Personal Reading Reflections and Favorite Books of 2018
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Every year, I look forward to the annual reading lists of Barack Obama, Roxane Gay, and my childhood friend. Because I marathon read right up to pulling on some sequins and trying to do something interesting with my hair for a good luck feast before midnight, my reading reflections tend to be untimely, but better late reflection than never.
Last year, I read a book for every week in the year, topping last year’s record by 12 titles, but I did not read a book weekly. My quickest book, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, took one night. May it be those 62-hour weeks or the Great Godchild Watch of 2018 or whatever keeps us from books, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein clocked in as my longest read, which took one month and 19 days after first starting it in July 2017. On my work commute, I listened to five audiobooks. I read 33 fiction, nine poetry, and eight nonfiction titles. Forty-three of the books were authored by people of color, 40 by women, and 13 by people in the LGBTQ community.
Sometimes reading resolutions can feel restricting. Like diets or any goal, tempting to break. This year, I vow to remain dedicated to reading POC and women while reading better: more LGBTQ books, translations, poetry, nonfiction. In Heavy, Kiese Laymon writes, “I learned you haven’t read anything if you’ve only read something once or twice. Reading things more than twice was the reader version of revision.” I want to read more books like this. With eight books already spinning in my cells, this year looks promising. 2019 looks like—knock on wood—my best reading year yet. I’ll leave you with some of my favorite reads of 2018, ones I’d like to submerge myself in again.
Sing, Unburied, Sing
My first read of the year. Do you ever read such a good book that it’s hard to follow up with another title? Sing, Unburied, Sing was that good. It took beginning three books to find one I could lose myself in. I love everything in Ward’s novels from the salt water to the ghosts.
Her Body and Other Parties
While reading and thinking about An American Marriage, I stumbled into Pages in Manhattan Beach. During travel, I ceremoniously buy a book to remember my adventures by. Whenever I see the spine of Machado’s debut collection, I think of the lines of masts at sunset, dipping my toes in Southern California’s side of the Pacific for the first time in a decade, and bows. Will I ever look at a bow the same way after reading “The Husband Stitch”?
I borrowed Rojas Contreras’s debut from the library, racked up $1.25 in late fees finishing it, and bought the novel immediately. After pretending like I was going to gift it to a friend over the holidays, I placed the autobiographical novel on my most-prized bookshelf. Already, I’m dying to read her working memoir about her grandfather who could move clouds.
Junk
My last book of the year, I read Junk out of sequence. My first Pico reading experience, I must and will—happily—return to the beginning: IRL. This writer is a gift. I listen to his interviews twice. Let his intelligence seep into me. Let it seep into you.
Last year, I read a book for every week in the year, topping last year’s record by 12 titles, but I did not read a book weekly. My quickest book, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, took one night. May it be those 62-hour weeks or the Great Godchild Watch of 2018 or whatever keeps us from books, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein clocked in as my longest read, which took one month and 19 days after first starting it in July 2017. On my work commute, I listened to five audiobooks. I read 33 fiction, nine poetry, and eight nonfiction titles. Forty-three of the books were authored by people of color, 40 by women, and 13 by people in the LGBTQ community.
Sometimes reading resolutions can feel restricting. Like diets or any goal, tempting to break. This year, I vow to remain dedicated to reading POC and women while reading better: more LGBTQ books, translations, poetry, nonfiction. In Heavy, Kiese Laymon writes, “I learned you haven’t read anything if you’ve only read something once or twice. Reading things more than twice was the reader version of revision.” I want to read more books like this. With eight books already spinning in my cells, this year looks promising. 2019 looks like—knock on wood—my best reading year yet. I’ll leave you with some of my favorite reads of 2018, ones I’d like to submerge myself in again.
