Thursday, December 21, 2023

Favorite Books of the Year


More favorites! Let’s freakin go. Tonight we’re doing books. My goal for the year is 12 and I’m at a scary 9 at the moment. I think I’ll be able to go all the way. Maybe I’ll even update my favorites before the end of the year. Time will tell.
 


Circe by Madeline Miller
I liked this more than I thought I would. A retelling of the iconic witch from the Odyssey, famous for turning Odysseus and his men into pigs, Circe is an introspective story about an outcast. Sometimes I get suspicious of “modern retellings”, but her story is introspective and every change feels well-earned. 
“I had not thought him so bold. But of course he was. Artist, creator, inventor, the greatest the world had known. Timidity creates nothing.”

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey 
In many ways, this autobiography is exactly what you’d expect it to be. I don’t think I know of another being who knows who they are better than Matthew McConaughey. Yes, his public persona is kind of cliched at this point, but his philosophies on life are palpable and grounding. “If you’re not a starter and you think you should be, give me no choice in the decision. Play so well it’s undeniable.”

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
You don’t see a ton of love stories that feature platonic love. This tracks two good friends from when they’re young kids through when they’re adults working together. They share a love of video games and they come in and out of each other’s lives. As someone who’s played video games his whole life, I particularly enjoyed seeing how the work of the protagonists intersected with, mimicked, and replaced real life video game history. “To allow yourself to play with another person is no small risk. It means allowing yourself to be open, to be exposed, to be hurt.”

What were your favorites?

Rudolph




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