The Curator: romanticize your reading life
A reflection on a year of reading plus my top 10 titles of 2023
I’m here to give you some instructions.
Romanticize your reading life.
I spend way too much time on Instagram (bookstagram) and so a lot of my bookish thoughts originate there, including what I’m calling Romanticore - content created around the idea that there is beauty in the small quiet moments, in your surroundings, in the everyday. That there are ways to make the mundane beautiful. That romanticizing your daily life is a valuable endeavor. As someone who struggles with making tons of effort for fleeting “special occasions”, this vibe feels made for me.
Burn the good candle. Wear the fuzzy slippers. Stare out the window with a cardigan and a cup of coffee like a divorcee from a rom-com. You can have it all!
But it’s more than just content creation. It’s a way of relating to the present. I also think we (me) spend way too much time just getting by. Living one day after the next, waiting for that magical time and place called Caught Up, when the house is clean and silent and there’s nothing to be done but sit down with a book and some coffee.
But it doesn’t exist. We all know this. There is always something more to be done. Families to take care of. Cats butts to tushie wipe.
If we don’t snatch up small moments now though, will we ever??
In reflecting on my year of reading, I’ve realized that for each book on this list, I can pinpoint exactly where I was while reading. My favorite books all coincide with moments where I was able to slow down and exist fully in the story. Moments when I made a little extra effort to be present. To say to hell with being a boring adult by putting on my giant blanket hoodie, listening to moody stuff like The Smiths, drinking a fat cup of coffee even though my anxiety pays the price, sitting in the best spot on the couch with the nice pillow where I can see the trees.
On their own, each moment might not seem like a lot. But over time, it adds up to quite a cozy Romantical reading life. I know we all deal with different crap but if you get the chance, I promise it’s worth the effort.
Best Books of the Year📓
This was a very solid reading year. I’m currently at book 50 of my Goodreads Reading Challenge 52 book reading goal. I challenged myself and read out of my comfort zone (I still have a ways to go with diversity, working on actively remedying that). These ten are the standout award winners of the year.
Book of the Year: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - A perfect book, 10/10 no notes. It’s a multiple-POV decade-spanning sweeping epic novel that feels intimately personal. Not a word is wasted, and I enjoyed every second of reading this book. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like this book (or at least they haven’t admitted it to me!).
Best 2023 Title: North Woods by Daniel Mason - I didn’t know what to make of this Pulitzer Prize finalist until I started writing about it. Then it led me down a wormhole of weird speculation that spawned one of my favorite newsletters ever and I knew it was important. Also, time is an infinite loop vortex.
Biggest Surprise: Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz - Eve Babitz is one of those authors enjoying a sad girl renaissance on Bookstagram. So of course I suspected the actual book might be… basic? Boy was I wrong. This book is smart, funny, and delightful even with its dark themes. My most joyful read of the year no contest.
Best Craft: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - This book is deserving of every accolade, every praise, every positive review. It is worth reading now and probably again in 173 more years. This is a master class in craft.
Most Original: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - a little strange, a whole lot chaotic. Clarke is a genius. You have to give it at least 50 pages before you give up on it (I would have except it was a buddy read) because it takes time to figure out what Clarke is doing - writing one of the smartest historical fiction novels of all time.
Funniest: No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood - this is a story of a woman in Tweets. I laughed so hard and felt in on every joke. This tells me I spend way too much time on the internet. Who doesn’t love an inside joke between millions of strangers??
Scariest: Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez - dark, mysterious, haunting, confusing, grotesque. This book is not for the faint of heart. But over almost 600 pages you get locked into its grip and forget the real world for a minute. This might be my last newsletter of the year because what is better than horror for the holidays?
Best Memoir: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy - I’ve read [listened to] a disgusting number of celebrity memoirs this year and this was by far the best of the bunch. Raw, real, deadpan, dry, introspective, insightful, hilarious - you can’t ask for much more than that.
Highest Nostalgia Factor: The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis - a book with the best playlist, the best sex scenes, and the weirdest psychological crimes. BEE will always have a piece of my reading heart, no matter how unhinged.
Best Sequel: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel - the joy in this title may be quite heavily skewed because of its sister, one of the most perfect books ever written, but it stands on its own as a beautiful piece of spec ep fiction.
Honorable Mentions
My best four-star reads of the year, I really couldn’t have done it without you! Links to my original reviews included for your reading pleasure.
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Triptych by Karin Slaughter
Still Life by Louise Penny
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
That’s all I’ve got. A bunch of reading joy distilled into a few sentences on this page. Can you feel the love?
If you have any opinions about this list, including why my taste in books is so incredible, tell me about it! 😊
NEW-TO-ME BOOKS →
Since publishing is a bit dismal during December, I have some new-to-me titles. My husband and I took a weekend bike ride to the local used book store and I picked up two highly recommended titles - The Sellout by Paul Beatty and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I also grabbed myself a very pretty version of David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks.
WATCHING →
The Curse starring THE strangest cast: Emma Stone, Nathan Fielding, Barkhad Abdi, and Benny Safdie, among some lesser known but perfectly cast smaller parts (Nizhonniya Austin steals the scene every time). It’s a new Showtime series that has made me increasingly uncomfortable with each episode. The social commentary is unparalleled and Emma Stone’s performance is remarkable, but be warned - this show will make you cringe and also question everything you think you know about HGTV.
BOOK NEWS →
The Atlantic’s Emma Sarappo offered some “late December reading” strategy tips for those who want to continue romanticizing their reading life.
Tertulia’s list of the ten best 2023 books published by indie presses.
Fun fact, when I moved back home from college in 2010, I interned (for free) at an independent publisher (Red Hen Press) three days a week (50 MILES from my home). I learned a lot about what it takes to publish small and those were some of the hardest [net]working people I’ve ever known.
Time whittled down their 100 to 10 best fiction titles of 2023.
Book Riot already has us thinking about 2024 releases to get excited about.
AND once again I’ve been let down by the 2023 Goodreads Choice Award Winners. Did we really think it would be about anything but a popularity contest?
RESTACK OF THE WEEK →
Over the last decade, as everyone around me has been partnering up or having kids, our friend groups have slowly drifted apart. The weekly “What are we doing this weekend?” becomes, Will I see you this year?
LET’S CHAT
In what ways do you romanticize your own life (consciously or unconsciously)?
What books are on your best of 2023 list?
What are you reading right now? Anything you want to get in before the end of the year?
In Case You Missed It
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
Station Eleven is one of my favorite books. I think about it often. Miranda’s line “I repent nothing” is my mantra when I am in doubt or when I’m spiraling into anxious thoughts. I love it I love it I love it!
I'm Glad My Mom Died was absolutely fantastic!