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I tend to be a voracious reader, and I read widely. This list has its origins in an old signature file which I would update periodically with the current book that I was reading. That gradually transmogrified itself into the current massive archive with brief reviews.
| What I've been reading lately |
| Number of books read and reviewed each year | |
|---|---|
| 1995* |  (28) |
| 1996 | (47) |
| 1997 | (74) |
| 1998 | (61) |
| 1999 | (62) |
| 2000 | (27) |
| 2001 | (51) |
| 2002 | (60) |
| 2003 | (37) |
| 2004 | (36) |
| 2005 | (32) |
| 2006 | (46) |
| 2007 | (109) |
| 2008 | (78) |
| 2009 | (65) |
| 2010 | (68) |
| 2011 | (98) |
| 2012 | (129) |
| 2013 | (114) |
| 2014 | (101) |
| 2015 | (88) |
| 2016 | (82) |
| 2017 | (76) |
| 2018 | (67) |
| 2019 | (95) |
| 2020 | (90) |
| 2021 | (85) |
| 2022 | (101) |
| 2023 | (124) |
| 2024 |  (130) |
| * Partial year | |
[Finished 13 November 2024] As much an apologia for the choices Alter made in his translation of the Hebrew Bible as a text about Bible translation in general. Alter makes a good case that the literary style of the Bible tends to be ignored in contemporary translations which makes me really want to read his translation. I have it on my shelf, but at the moment, my Biblical reading is focused on reading (and translating) the Vulgate Bible.
Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life
by Henri J. M. Nouwen
[Finished 10 November 2024] This was absolutely the book I needed to read at the moment that it came into my life. Nouwen is a man of brilliant insight and understanding.
To Write as if Already Dead
by Kate Zambreno
[Finished 10 November 2024] A weird book, not quite memoir, not quite novel, not quite criticism, but a bit of each.
Running Wild
by J. G. Ballard
[Finished 8 November 2024] A wonderfully weird and delightful story of a mass murder and apparent kidnapping. Not perfect, but a fun read.
The Children of Men
by P. D. James
[Finished 8 November 2024] I saw the movie when it came out, but only have vague recollections of the plot so it didn’t do much to create expectations or disappointments with the differences in plot and theme between the two. James’s novel focuses a lot more on questions of political power with the birth in a lot of ways being more of a MacGuffin to drive the plot than an important plot aspect in itself, but the writing was pretty good although I question the choice to have some chapters written as diary entries and others in third person.
Death Comes for the Archbishop
by Willa Cather
[Finished 5 November 2024] A charming little book, a fictionalized version of the life of the first bishop of Santa Fe. Not really what I expected given the title in that it covers his life from his appointment to his death.
The Sea and Poison
by Shūsaku Endō
[Finished 5 November 2024] A rather devastating look from the inside at two men who were involved in the vivisection of a pair of American POWs during World War II. Endō’s moral sense is stunning and unflinching.
Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives
by Mary Laura Philpott
[Finished 31 October 2024] A memoir in essays, the sort of thing I have to admit to not really being the market for. Not really a big fan of essays or memoirs. There is some interesting discussion of her son’s epilepsy here and the Covid era, and the whole thing is well-written, but it’s just not my book.
Treacle Walker
by Alan Garner
[Finished 30 October 2024] A bit of a challenge to read, but worthwhile for its blending of fact, fancy and dream.
Germinal by Émile Zola
[Finished 29 October 2024] I used to devour 19th century novels like they were nothing and now they seem more of a slog to me, I don’t know what’s changed in me. Maybe the decay of the 21st-century mind? Still, there was some fascinating social commentary here that did catch my attention.