Trying to Read in 2023
Another year in the books, pun intended because I completed my Goodreads reading goal of 2023 (goal was 25 books in one year, I made it to 30). A few good rereads, but mostly new things. 2 to 1 fiction to nonfiction, something I’d like to adjust for 2024 for a bit more balance. I won’t go through the list of all 30; there were quite a few “beach reads” I found at used bookstores that I don’t need to gush about. So I went over the list, picked the five I would be most eager to recommend, and now here they are in no particular order:
This Much is True by Miriam Margolyes
In the past year or two there have been a number of memoirs from famous women, namely Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson, and Paris Hilton. With all due respect to that fabulous blonde trio, there was someone’s story I wanted to read more: 82-year-old British actress Miriam Margolyes. If you’re looking for movies she’s been in and you’re American, she was Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and Aunt Sponge in James and the Giant Peach. If you’re a fan of good youtube videos, the recent years have seen her become one of the most popular talk show guests, due to her candor and fearless way of approaching sensitive subjects.
Her memoir here proves no different; if you’ve watched a lot of The Graham Norton Show you’ll recognize a few stories, but there is a lot of fresh information too. Miriam has lived her life in a fascinating way, putting a lot of effort into her career on stage, voiceovers, and beyond, and telling all sorts of lovely tales (What actor is rude? What actor is a delight? Miriam will tell you). She also provides frank opinions on her upbringing, on being a lesbian, on maintaining a long-distance partnership for years, on being Jewish, on oral sex, and everything in between. Even if you’re not familiar with her, it’s a lovely and funny summation of a long career and definitely worth checking out.
Strange as this Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake
In the past few years I have read, written, and thought a lot about “Appalachian literature” and what qualifies a story as such: is it the setting, where the author grew up, how the words look on the page, etc. There are many entries in this genre, some a bit too saccharine for my tastes, others way too bleak. But one piece of West Virginia fiction that hits all the right notes is Ann Pancake’s novel from 2007. While a novel, the story feels like a collection of short stories (Pancake’s usual medium), changing narrators but keeping everything personal and intertwined.
I have found that stories set in West Virginia tend to feature a lot of antagonism from an outside source: namely, what’s happening to the land. There is personal conflict between the characters here, but the main source of pressure is the ever-present threat of what is forcing change in the land they live on. Most of the narrators are young children from the same family, and they watch as the strife affects their parents’ relationship and their concerns about their own futures start to form. The characters are familiar without being tropes, and Pancake captures the essence of how, when it comes time to decide where you “should” go, there is no one “correct” answer.
Another Appalachia by Neema Avashia
Well, this one has to be Appalachian literature, it’s right there in the title! It’s nice when they make it obvious, isn’t it? I’m just kidding, this nonfiction collection from Neema Avashia is a fantastic addition to the genre. People raved about it on social media and I finally read it, and boy did it deliver. Avashia describes her childhood living in rural West Virginia, being the daughter of Indian immigrants, and the struggles of fitting in. But it isn’t a sob story and she doesn’t focus on the hardships. She writes about the complications: the complications of genuinely loving a place but not feeling loved in return. She doesn’t know what to say to an elderly neighbor she loved growing up when he shares aggressive anti-immigration posts on Facebook. How do you love someone while hating what they say about you or what your represent? Of course, there are no easy answers here; Avashia just keeps going and hoping that people and the world learn to grow.
In addition to this hopeful attitude, I also recommend this book because of her retellings of her Indian culture and how it was kept alive in the Kanawha valley. I hate using the term “other cultures” because it sounds so lazy and ignorant, but a state like West Virginia isn’t often spoken about as a place with a huge variety of cultures. I grew up in an area that holds a massive Hare Krishna temple; I know next to nothing about it as it was just not talked about much growing up (and when it was, it was often dismissively). I think that’s a shame, but luckily with books like this I can rethink my preconceived views…isn’t that a nice concept?
Liberation Day by George Saunders
The last two entries on this list fall under science fiction. (Bye Mom! Thanks for reading so far!) I read George Saunders’ last collection a few years ago and loved it, and so I picked up his most recent work and, wouldn’t you know, loved it too. Saunders is a master of absurd short stories set in far out settings, able to establish these somewhat strange, sometimes dystopian worlds in just a few pages.
One story takes place in an underground Hell-themed amusement park where the employees are forbidden to leave or question authority. Another story is from the point of view of a man who is employed as a living musical instrument to perform for wealthy audiences (it makes sense, I swear). A third follows an old man who is part of a program where they wipe minds of “volunteers” to act as political prisoners. If any of these premises (and more) appeal to you, highly recommend checking out this book. In the midst of these often out-of-this-world premises is the relatable human experiences we crave.
Big Bad by Lily Anderson
Ending this with a somewhat silly one, respectfully. This is a novel based out of the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a very important show to me as a teenager that I find hard to quit, despite some parts of it not aging well and the creator being…well, the true villain of the show. Anyway, Buffy is often credited of popularizing the trope “Big Bad”, a title referring to the main villain of a story. In Anderson’s novel we find ourselves in an alternate dimension (I know, I know) where the vampires and demons have won, and Sunndydale is now a place where monsters roam and the sun does not come up. The Big Bads are all here and they’re running the show.
In a book that could have just been regarded as glorified fan fiction, the amount of care in Anderon’s choices saves it from falling into that category. A lot (and I mean a LOT) of characters from the show are crammed into this one story, but it rarely ever feels like fanservice. She also chooses to have the narrators of the chapters be two of the most-loved supporting characters from the show (Anya and Jonathan, if you’re curious), so while the stakes get high it is always filtered through that comedic lens. Like the episode of the show, '“The Zeppo”, which focuses on Xander, who is one of the characters not appearing in this book because seriously, that kind of guy has not aged well.
So that was Reading in 2023 in a nutshell. I encourage everyone to read as much as they can. I believe reading makes us better thinkers and more empathetic people, something I worry the human race is starting to lose at a rapid place. But also, I find reading to be a form of self-care in a world where we constantly feel we have to be doing two things at once. You don’t need to play an audio book while you clean (full respect if you do, though). Maybe once in a while take the time, put 30 minutes aside, find a comfy seat with a hot beverage, and dive into a book. You deserve it.
