Dear readers, This is a big, incomplete list of things - books, films, apps, music - that I enjoyed, found useful, or learned from in 2023. I liked writing this up as a way to take stock of the year. I will try to do this consistently over the next few years so I track my tastes changing, or staying the same… Nothing on this list is sponsored - I get no kickbacks, so I am only recommending something if I truly liked it! - but maybe this will give you ideas if you’re holiday shopping or looking for end of year reading. And vice versa - if you would recommend something you think I’d also like based on what’s on this list, please let me know in the comments.
Clarice Lispector!! I've been studying her for years now, her prose is simply mesmerizing. I think you would also like The Passion According to G.H., it is her best work.
Thank you Rebecca! A wonderful list to sip!! I just finished The Will of the Many by James Islington (loved the magic system). An intriguing academia set sci-fi fantasy - would recommend if anyone is looking for something to close out their reading year!!
I just wanna remind everyone that we are boycotting Christmas this year and if you are holiday shopping please make you’re either thrifting or purchasing products that are not on the bds list. Thank you❤️
love it love it love it when u recommend books or anything really❤️ found and subscribed to your substack yesterday, binge read all your posts, cried a little because there weren’t anymore so it’s a treat that u posted today💕💕 hope ur healthy and happy.
Love your list! Can I recommend another Italo Calvino? Either in print or in its audio version, The Baron in the Trees is a pure delight. Like nothing else I've come across. I'm not a runner (these old legs have retired) but I have a feeling this fantasy will work well for you sitting or running.
Nice to see Ben Lerner on your running/reading/listening list. Had never heard of him before but bought myself a copy of The Topeka School for my birthday about two months ago. Born in Lawrence KS, I moved to Topeka at age 4 and started grade school there before my parents left the Foundation and the Topeka VA for greener pastures on the west coast. It's like the Hotel California. "You can check out any time you want .... " My birthday book last year was Kingdom of Characters. It took me to Babel and now I'm midway through the Trilogy and can't wait for Katabasis to hit the shelves. The Topeka School has some interesting parallels with Ken Kesey's Sometimes A Great Notion. Both are case studies in Narratology Theory.
So excited that you have joined the running community and are enjoying yourself! I run a lot and have really gotten into audiobooks in the last 1-2 years (used to be a podcast girl). Super proud of you and the goals that you've set for yourself! For shoes I'd definitely recommend hokas or brooks for comfort (I wear hoka Cliftons) but you can drop by any specialty running store and they'll let you try on and jog in a bunch of different pairs until you find the right one!
I love strava for routes and keeping up with my friends and their training. I find it to be a great way to support others in the running community and "cheer them on" from the side!
I think half marathons are the best distance. You can definitely achieve that by the end of next year! And definitely feasible to aim for a full the year after!
Re: Saint-Saens. The Austrian-Germanic influence in classical music is very strong (Bach-Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven-Brahms, etc.). But in the late 19th-early 20th century, French composers created a very compelling alternative sound universe, especially Debussy and Ravel. I’d encourage you to explore their music, whether piano, orchestral, or chamber music.
What a terrific list. I love Shirley Jackson. She grew up in my neighborhood, which inspired her first novel The Road Through the Wall, and she attended the same public high school my son graduated from last year. Several times a week I drive by her house (which appears in my 2021 novel The Wonder Test, partially inspired by Jackson).
If you liked Sisman's book on le Carre you might also like Carre's memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel (or perhaps you'e already read it), and since you mentioned Murakami on running, you might enjoy The Tennis Players by Lars Gustaffson.
Thank you for sharing DEEP WORK. I haven't read it but just got the audiobook. I have been entirely unproductive this year and really need a kick in the pants!
Sofia Coppola is an amazing director, Oppenheimer’s score is chef’s kiss. My recommendations - ‘Seeing for Ourselves’ by Suhaiymah Manzoor Khan & Isabella Hammad’s writing. I also listened to the audiobook of Piranesi and absolutely loved it and one of my favourite books this year was Bunny by Mona Awad. I also got into Attack on Titan this year - currently watching the final season and after that I want to check out Jujitsu Kaisen. This year was also the year I discovered Miyazaki so I’m excited to check out the Boy and the Heron ♥️
Yay to books and running!!!
Clarice Lispector!! I've been studying her for years now, her prose is simply mesmerizing. I think you would also like The Passion According to G.H., it is her best work.
Thank you Rebecca! A wonderful list to sip!! I just finished The Will of the Many by James Islington (loved the magic system). An intriguing academia set sci-fi fantasy - would recommend if anyone is looking for something to close out their reading year!!
I just wanna remind everyone that we are boycotting Christmas this year and if you are holiday shopping please make you’re either thrifting or purchasing products that are not on the bds list. Thank you❤️
love it love it love it when u recommend books or anything really❤️ found and subscribed to your substack yesterday, binge read all your posts, cried a little because there weren’t anymore so it’s a treat that u posted today💕💕 hope ur healthy and happy.
So agree with GUTS! That’s the most perfect pop album I’ve heard in a long, long time.
Love your list! Can I recommend another Italo Calvino? Either in print or in its audio version, The Baron in the Trees is a pure delight. Like nothing else I've come across. I'm not a runner (these old legs have retired) but I have a feeling this fantasy will work well for you sitting or running.
Fascinating to see how my even favorite author ever can still have different tastes from me! :)
Nice to see Ben Lerner on your running/reading/listening list. Had never heard of him before but bought myself a copy of The Topeka School for my birthday about two months ago. Born in Lawrence KS, I moved to Topeka at age 4 and started grade school there before my parents left the Foundation and the Topeka VA for greener pastures on the west coast. It's like the Hotel California. "You can check out any time you want .... " My birthday book last year was Kingdom of Characters. It took me to Babel and now I'm midway through the Trilogy and can't wait for Katabasis to hit the shelves. The Topeka School has some interesting parallels with Ken Kesey's Sometimes A Great Notion. Both are case studies in Narratology Theory.
So excited that you have joined the running community and are enjoying yourself! I run a lot and have really gotten into audiobooks in the last 1-2 years (used to be a podcast girl). Super proud of you and the goals that you've set for yourself! For shoes I'd definitely recommend hokas or brooks for comfort (I wear hoka Cliftons) but you can drop by any specialty running store and they'll let you try on and jog in a bunch of different pairs until you find the right one!
I love strava for routes and keeping up with my friends and their training. I find it to be a great way to support others in the running community and "cheer them on" from the side!
I think half marathons are the best distance. You can definitely achieve that by the end of next year! And definitely feasible to aim for a full the year after!
Re: Saint-Saens. The Austrian-Germanic influence in classical music is very strong (Bach-Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven-Brahms, etc.). But in the late 19th-early 20th century, French composers created a very compelling alternative sound universe, especially Debussy and Ravel. I’d encourage you to explore their music, whether piano, orchestral, or chamber music.
What a terrific list. I love Shirley Jackson. She grew up in my neighborhood, which inspired her first novel The Road Through the Wall, and she attended the same public high school my son graduated from last year. Several times a week I drive by her house (which appears in my 2021 novel The Wonder Test, partially inspired by Jackson).
If you liked Sisman's book on le Carre you might also like Carre's memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel (or perhaps you'e already read it), and since you mentioned Murakami on running, you might enjoy The Tennis Players by Lars Gustaffson.
Thank you for sharing DEEP WORK. I haven't read it but just got the audiobook. I have been entirely unproductive this year and really need a kick in the pants!
Obsessed with learning what books you read to improve your writing. Thank you for sharing all of this!
I loved the books you mentioned! :D
Quality list!
Sofia Coppola is an amazing director, Oppenheimer’s score is chef’s kiss. My recommendations - ‘Seeing for Ourselves’ by Suhaiymah Manzoor Khan & Isabella Hammad’s writing. I also listened to the audiobook of Piranesi and absolutely loved it and one of my favourite books this year was Bunny by Mona Awad. I also got into Attack on Titan this year - currently watching the final season and after that I want to check out Jujitsu Kaisen. This year was also the year I discovered Miyazaki so I’m excited to check out the Boy and the Heron ♥️