I always start the year with the intention to breeze through a stack of books whilst work is quiet, I’m not back at uni, and the social calendar has quietened down after the holiday break, but inevitably other things come up (including impromptu trips to the beach to capitalise on the glorious weather at the moment).
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Every year I set myself one reading goal: to read 52 books in the year. This is usually an achievable goal, but in 2021 I fell short by just 5 books. I didn’t feel unaccomplished for not reaching my goal — the number was arbitrary and one that I set each year regardless of how much free time I expect to have that year. It inspired some reflection however on whether I should even bother with setting a reading goal in 2022.
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If you ask me what I read, I’d probably say “I’ll read anything!” and I’d be totally ignoring the fact that I obviously have a type.
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Motherhood by Sheila Heti is a deliberative exploration of the social norms that work against us when we make personal decisions such as whether or not to have children. Heti queries motherhood from every crevice of its social and emotional understanding, through sex, religion, biology, spiritual - no stone is left unturned. It is an exercise in both evaluating one’s decision-making process and a reassurance that we can trust that process and our intuition, without pressure to succumb to external expectations.
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Sour Heart is a poignant painting of struggle told through the stories of inter-connected young Chinese-American girls upon their immigration to New York, USA. These girls chronicle their journey oscillating between their cultural histories and the desires accompanying their new American life. This is often displayed through the recollections of these daughters - through their interactions with their family members, along with their interactions with their peers in America.
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This is John Green’s best work to date. The story is personal and honest and steers away from the tropes that pollute his prior works (not a single manic-pixie-dream-girl in sight). The maturity of Green’s writing in Turtles All The Way Down rejuvenated my love for young adult fiction and excited me for future works by Green.
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Reni Eddo-Lodge’s debut novel, Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race, stemmed from a blog post of the same title, posted in February 2014. The blog post, included in the book, triggered a mass of responses both positive and negative. The book explains racism, its history and the intersections between race and class, race and feminism, and race and immigration.
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Rebecca Solnit's collection of essays eloquently verbalise the many ideas shared by the left in the light of US politics in recent years. However, she does not leave criticism of left movements to be addressed by opponents. Solnit discusses the the fractured left movement where the intersections of identities and beliefs is ignored for 'greater' mainstream purpose. This collection is a thoughtful handbook for the academic and the activist
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