Hey guys,
Here we are at the end of the year. In wrapping up 2018 and bringing us into 2019 I offer you the words of those far wiser, kinder, and smarter than I; may the new year bring us nuance and perspective. May we all find ourselves a little bit more.
The best books I read this year:
The book that wrecked me: Forgotten country by Catherine Chung
The book that perfectly encapsulated my feelings about motherhood: Motherhood by Sheila Heti
The book that changed my mind about poetry: Nobody Told Me by Holly McNeal
The book that everyone got confused with the Sally Rooney one but that I actually liked more: Ordinary people by Diana Evans
The book that was so beautiful and authentically southeast asian and that gives me hope as someone writing from the diaspora: We the survivors by Tash Aw (Forthcoming April 2019)
The book that made me laugh and laugh and laugh: Single Carefree Mellow by Katherine Heiny
The book that retold greek myth with modern magic and took my breath away: The Porpoise by Mark Haddon (Forthcoming May 2019)
The book that was so lucid and perfect and that you should definitely buy for every new parent: Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
The book I loved so much it actually hurt me when it ended: The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer
The book that made me wary of pasta for a long time: The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
The book that was uncool to like but that i liked anyway: Milkman by Anna Burns
The book that was super fun and that you should definitely pick up: My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The book that I re-read so many times it’s getting almost embarrassing: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
The book that I found totally amazing and painful and inspiring and truthfully asian: A Thousand Years of Good Prayers by Yiyun Li
The book that made me want to immediately and effectively become the author’s friend: The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy
The book that was actually a screenplay but that was so totally incredible that I’m including it in a book list anyway: The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez
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The best short stories I read this year:
We love you Crispina by Jenny Zhang (found in collection – Sour Heart)
The Finkelstein 5 by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (found in collection – Friday Black)
After a Life by Yiyun Li (found in collection – A Thousand Years of Good Prayers)
Waugh by Bryan Washington (found in The New Yorker Fiction)
The Husband Stitch by Carmen Maria Marchado (found in Granta Mag)
Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse (found in Apex Mag)
The best essays I read this year:
Work Life Balance Should Not Be Class Privilege by Teo You Yenn (found in This is what inequality looks like)
A Lotus for Michelle by Morgan Jerkins (found in This will be my undoing)
Sometimes You Make Your Rapist Breakfast by Marissa Korbel (found in Harpers Bazaar)
On Eating Alone in Paris by Stephanie Rosenbloom (found in The New York Times)
Why Women Still Can’t Have It All by Anne-Marie Slaughter (found in The Atlantic)
Sadly:
The book I didn’t ‘get’: The White Book by Han Kang
The book I rolled my eyes so hard at: Fresh Complaint by Jeffrey Eugenides
The book I hated so much I actually didn’t finish: The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Also, reading update:
I finally bought a kindle.
See you in 2019 x
x
Jem