I found "Woodcutters" difficult to read because the blistering bitterness of the narrator reminded me of the bitterness I see on here every day. Now I'm finding "Biography of X" stressful to read because of political parallels with the current moment. The problem is reality, not the books.
And, finally, next book I'm jumping into is Catherine Lacey's "Biography of X." Super intrigued by the first twenty pages so far!
I like a tiny measure of fellow humans. Things like Twitch or sometimes the news or if I'm in a going out mood a cafe, bookstore, or library… Is #ParallelSocializing specifically a term? Something where people are there, but I’m not directly interacting with them and nothing is required of me by them.
Actually this idea was touched on in a book I read recently, Nobody is Ever Missing by #CatherineLacey, where the main character says something about needing to be around people in a way where they're there, they're observable, but without really being involved with them.
First Monday Book Day: X
My favorite reads of 2023 (not all new, all literary fiction except where noted):
Biography of X - #CatherineLacey
Traces of Enayat - #ImanMersal (nonfic)
After Sappho - #SelbyWynnSchwartz
Noopiming - #LeanneBetasamosakeSimpson
This Accident of Being Lost - #LeanneBetasamosakeSimpson
The Wall - #MarlenHaushofer
Bad Cree - #JessicaJohns (horror)
Your Love Is Not Good - #JohannaHedva
Flux by #JinwooChong
The New Animals - #PipAdam
Tomb of Sand - #GeetanjaliShree
#PublishersWeekly: 10 Best Books of 2023
https://www.yearendlists.com/2023/publishers-weekly-10-best-books-of-2023
Adding to this list as I've been reading some incredible books this year.
More top authors: #CatherineLacey, #LeanneBetasamosakeSimpson, #OceanVuong, #BillyRayBelcourt
More top books: L. B. Simpson, This Accident of Being Lost; S. W. Schwartz, After Sappho; C. Lacey, Biography of X; M. Haushofer, The Wall; I. Mersal, Traces of Enayat
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