of college, I began a new series of posts. Here, I store my thoughts on every new thing (book, article, collection of poems, etc.) that I read and have a post’s worth of thoughts on, whether academic or recreational. Please browse at your leisure if you’re interested in finding something new to read, or just want to read my rants. I’ll try to keep all these under a 3 minute read. Page numbers supplied by The Story Graph.

2024

2023

4 Total Works, spanning 1,737 pages (4 fiction books) - All four for me

Favorite Work: The Song of Achilles

This year I read the least I’ve read for a long time! This was my first full time year working, so I had a lot of adjusting to do, not to mention a move in the middle of the year. The first book I read was also super long, and I never got crazy into it, so I felt a bit stuck in a reading rut with it for most of the year. The two Poirot novels I read were a delight though, and Song of Achilles is now one of my favorite books ever. It’s a perfect genre tragedy, seeped in delicate and genuine sexuality that drips off the page like honey. Madeline Miller needs to take more of my money.

2022

7 Total Works, spanning 3,583 pages (5 fiction books, 2 non-fiction books) - 1 for School (369 pages), 6 for me (3,214)

Favorite Work: Black Leopard Red Wolf

This year I read significantly fewer books than last year, but I actually read more pages, because I read several 600+ page epics. Black Leopard Red Wolf was an unexpected gift addition to my list, and I loved it. It’s not a book I’d recommend to many people, because it’s violent and sexual and unapologetically difficult to read, but I found it to be very refreshing and genuine, not complicated for complicated’s sake, but complicated for good reason, and thus well worth the mental energy. I felt the sequel, Moon Witch Spider King, was quite underwhelming, so now I’m stuck in limbo hoping against hope that the author rounds out strong in the trilogy and gives BLRW the companion story it deserves.

2021

11 Total Works, spanning 2,742 pages (5 fiction graphic-novels, 3 fiction books, 3 non-fiction books) - All 11 for Me

Favorite Work: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union

This year I read fewer books total, but they were all for me, as opposed to some being assigned for class. I read fewer books because my class readings were mostly in the textbook, which meant I was doing tons of reading, but not reading much to write home about. Still, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, which I read right at the end of my spring semester, was absolutely wonderful, and feels like such a good book that it ought to count for several. It’s a Jewish murder mystery that manages to tick all the cliched boxes of the genre without ever feeling cliched, and I wish more people would read it so I could talk with them about it.

2020

13 Total Works (8 fiction, 4 non-fiction, 1 memoir) - 4 for School, 9 for Me

Favorite Work: Misery

I read Misery because it was available while I was in Hermann, MO during the pandemic, and because I generally enjoy King novels. This isn’t a feel-good book, but it is a masterclass in suspense and very much worth the couple of sleepless hours that it earned me. It has enough twists and turns to avoid being predictable, and it stays away from most of the body- and nightmare-horror that I find unpalatable in some of King’s other works. This wasn’t a great year for reading for me thanks to COVID and transferring to YLS, but I was glad to get some good reading in.

2019

21 Total Works (11 Fiction novels; 6 Non-Fiction books; 2 Graphic novels; 1 Play; 1 Collection of short stories) - 7 for School, 14 for Me

Favorite Work: Good Omens

I found myself reading too many things that I felt like I had to read this year, and not enough things that I enjoyed reading. Good Omens, with its wit and happiness, was singularly enjoyable the way reading for pleasure ought to be. I aspire to read more like it next year, and even enjoyed the Amazon show after reading it.

2018

25 Total Works (10 Plays; 11 Books; 1 Collection of Short Stories; 1 Workbook; 1 Graphic Novel; 1 Essay) - 15 for School, 10 for Me

Favorite Work: Watchmen

I’ve been wanting to read this graphic novel ever since the movie came out years ago, and I’m so glad I finally got around to doing so. This piece is a work of art from cover to cover, bursting with details, nuance, and emotion. I read it in just a few hours, and would recommend it to pretty much anyone over the age of 13.

2017

19 Total Works (2 Collections of Poetry; 2 Plays; 13 Books; 1 Essay; 1 Mixed Media Story) - 13 for School, 6 for Pleasure

Favorite Work: What Football Will Look Like in the Future: 17776

This piece surprised me every step of the way and had me ranting and raving for weeks. It’ll take you less than a day, you read it on your computer, and I can say with almost certainty that you will never have encountered anything like this story. Check it out.