2023, Reading

This year ended up being about taking it slow when it came to reading. Starting off the year with House of Spirits by Isabel Allende set the tone. This book was nearly 500 pages long and followed the life of Clara del Valle from childhood to beyond her passing. This multi-generational story felt like 100 Years of Solitude's cousin when it came to the family stories and magical realism. It made me realize how much I loved seeing the bigger picture as an outsider noticing how the generational stories, habits, traumas are passed down. This is one of those books that you read while drinking coffee in the morning, feeling like your life is all in order. Apparently a lot of dads like this book too. That and Don Quixote for some reason.

Life for Sale by Yukio Mishima was one of those books that looked pretty on the outside so I had to look into it - definitely judged a book by its cover but it worked out. This book followed the life of Hanio Yamada who sees the world around him as meaningless and after a failed attempt to end his life, he chooses to put his life on sale and gets some really strange requests. This book was a much-needed smooth, easy read after the House of Spirits. It was 229 pages, but didn't feel like it. This was a dark comedy and I never knew what to expect.

Last year was all about self-help books, which had its pros and cons. This also meant that I needed a big break from them during 2023. However, there was one that glued together all the pieces that I needed to make sense of living in the present. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle was a reminder to get out of my head and into the present moment. The book follows a question and answer format and has a symbol to pause and reflect, which I had never seen before in a book. This book described simple concepts but in a way that resonated heavily with me. I saw more beauty in the world after reading this, probably because I was more aware of the present moment. This is one of those books that you read multiple times, maybe in 5 year intervals as a reminder.

Honorable Mentions:

Soledad by Angie Cruz

The Science of Pilates by Tracy Ward