The Curator: True Life - I'm addicted to book challenges
My ten books to read before the end of 2023 and why I keep playing even as a mood reader.
Over on Bookstagram, we invent a lot of challenges to keep things spicy, and by we I mean a bunch of really clever people who are not me.
These challenges ask you to anticipate what your future self is going to be on about and commit to some number of books for some specified period of time and then report out on whether or not you are a liar.
Every time I participate. And every time I fail.
Since it is only seven weeks until the end of the year (I know keep your hats on), the popular game right now is to tell the internet what books you want to prioritize reading before the end of the year. It’s a very public way to hold yourself accountable for reading books you said you would at various moments of insanity (1,200 pages of The Stand? Not gonna happen).
I’m involved with others too. There’s checking in on how you did with 23 in 23 (pretty self-explanatory), or your Goodreads challenge, or your Storygraph stats, or whatever else way we’ve come up with to quantify our reading lives.
I understand the human tendency to reduce everything to numbers. It’s soothing. Fewer choices, less stress, right? I think we get a lot of books thrown in our faces all the time plus the self-imposed shoulds to be that type of reader and it’s a recipe for chaos.
[What type of reader?
Whatever type you just pictured when I said that.]
Perhaps there is a more generous spirit to approach this with. These challenges can be an opportunity to look at your finite reading life and decide what you want out of it. If you’ve only got space for ten more books this year, what’s it gonna be? What makes your shriveled little heart expand? What would you be sad to lose on public transit?
Chaotic though these challenges seem, underneath it all what I’m addicted to is really the idea of creating the perfect, ordered reading life. I have this fantasy that if I could just pick the right books everything else would be perfect too - this newsletter, my online existence, my life. Me.
[This is nonsense, obviously, but it’s why I keep doing these challenges even though I’m batting 100.]
So instead of perfect, I’ve decided the type of reader I want to be is joyful and inclusive and dangerous.
Meaning someone who isn’t afraid to read something weird or scary or challenging. With that in mind, I came up with ten titles I’d like to read before the end of 2023 that hopefully capture this spirit.
So although I’ve changed my mind about this list at least five times, at some point I had to commit (probably at the time I’d already done the picture). So here we are, indecision and all. There’s a high probability I won’t get to all of them, but let’s reach for the stars!
Let me know what you’ve got on your end-of-the-year reading list in the comments. Cheers! 😊
Ten Before the End
North Woods by Daniel Mason - about all the people who’ve ever lived in the same little New England house across the centuries, from Puritans to painters. Inspired by the Pulitzer Prize list and my desire to be in
‘s book club. I’m 1/4th of the way in and it puts all other writing described as “lush” to shame.Literary Fiction | 384 pages
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - the one that really scares me. A young boy is sent to a segregated reform school in 19050s Florida. If it wasn’t for the ten rave reviews, I might have been too afraid of the absolute horror in these pages. Now I have to see for myself.
Historical Horror | 576 pages
Little Eve by Catriona Ward - Winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, it’s a mystery tale about family and cults. Hannah at
wrote about this one for Macabre Monday and described it as an atmospheric fever dream that had me heading to B&N for a copy. It sounds like pure entertainment.Gothic Thriller | 304 page
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - I tend to stay away from anything with God in the description but remember when I said I wanted to be a dangerous reader? A reverend writes a letter to his son about the Civil War, abolitionism, and fighting against his own family. Gilead won the Pulitzer and Oprah’s heart so here we are again.
American Lit | 256 pages
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins - I can’t summarize this plot in any coherent way, but it seems to be about a magical library and a God-like father and the “children” that are left behind when he disappears. I often neglect the fantasy on my shelf for more grounded stories, but a few readers I admire including
have convinced me this one is worth picking up and sticking to.Dark Fantasy | 400 pages
The Enigma of Room 622 by Joel Dicker - I love traditional whodunnits. Like a lot. I knew I would need some levity in this list so I added in this book about a prominent novelist who heads to a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps and uncovers (what else) a murder amid some thrilling intrigue. Enigma has been compared to Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, and Anthony Horowitz - perfect!
Detective Fiction | 592 pages
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk - Look, more prizes! I’m really shooting for the moon here. This won the Nobel Prize (!) and
said it was a favorite so I knew this slim mystery satire had to make it on the list. When a neighbor turns up dead, reculsive Janina is certain she knows who did it, and inserts herself into the investigation as more bodies are discovered.Crime Satire | 288 pages
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez - I had this one planned for spooky season but my wedding got in the way. It’s dark now before I even get off work so fine then! After losing their mother/wife, a father and son head on a road trip that puts them in the path of a demonic cult - who want the boy. Described as a family supernatural ghost story, I cannot wait to dive in.
Gothic Horror | 608 pages
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson - the first soldier from the greatest mystery and thrillers of all time list, I’m almost halfway and it’s finally starting to fly by. It’s about a series of three interconnected crime cases investigated by the inimitable Detective Jackson Brodie.
Literary Mystery | 336 pages
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo - Winner of the Booker Prize AND Ann Patchett featured this book on her new to you Fridays which is basically one step down from an Oprah endorsement so I figured it was my sign to finally get to it. It’s about a group of Black British women and the lives that connect them all.
Women’s Lit | 464 pages
Bonus Books
I CAN’T JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT. I get 12 days off for the holidays. If there is any ounce of room to squeeze more in, this is what I would choose.
Possession by A. S. Byatt -
made me want to read this. Go read Mike’s review if you want to know why to read it too.Historical Romance | 576 pages
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride - Up for B&N best book of the year, this one was so close to making the cut and in fact, my library hold just came in so guess what it might make it after all. Oops.
Literary Fiction | 500 pages
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - although this is a sapphic historical thriller, I’ve heard comparisons to the Bronte sisters. It’s shocking I haven’t read it already.
Histrical Thriller | 600 pages
If you’ve done the math, you know I’ve signed myself up for about 5,000+ pages between now and December 31st. Wish me luck!
READING →
Finished Britney’s memoir and jeez Louise I just wanna hug that girl. Even after all she’s been through she still manages to give everyone around her grace and compassion. There isn’t much to say that hasn’t been said, but we ALL owe females of the early 2000s a big fat apology for being vicious and unforgiving.
LISTENING →
The Minimalists podcast is my version of church. I turn to Josh, Ryan, and TK whenever I need to reorient into a better headspace. I have personal problems with over-consumption (it’s why I don’t include a lot of links for things to buy) and the Minimalists help me remember to love people and use things. I don’t ascribe to all of their personal philosophies, but disagreement is the cost of entry.
WATCHING →
Flowers of the Killer Moon, after which I called Martin up and asked for two hours of my life back. The movie was actually three and a half hours but he can keep the first one for Lily Gladstone and the last thirty for whoever the genius was playing Blackie. For a story about white men destroying, pillaging, and systematically murdering the Oklahoma Osage tribe for oil headrights, we really did spend too much time staring directly into Leo’s [bloated fake teethed] face. I dunno what kind of awards this one is gonna get, but based on the one chick audibly snoring in the theater, it won’t be for best editing.
LINKS →
It’s starting to get cold so I recommend you get one of these or these if you have room for a little insanity in your budget. They are just perfect for reading (or reading with your eyes closed).
B&N announced their nominees for 2023 Book of the Year and it’s quite an eclectic mix. If I had to make a guess, I’d bet on Yellowface for 2023. It’s ubiquitous and lightly political in a way that is thought-provoking but not exactly demanding.
The idea that just because you have an online platform means your life is up for dissection is deranged to me but it seems the more famous you get, the higher the standards, warranted or not. This article about the woman behind Half Baked Harvest is food for thought.
NEW BOOKS →
How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney - longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, this is one of those that I might have overlooked if it wasn’t for the award recognition. The premise doesn’t sound that exciting, but I do get Fredrik Backman vibes: “One of those rare books that leaves you feeling less lonely. An uplifting tale of community, healing, and the small connections that can change a life. A gorgeous gift of a novel, hopeful and full of humanity."-Douglas Stuart
The Future by Naomi Alderman - a bunch of tech bros threaten the end of the world and a bunch of friends must thwart their plan. Granted I am burnt on dystopian novels, and the reviews are mixed, but it’s been getting a lot of buzz: “How can a novel of big ideas be such compulsively readable entertainment? A nail-biting love story and a witty page-turner about the pros and cons of human civilization, The Future is a wow."- Emma Donoghue
Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter - endorsed by Roxanne Gay, Bookshop.org, some bookstagrammers, and now me. “Hot Springs Drive is a dark, heart-pounding exploration of one woman's deepest desires, and how the consequences of betrayal can ripple outward beyond the initial strike point. In her third and fiercest novel, acclaimed literary voice Lindsay Hunter deftly peels back the fragile veneer of two suburban families and the secrets roiling between them.” Sounds like a fucking fantastic ride.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros - remember when I told you about books that break the internet? Iron Flame fully broke it on Tuesday and kept it broke all week. Fourth Wing, the first in the series, was objectively terrible and I couldn’t stop reading it. I imagine this one will be much more of the same - Twilight angst just with dragons instead of vampires.
RESTACK OF THE WEEK →
Lincoln Michel makes a great case for the parts of the book that don’t belong to the plot.
LET’S CHAT →
This week, let me know what books you’d like to get to before the end of the year.
Or per ush, let me know what you’ve been reading in the comments. I’m always game for a good rec (or warning, grievances, etc. ). If you tell me your favorite TV show or movie lately, I’ll give you a book recommendation.
In Case You Missed It 🖤
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
Thanks for the shoutout! Good luck reading your 10. Some really great books in there. I loved Girl, Woman, Other and Drive Your Plow. I will be lucky to read 3 or 4 books by the end of the year. I will likely fall short of my annual goal. I read too slowly and I am tired lol!
Girl Woman Other is *fantastic*! The writing style took me a minute to get accustomed to but once I was in the world of the book, I was totally immersed in it.