A Year Of Reading: December 2023

The final month of the year has been and gone, and it's time for the final wrap up blog of 2023.

I had a great month of reading and a strong end to the year, with a total of nine books read! I really found myself in my audiobook era this month, which is lovely because I find them such great companions on the tube, in the gym, on a journey and especially whilst ironing mountains of clothes.

The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting, Evanna Lynch

In her memoir, Evanna Lynch tells us her story of how she faced and battled a crippling eating disorder in a raw, beautiful, powerful way. I listened to Evanna read the book, which made the experience even more meaningful. I really admired the way she opens up and conveys the full extent of her experience with anorexia but does so in a sensitive way so not as to be triggering or encourage readers to learn from the habits she deployed during the depth of the disorder. There is so much hope and resilience conveyed within what was a terrifying and immensely challenging part of Evanna's life. Evanna was chosen from hundreds of girls who auditioned for the part of Luna Lovegood - I really liked the way she brought in her experience in the Harry Potter franchise, and we got to learn about her adoration of Luna even before she stepped into the audition room.

'Negativity always leads you to a dead end; you can crawl into the darkest, dankest corner, and though it is lonely and miserable, you know where the wall is, your back firmly pressed against it, and there is something wonderfully safe about that. When you choose positivity, on the other hand, you choose limitless potential, and whatever you look at with positivity grows and spreads and unfurls in a thousand different directions.'

Are You Happy Now, Hanna Jameson

Across the world, a deadly and devastating pandemic rages, affecting certain individuals but not others. Amidst this narrative, we follow three characters: Yun, Emory and Fin, and see how their relationships with themselves and others unfold in an echo chamber of paranoia, fear and questions.

Though this book started off as one I was super onboard with - gripping, straight into the action, captivating - I found this to be inherently boring and quite difficult to get through. Nothing was happening, and I find this an exhausting type of read. I ended up switching to the audiobook half way through as I knew I would give up if I continued to read the physical copy.

I think this is open to interpretation, but I thought the book was an extended metaphor on the idea that we only care about something and its consequences when we are directly affected by it. The last page was memorable, and I thought a good way to close the book, but I found the rest of the plot tiresome and lacking in any depth beyond the central angle of an unidentifiable and terrifying pandemic. Good premise, poor execution.

“That this was the trade-off. The price of happiness. In order to feel happy he had to feel everything.”

Word Perfect, Susie Dent 

I started reading this book earlier in the year, but stopped around April time, and so I picked it up this month to finish it before the end of the year. Dent has an unreal amount of knowledge when it comes to words and lexicography, and it was a pleasure to dive into the history of words with her in this tome of a book. I spotlighted some of my favourite words in an Instagram reel, but here are some of the other things I learnt:

• Lalochezia - the use of foul language in order to alleviate stress, unhappiness, pain or frustration.

• In Plato’s Symposium, Aristophanes tells a fantastical story of human evolution, of how humans were at one time two people conjoined, until Zeus cut everyone in half. Love, then, according to Aristophanes, is the pursuit of the other half of ourselves, whom we need to become whole.

• Meme - biologist Richard Dawkins coined this word for a cultural element/behavioural trait whose transmission, imitation, and consequent persistence in a population is similar to the inheritance of a gene.

A strong recommend for any word-lovers!

Pessimism is for Lightweights, Salena Godden

Beauty in a book is how I would describe Godden's poetry anthology. My mum bought this gem for me after seeing Anita Rani recommend it on Between the Covers and I'm so glad she did. I read all the poems on Christmas Eve. There is some exquisite, captivating use of language and imagery in here. My favourite poems are 'Soup', 'The Day We Stopped', 'No Holds Barred', 'Not Every Thing is True', 'Gentle Reminder', 'Sorry to Trouble You', 'RED', 'Old Blood and Young Teeth', 'Whilst Justice Waits'. This is the perfect anthology to jump into when you need a little courage, support or wisdom; the perfect companion.

'We forget to celebrate that we are one, / That the act of love was sitting down together / And sharing the pot of soup in the first place'

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V.E Schwab

Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil, trading her soul for immortality and unknowingly cursing herself to be forgotten by everyone.

From her home town in 18th-Century France, she goes on a journey across the world and through the centuries, living a life where no one remembers who she is from day to day. Until one day, in a second hand bookshop in New York, she meets a man who remembers her.

Whilst there continues to be so much hype around this book, I didn't love it. I felt it went on for longer than was needed, the story was slightly repetitive, and I wasn't gripped. I can see why people love Addie, and I did feel for her as we see her desperation to be remembered, but I just didn't find this book all that interesting.

“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?”

My Sister, The Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite

We’re in Nigeria, and we meet Korede who, after a distressing phone call,, finds herself covering up the third boyfriend  her sister, Ayoola, has murdered in ‘self-defence’. She doesn’t go to the police, but will she change her mind when Ayoola starts dating a doctor where Korede works?

Now this, I loved. I listened to the audiobook on route to my New Year holiday destination, and it is such a wild ride. It was shortlisted for The Women's Prize in 2019, and I can see why - it’s short, but it’s strange and addictive and completely unpredictable. It packs a punch and it’s great if you’re looking for something to get completely absorbed in for a few hours.

"I don't know... it's his words against yours."

"Against ours, Korede. It's his words against ours."

Just One Thing, Dr Michael Mosely

Based on his popular podcast of the same name, in this book Dr Mosley shares some of the small, simple yet powerful things we can introduce into our daily routines to positively impact our mental and physical health.

I really like the essence of this book, it reminded me of Atomic Habits in which James Clear offers reasoned and helpful advice to building long-term habits, one small step at a time. Dr Mosley advocates for building manageable habits into our routines that are beneficial to our health in the longterm, and - crucially - easy to weave into our normal routines.

If you want to know why eating chocolate can help your heart, how singing can give you a natural 'high’, and why houseplants can boost productivity, check this one out!

One lesson that stood out was that around intelligent exercise, and how it can help us build muscle, increase blood supply, and produce the hormone that encourages growth of new brain cells.

After the age of 30, we will lose 5% of muscle mass every decade of our lives.

Dr Mosely explores why exercises like squats are like interval training for the brain, as the ‘up down’ action benefits the brain and increases blood supply. Exercises like this and other types of strength training we should be doing on a daily basis to support our future bodies.

The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy

This is a really sad book, probably one of the most moving I have read in 2023.

It is a story about twins at its heart, but it’s also so much more. It shines a light onto the caste system in India, relationships, and the danger of seeking revenge. Beautiful descriptions and imagery are accompanied by a well paced plot.

It does jump back and forth in time, so it’s one for a time when you can get completely immersed and give it your fun attention. I did find that some issues weren’t properly developed, such as the sexual assault that occurs relatively early in the book, however I do think this somewhat adds to the meaning behind this narrative - the memory and significance of the experience keeps returning to the character, which acts as a way of highlighting the trauma it caused.

“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that when they do, those few dozen hours, like the salvaged remains of a burned house—the charred clock, the singed photograph, the scorched furniture—must be resurrected from the ruins and examined. Preserved. Accounted for. Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Imbued with new meaning. Suddenly they become the bleached bones of a story.”

Exit West, Mohsin Hamid

My final book of a fantastic year, Hamid introduces us to Nadia and Saeed who start a love affair when their country is at risk of falling into civil war. They leave their homeland and begin a new life, and so begins a tale of love, loyalty, and courage.

This is a very touching and tender story, and the idea of by portals opening randomly all over the world was an interesting take on the experience of the migration and displacement narrative.

“…when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind.”