Hi folks,
As promised in my newsletter at the start of the month, here is a breakdown of why I chose the books I reread this month.
Daily Rituals by Mason Currey
As I looked back on 2018 and thought about the year, the word that kept coming to mind was rebuilding. This felt especially true in the context of how my habits and routines evolved over the past twelve months. This work, a collection of the various ways creative minds have organized their time in order to be productive, seemed like the perfect book to cap off such a year.
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Another reflection led to the realization that I’m approaching the end of my fifth year of note taking from my reading. I thought it would be interesting to go back to this book, the first one I ever officially took notes on, and study how my process has changed over the past five years.
Threads by Kate Evans
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
These two books were among my six finalists for the 2017 TOA Book of the Year Award. Each boasts a slightly unusual style compared to my standard reading material – Threads is like a graphic novel (but nonfiction) while Pachinko is a sweeping multi-generational examination of a fictional Korean-Japanese family. I thought I would have another look at these works this month just to make sure my initial favorable response to these books was just as much about substance as it was about style.
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
And speaking of sweeping multi-generational examinations about a fictional family…
I’ll admit it, reader, I have no idea why I picked this one to read this again. However, I should note that I’ve made enough unprompted references to Melquidades and his damn parchments over the past year that I suppose a closer reread can’t hurt. This way, I’ll ensure I know what I’m talking about in case I continue this ridiculous habit next year. I’m also going to have a closer look at some of Marquez’s short fiction in 2019 so I think reestablishing familiarity with this work will be a good way to get that project started.
And by the way, how many references to Melquidades’s parchments do I consider ‘enough’? Less than one...
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Colorless Tsuzuki and his Years of Pilgrimmage by Haruki Murakami
I think I’m going to read at least one of Haruki Murakami’s books every December for the rest of my life. Last year I read three - Sputnik Sweetheart, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Next year, I’ll read Kafka on the Shore and probably one of those from last year again (likely Hard-Boiled Wonderland, which I’ve liked more every time I’ve read it). Starting in 2020, I’ll setup a rotation and do just one per year.
There’s no good reason for this setup, I admit, but as I noted in the newsletter at the start of the month an important feature for my December rereading month is how it allows me to make comparisons against my past self. I think having consistent involvement from one author’s work to compare against will help me achieve this somewhat ambiguous goal by giving me a consistent reference point to see how I’ve changed over time.
