Books
It makes the most sense to me to start with the books that I’ve read this year, as they’re far more directionless than the other art I’ve consumed this year. I have a habit of simply not reading books that come out in any given new year, as books are the most time-consuming art form I commit to, and with books that stretch back to the actual Roman empire and further (large up my man Marcus Auerlius), it feels redundant to prioritise works from the modern perspective when I can be taken further away by a perspective that differs an awful lot from my own. That being said, though, my reading was semi-modern for the most part.
So, without order for this section and this section only, these are the books I read this year that have made an impact on me and my life.
Some honourable mentions:
Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism
Amanda Montell
Convenience Store Woman
Sayaka Murata
The Housekeeper and the Professor
Yoko Ogawa
Down and out in Paris and London
George Orwell
Let’s get the pseudo-intellectual book bro choice out of the way first, shall we?I’ve always felt a draw to Orwell’s work, back from when I saw a theatre production of 1984 that caught me at just the right age to instill in me that classic “we live in a society” attitude, so this was a fun turn for me. Orwell has fairly been criticised for practically cosplaying poverty, but his observations remain pretty poignant in spite of that.
It’s a compelling reflection of an era that perhaps doesn’t get enough consideration given its proximity to war, and it’s an incredibly firm case for reform for the poor without trying too hard to press any kind of narrative. It reads like a novel, and in many ways, this proves more than his other works that Orwell was one hell of a versatile writer.
Conversations with Friends
Sally Rooney
For some time, I think I was averse to Sally Rooney. It might have just been the Crawdads-grade Tesco shelf hype or maybe I was just a bit far up my own arse and indulging in being an annoying contrarian, but it took giving Normal People a try to finally see just what all the buzz was about.
Something about Rooney’s writing style just clicks into place with my head, writing with such sympathy but never pushing the reader so far over into feeling totally enamoured with her characters. The whole time I was reading Conversations With Friends I was begging the characters to communicate, and it became agonising to an exhilarating level to watch everyone’s lives fall apart because nobody can act like a grown-up. It didn’t meet Normal People for me in terms of sheer heartbreak (few books can, to be honest), but it proved once and for all that Rooney’s style just makes sense. I’m waiting to pick up Beautiful World, Where Are You, because I know it’s going to resonate with me perfectly again, and to be honest, I want to save it for when I really need it.
The Body Keeps The Score
Bessel Van Der Kolk
Without a doubt, The Body Keeps the Score was the most impactful book I read all year, and maybe even ever. Speaking to others about the book has revealed that a lot of people think it’s incredibly jargon-y and tough to crack, but it sucked me in quickly, and I couldn’t put it down until I’d polished it off. Packed with stories that detail just how immensely the body and mind connection is severed by trauma, it unpacks every detail of how trauma actively works against its vessel, and it rang true with me to such a degree that it helped me to truly connect with the trauma that I’ve experienced. Paired with going into therapy this year, this whole experience did wonders for my understanding of how my mind and body actually work in tandem, and it helped to provide me with some actual advice on what I can do to ease the impact of my trauma. If you can dedicate to it (because it’s a bit of a beast), there are few books I can recommend more.